Dictation

In dictation you hear a sentence and write it down exactly, with correct spelling and punctuation. It practises listening, spelling and punctuation all at once. Here you can press Listen as many times as you need.

Key facts

  • Listen to the whole sentence first, before you start writing.
  • Then write a few words at a time, saying them quietly to yourself.
  • Listen to the voice at the end: a voice that rises often means a question, so end with a question mark.
  • Remember the capital letter at the start, and for names, places, days and months: ⟦On Monday we are going to the museum.⟧
  • Check at the end: every word spelt correctly, commas in lists, and the right mark at the end.

Worked examples

Example 1

You hear: ⟦Do you want to play football after lunch?⟧

  1. It starts with ⟦Do⟧ and asks something.
  2. So it ends with a question mark.

Answer: ⟦Do you want to play football after lunch?⟧

Example 2

You hear: ⟦We bought apples, pears and grapes.⟧

  1. You hear three things that were bought: a list.
  2. Put a comma between ⟦apples⟧ and ⟦pears⟧, and ⟦and⟧ before ⟦grapes⟧.

Answer: ⟦We bought apples, pears and grapes.⟧

Example 3

You hear: ⟦After lunch, we played chess in the library.⟧

  1. The voice pauses after ⟦After lunch⟧: it tells you when.
  2. Put a comma after it, then finish with a full stop.

Answer: ⟦After lunch, we played chess in the library.⟧