In this task you will be asked to give information about an academic document (see below). You will listen to some recorded speech and follow the directions on the tape.
There are a number of skills that are specific to Task 3.
Skill 4: Identifying and describing important details
When you are reading or listening to lectures, discussions, conversations or presentations you will want to identify important details. Often, you will need to communicate these details to others. In the test, you will be asked to identify important details for a friend who is missing the class.
Skill 13: Speaking clearly and comprehensibly
Speaking clearly and comprehensibly is a critical part of effective oral communication. The test will provide you with important diagnostic information about what is working and what needs work. See the list of strategies in this section for some tips on how to make your English speech more comprehensible. Overall, the test is designed to evaluate the clarity and comprehensibility of your talk across a number of different academic tasks, levels of formality, audiences, and purposes.
Skill 14: Using appropriate expressions, phrasing, or words in relation to the purpose (formal presentation, group discussion) and the audience (professor, classmates)
The ways in which we say things in English changes in relation to whom we are saying them to and for what purpose (see above). You should for example, find the kind of talking you do in your academic classroom differs in many ways from the kind of talking you do when you meet your classmates outside the class. It is important to be aware of what is appropriate. Overall, the test is designed to evaluate how appropriate your talk is across a number of tasks, audiences, and purposes.
Skill 15: Controlling the task by managing how much detail is included
When you are speaking in any language, it is important to gauge how much time you have to get your message across. The test is timed. You need to take into account how much information you will be able to communicate given the limitations of time.