CELPIP Gym
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Listening

Catch what changed

Six parts, each played once. Learn what to write down, and which words mean the answer has just moved.

6 lessons, 33 minutes of reading

Start lesson 1Hacks for the section

Where the marks are

38 questions in 6 parts

The lessons

  1. The last plan winsPart 1, problem solving, 5 minPart 1 changes its mind on purpose. A plan is suggested, corrected, then corrected again, and three of the four choices are versions that got dropped. Four moves keep you on the one that survived.1Strike and caret2Hear the flip3Kill the echo4Never leave a blank
  2. Hear the reason, not the eventPart 2, daily life conversation, 6 minPart 2 rarely asks what happened. It asks why someone did it, what they were hoping for and what a remark was really for, and the answer can come out several turns late. Four moves keep your pencil on the reason.1The reason comes just before the decision2Who they are to each other changes what "fine" means3One initial per speaker4Choose the restatement, never the echo
  3. Every rule has an "unless"Part 3, listening for information, 6 minIn Part 3 someone explains how a thing works, and the marks are in the exceptions. Write down only the rule and you'll pick the answer that was true until the next sentence. Four moves catch what comes after it.1Note the condition, not just the rule2Pin each fact to the asker's own need3The option that gets turned down4The last instruction is a question
  4. News runs in a fixed orderPart 4, news item, 6 minA news item is short, plays once and shows you no questions until it's over. But reporters build the news in a dependable order, so you can rule your notes before the first word. Four moves turn that order into marks.1The headline is question one2Name and claim, in pairs3Numbers with their units4One screen: sure ones first
  5. Three speakers, one gridPart 5, discussion, 5 minPart 5 takes marks by blurring people together: three voices, each idea knocked down by the next, and questions afterwards about who wanted what. Give every person a column and the talk sorts itself.1A column per speaker2The last proposal standing3A term explained in passing is a question4Read the faces, score the words
  6. Who believes what, and whyPart 6, viewpoints, 5 minOne reporter, two people who disagree, and questions that pin a claim to a name. Most marks go when you remember the argument but not whose it was. Give each side a column, and make every claim bring its reason.1Two sides, two columns2Signposts that switch sides3Attitude words: sceptical, cautiously in favour4The speaker's own view, kept apart

The night before

Every lesson's card on one sheet. Read it once the evening before, and leave it at home.

The last plan wins

  1. Pencil on the pad before the section starts.
  2. Every flip word: strike, caret, new version.
  3. Answer from the line with no strike, and never leave one blank.

Hear the reason, not the event

  1. Hear so, that's why, because: write reason, arrow, decision.
  2. Note who they are to each other, and start every note with the speaker's initial.
  3. Say the reason in your own words before you read the answers.

Every rule has an "unless"

  1. Rule on top, then a fork at every unless.
  2. Mark each option against what this person needs.
  3. Cross what's turned down, and keep writing through the goodbye.

News runs in a fixed order

  1. Four shelves before it plays: what, who, numbers, next.
  2. Surname with claim, and number with unit.
  3. On the screen, take the sure ones first, then come back.

Three speakers, one grid

  1. Three columns ruled before the talk starts: left, middle, right.
  2. Strike with the objector's reason, and carry a position across when someone changes sides.
  3. Term equals explanation, in the margin. Then read along the bottom row.

Who believes what, and why

  1. A line down the page and a name on each side, before the first claim.
  2. Every claim goes under its owner, with its reason. Move your pen on the signpost.
  3. A small box at the foot of the page for the reporter's own words.

Hacks for the whole section

Small things that hold in all six parts. None takes practice, only remembering.

  • ScreenYou hear the question and read only the answers

    In Parts 1 to 3 the question is spoken once. Missed it? Look at what the four choices have in common: that's what was asked.

  • ClockThe section never waits for you

    Each recording starts by itself and can't be paused. Look up from your pad the moment a question is answered.

  • PadThe first line is free

    Every part opens by saying who is talking and where. Write it at the top: it settles who "she" is four questions later.

  • PadA fresh space for every part

    Six parts in a row fill a page fast. Start each one in clean space, so old notes can't leak into new answers.

  • If it slipsLost the thread? Let that question go

    Everything plays once, and you can't return to a question. Pick your best guess, breathe out, and be ready when the next one starts.