Lesson 2 of 8 · 10 min read
Listening
You hear four recordings, each played once, and answer 40 questions. Accents include British, Australian, North American and others. The parts get harder as you go.
| Part | What you hear | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A conversation in an everyday situation | Booking a room, joining a gym |
| 2 | One person speaking about an everyday topic | A tour guide, a radio announcement |
| 3 | A conversation in an education setting (2–4 people) | Students discussing an assignment with a tutor |
| 4 | A lecture on an academic subject | A talk about marine biology |
Question types
- Form, note, table and summary completion: write words you hear into gaps.
- Multiple choice: one answer, or two or three from a longer list.
- Matching: link items to options (e.g. people to opinions).
- Plan, map and diagram labelling: follow directions and label places.
- Sentence completion and short answers.
How to approach each part
- Use the time before each recording to read the questions. Underline the key word in each and guess what kind of answer fits: a number, a name, a place, a noun?
- Listen for the answer to arrive in order. Questions follow the order of the recording, so if you miss one, move on immediately.
- Watch for distractors. Speakers often say one thing, then correct themselves: "The meeting's on Tuesday… oh no, sorry, it's been moved to Thursday." The answer is Thursday.
- Check spelling and word limits. "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS" means three words is wrong even if the meaning is right.
In Part 1, names and numbers are often spelled out letter by letter. Practise writing down letters quickly, and know how people say double letters ("double T") and phone numbers ("oh" for zero).
Paper test: you get 10 minutes at the end to copy answers to the answer sheet. Computer test: there's no transfer time, just 2 minutes to check, so type answers as you go.
Practise smart
- Listen to podcasts, lectures and the news in English daily, with a mix of accents.
- After each practice test, read the transcript and find exactly where you missed answers. Usually it's a distractor or a paraphrase you didn't recognise.
- Keep a list of paraphrases you meet: the question says "inexpensive", the speaker says "doesn't cost much".
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