Try to listen to a language you don’t know: you’ll understand nothing because you don’t know any words in this language. It’s the same with topics: if you don’t know any words about the environment (global warming, the earth, the planet the ozone layer, pollution…) a presentation might sound like this: “Today, on our …., we have discovered that the hole in …. has lead to a disaster: …. This is due to …. and to our lifestyle”. So step one is learning vocabulary.

Step two is recognising these new words in their context (easier said than done).

Step three is learning to recognise what your brain is doing while you listen and practise various listening techniques.

It’s a bit like learning a new sport. You wouldn’t expect to be able to be good and efficient at, say, badminton if you had never held a racket before! You need to drill some of the moves before putting them all together and playing a match.

By memorising vocabulary and by practising regularly on these types of exercises, you increase your chances. We also offer you something that no on else does: an insight into your brain! When you listen you use a lot of strategies and techniques to block background noise, to read a person’s body language, to predict what they will say, to use your previous knowledge of the topic, and many more.

Practising these individually on our website will help you combine them and become a better listener.

It is impossible to guarantee anything in terms of learning as the brain is too complex a “machinery” for that. However, we know that the brain likes repetition: it helps neurons build connection and “fire” or pass on the information faster. This is why your teachers encourage you to revise and repeat your lessons regularly. Teachers' experience tells them that if students practise regularly, their language skills improve.

We also know that when doing listening/ aural exercises you use your pre-existing knowledge of the language and of the culture. This is why you should always read the cultural notes after doing an exercise.

Désolé!! In VCE units, exercises become more and more difficult within each unit. This website is designed to help you improve and there would be no point in you doing only easy exercises except for making you feel better. It would not prepare you for an examination or for real life situations.

Some words of advice for VCE units: We advise all students to complete exercises 1 to 6 only at first. Once you have done all exercises 1-6 in all the units you will have revised a large amount of vocabulary and gained more confidence. You will then be ready to undertake exercises 7 and 8. And finally, before your final examination, complete exercises 9 and 10.

First-of-all you should test the website by getting a Free Trial. If you’d like to purchase a full account, you have two options: purchase as an individual, purchase as a member of a class via your teacher (school subscription).

Both subscriptions cost the same but you will get access to all the units if you get a school subscription (as opposed to the 10 standard units). Your teacher will also have access to the site and will be able to guide you through the units as well as monitor your progress. It is a lot more motivating this way.

There are currently 25 VCE units and we are constantly adding new units and updating the existing ones. Current units are: leisure activities, transport, housing, payment, work, music, history, travelling, the changing world 1, food, body and health, everyday conversations, French-speaking countries, general topics, the changing world 2, New Caledonia, family and youth, health and research, social issues and lifestyles, French icons, technology and ecology, Australia, art in the French-speaking world, science in everyday life and a slightly different unit titled detailed study. There are many IB units based around the 5 prescribed themes: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization and Sharing the Planet.

For more details about each unit, email us.

In short: free units and teacher access!

Free units: Individual students get 10 units, students who are part of a class get all (25+) units.

Teacher access: Manage your classes by choosing which units your students do, change their password when needed, see their results, analyse their full answers. It’s more motivating for students when they have your support.

We’ve broken techniques down into bottom up techniques, top down techniques and general exam strategies. We encourage students to trial them all separately, depending on the difficulty of the exercise. Research shows that the more successful students are the more resourceful ones (ie the ones who have access to the biggest range of techniques).

Texts cover a variety of text types that lend themselves to aural comprehension, not just conversation and dialogue but also news report, advertisements, speeches, reading a letter, interviewing someone and more.

Questions are worded so that students need to understand specific details, overall message, main idea(s) and the speakers’ intention. They also require the students to infer meaning such as opinions, feelings or attitudes.

In the simpler exercises questions are multi choice in English then in French. Later on students are required to answer short answers in French or in English. These can require students to answer with a full sentence, a few words, in a table, to reorder words

Because students need to mark their own answers, they need to make a decision regarding the answer they provided and start thinking like an assessor.

More successful students have a better awareness of listening techniques. They have practised them regularly and are able to switch from one technique to another when needed.

Students who undertake regular practise are more confident with their listening ability. Confidence is a huge factor in determining students’ success.

Absolutely! Pre-existing knowledge, including cultural elements such as customs and traditions, are essential for students to interpret what they’ve heard. It’s a bit simplified but we can say that vocabulary and grammar helps them recognise words, while cultural knowledge helps them make sense of the words in their context.

Ecoutez Bien is a website, not software so there is no installation process. Schools purchase a subscription for each student. A licence is personal and cannot be transfered to another student.

The website runs on all computers and modern browsers including iPad.

Congratulations! You and your students are on their way to using the best listening website around!

First-of-all you need to register for a teacher account. Once we have verified the information, you will be able to use all the functionalities.

You will then be able to enrol your students and order a subscription for you class from within the website. There are two types of school licences: 1 year or 2 years.

As soon as possible! Year 12 is a very short year so starting in Year 11 is very beneficial. This is why we have given you a big discount on the 2-year subscription!

A 1 year subscription runs for 365 days.