Listening: Five Parts, One Skill - Listening for Detail
What the test asks you to do
Flyers Listening lasts about 25 minutes and has five parts. In Part 1 you draw lines from names to people in a picture. In Part 2 you complete short notes about a place or event with a word or a number. In Part 3 you match pictures (objects, people or days) to the information you hear. In Part 4 you choose A, B or C from three pictures. In Part 5 you colour objects in a scene and write one word. Every part tests the same core skill: catching one small piece of information and writing it correctly.
Language you must control
You need names (and the alphabet, because names are often spelled out), numbers up to about 1000, prices, times (half past, quarter to, a quarter past), days and dates, colours, prepositions of place (in front of, next to, behind, above, between) and common present continuous verbs (riding, carrying, feeding, laughing).
Traps to expect
- The changed mind. A speaker says one thing, then corrects it: “I wanted the big one… no, the small one, please.” The last answer is the right one.
- Sound-alike numbers. Thirteen/thirty, fifteen/fifty, fourteen/forty. Listen for the stress: thir-TEEN vs THIR-ty.
- Extra words. Part 2 notes usually allow one word or a number. Writing “a red hat” when the answer is hat can lose the mark.
- Near-miss pictures. In Part 4 all three pictures are mentioned; only one matches what the person finally says or does.
Rule of thumb
Do not write the first thing you hear - keep your pencil ready and wait for the last thing the speaker says about that item. If the speaker corrects themselves, the correction wins.
Worked example
You hear: “Can I have the cheese pizza? Actually no - the small chicken one.” The pictures show a big cheese pizza, a small chicken pizza and a big chicken pizza. Answer: the small chicken pizza. Small comes from the correction, and chicken is the food named last.