DSE English — Listening and Integrated Skills | Tutor Prep Guide (for tutors)

2026-11-02

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

Students understand the recording but cannot write fast enough: 30 marks in 45 minutes is 0.67 marks per minute. This lesson separates listening from writing so each can be drilled.

Objectives — Students can: (1) take keyword notes with symbols across 3 sources and answer in phrases of 3 words or fewer; (2) select from a 4-page data file and write an integrated paragraph within 120 words; (3) finish 30 marks of Part A in 45 minutes and keep 5 minutes for checking.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Shorthand symbols	What do arrows and plus signs stand for	Up, down, add, leads to
Reading a data file	Titles first or questions first	Questions first, then locate the column
Word counting	How to count words quickly	About 10 words per line, multiply by lines

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-8 min	Listening warm-up	Play a 90-word clip, students note keywords only	Five keywords each
8-20 min	Shorthand drill	Model three symbols, replay the same clip	Half the notes, all key points
20-34 min	Data file selection	Four pages, three questions, circle the source	Each answer cites a page
34-46 min	Timed integrated writing	120 words at the Part A rate	0.67 marks per minute
46-54 min	Peer check	Swap answers, circle missed points	At most one missed point
54-60 min	Exit check	Three quick questions	All three correct before leaving

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Listening is keyword capture, not dictation

The recording runs at about 150 words per minute for 900 words, roughly 6.0 minutes; handwriting cannot keep up, so students record nouns, numbers and verbs only.
Rule: every answer is a phrase of 3 words or fewer; a full sentence costs the next question.
Model it: turn “the number of visitors rose by 15 percent” into “visitors up 15%”.

Ask the student: why a full sentence is a bad idea while the audio is still playing.

Scene 2: Use the data file precisely, not greedily

4 pages and 3 sources for a 120-word answer; copying more breaks the limit faster.
Method: circle the page for each question first, then note “which page, which figure” in one line.
120 words is about 10 lines, so start trimming at line 9.

Ask the student: which one of the three sources is useless for this question.

Scene 3: Split time by marks, not by questions

30 marks over 45 minutes is 0.67 marks per minute; across 4 tasks that is 7.5 marks each.
Suggested split: 6.0 minutes listening, 6 minutes organising, 28 minutes writing, 5 minutes checking.
Any overrun is borrowed from the next task’s planning time, never from checking.

Ask the student: if question one takes four extra minutes, where do those minutes come from.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Listening	Form completion	Read headings and column labels, fill keywords as you listen	3 words or fewer
Listening	Short answers	Verb plus number, not a full sentence	One line each
Integrated	Short article	Three paragraphs: opening, two points, close	Within 120 words
Integrated	Email or letter	Salutation, purpose sentence, two requests, closing	Within 120 words

Sanity check (teach this): Check three things: answers within 3 words, the integrated paragraph within 120 words, and every answer marked with its data file source. All three before the task counts as done.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Form completion: three times and two venues from a talk	Fill as you listen, keywords only	All six gaps correct
Integrated article: introduce an event using three pages	Circle sources first, then write three paragraphs	Within 120 words
Email: two questions to the organiser	Purpose sentence, two questions, closing	One sentence per question

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Writing full sentences while listening	Handwriting lags behind the audio, questions get missed in sequence	“You finish one sentence and question two has already gone.”
Copying whole sentences from the data file	Burns the word limit fastest and shows no processing	“The data file is raw material, not the answer.”
Ignoring the word limit in the rubric	Content right, format marks lost	“The task says no more than 120 words and you wrote double.”
Skipping the last five minutes	Spelling, plurals and tense errors survive	“Five minutes of checking is worth at least two marks.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Replay a 90-word clip and take keyword notes — Practice paper question 1
One integrated article — Practice paper question 3
One email — Practice paper question 4

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
How long should 30 marks of Part A take?	45 minutes	0.67 marks per minute
How long is the integrated paragraph?	Within 120 words	About 10 lines
Why not copy the data file?	Breaks the limit and shows no processing	Rewrite as phrases

09 Tutor FAQ

What if the student understands but cannot write fast?

Drill shorthand first, halve the writing, then add the clock.

Should integrated task formats be memorised?

Yes, one skeleton each for email and article.

Is a short answer penalised?

Content marks track coverage; a short answer usually means missing points.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.