TOEIC Listening Skills 1: Overview and Part 1

Summary

This video script offers a strategic approach to the TOEIC listening section, focusing on the photograph section with 10 questions. It emphasizes the process of elimination and memory techniques due to the lack of note-taking during the test. The script explores common tricks in answer choices, such as inferences, partial truths, and similar-sounding words, and recommends resources for further TOEIC preparation.

Takeaways

• 📝 The TOEIC listening section has four parts totaling 45 minutes, with the first part being the photograph section consisting of 10 questions.
• 🔍 The Process of Elimination (POE) is a systematic way to answer questions on the test, improving chances but not guaranteeing 100% accuracy.
• 🚫 Remember not to eliminate an answer choice if you don't understand it, as this could lead to incorrect eliminations.
• 👂 The challenge in the photograph section is that the statements are not printed in the test book and are heard only once.
• 👀 The test taker must select the statement that best describes what they see in the picture, based on the visual information provided.
• 💡 The TOEIC is a reliable and valid test, so the correct answer must be something that can be directly identified from the photo.
• 🙅‍♂️ Eliminate answer choices that are too general or that include words that are unlikely to be used in the test's context.
• 🗣️ Repeating the answer choices softly to oneself can help keep the information fresh and improve memory retention during the test.
• ✏️ Place your pencil on each answer choice as you listen to them, focusing on the most likely correct options and marking the one you think is right.
• 🕵️‍♀️ Be aware of tricks like answer choices that include some correct information but distract from the actual truth about the picture.
• 📚 For TOEIC preparation, consider using the official TOEIC website, the Tactics for TOEIC textbook series, and other preparation materials.

Q & A

What is the total duration of the TOEIC Listening section?

The TOEIC Listening section has a total duration of 45 minutes.

How many parts are there in the TOEIC Listening section?

There are four parts in the TOEIC Listening section.

What is the first part of the TOEIC Listening section called?

The first part of the TOEIC Listening section is called the Photograph section.

How many questions are there in the Photograph section of the TOEIC Listening test?

There are 10 questions in the Photograph section of the TOEIC Listening test.

What is the general test strategy discussed in the TOEIC Reading Series?

The general test strategy discussed in the TOEIC Reading Series is the Process of Elimination (POE), which is a systematic way to answer questions on the test.

Why is it advised not to eliminate an answer choice if you don't understand it?

It is advised not to eliminate an answer choice if you don't understand it because in order to eliminate an answer, you must be able to understand it well enough to know it's incorrect.

What is the challenge of the Photograph section where the statements are not printed in the test book?

The challenge is that the statements are heard only once, and what you see on the test form are just four letters (A, B, C, and D) and the picture, making it difficult to remember the statements without writing them down.

What is a recommended strategy for dealing with the lack of note-taking during the TOEIC Listening section?

One recommended strategy is to place your pencil on each of the answer choices as you listen to them and to repeat the answer choices softly to yourself in the order you hear them to help keep the information fresh.

What is a common trick used in the Photograph section of the TOEIC Listening test?

A common trick is to include some correct information in each distractor, focusing on the middle words of the sentence where the key details might be missed.

What is the final TOEIC Listening section trick discussed in the script?

The final trick discussed is the use of answer choices with similar sounding words or with similar prefixes and/or suffixes, which can confuse test takers if they don't catch the information quickly.

What are some resources recommended for TOEIC preparation mentioned in the script?

Some resources recommended for TOEIC preparation include the official TOEIC website by ETS, the Tactics for TOEIC textbook series, and a new TOEFL and TOEIC preparation website.

Outlines

00:00

📚 TOEIC Listening Test Strategy Overview

This paragraph introduces the TOEIC listening test's Photograph Section, which consists of 10 questions based on statements heard about a picture. The test strategy involves the process of elimination (POE) to improve chances of correct answers. It emphasizes understanding answer choices before elimination and not eliminating based on guesses. The speaker suggests reviewing the TOEIC reading series for a detailed explanation of POE and test strategies.

05:00

🎧 Navigating the Photograph Section Challenges

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of the Photograph Section, highlighting the challenge of listening to statements about a picture without seeing them in the test booklet. It discusses the importance of identifying what can be proven from the visual information provided. The speaker uses an example with four answer choices to demonstrate how to eliminate incorrect options and select the one that best matches the visual evidence in the photograph.

