Listening Comprehension
The listening comprehension part of the Estonian basic-school English exam (põhikooli inglise keele eksam) checks whether you can pull specific facts out of spoken English, follow the main idea of a longer recording, and notice how speakers feel about what they are saying. Recordings are played twice, are usually read at near-natural speed, and cover everyday situations: short dialogues, announcements, interviews and monologues.
Task types you will meet
- Multiple choice with three options.
- Gap-fill: prices, times, dates, names, places.
- Matching: which speaker says which statement.
- True/false or yes/no statements about the recording.
A routine that works
Before the recording starts, read the questions and underline the key word - the thing you must listen for (a time, a reason, a place). Predict the kind of answer: a number, a name spelled out, or a short phrase. During the first listening, answer every item you can and leave the rest; do not stop to think about one question while the recording moves on. On the second listening, confirm your answers and fill the gaps. Write something for every item - a blank scores zero, a guess has a chance.
Worked example
Announcement: “The train to Tartu now leaves at ten past nine, not at half past nine as printed on the old timetable.” Question: When does the train leave? A) 9:10 B) 9:30 C) 9:00. The speaker gives a new time and explicitly corrects the printed one, so “ten past nine” - 9:10 - is the answer, A. Option B is the old time, put there to catch people who hear “half past nine” and stop listening.
Traps that cost marks
- Corrections: “not … as it says on the board” means the first number you heard is wrong.
- Teens and tens: thirteen/thirty, fourteen/forty, fifteen/fifty.
- The second speaker often changes the first speaker’s plan (“Actually, let’s meet at six”).
- Names and addresses spelled letter by letter.
- Options that are true in the real world but are not said in the recording - answer only from what you hear.
- Panic on one unknown word: keep listening, the next sentence usually explains it.