Shadowing Practice: CAM 20 | IELTS LISTENING TEST | TEST 4 - SECTION 3 #english #listeningpractice #ielts #education - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Welcome to ICIELTS Listening Practice.
⏸ Paused
100 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Welcome to ICIELTS Listening Practice.
2
Handwriting.
3
Part 3.
4
You will hear two education students discussing an assignment on teaching handwriting to children.
5
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.
6
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.
7
How are you getting on with the assignment on handwriting?
8
Not too bad.
9
You know, I hadn't realised that children benefit in so many ways from learning to write.
10
It's such an important skill,
11
and yet most people think handwriting is less important than in the past because people hardly ever write by hand these days.
12
Yes, and all the evidence suggests children should learn to write by hand before they learn to type,
13
not least because it helps their memory.
14
That's right.
15
The physical act of writing helps children to remember letters.
16
That seems pretty obvious when you think about it.
17
What's less obvious is how it helps develop their concentration.
18
They have to sit still and focus on one thing.
19
Yeah, that aspect of handwriting had never occurred to me before.
20
Same here.
21
I'm not sure I understand how it improves children's imagination, though.
22
Well, there was that study which showed that primary age children generated more ideas
23
when they were writing by hand than using a keyboard.
24
I would have guessed that would be the case.
25
Hmm, yeah.
26
I'd never associated spatial awareness with handwriting either.
27
I thought spatial awareness was more to do with knowing where you are in relation to objects or other people.
28
Hmm, I thought that too.
29
And good spatial awareness is essential for writing because you have to space words correctly.
30
It's not just fine motor skills that improve through writing,
31
as I'd always assumed.
32
Handwriting is so much harder for children with dyspraxia,
33
who have problems coordinating movement.
34
It's good there are lots of things you can do in the classroom to help them.
35
They need so much more support with letter formation.
36
You need to play lots of games to help them distinguish letter shapes.
37
It takes a lot of patience.
38
Yeah.
39
I like the idea of using one of those pens that lights up if you press too hard.
40
That seems like a really simple solution.
41
Yes, absolutely.
42
I'm not sure there's much you can do about children with dyspraxia writing very slowly.
43
It's more important to focus on accuracy,
44
and as they get more confident,
45
I think they eventually speed up.
46
One quite simple thing you can do is to use grid paper.
47
So they write each letter in a box and that trains them to space the letters correctly.
48
Indeed.
49
That's more important for legibility than trying to get them to write in a straight line.
50
Before you hear the rest of the discussion,
51
you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.
52
Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
53
For some children, it might be better to teach them to write on a laptop rather than by hand,
54
like children with dyslexia.
55
They often really struggle with handwriting and some just give up.
56
Yeah, it's not as frustrating for them if they get things wrong.
57
On a keyboard, they can be more willing to have a go.
58
But I read that developing fluency isn't any faster.
59
That's right.
60
Did you read that article on the benefits of teaching print rather than cursive handwriting,
61
where the letters are joined up?
62
Yes.
63
Well, in the past, cursive writing was certainly considered more stylish and educated, but not anymore.
64
Teachers' attitudes have changed because it's been proved that cursive is more difficult to learn,
65
especially for children with learning difficulties who find joining up letters really challenging.
66
I agree.
67
I was always worried that my poor handwriting affected my exam results,
68
and now research shows that I was right to worry.
69
I'm sure a lot of students think it's unfair that they're being judged on their handwriting,
70
not just their knowledge.
71
Marks are definitely affected if examiners can't read the script.
72
That's why it's always been so important to teach children to write legibly.
73
Do you think the role of handwriting will change in the future?
74
I can't see that changing much.
75
Touch typing still isn't taught in most schools, which is a shame.
76
But maybe that won't be necessary in the future,
77
because people will also be able to write by hand on digital devices.
78
Anyway, teachers understand the value of handwriting.
79
It's a basic life skill.
80
True.
81
However, the fact is that people are writing by hand less and less and relying on digital devices.
82
That does cause some problems.
83
You mean like note-taking?
84
There are lots of apps for that.
85
And for reading historical documents, apparently.
86
But my mum is shocked by my awful spelling and the fact that my punctuation is really inconsistent.
87
I think you can put that down to lack of practice.
88
I expect so.
89
Personally, I miss writing by hand.
90
I hardly ever write anything now.
91
I remember my grandparents had such beautiful handwriting and it was so individual.
92
Nobody I know would be able to identify my handwriting now.
93
It's a shame.
94
I know.
95
I feel the same way.
96
I used to write a diary by hand and now I do that digitally.
97
It just seems less effort to do it that way.
98
So it's not just a problem.
99
That is the end of part 3.
100
You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part 3.

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will engage in English listening practice focused on an academic discussion about teaching children how to write by hand. This part of the IELTS Listening Test will help you improve your listening skills, comprehension, and vocabulary related to educational topics. Listening to the conversation between two education students, you will practice extracting key information and enhancing your understanding of why handwriting remains a crucial skill in today's digital world. By developing your listening skills, you will also be better prepared for the IELTS speaking practice, where clear communication is essential.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Handwriting: The act of writing by hand, particularly in reference to children learning this skill.
  • Concentration: The ability to focus attention on a task.
  • Spatial awareness: Understanding one's position in relation to objects around them, important for writing.
  • Dyspraxia: A condition affecting physical coordination, which can make handwriting more challenging.
  • Letter formation: The way in which letters are shaped and constructed when writing.
  • Legibility: The quality of being clear enough to read.
  • Grid paper: A type of paper with a grid printed on it, used to help with spacing in writing.
  • Physical act: The actual movement involved in writing by hand.

Practice Tips

To make the most out of this listening practice, employing the shadowing technique can be extremely beneficial. This method involves listening to the audio and simultaneously repeating what you hear. Use a shadowing app to record your voice as you practice. Start off by listening to shorter segments of the audio at a slower speed. Focus on the tone and rhythm of the speakers, mimicking their intonation and emotional delivery. As you grow more comfortable with the material, gradually increase the playback speed to challenge your skills.

Additionally, pay attention to the key vocabulary above; try incorporating these terms into your own conversations or written exercises. For instance, when discussing the benefits of writing, use phrases like "the physical act of writing helps improve concentration" or "children with dyspraxia may face challenges with letter formation." This will not only enhance your vocabulary but also improve your confidence during IELTS speaking practice.

By utilizing the shadow speech technique, you can enhance your listening and speaking abilities simultaneously, preparing you for discussions on educational topics and other areas you may encounter in real-life situations or exams.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee