Module 1. LISTENING. Tips & Practice

Here are specific tips to help your students master this CAE Listening Exam, tailored to the environmental theme and the 4-part structure.

Part 1: Multiple Choice (The Short Extracts)

The Trap: The speakers will likely mention keywords from all three options (A, B, and C). The Tip: Listen for "Agreement" and "Contrast".

• Synonyms are key: If an option says "she was offended," the speaker probably won't say "I was offended." She might say, "I was taken aback" or "It struck a nerve."

• Watch for "But": In Extract 1 (Katharine Hayhoe), she might start by sounding positive about the student, but then introduce a contrast ("However," "The reality was..."). The answer is usually found after the turning point.

• Environment Context: In this exam, look out for the difference between a political problem (policy, laws) and a scientific problem (data, facts). The questions often ask you to distinguish between the two.

  
  

Part 2: Sentence Completion (The Monologue)

The Trap: Losing your place or writing the wrong grammatical form. The Tip: Predict the word type.

• Grammar check: Before the audio starts, look at the gap. Does it need a noun? A number? An adjective?

  • Example: "Rob's dream is to see the atmosphere restored within the _______ of people living today." (The word "the" suggests a noun is coming).

• Exact words only: In CAE, students must write exactly what they hear. They should not paraphrase. If the speaker says "lifetime," they must write "lifetime," not "life span."

• The "Cue": The speaker will usually say the sentence before the gap to signal the answer is coming. For Question 9 ("interviewed various individuals"), listen for synonyms like "spoke to," "met with," or "talked to."

  
  

Part 3: Multiple Choice (The Long Interview)

The Trap: Getting lost in a long answer. The Tip: Follow the Interviewer.

• Signposting: The interviewer’s questions act as "signposts." When the interviewer asks a new question, the conversation has moved to the next number on your exam paper.

• Attitude vs. Fact: Question 16 asks why Dr. Emma Boland feels frustrated. Students need to listen for emotion words or stress in her voice. Is she angry at the journalists (the people) or the content (the lack of urgency)?

• Distinguish speakers: In the video "When scientists talk about the climate," there are multiple women speaking. Remind students to identify who is who early on (the host introduces them).

  
  

Part 4: Multiple Matching (The "Double Task")

The Trap: Trying to answer Task 1 and Task 2 separately. The Tip: Horizontal Listening.

• Multitasking: Students must look at both columns at once. A speaker might mention their "solution" (Task 2) before they mention their "worry" (Task 1).

• Don't panic: If they miss one, tell them to leave it and catch it on the second listen.

• Topic specific vocabulary: Since this part is a panel discussion on policy, warn students to listen for synonyms of "Government/Regulation":

  • Legislature / Parliament / The House

  • Consent / Permit / Authorization

  • Fiscal / Capital / Money / Funding

    
    

🌿 Essential Vocabulary for "The Environment" Exam

To help them succeed, you might want to pre-teach these key C1-level terms that appear in or relate to these videos:

1. Mitigation: Reducing the severity of something (e.g., "mitigating climate change").

2. Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties (e.g., "building infrastructure resilience").

3. Intermittent: Occurring at irregular intervals (often used to describe wind/solar energy).

4. Consent: Permission for something to happen (used often in the Council video regarding building permits).

5. Status Quo: The existing state of affairs.

6. Vested interest: A personal reason for wanting something to happen (e.g., "Oil companies have a vested interest...").

7. Anthropogenic: Originating in human activity (e.g., "anthropogenic climate change").