10:03

🚫 No Note-Taking: Strategies for TOEIC Listening

This paragraph addresses the no note-taking rule in the TOEIC listening section, which can be a disadvantage for test-takers. The speaker recommends strategies to overcome this, such as placing the pencil on answer choices while listening and repeating the choices softly to oneself to keep the information fresh. These techniques help to focus attention and improve memory retention during the test.

15:03

🕵️‍♂️ Identifying Tricks in TOEIC Listening Questions

The fourth paragraph discusses common tricks used in the TOEIC listening test, such as including correct information in distractors to confuse test-takers. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on the question's requirement to identify or prove information directly from the photo, rather than making inferences. The speaker provides an example with four answer choices and explains how to analyze and eliminate options based on the information provided in the picture.

20:05

🔍 TOEIC Listening: Recognizing What Can Be Proven

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by emphasizing the key to success in the Photograph Section is recognizing what can be directly proven from the visual information, not what can be inferred or predicted. It also reiterates the importance of memory and test-taking strategies due to the no note-taking rule. The speaker highlights common tricks, such as answer choices that seem like guesses or have similar-sounding words, and encourages the use of official TOEIC materials and preparation resources for effective study.

🎵 Conclusion and Upcoming Video Tease

This final entry in the script is a simple musical cue indicating the end of the video and a teaser for the next video in the series, which will cover the second part of the TOEIC listening test.

Keywords

💡TOEIC

The TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is an international standard test for non-native English speakers to assess their English language proficiency in a business context. In the video, the TOEIC is the main focus, with the speaker discussing strategies for the listening section, which is designed to evaluate a test-taker's ability to understand spoken English in a business environment.

💡Process of Elimination (POE)

Process of Elimination (POE) is a test-taking strategy where candidates eliminate answer choices that they know are incorrect to increase the likelihood of selecting the correct one. The video emphasizes the importance of this strategy in the TOEIC listening section, noting that it improves chances of answering correctly but requires understanding of the answer choices to be effective.

💡Photograph Section

The Photograph Section is the first part of the TOEIC listening test, where test-takers listen to statements about a picture and select the one that best describes what they see. The script describes this section in detail, explaining the challenge of hearing statements only once and having to choose the correct description based on a visual image.

💡Test Strategy

A test strategy refers to a systematic approach to answering questions on a test. In the context of the video, the speaker reviews the general test strategy discussed in the TOEIC reading series and applies it to the listening section, focusing on how to tackle questions in the Photograph Section effectively.

💡Answer Choices

Answer choices are the possible responses to a question on a test. The script discusses how to evaluate and eliminate answer choices in the TOEIC listening test, particularly in the Photograph Section, by understanding the statements and matching them with what is visually depicted in the accompanying picture.

💡Memory

Memory is the ability to encode, store, and retrieve information. The video highlights the importance of memory in the TOEIC listening section, where test-takers must remember spoken statements and match them to a photograph without the aid of note-taking or repetition of the statements.

💡Distractor

A distractor is an incorrect answer choice designed to mislead test-takers in multiple-choice questions. The script explains how distractors in the TOEIC listening test may contain elements of truth but are crafted to lead away from the correct answer, which must be something directly identifiable and provable from the visual information provided.

💡Note-Taking

Note-taking is the act of recording information during a lecture, meeting, or while studying. The video mentions that note-taking is not allowed during the TOEIC listening test, which presents a challenge for test-takers who must rely on their memory to recall information heard only once.

💡Tricks

Tricks refer to the tactics used in test questions to confuse or mislead test-takers. The script identifies several tricks used in the TOEIC listening test, such as including some correct information in distractors, using similar-sounding words in answer choices, and focusing on details that can be directly observed rather than inferred.

💡ETS

ETS, or Educational Testing Service, is a non-profit organization known for developing and administering standardized tests, including the TOEIC. The script mentions ETS as the provider of the TOEIC test and the sample materials used for practice and strategy discussion in the video.

