VSTEP

Speaking & Listening

EXAM FOCUS
Table of Contents

01 VSTEP Listening Part

2
02 Listening Practice

03 VSTEP Speaking Part

2
04 Speaking Practice
 01
VSTEP Listening Part 2
Tips and Strategies
Common Question Types
General description
● Part 2 consists of 3 conversations.
● Each conversation is about 2-3 minutes long, 4 questions/ conversation, 4
options/ question
● The conversations in Part 2 will have clear topic and longer than short
conversations in Part 1.
Þ Test-takers may find it difficult to answer the questions due to a large amount
of information and long questions.
● You are also very likely to get confused with the voices and the conversation
going on, which may become troubles for you to catch up well, when you try
to relate the audio with the question.
● The conversation may consist of up to 3 people discussing one topic.
● Most topics in this part are not academic, so you’re not expecting academic
lectures or conversations.
Strategies

● Remember: the questions check your understanding of the RECORDING, not your
knowledge, so DON’T answer questions based on what you KNOW, answer them
by what you HEAR.
● If there are new words, try to make a good prediction of the meaning in the
context you’re dealing with.
● The answer options can be confusing, they may contain similar ideas and words.
Don’t get confused between ideas. You need to choose the MOST suitable
answer.
● Mark you answer on the answer sheet carefully using PENCIL only.
Steps to do

Step 1 •Read the questions first and identify what TYPE of question it is
•Take the time the instruction being read aloud to do this

Step 2 •Underline the key words in the questions.

•Make good guess and try to see the general picture of the conversation rather than specific words.

Step 3 •Stay focused and answer all questions as you hear, especially the DETAIL questions.
•Don’t leave any question unanswered.
 Common question types

- This kind of question may appear

1. Main idea questions
at the beginning or the end of the
conversation that you hear.
- There will be at about 1 MAIN
IDEA question for each
Examples: conversation.
What are the speakers - Test taker is supposed to
discussing? understand the speaker’s general
What is the topic of the purpose of having a conversation
conversation? and should listen for keywords
What is the conversation mainly that are emphasized or repeated.
about? - Grasp the general ideas, reading
the questions first may help you
connect ideas and predict what
the conversation is about. (but try
to make educated guess, not lucky
guess!)
 Common question types

2. Detail questions: Who- Stay

– What
focused–onWhere –
what is being
When – Why – How (much/ many) asked.
- Take notes of major points and
important details
Examples: - Listen for signal expressions
How has the man mainly that identify details, such as for
learnt English? example, the reason is, on the
other hand, however, I would
Why did the woman travel to say, etc.
Spain? - Choose what speakers actually
Why do young people learn say because the detail questions
languages more quickly? do not require inference.
- Don’t look for the exact words
in the recording and the
questions. Look for
paraphrases and synonyms.
 Common question types

