DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL LISTENING COMPETENCE IN MARITIME ENGLISH: A TASK EVALUATION STUDY

Listening comprehension constitutes a core component of communicative competence in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly within Maritime English instruction where oral interaction is central to professional practice. This paper evaluates a listening task implemented in a B2-level Maritime English classroom consisting of Greek-speaking trainee deck cadets. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from listening pedagogy and classroom interaction research (Rost, 2011; Richards, 1983; Vandergrift, 2004; Sifakis & Georgountzou, 2018), the study critically examines the task’s authenticity, level of difficulty, discourse features, pedagogical orientation, and alignment with learners’ professional needs. Findings suggest that while the task demonstrates contextual relevance and incorporates features of authentic spoken discourse, improvements on differentiation, audio clarity and productive skills integration would enhance its pedagogical effectiveness. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for ESP listening task design in maritime contexts.