This article will help you answer APTIS listening part II: Information matching questions more effectively.
WHAT IS THE APTIS LISTENING PART 2 LIKE?
The second part of the APTIS listening test is called: Information Matching. It is again a multiple-choice test but this time you chose one answer from a selection of six choices. For further information, please visit British Council website here.
Look at the example below.
Example:
Four people are discussing their views on shopping. Complete the sentences. Use each answer only once. You will not need two of the reasons (A-F).
Person 1 A. dislikes online shopping.
Person 2 B. thinks before purchasing
Person 3 C. spends a lot of money.
Person 4 D. is an impulse buyer.
E. only shops during certain periods
F. prefers to shop alone.
14. Person 1: _____
15. Person 2: _____
16. Person 3: _____
17. Person 4: _____
In this part of the test, each of the four sections will be a monologue. The tapescripts for the four monologues are below.
You can practice more of free simulated APTIS listening practice tests here.
How To Tackle Information Matching Questions?
Analyse the questions and options
Read the Question. Again, this may seem obvious, but you will only give the right answer if you understand what you must do.
Take note of the keywords. In part 2 of the listening test, the question options are quite short but you still need to think about the keywords.
Because they are short sentences the verb may be the keyword. If the verb is not helpful (as in sentence F where you have the verbs ‘shop’ and ‘prefer’) look at other words. In this case, the important word is ‘alone’.
However, the keyword in the question, may not always be repeated in the monologue and so you should be prepared for synonyms and parallel expressions. We can see this with speaker A who says that ‘When I need something, I just go out on my own‘. This is a similar expression to ‘prefers to shop alone’ and so F is the answer for speaker 1.
Be careful of ‘distractors’. Distractors are words and phrases that are included in the text which sound like they might be the answer but aren’t.
In questions like this, you may find that the speaker gives another option that is different from the real answer. We can see this with speaker B who talks about her husband being a ‘very practical shopper’ and we may be distracted into thinking that the answer is B. However, she talks about ‘buying things on a whim’. This means the same as being an impulse buyer and so D is the answer.
Going back to the first point: Read the question. When we do this, we know that the answer is about what the speaker does and not other people he or she knows.
Be ready for the information
Think about the situation. An important strategy in all listening tests is preparing yourself for the answer so that you recognise it when you hear it.
As in part 1, it is extremely helpful to think about the situation before you listen (the technical expression for this is ‘activating schemata’).
Before you listen, you will need to think about this situation and what a person would say if they were telling another person about their plans. You can think about this quickly and just ask yourself questions like, What would a person who only shops during certain periods say? They would say why they do this and when they do this. Now, you can listen for specific reasons and times a person may go shopping.
Think about vocabulary. It is not always the case that the keywords you have noted will appear in the monologue. When you are thinking about the situation, think about synonyms and parallel expression as well. Like the example in the earlier section. When the person talked sais they ‘just went out on their own’ and the question featured the keyword ‘alone’. These are parallel expressions, so you will need a good vocabulary to answer the questions correctly.
Use your English grammar. The question asks you to match peoples’ habits, routines, likes and dislikes. When we talk about these things, we usually use the present simple. Therefore, you can reject any information you may hear related to the past or future.
Listen for the ‘introduction’ words. These are the words that come before the answer you’re waiting for and prepare you for the specific information that you need to answer the question. Again, you should imagine what people would say in a monologue like this.
Looking at the example with speaker A you see that the person says ‘I’ve never understood why people like…’. From this, you can expect that the speaker is going to describe a type of behaviour that she doesn’t agree with and what follows will help you arrive at the correct answer.
Flag the questions you are not certain about and return to them. You may not want to use too much time on the questions and so you can flag them and return later.
Make a note of the things that you want to check when you go back and listen again. If you are not sure what the answer is, note those points you are unsure about and when you listen again, confirm them.
When you listen a second time, make sure that you prepare yourself again- don’t relax! You still have to listen carefully for the introductions to the answers and for the information you need to answer the question correctly.
Remember! You will not lose marks for incorrect answers. Therefore, complete all of the questions.
Don’t change any answers unless you are sure you are right. The first answer is often the correct answer.
Other General TIPs and Strategies To Prepare For APTIS Listening
Audio scripts: When choosing or searching for practice tests, try and find ones with scripts. Scripts are the word-for-word written texts of the audio you listen to. It is a good idea to first listen without the script and then with the script. Use the script to confirm why your answer was right, or to tell you what you did wrong.
Listen as much as you can in English: Live talk radio, podcasts, TED talks, documentaries (these work well because there is not too much fast dialogue and the pictures help confirm what you hear) English Movies, English Cartoons, etc.)
Practice your English with your speaking partner: This will not only enable you to improve your speaking but enhance your listening skills too.
Polish your topic vocabulary: Most vocabulary books are set out in topics- Holidays, work, sport, shopping, music etc. By learning your vocabulary by topic then you will be more prepared if it comes up in the exam.
The power of music: Music is a great aid to memory. Memorising words that you like and remembering lyrics will help your vocabulary and grammar, as well as improving your listening skills.
The excitement of film: Films (or ‘movies’) help us predict what will be said by providing visual cues. The body language of an actor – as well as their tone of voice – give signs of what is about to be said, so it will help your English comprehension. Also, the more interested you are, the harder you will listen.
Think In English: This is not easy if you live in a country that is non-native English speaking, but you could change the operating system on your phone, tablet or laptop to English. Play a game with your friends where everyone has to speak English for an hour (try to make it funny by trying to sound as English as possible). Have a day when you only listen to or watch things that are in English. Practice situations or dialogues when you are travelling or don’t have anything to do.
Try as many as practice APTIS tests: Doing practice tests will help you build your concentration levels and your instinct. More than that, practice will improve your English and help you with the timings you need to complete the test with the best result. If you would like to increase your APTIS score by practicing more listening practice tests then please check the exam library in our website here. There you will find largest simulated APTIS test database. Totally free with no registration (we won't even ask for your email).