Hello! Welcome to your next lesson in our IELTS preparation course.
In our last session, we practiced understanding various English accents, a key skill for the listening test. We focused on hearing and comprehending information from different speakers.
Today, we'll focus on what you do while you listen. In the IELTS Listening test, especially in Parts 3 and 4, you'll hear academic talks and conversations where a lot of information is presented quickly. It's impossible to write everything down. Therefore, the goal for this lesson is to learn how to use abbreviations and symbols to take notes efficiently while listening. This skill will allow you to capture key information quickly and accurately, without missing what the speaker says next.
1. The Golden Rule of Note-Taking: Be Selective
Before we learn specific techniques, we need to adopt the right mindset. Many students try to write down full sentences and quickly fall behind. The goal is not to create a perfect transcript, but to write down just enough to trigger your memory when you answer the questions.
Let's start with a video that explains this core principle. While it's designed for the TOEFL test, the advice is perfectly applicable to IELTS.
TOEFL Listening Note Taking Strategies | How to Take EFFECTIVE Notes
This video from 'TOEFL with Juva' clearly explains why you shouldn't write everything down and what kind of words you should focus on instead.
Watch the video from 01:00 to 02:42. Pay close attention to the advice about focusing on nouns and essential verbs, and see the example of how a long sentence is shortened into key points.
As the video explains, the key is to be selective. Focus on content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) that carry meaning, and ignore filler words or small grammatical words.
2. How to Abbreviate Words
Now that we know what to write, let's focus on how to write it quickly. Abbreviating—or shortening—words is a fundamental skill. There are several common techniques.
Helpful abbreviations for speedy note-taking and note-making
The University of Portsmouth has a helpful guide on this topic. Let's look at their specific techniques for creating abbreviations.
Please read the section titled 'Three abbreviation techniques'. It covers: Using the first few letters of a word. Using initials for phrases. Removing vowels from a word. Take a moment to understand each method and its examples.
To summarize the techniques:
- Use the first few letters:
info(information),dev(development) - Use initials for phrases:
e.g.(for example),IELTS(International English Language Testing System) - Remove vowels:
mngmt(management),prblm(problem)
The best approach is to be consistent. Whichever method you choose for a word, stick with it so you can read your notes later.
3. Using Symbols for Common Ideas
Abbreviations are great for nouns and adjectives, but what about relationships between ideas? This is where symbols are incredibly powerful. Using a simple arrow (→) is much faster than writing "causes" or "leads to."
This next video segment introduces the idea of using symbols to represent concepts like cause/effect, increase/decrease, and opinions.
TOEFL Listening Note Taking Strategies | How to Take EFFECTIVE Notes
Let's return to the video from 'TOEFL with Juva' to see how symbols can speed up your note-taking.
Watch the clip from 04:01 to 05:30. Notice the examples given for symbols, such as arrows for increase/decrease and plus/minus signs for opinions.
To build your own "library" of symbols, it's helpful to start with a list of common ones. Below is a useful chart that summarizes many of the most effective symbols and abbreviations.
For a more exhaustive list and further explanation, the following resource is excellent. It also introduces the idea of creating your own personal symbols, which can be very effective.
Symbols & Abbreviations - EAP Foundation
The website EAP Foundation offers a detailed list of symbols and abbreviations. It also encourages creating personal shortcuts, which is a great tip.
Scan through the tables under the heading 'Common symbols & abbreviations'. Don't try to memorize them all now. Just become familiar with what's possible. Then, read the short section 'Personal symbols & abbreviations'. As a native Arabic speaker, you might find that certain concepts or even letters from Arabic are faster for you to write than an English abbreviation.
4. Practice: Putting It All Together
Let's see how this works in practice. The guide from the University of Portsmouth gives a perfect example.
Spoken sentence:
"The United Kingdom’s population, at around sixty million, is similar to that of Italy, but Italy’s population is now shrinking because its birth rate has fallen below its death rate. The UK’s population is still growing, albeit very slowly – at a rate of 0.09% between 1995 and 2000."
Notes:
UK pop c60m ≈ I. BUT I. ↓ due BR < DR – cf. UK ↑ slow ie 0.09% 95 – 2K
See how much information is captured in so few characters?
Your Turn!
Now, you try. I'm going to give you a short paragraph. Read it once, then cover it and try to take notes from memory as if you just heard it. Use the abbreviations and symbols we've discussed.
Paragraph:
"Recent studies on dental health show that there is a significant relationship between high sugar consumption and the development of cavities. Therefore, dentists recommend a decrease in sugary food and drink. It is also very important for patients to brush their teeth at least two times per day."
Take a minute to write your notes.
...
Here is one possible way to take notes on that paragraph:
Recent studies dental health → sig. relationship btwn ↑ sugar & dev cavities. ∴ dentists rec. ↓ sugar. V. imp for patients: brush 2x/day.
How did your notes compare? There is no single "correct" answer. The most important thing is that you can understand your own notes.
5. Making It Automatic
This skill is not useful if you have to stop and think about which symbol to use. It needs to become automatic. The only way to achieve this is through practice.
This final video, though made for professional interpreters, offers a great system for practicing and memorizing your symbols so you can use them automatically.
Watch the clip from 03:04 to 04:38. The speaker outlines a six-step process for drilling symbols. Consider how you could adapt this method, for example, by creating flashcards and practicing while listening to podcasts or watching vlogs on your favorite topics.
Action Plan:
- Create a "Key": Start a page in your notebook with your chosen abbreviations and symbols.
- Practice Actively: When you watch vlogs or listen to English content, pause every minute or so and jot down some notes using your system.
- Use It in All Listening Practice: From now on, whenever we do a listening exercise, use your note-taking system.
Conclusion
Well done! Today you've learned a practical and essential skill for the IELTS Listening test. Mastering this will help you stay focused, save time, and capture the information you need to answer questions correctly.
Key Takeaways:
- Be selective: Don't write everything. Focus on keywords like nouns and verbs.
- Abbreviate words: Use the first few letters, remove vowels, or use initials for common phrases.
- Use symbols: Represent relationships (e.g.,
→,↑,↓) and common ideas with symbols to write faster. - Practice makes perfect: Consistent practice is the only way to make this skill fast and automatic.
In our next lesson, we will begin Module 4 and learn how to apply prediction techniques by analyzing questions before each listening section starts. This is the first step in preparing for each section of the listening test, and it works hand-in-hand with the note-taking skills you developed today.