💡Test Preparation

Test preparation involves activities and strategies to ready oneself for a test. The video concludes with recommendations for materials and resources for TOEIC test preparation, including the official TOEIC website, the Tactics for TOEIC textbook series, and a new TOEFL and TOEIC preparation website.

Highlights

Introduction to the TOEIC listening section with a focus on the photograph section.

Explanation of the Process of Elimination (POE) as a test strategy.

The importance of understanding answer choices before attempting to eliminate them.

Review of the TOEIC reading series for a general test strategy.

Details on the TOEIC download information and how to approach questions based on the provided sample.

The challenge of listening to statements only once and selecting the best description for a photograph.

Discussion on the reliability and validity of the TOEIC test and the need for direct identification in answers.

Analysis of answer choices with a focus on what can be directly identified from a photograph.

Strategies for dealing with the lack of note-taking in the listening section.

Techniques for remembering information by placing the pencil on answer choices and repeating them softly.

Demonstration of how to apply memory strategies with a sample question.

Common tricks used in the TOEIC listening section, such as distractors containing correct information.

The significance of focusing on the middle words of answer choices to avoid common traps.

Final thoughts on the importance of recognizing what can be proven rather than inferred in the photograph section.

Recommendations for TOEIC preparation materials, including the official website and the Tactics for TOEIC textbook series.

Introduction of a new TOEFL and TOEIC preparation website for further study resources.

Transcripts

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on the Tock listening section there are

