The Missed Interview Date
During a timed Listening practice test, a B2 candidate is working through a note-completion task about a job interview. The audio is played once. For question 6, the speaker says: 'Your interview is on Tuesday the 12th-actually, sorry, make that Wednesday the 13th; the panel had to move it.' The candidate writes 'Tuesday 12th' because that is the first date they hear. They have 20 seconds before question 7 begins. They remember the word 'actually' but are not sure whether it was a correction or part of a different sentence. The question asks for the day and date of the interview. The candidate has a habit of writing the first plausible answer and not revisiting it. They also know that question 7 is a multiple-choice item worth one mark. There is no rewind and no transcript. The candidate is already anxious about the next item.
1. What should the candidate write for question 6, and what listening habit should they change for the rest of the test?
Read the worked answer
Write: Wednesday 13th.
Reasoning:
- The phrase 'actually, sorry, make that...' is a repair marker. In listening tasks, a later correction normally overrides the first stated detail; the examiner is testing whether you follow the final version.
- The candidate's memory of 'actually' is enough to justify changing the answer. Waiting for certainty is not possible with no rewind.
- 'Tuesday 12th' is the classic first-mention trap. It is plausible, but it is not the final answer.
Habit to change: note the first detail lightly, then keep listening for contrast or correction words ('but', 'actually', 'sorry', 'rather', 'make that'). At the end of the turn, confirm or replace the note. Do not treat the first number or date as final.
2. The candidate is tempted to replay the sentence in their head for 30 seconds. Explain why that is a poor choice and what they should do instead.
Read the worked answer
Replaying the sentence for 30 seconds is costly because the next question may already be playing. The candidate should:
- write 'Wed 13?' as a quick note, then move immediately to question 7;
- use the 20-second gap to preview question 7, not to relive question 6;
- if a review section exists, return only if time allows.
The principle is opportunity cost: one uncertain mark is not worth losing the next item's stem and options. A guessed or corrected answer is better than a blank, and staying present in the audio protects more marks than perfecting one.