Here is an exhaustive list of all types of listening quizzes, tests, and exercises for all levels of ESL students:
Elementary Level
- Picture dictation: The teacher dictates a series of sentences and the students draw what they hear.
- Gap filling: The students listen to a passage and fill in the blanks with the missing words.
- True/false: The students listen to a passage and decide whether each statement is true or false.
- Multiple choice: The students listen to a passage and choose the correct answer from a list of options.
- Matching: The students listen to a passage and match the items on one list with the items on another list.
- Sequencing: The students listen to a passage and put the events in order.
- Comprehension questions: The students listen to a passage and answer questions about it.
Pre-Intermediate Level
- All of the above, plus:
- Short answer questions: The students listen to a passage and answer short questions about it.
- Discussion questions: The students listen to a passage and discuss it with a partner or small group.
- Role-playing: The students listen to a dialogue and then role-play it themselves.
- Dictation: The students listen to a passage and write it down.
- Listening comprehension tests: The students listen to a passage and answer a variety of questions about it, including multiple-choice, true/false, matching, and sequencing questions.
Intermediate Level
- All of the above, plus:
- Listening comprehension tests for specific purposes: The students listen to passages on specific topics, such as business, academia, or travel, and answer questions about them.
- Note-taking: The students listen to a passage and take notes on the main points.
- Summarizing: The students listen to a passage and summarize it in their own words.
- Critical listening: The students listen to a passage and evaluate the speaker’s arguments or claims.
Advanced Level
- All of the above, plus:
- Listening comprehension tests for academic purposes: The students listen to lectures, seminars, and other academic presentations and answer questions about them.
- Listening comprehension tests for professional purposes: The students listen to business meetings, conference presentations, and other professional presentations and answer questions about them.
- Shadowing: The students listen to a passage and repeat it as they hear it.
- Transcription: The students listen to a passage and type it out.
In addition to these specific types of quizzes, tests, and exercises, there are also a number of general listening comprehension strategies that ESL students can learn. These strategies include:
- Predicting: Try to predict what the speaker is going to say before they say it. This can be done by looking at the title of the passage, the context in which the passage is being presented, or by listening to the first few sentences of the passage.
- Listening for keywords: Pay attention to the keywords in the passage. These are the words that are most important for understanding the main points of the passage.
- Identifying the main idea: Try to identify the main idea of the passage. This is the most important point that the speaker is trying to make.
- Taking notes: Take notes on the main points of the passage. This will help you to remember the information and to answer questions about the passage later.
- Summarizing: Summarize the passage in your own words. This is a good way to check your understanding of the passage and to make sure that you have learned the main points.
Here is an example of each type of listening quiz, test, and exercise for all levels of ESL students:
Elementary Level
Picture dictation:
The teacher dictates the following sentences:
- The cat is sitting on the mat.
- The boy is playing with the ball.
- The bird is flying in the sky.
The students draw what they hear.
Gap filling:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat sat on the mat. The boy played with the ball. The bird flew in the sky.
The students fill in the blanks with the missing words:
The cat sat on the ____.
The boy played with the ____.
The bird flew in the ____.
True/false:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat is a pet. The cat is black. The cat is sitting on the mat.
The students decide whether each statement is true or false:
- The cat is a pet. (True)
- The cat is black. (False)
- The cat is sitting on the mat. (True)
Multiple choice:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat is sitting on the mat. The boy is playing with the ball. The bird is flying in the sky.
The students choose the correct answer from a list of options:
Where is the cat sitting?
- On the mat.
- On the chair.
- On the table.
Matching:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat is a pet. The cat is black. The cat is sitting on the mat.
The students match the items on one list with the items on another list:
| Animals | Colors |
|---|---|
| cat | black |
Sequencing:
The students listen to the following passage:
The boy woke up. The boy got dressed. The boy ate breakfast. The boy went to school.
The students put the events in order:
- The boy woke up.
- The boy got dressed.
- The boy ate breakfast.
- The boy went to school.
Comprehension questions:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat is a pet. The cat is black. The cat is sitting on the mat.
The students answer questions about the passage:
What is the cat’s color?
Where is the cat sitting?
Pre-Intermediate Level
Short answer questions:
The students listen to the following passage:
The boy is playing with the ball. The ball is red. The boy is happy.
The students answer short questions about the passage:
What is the boy playing with?
What color is the ball?
How is the boy feeling?
Discussion questions:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat is sitting on the mat. The dog is playing with the bone. The bird is flying in the sky.
The students discuss the passage with a partner or small group:
What is the cat doing?
What is the dog doing?
What is the bird doing?
Role-playing:
The students listen to the following dialogue:
- A: Hi, can I help you?
- B: Yes, I’m looking for a red ball.
- A: We have a few different red balls. What size are you looking for?
- B: I’m looking for a small red ball.
- A: Here you go. This is a small red ball.
- B: Thank you.
The students role-played the dialogue with a partner.
Dictation:
The students listen to the following passage:
The cat is a pet. The cat is black. The cat is sitting on the mat.
The students write down the passage.
Listening comprehension tests:
The students listen to a passage and answer a variety of questions about it, including multiple-choice, true/false, matching, and sequencing questions.
Intermediate Level
Listening comprehension tests for specific purposes:
The students listen to passages on specific topics, such as business, academia, or travel, and answer questions about them. For example, a business student might listen to a passage about a company’s financial performance and answer questions about the company’s revenue and profits.
Note-taking:
The students listen to a passage and take notes on the main points. For example, a student might listen to a lecture on the history of the United States and take notes on the key events and figures.
Summarizing:
The students listen to a passage and summarize it in their own words. For example, a student might listen to a news article about a recent political event and summarize the main points of the article in a few sentences.
Critical listening:
The students listen to a passage and evaluate the speaker’s arguments or claims. For example, a student might listen to a speech by a politician and evaluate the politician’s claims about the economy or foreign policy.
Advanced Level
Listening comprehension tests for academic purposes:
The students listen to lectures, seminars, and other academic presentations and answer questions about them. For example, a student might listen to a lecture on quantum physics and answer questions about the different theories of quantum physics.
Listening comprehension tests for professional purposes:
The students listen to business meetings, conference presentations, and other professional presentations and answer questions about them. For example, a business student might listen to a presentation by a company executive and answer questions about the company’s future plans.
Shadowing:
The students listen to a passage and repeat it as they hear it. This is a good way to improve pronunciation and fluency.
Transcription:
The students listen to a passage and type it out. This is a good way to improve listening comprehension and typing skills.
By using these strategies, ESL students can improve their listening comprehension skills and become more effective listeners.
I hope this provides a comprehensive overview of the different types of listening quizzes, tests, and exercises that can be used with ESL students of all levels.
