TIPS for Listening
- WEBCI Online English material
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
🎧 LISTENING MODEL 1 – Multiple Choice (3 options)
Task: You hear three short, unrelated extracts (often dialogues or monologues). For each, you answer two multiple-choice questions.
Skills tested:
Understanding gist, attitude, purpose, and opinion.
Recognising paraphrase and tone.
🔥 Tips:
Read the questions and options first.Predict what type of situation you’ll hear (e.g. a complaint, advice, interview).
Underline key words (especially emotional tone words: frustrated, impressed, unsure).
Focus on attitude and intention, not just facts.The speaker’s tone of voice often reveals the answer.
Expect paraphrase. They’ll rarely repeat the exact words in the options.Example: Option says “He was disappointed” → The speaker might say “I’d hoped for more, to be honest.”
Don’t panic if you miss one detail. Each extract is short, and you hear it twice.
🎙️ LISTENING MODEL 2 – Sentence Completion
Task: You hear a monologue or talk (e.g. lecture, radio programme, travel talk). You complete sentences with missing words (usually 1–3 words).
Skills tested:
Listening for specific information, details, and paraphrase.
🔥 Tips:
Quickly read all questions before the recording starts.Try to guess what kind of information is missing — e.g. a number, name, reason, place, time, verb.
Notice grammar clues in the sentence before and after the gap.Example: “The project was completed in ____ weeks.” → you expect a number.
Use key words to track the recording.The order of information in the recording follows the questions’ order.
Be careful with paraphrase!If the note says “The speaker was surprised by…”, the recording might say “I didn’t expect…”.
Write clearly and grammatically correct.Spelling must be right — or it can be marked wrong.
🗣️ LISTENING MODEL 3 – Multiple Matching
Task: You hear five short monologues on a related theme (e.g. “people talking about their experiences of learning a language”).You match each speaker (A–E) to statements or opinions.
Skills tested:
Identifying attitude, opinion, or main idea.
Comparing and distinguishing between similar viewpoints.
🔥 Tips:
Read the list of statements before listening.Try to spot differences between them (e.g. enjoyed the challenge vs found it frustrating).
Underline key ideas in each option.
Listen for synonyms and paraphrases.Example: Option says “regrets not starting earlier” → The speaker might say “If only I’d done it years ago.”
Don’t write your answers too quickly.Two speakers may say similar things, but only one matches perfectly.
Use process of elimination.If you’re sure Speaker A fits one statement, cross that option off to reduce confusion.
🎬 LISTENING MODEL 4 – Multiple Choice (3 options each)
Task: You hear a longer interview or discussion (e.g. between two people). There are 7–8 multiple-choice questions.
Skills tested:
Understanding opinion, detail, attitude, and implied meaning.
Recognising development of ideas in longer exchanges.
🔥 Tips:
Read all questions first and number them clearly — it’s easy to get lost.
Follow the flow — questions are usually in order, but the discussion moves between speakers.
Pay attention to tone and agreement/disagreement.Example: “I’m not sure that’s true” → shows disagreement.
Don’t rely on one keyword.Sometimes the wrong option repeats the same word from the audio to trick you.
Use the second listening to confirm.After the first, mark your guesses lightly, then listen again to confirm or correct.
💡 General Listening Strategies for CAE/CPE
Immerse yourself in natural English daily (podcasts, BBC Radio 4, TED Talks, documentaries).
Practise listening for paraphrases. Cambridge never uses the same words as in the questions.
Stay calm. Missing one question doesn’t mean losing the whole section.
Keep your eyes moving. While listening, glance ahead to the next question so you’re ready.
Check spelling and grammar in Part 2 carefully before transferring answers.
Would you like me to give you a mini training plan or daily routine for improving your Cambridge listening performance (with recommended podcasts and exercises for each part)?
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