Understand exactly what to expect in the Listening test, then move on to tips, examples, and 200 practice questions.
The Listening test is identical for both Academic and General Training candidates. It lasts about 30 minutes of audio, plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet (in the paper-based test) — in the computer-delivered test, you type answers directly and get 2 extra minutes at the end instead.
| Section | Format | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Conversation between two people | An everyday social context, e.g. booking a hotel room or joining a club — often form-completion |
| Section 2 | Monologue | A speech about a general, everyday topic, e.g. a guide describing facilities at a park or museum |
| Section 3 | Conversation between up to four people | An educational or training context, e.g. students discussing an assignment with a tutor |
| Section 4 | Monologue | An academic lecture or talk on a subject of general academic interest |
Each section contains 10 questions, for 40 questions in total. Each recording is played only once, and question difficulty generally increases from Section 1 to Section 4.
Fill in gaps with information from the recording, often names, numbers, dates, or short details — especially common in Section 1.
Select one correct answer (or sometimes more than one) from three or more options, based on specific details or overall meaning.
Complete sentences with words taken directly from the recording, within a specified word limit.
Identify locations or parts of a diagram, plan, or map based on directions or descriptions given in the audio.
Match a list of items (e.g. speakers, options, or events) to a set of categories described in the recording.
Answer briefly using information stated in the recording, respecting the word limit given in the instructions.
As with Reading, each correct answer is worth one mark, out of a maximum of 40, which is then converted to a band score from 1 to 9 using an official conversion table. The same conversion table is used for both Academic and General Training Listening. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.