four parts totaling 45 minutes on the

test in our first video we will looking

at part one which is called the

photograph section there will be 10

questions that appear on the toic

test now we will be using the download

that toic ETS has provided for us and

looking at a few sample questions to

decide uh to determine how to answer

these

questions now before we begin let's kind

of take a moment just to review the

general test strategy that we discussed

in the toic reading

Series so we discussed the idea of the

process of elimination or

poe poe is a system atic way to answer

questions on the

test now first off we have to remember

that no guessing strategy is 100% uh

true all of the time it's never going to

produce for us uh every time we take the

test but process of elimination will

improve your

chances but as you recall in order to

eliminate an answer choice you must be

able to understand it as well so

remember don't eliminate an answer

Choice first if you don't understand

it

now since it is not our purpose in this

video series to review the process

elimination or to provide the general

overview for the test I would recommend

going back and looking at video one of

the toic reading series and the link to

that is uh in the in the information

section below this

video so now let's look at the toic

download information that's provided for

us and uh once again you'll see the link

to that as well in the uh in information

below first off let's take a look at um

how the particular question will be

introduced to us on the test so first

off you will notice that on um in the

directions it will describe the fact

that there are four statements that you

will hear about the picture in the book

when you hear the statements you must

select the one statement that best

describes what you see in the picture

then you need to find the number of the

question on your answer sheet and Mark

your answer now the diff the the the

real challenge here is in this next

statement uh the fact is the statements

themselves are not printed in the

testbook and you'll hear them only once

so again what you will see on the test

form itself are basically just four

letters a b c and d and the picture so

this can be our first sort of challenge

when we're taking this part of the test

is that we don't actually get to see the

statements that they're reading to us we

actually just listen to them

once now in order

seminar obviously the toic is involved

with business related topics so again

it's possible that they were at a

meeting is this before or after the

meeting well we really don't know but we

can at least make some reasonable

guesses uh before we actually begin to

hear the

information now notice of course there

are other objects in the room too and uh

we have to think about for example what

are these two things called well uh

first off this particular item here is

referred to as a post

I and this particular item

here is referred to as an overhead

projector it's very possible that these

two items might be referenced by name

and the answer choices that we have to

listen

to now thinking about the action of the

picture what do we think is happening or

perhaps has happened here do we even

have enough information to guess and can

we think about why these people are here

again these are a lot of questions that

we might want to think about when we're

looking at the picture but uh we will

notice as we actually get to the

listening portion it might actually be

somewhat tricky to think about uh this

information so again we really don't

know much until we actually hear the

statements so now let's listen to the

four answer

choices a they're leaving the

room B they're turning on the

machine C they're standing near the

table D they're reading the

newspaper okay now of course this next

part is something that you will not see

on the toic but let's take for the

moment and analyze the choices as

they're provided to us in the

booklet a they're leaving the

room

B they're turning on the

machine C they're standing near the

table D they're reading the

newspaper now this brings us to our

first sort of toeic hint and this is

thinking about what a photo can include

and what can we actually prove when we

look at a when we look at a photo and

this is where we see uh some differences

from the listening section to the

reading section so what can we prove

well the photograph section in general

is usually about what we can directly

identify and prove given the visual

information uh that we have

here now you could make many guesses

about what's happening or has just

happened but since the toic is a test

that we would consider to be reliable

and valid the answer Choice has to be

something that we can directly identify

so for example it would be probably

pretty difficult for us to think about

about what is happening or just happened

like for example did they go to a

meeting because there could be too many

different

interpretations so the idea here is we

have to be able to see something

directly in the actual photo that's what

the test is going to talk

about now as we go through each answer

Choice let's see if we can kind of think

about what are the particular tricks uh

that are involved in trying to uh

eliminate the the incorrect answers now

let's look at a they're leaving the room

now this idea might be possible because

it looks like that perhaps this meeting

or presentation is finished so again

notice the projector has been turned

off but it also could be that the

speaker hasn't even begun yet this could

actually be before the meeting so again

this might be possible but this is

probably one that we might eliminate a

little bit later but let's keep it for

just a

moment now for B uh this one is

definitely going to be one we Canim

minate uh first off you notice the word

machine is being used here and and the

first thing we need to realize is that

that's a pretty General word so and most

likely they would never use something

that General on the test so this is one

that we can see pretty much we can

eliminate okay the next

one well we do notice that this is

something we can prove from the photo

all of them do seem to be fairly close

to the table that's included in the

photo so in this case we think this

one's possible let's keep

it and the last one they're reading the

newspaper well let's think about the the

potential trick that's included here if

you look on the table for a moment there

does seem to be something that you would

read but again this is most likely an

agenda or a prospectus or notes from a

presentation something that was def

would definitely not be a

newspaper so in this case we can

eliminate this one as well so you might

recall that on in the previous video

series when we discuss the process of

elimination we generally would have two

choices to think about so in this case

between a and

C which one do we think most directly

describes something we can prove from

the video uh from the

photo well I think we can see at this

point we can't prove that they're

leaving the room we don't know if this

is before or after the meeting so in

this case our best choice is probably

going to be C they're standing near the

table and that one is the correct answer

now we uh probably should go ahead and

discuss an important strategic Point

here for the toic uh the first challenge

you will notice is on the listening

section there is no note taking and this

is uh definitely unfortunate and it

certainly puts you at a disadvantage

when it comes to remembering the

information you hear on the test now

keep on the toeic itself you're not

allowed to write anywhere in the test

booklet and you're not allowed to take

notes on a separate sheet of paper and

in fact these are forbidden by ETS and