3. Inference
questions

Examples: - Inference questions include words, e.g. infer,

imply or suggest.
What do the speakers mean by
mentioning “more rights”? -> - One needs to give attention to the tone, stress,
Inference and intonation of the audio clips and speakers
to guess the meaning in a proper way.
What is the man/woman most
likely do to save the environment? - Read the questions carefully and make sure you
-> Prediction understand the words correctly.
- Try to match the words in the questions with
what is spoken. Remember to look for synonyms
and paraphrases instead of correct words.
 02
VSTEP Listening Part 2
Practice
 Skill Practice
PRACTICE 1: You will hear a radio interview with Jack Williams, who is talking about a town called Swanton
9. Where is the town of Swanton located?
A. near the sea B. By a lake
C. on a hill D. Near a mountain
10. What does Jack like most about the town?
A. there are opportunities for climbing nearby
B. There is plenty of activity in the town
C. there is interesting wildlife near the town
D. There are friendly and helpful neighbors
11. What does Jack say about entertainment in Swanton?
A. a music festival takes place in the town
B. its football club has done well this year
C. an arts center has recently opened.
D. a theatre is going to hold a musical concert next month.
12. Why is Jack worried about the environment of Swanton?
A. the water in the river is dirty
B. there are few wild birds around today
C. pollution has destroyed the plants in one area
D. there is too much garbage.
 Skill Practice
PRACTICE 2: Listen to the conversation between a student and a professor
13. What is the topic of the conversation?
A. how much the professor enjoys student participation
B. how to highlight key passages from the text book
C. how to get in touch with the teaching assistant
D. how the student can improve his grade
14. What is one suggestion the professor makes to the student?
A. get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast for the exam
B. ask the teaching assistant for old exams to practice
C. memorize Piaget’s stages of development
D. study long and hard for the exam
15. What is the professor’s favorite part of his job?
A. referring students to his teaching assistant
B. teaching students about interesting things
C. having students participate in class
D. helping students get better grades
16. Why is one thing the student did to study for this exam?
A. visited the professor during office hours to ask questions
B. formed a study group to go over lecture notes
C. memorized Piaget’s stages of development
D. took a practice test with the TA.
 Exam Practice
Question from 9 to 12: Listen to the conversation between 2 STUDENTS
9. What is the conversation mainly about?
A. Grades for a recent assignment
B. Job prospects for students doing their course
C. The advantages and disadvantages of going to college
D. The quality of the teaching on their course
10. Why is the woman concerned?
A. She feels she is not learning anything useful.
B. She has been receiving poor grades.
C. She is not enjoying her course.
D. She is finding the course very difficult.
11. What does the man appreciate most about studying at university?
A. Meeting people with diverse interests
B. Getting involved in discussions
C. Studying a subject in depth
D. Teaching others about what he has learnt
12. The man says that employers will appreciate the woman’s __
A. transferable skills
B. ability to train others
C. enthusiasm
D. knowledge of history
 Exam Practice
Questions 13 – 16: Listen to Li, Paul and Kitty discussing a project.
13. How long does the report have to be?
A. 1000 words B. 1000 – 1500 words
C. 1500 words D. 1500 – 2000 words
14. What of the following will the team do as a group?
A. Write the report B. Do the presentation
C. Talk to the professor D. Carry out the questionnaire
15. Which of the following aspects of university life will NOT be investigated by any of the group?

A. The library B. Sport centre

C. Transport D. The dormitory
16. What can be inferred about cycling at the university?
A. More students cycle than use the bus
B. Bicycles are often stolen from the bikes sheds
C. There is not enough shelters for bikes at the university
D. Students have to pay for the bikes sheds
 Exam Practice
Question 17 – 20: Listen to Amir asking for advice at the library
17. Which of the following has Amir done already?
A. Used the library search engine
B. Reserved some books
C. Used the e-journals
D. Been on a library induction tour
18. On how many days per week are library inductions currently available?
A. 7 days per week
B. 5 days per week
C. 2 days per week
D. 1 day per week
19. What can Amir do on level two?
A. use the computers
B. sign up for a library tour
C. find the electrical engineering books
D. Meet Mark Taylor
20. What time foes the librarian recommend that Amir returns to meet the subject librarian?
A. at around 12.15
B. at around 12.30
C. at around 1.00
D. at around 2.00
 03
VSTEP Speaking Part 2
Tips and Strategies
 VSTEP SPEAKING TEST

The VSTEP speaking test lasts 12 minutes and

consists of three parts.
● Part 1: Social Interaction (3’)
● Part 2: Solution Discussion (4’)
● Part 3: Topic Development (5’)
 Part 2: General Description

4 minutes Choose the

(1 minute for best option and
preparation & A card with a justify your
about 2 minutes to situation + 3 choice
speak) options

SLIDESMANIA.CO
 Your family is planning a trip from
Hanoi to Sapa. Three means of
transport are suggested: by
Example
private car, by train, and by coach.
situation
Which means of transport do you
think is the best choice?
 Tips forfor
Tips Part
the2oral test

1. You are given 1 minute to note down what you are going
to say. Remember some useful tips to take notes efficiently.
 Spend some time thinking and planning and don’t write
for the whole minute
 Don’t write complete sentences
 Don’t spend too long choosing your option, choose the
option which is the easiest to explain and you have more
ideas to talk about
 Tips for theTips
oralfor
testPart 2

2. When you give your own choice, remember that you have
about 2 minutes to speak, so your answer must be long and
detailed enough.

