The audio files are always about current events.
Although it is not absolutely necessary to create an account to gain access to the site, it is more than advisable, as lots of activities are just restricted to members, who can save audios, share audios with friends, and collaborate with other members for writing the transcript. Joining is free.
Listen and Write won’t let you proceed unless you get the transcription right. In order to help you, the audio files are fragmented in short chunks of about 10 seconds. If the auto-play box is ticked, the segment keeps repeating automatically. Besides, if you click on hint, you are give some help to complete a word. Once you have completed a segment, the file automatically moves to the next one.
There are three different types of activities you can do with Listen and Write:
Full mode: You write a full transcription.
Quick mode: You just type the first letter of a word.
Blank mode: A transcript with blanks for you to complete is provided.
Listen and Write offers a number of levels of difficulty ranging from 0 to 22, but I have been unable to figure out what a specific level means. Strong Básico 2 students can give the site a try starting at level 0.
If you want to see how the site works, Russel Stannard has created this video.
