The test tries to present the sort of material that would be heard by any person spending some time in an English-speaking country, especially as a student or tourist.

Each of the four parts is different.

The first part has short conversations, the second part is about the sort of things a person might want to know while on a journey, or when they have arrived somewhere new. The third part is the sort of thing the candidate might hear on a radio, or from a tour guide. The fourth part is usually a longer monologue or conversation