Listening: Listening for Gist & Detail B2 - Lesson 3: Identifying a Speaker's Viewpoint and Justifications

Listening for Viewpoints and Reasons CEFR Level B2 Lesson Goals In this lesson, you will practice identifying a speaker's viewpoint (their opinion) and the specific justifications (reasons) they provide to support it in a variety of short talks. Listening for "What" and "Why" At the B2 level, it's not enough to just understand the topic of a conversation. You need to understand the speaker's personal opinion and the logic behind it. This involves listening for two things: The Viewpoint: What is the speaker's main belief or opinion? The Justifications: What reasons, evidence, or examples do they give to support their viewpoint? Listen for signal phrases that introduce these ideas. For example: In my view..., I'm convinced that..., The main reason is..., For one thing..., Furthermore... Key Tip: Listen for the 'Why' A good speaker doesn't just state their opinion; they try to convince you. Their justifications are the tools they use to persuade …