What to do
Different Situations

What to do

In this part of the Listening exam, you listen to short dialogues and answer multiple-choice questions on each one.

You can listen to each extract twice.

Watch out for distractors = pieces of information to try and distract your attention from the real answer.

To avoid these ‘distractors’, focus on the question and write down what you think is the answer.

After this, look at the options and see if one option is more appropriate.

You won’t usually hear the answer in exactly the same words as in the question. The keywords that give you the answer will usually be a paraphrase of the words used in the question.

What is paraphrased language? Well, it’s expressing the same thing in a different way by using different vocabulary, grammar and even word order.

Strategy

1. Read the question before the options and underline keywords.
2. Relax and concentrate on each new text, don’t think of the one you have just done.
3. Decide on one of the options after the first listening.
4. Use the second listening to check that you are correct.
5. If you are not sure, guess. You may have understood more than you think.
6. Do not listen for single words, but for the general meaning.
7. Don’t worry about words that you don’t know.