Listening Overview

The listening test is approximately 30 minutes long with 10 minutes at the end to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

There are 40 questions divided into four sections which increase in difficulty. The audio contains a range of different accents, usually British, Australian and American.

You only hear the audio once.

You must use a pencil to fill in the answer sheet.  Here is a sample of the listening answer sheet.

Section One

This is a conversation between two people on a general subject, for example, booking a holiday.  The answers are always factual, for example, dates, prices, surnames.

Section Two

In this section, there is one person speaking on a general subject, for example, describing a show/event.  The answers are again factual.

Section Three

You will hear a conversation between three or four people on an academic subject, for example, discussing a project.  In this section, you are asked about people's opinions and feelings.

Section Four

The audio is a talk on an academic subject, for example, the life of Charles Dickens. The answers are factual but the vocabulary is more specialised.