the toic and you most likely would be

removed from the test center if you were

caught writing these things

down so the question is what can you

do well the again the first uh

difficulty uh after not being able to

take notes is the fact that nothing is

repeated so hopefully the answer would

be apparent to

you so one strategy I recommend is as

you are listening take your pencil and

actually place your pencil on each of

the answer choices as you listen to them

and then as you are listening think

about the one or two choices you might

think are possible then completely fill

in the circle that you think is

correct so this kind of way helps you to

focus your attention while you're

listening another strategy which you

might find even more helpful is to

actually repeat the answer choices out

loud now of course what I mean out loud

I mean softly to yourself uh in the

exact order let you hear

them because really this part of the

test if you think about it is actually

testing your memory and your ability to

perceive information quickly at the same

time so I might recommend that this

might be a better strategy because it

helps keep the information fresh as

you're repeating it now we're going to

demonstrate this with another question

that's provided to us in the sample

booklet so first off again let's examine

the photo

first off think about what we can see in

the picture and then think about the

strategies we've just discussed so in

just a moment when you listen to the

answer choices try to repeat the answer

choices in the order that you hear

them now let's

listen a he's checking his

watch

B he's wearing a

jacket

C he's adjusting his

tie D he's folding his

clothes now before we actually analyze

the answers it's perfect time to think

about the tricks that the test is trying

to use so uh in this case when we say

trick photography obviously we're not

referring to special effects but what

we're thinking about is how can we trick

students uh with this section of the

test well one of the easiest ways to do

this would actually be to include some

information in each uh distractor that

actually is

correct so the key is when we focus on

all of the answer choices uh remember we

won't really know what's we're going to

be focusing on until we actually hear

the

question so when you think about it

often times the information that's being

asked may actually not be something you

think is important but really it's just

something that's fairly simple so again

this might get you you into trouble if

you try to think too much about the

picture but it is important to

understand that the question will be

asking something that you can directly

identify or

prove now listen again to the four

answer

choices a he's checking his

watch

B he's wearing a

jacket

C he's adjusting his

tie D he's folding his

clothes so in this case the answer is

B now let's analyze the

choices first off notice that in each

one there actually is some information

that is included in the picture uh for

example we do see a

watch we do see the person's wearing a

jacket there is a

tie and when we think about folding

especially this last one we do notice

that he's folding something but is it as

close well we'll see in just a moment

what the trick

is so again notice that in each

distractor there is something that's

correct so he is wearing a watch but the

key is whether he is checking it so

often times the trick is not necessarily

focusing on the last word of the

sentence it's really thinking about the

middle words of the sentence sentence so

we can notice that often times these are

the words that we often miss because

often times when people are speaking

quickly we usually hear the first word

of the sentence and maybe the last word

very clearly but sometimes the middle

can be kind of

confusing okay let's try one

more now look before we even listen

let's think about what can we actually

prove directly with this picture what

are things that we can actually observe

and identify just from looking at the

photo and again be careful it might be

something simple that you weren't paying

attention to for example we notice that

the person here's wearing an earring now

you may not think that's important but

remember on the toeic they're not

necessarily looking for important

information they're looking only for

something that you can

prove uh she does seem to be looking

into some sort of device

but we can't necessarily say is she a

scientist we don't really know that but

we can prove the fact that she's looking

into this particular apparatus here and

uh the reason I'm not mentioning it by

name is because this might be a trick

that we'll see in just a

moment but now that we're getting ready

let's listen to the four

choices

a she's speaking into a

microphone B she's putting on her

glasses C she's studying from a

book D she's using a

microscope so this brings us to our

final toic trick of the video and that

is the fact that often times answer

choices may also have similar sounding

words so in this particular example you

notice that we had two words that had

very similar uh sounds especially

because they had similar prefixes

microphone and

microscope so we can notice that the

first parts of these micro are exactly

the same now of course they both can't

be the same word so the key of course is

could you catch that

information uh because we only had the

chance to listen to it

once so again this is a fairly common uh

trick on this section of the test mostly

because there are limited ways for the

test to confuse you on this section so

again uh the idea here is with similar

sounding words you have to be able to

catch this information quickly because

remember the information is not

repeated so listen

again

a she's speaking into a

microphone B she's putting on her

glasses C

she's studying from a

book D she's using a

microscope so which one is the answer

Choice well if you said D you're correct

and again notice that part of the idea

was focusing on the keyword of

microscope which is the idea that we can

clearly see here in the

picture

so our final

thoughts the photograph section involves

an ability to recognize what you can

prove not necessarily what we can guess

infer or

predict the toic of course uh as we

mentioned before does not allow note

taking so other memory or test taking

strategies are going to be necessary

because information is not repeated so

think about what we discussed earlier in

the video about repeating the answer

choices to yourself and positioning your

pencil over the answer choices to kind

of focus your attention while you're

listening the most common tricks we

found on the test in this section are

answer choices that focus on making a

guess an inference rather than what we

can directly

prove answer choices that have some

correct information in them but distract

from what is actually true about the

picture and then finally answer choices

that have similar sounds or have words

with similar prefixes and or

suffixes now there are lots of great

materials out there to help you prepare

for the toic of course there's the

official toic website as put together by

ETS uh we also have the uh tactics for

toic textbook series uh again we

mentioned this in the previous video

series that this is the only textbook

series that etss has actually worked

with uh an actual press in this case

Oxford to put together prep materials so

I would highly recommend both of these

if you're studying for the listening and

reading tests and the speaking and

writing test and of course we also have

a new TOEFL and toic preparation website

and the link of which can be found at

the bottom of this

video thanks for watching we'll see you

next time for video two listening part

two

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