Integrated Tasks — A Complete Guide

You should have on your desk (1) a Question-Answer Book for either Part B1 or Part B2, and (2) a Data File for either Part B1 or Part B2. In school tests and examinations, your school will have chosen the part for you already. In the real DSE, you should choose whether to attempt Part B1 or Part B2 before you sit for the exam. You may consult your English teacher if you are not sure whether to choose Part B1 or Part B2.

You can open the Question-Answer Book and the Data File as soon as the chief examiner announces the start of the listening examination. Since most students report having insufficient time to finish reading the Data File before the allotted writing time, it is wise to read the Data File if you still have time left after reading all the questions in Part A.

Some people recommend using three highlight pens to indicate which task the information is for, while some prefer drawing lines and symbols. This is entirely up to you, but it is essential to organise the information before you start the three written tasks. Read the Data File once only; do not read the Data File three times for the three written tasks.

From the task instructions you can extract: the text type, the mark distribution, and whether you need to use information from the note-taking page.

Read the Situation in the Data File. You'll extract your name, position and organisation — useful for the complimentary close in a letter. Your supervisor may ask you to write on his/her behalf, so note their details too.

Read the Instruction Page in the Data File (usually an email from your supervisor). It tells you what to write and what information to include. Take specific actions based on each instruction.

Read the note-taking page. Since Part B1 and Part B2 share the same note-taking page, some notes will apply to B1 and some to B2. Look at the sub-headings and determine which parts are irrelevant to your written tasks. Use symbols to mark which part belongs to which task.

If your handwriting speed is too slow, use short forms and symbols when jotting notes.

Each text should contain at least three parts: (1) opening, (2) body paragraph(s) and (3) closing. Some text types require a title and subheadings.

There are two situations where you must paraphrase words from the Data File: (1) the words are too informal for the text you're writing, and (2) the words are overly formal for the text you're writing.

Sometimes you may need to summarise in words the meaning of a picture.

It is recommended that you complete both Part B1 and Part B2 of all DSE Listening past papers. While your school may have chosen the part for you, attempting the other part on your own is valuable practice.

If you have completed all DSE Listening past papers and made good use of the materials (done each paper a few times, studied all sample writing and identified all content points), you may consider attempting Integrated Tasks in CE Listening past papers and UE Practical Skills for work and study past papers.

General reading can improve your understanding of the tones and styles of common text types.

Time management is very important. You have one hour and 15 minutes to complete three written tasks — around 25 minutes per task (after reading and organising the Data File). Memorising sentence patterns for common text types helps reduce construction time, giving you more time to focus on content.

The video below goes through the steps of completing the three written tasks in Part B2 of Paper 3 in 2014 DSE. Note: this is a recording of an after-school supplementary lesson and Cantonese is used.