Here we look at the listening test. There are 25 points altogether for this part of the test, and you complete it in 30 minutes. In the exam (but not with this test) you have to put your answers on an OCR sheet, which is marked by computer. In the exam you get extra time to copy your answers from the exam paper onto the OCR sheet. There are four parts to the test. In the exam you hear each part twice. (Here, because you are practising, you can listen as many times as you want by clicking on the microphone.)

Short listening

Extensive listening

Complete the table

Listening with interpretation.

Part 1. Short listening..

There are seven questions in this part. The answers are multi-choice (A,B, C, or D.)

In this part you will hear one or two people speaking one or two sentences. Then you have to look at a picture, and see which picture has the answer to the question.

The material is arranged so that you see the question and the pictures before you click on the microphone to listen. In the exam try to look and the pictures and the question before you hear the sentences.

Remember - you may hear one or more pictures described, but only one answer is correct.

Part 2. Extensive listening.

There are six questions in this part. The answers are multi-choice (A,B, C, or D.)

In this part you hear someone giving a talk. In this talk you have to listen for certain facts, and then decide what you have heard. You will hear the sort of thing that a tour guide might tell you, or maybe the headmaster welcoming you to a language school. Try to read the questions before you listen to the test, because then you will know when you have to pay attention. Mostly (but not always!) the questions come in the same order as the answers appear in the talk.
If you find a question is giving you trouble, leave it for the second time. Don't spend so long trying to answer a difficult question that you miss the answer to an easier one.

Part 3. Complete the table.

This part has six questions. It is not multiple choice. Instead you get a table or a form which is mostly completed, and you have to add the missing information from what you hear in the talk.

Often you have to fill in details you would need to know if you were listening to the speaker. For instance if it is the headmaster describing a school trip, the questions would be about practical matters like when the trip starts, where everyone has to meet, how much it costs, when it finishes, and so on. Your answer is usually one or two words or maybe some numbers. Don't worry too much about your spelling as long as it is easy to understand which word you mean - and don't waste time getting the spelling completely right if it means you miss the next question.

Part 4. Listening with interpretation.

There are six questions, and you must answer "true" or "false" (or "yes" or "no"). The questions are normally from a conversation between two people. (For this practice we have done two part 4s as six very short dialogues to give as many different types of conversation as possible. The other tests are more like the part 4s you will find in the exam.)

In this part, you do not need to listen just for facts, but also for inference. Sometimes the people will show disapproval, sarcasm or anger. They might make polite requests or demands. You will be asked to give your opinion about relationships and moods, as well as about facts.
In this part of the test you may not hear the exact words you need. More often you will have to understand the questions from the tone of the whole conversation.