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Examination Advice:
Listening and responding
About the exam
The listening and responding section of the exam is worth 25 marks.
The listening exam is presented on cassette. It is the first part of the written exam and is designed to assess your knowledge and skill in analysing information from spoken texts.
You will hear between seven and ten spoken texts in
Indonesian covering a number of text types e.g.
advertisement, announcement, dialogue, message, news item.
The texts will be related to the themes and topics prescribed
in the syllabus. You can download the Indonesian Continuers
syllabus 
from the Board of Studies website.
Some texts will be between 35 and 45 seconds in length, and others may be longer, up to sixty seconds. You will hear each text twice. There will be a pause between the first and second readings, during which you may make notes. You will be provided time at the end of the second reading to complete your responses.
In your answers you will be expected to demonstrate understanding of general and specific information from spoken texts in Indonesian. You may be required to identify information related to the context, purpose and audience of the text, that is, what the text is about, what it is for, and who it is aimed at.
The questions will be in English and you will be expected to respond to a variety of question types such as completing a table, chart, list, form, multiple-choice, as well as open-ended questions. You will answer in English or Indonesian, as specified by the question.
You may use dictionaries in this section of the exam. However, be aware that the pauses provided between the first and second readings and between items are brief. Furthermore, the cassette may not be stopped during the exam.
Preparing for the exam
The best way to prepare for the exam is to practise. Take every opportunity to listen to Indonesian in a variety of contexts.
You can listen to cassettes which accompany course books, videos, past exam cassettes, Indonesian radio and SBS Indonesian news. While in the exam you will hear each item twice, when practising you may replay a section if you don't understand. Note down new words which are repeated. If you don't know the meaning, look them up in the dictionary.
Practise using your dictionary so that you can look up words quickly.
Students often have difficulty understanding words which have been borrowed from English. If you hear a word you don't recognise, write it down and see if it resembles an English word.
Listen actively. Get into the habit of listening for both gist and specific information. Learn to recognise the context in which languages is used and get the main idea before concentrating on details.
Practise making notes while listening.
Revise your lists of key words and phrases for each topic. Don't forget basics from earlier years. Make sure you can recognise the Indonesian alphabet when it's spoken.
Students who score the highest marks in this section are those who are well prepared in terms of vocabulary recognition and exam technique. Tips on exam technique are provided below.
In the exam
- Read the question for each item before the text is
spoken on the tape. You can underline key words. Try to
predict what might be said.
- During the second reading try to catch any details you
missed the first time. Jot down any words you don't
know and need to understand to answer a question.
- Take notes in either Indonesian or English in the space
provided on the exam paper.
- In the time provided after the second reading, process
all the information and write your answer clearly. Include
all relevant details required to answer the question asked.
Make sure that what you write does not contradict anything
you have written earlier. Check that your answer makes
sense and avoid ambiguity in your answers.
- For each question, lines will be provided for you to
write your answer. This will give you an idea about how
much information you need to give in your answer.
- If you have any spare time you can go back to an
earlier question, for example, to look up essential,
unknown words in the dictionary. However, don't dwell
on it or you may miss the beginning of the next item.
- Use the dictionary to your advantage. Only look up
words that are vital to your understanding of the passage,
and will help you answer a question.
- At the end of the exam you can fill in any missing
details and make any changes. Don't leave out any
questions. You cannot be given marks for blank spaces.
- Make sure that you write legibly. If you need to make
changes, cross out. Correction fluid takes too long to dry.
- Write your answers in blue or black pen. Do not use a pencil.
What the markers are looking for
Markers will use the listening and responding exam to assess how well you analyse, process and respond to spoken Indonesian.
You will be expected to:
- identify general information
- identify main points
- identify specific details
- accurately summarise, interpret and evaluate the
information
- provide the appropriate information from the text.
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