To develop your talk, which steps should you take?

 Tips
Tipsfor
forPart
the 2oral test
Your speaking should include 3 parts.
+ Opening:
- Introduce the situation with 3 options by paraphrasing the
problem and mention your choice
+ Body:
- Mention about 2-3 strengths of the chosen option (with
supporting ideas, examples, explanations…)
- Mention at least a weakness of the other two options
- Compare & contrast all 3 options
+ Conclusion:
- Restate your choice
 Tips for Part 2

3. To give and clarify your choice, you can use some

following useful expressions to give your own opinions
I think/I believe/I suppose….that A/B/C is the best/most suitable
choice.
If I were her/him/in the situation, I would choose A/B/C…
In my opinion/To my mind, A/B/C would be the ultimate option.

Examples:
. 1.In my opinion/ To my mind, a laptop is the best choice.
2. It seems to me that a holiday is the greatest present.
 Tips for Part 2

4. You should use linking words to

introduce the points/list the reasons
and link ideas as well as 3 main parts.
Tips for Part 2

5. Pay attention to time limit (if time

runs out, you are usually asked to
stop).
 04
VSTEP Speaking Part 2
Exam Practice
Practice (Group-work) (10 minutes)
Your cousin is the best student of the class
this year. Her parents are thinking about a
present. There are three options: a laptop, a
holiday, or some money. Which option would
you suggest her?
 Fill in the outline (Group-work)
Give your choice
Reasons for your
choice

Reasons why you

don’t choose the
other two options
Repeat your choice
 Fill in the outline (Group-work) (Suggested ideas)
Give your choice A holiday
(If I were her, I would believe that a holiday is the best choice among
three options: laptop, holiday or some money because of the
following reasons.)
Reasons for your choice o explore a new place and broaden her horizons about cultural
activities, local customs, cuisine, history or architecture
o have time to relax/reduce stress
o a good way to get close to nature
o improve language skills if travelling to another country
o a great way to bond with family and friends

Reasons why you don’t Laptop: distract her study

choose the other two Money: spend it all immediately even in a useless way
options
Repeat your choice For all the reasons I have mentioned above, I think a holiday is the
best choice for her due to many benefits it can bring to her.
 CLICK TO SHOW THE CARDS ONE BY ONE
PREPARE FOR EACH SITUATION IN 1 MIN + VOLUNTEER TO SPEAK IN ABOUT 2 MINS

Your cousin is thinking about You have seen your friend stealing Your class is thinking about an
some ways to reduce stress. Three some money from another activity for the whole class this
options are spending more time classmate. What will you do: ask weekend. There are 3 options:
with friends and family, going on a him to return the money to the going to the park, going to the
holiday and taking up a sport. owner, report to the teacher, or cinema, going to the concert
Choose the best option and give ignore it? Which do you think is the best
her some advice. choice?

Your sister wants to improve her Your cousin is a freshman and Your friend who is a teacher
English. She is considering has just moved to Hanoi to study complains that her students do not
among 3 options: joining an at ULIS. He is considering among do homework. She is considering
English club, working in a study 3 options: living in the among 3 options: asking students to
dormitory, living with his rewrite the task 10 times, requiring
group, learning with a private
relative, living with a friend in a them to stand at the classroom
tutor. Which do you think is the corner for one hour, asking them to
best choice? rented house. Which do you
give her some money.Which do you
think is the best choice?
think is the best choice?
THANK
YOU