Candidates will have 40 minutes to complete 30 questions in four parts of the Listening paper
PART 1: Multiple choice
This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for gist, detail, function, purpose, attitude, opinion, genre, agreement, etc. in a series of unrelated short texts.
There are eight short unrelated extracts, of approximately 30 seconds each, from monologues or exchanges between interacting speakers. There is one multiple-choice question per text, each with three options.
The candidates are given time to read each question before hearing the recording twice.
Each correct answer in Part 1 receives 1 mark.
PART 2: Sentence completion
This part tests candidates’ ability to listen and locate specific information and stated opinion, from a single long text, and produce written answers by completing gapped sentences. Texts may be broadcasts, talks or classroom presentations.
The 10 questions in this part of the paper take the form of incomplete sentences. The questions follow the order of the information in the listening text. Candidates need to listen to the text and complete the sentences. Answers will not exceed three words in length. The word, number or phrase required will be heard on the recording and will not need to be changed in any way. Minor spelling errors are not penalised, but the candidate’s intention must be clear and unambiguous. Candidates will not be asked to spell words which are above Cambridge English: First (B2) level.
Each correct answer in Part 2 receives 1 mark.
PART 3: Multiple matching
In Part 3, the focus is on the skill of listening for general gist, detail, attitude, opinion etc. Candidates need to match an option to the correct speaker.
In this part, candidates listen to five short texts, each with a different speaker, which are related in some way. For example, they may all be speaking about aspects of the same subject, such as travel, or about similar experiences, such as journeys. Candidates choose the option from a set of eight, which matches what each speaker says.
Each correct answer in Part 3 receives 1 mark.
PART 4: Multiple choice
In Part 4, the main focus is on testing the candidates’ ability to listen for opinion, attitude, gist, main idea and specific information.
The seven questions in this part of the paper take the form of 3-option multiple-choice questions. The questions follow the order of the interaction on the recording. Texts are usually interviews or discussions featuring two speakers.
Each correct answer in Part 4 receives 1 mark.
Tip!
Students’ ability to understand what they hear can improve dramatically if they are regularly exposed to audio materials: the more English they hear, the more readily they will pick out individual words, then phrases and sentences. A daily learning programme which includes a ‘hearing English’ component from audio or video recordings will help prepare students for the Listening test. This should include a range of voices, accents and styles of delivery.