Listening
General Tips
B2 First Exam
General Tips
Read Ahead
At the start of every section, Cambridge tells everyone what to do. Since you know the format, use this time to read ahead, instead, and underline keywords.
Try to read 2 questions ahead.
If you think you’ve missed an answer, don’t worry. Keep moving forward. You get to listen to the audio twice.
Predict the Answers
The instructions will give you a hint about what you’re going to listen to. Underline keywords and phrases to help you.
Read the questions and think:
Who might be speaking and where might the conversation take place
What might they be talking about
What keywords or phrases might be related to the answers.
Learn synonyms and know how to paraphrase
Cambridge will never give you obvious answers. In fact, you will probably hear all possible answers in the recording.
It's normal to read one word but hear another word on the audio with the same meaning. For example, you may read ‘cost’ but hear ‘price’. This is called a synonym and this exam has lots of them. If you get used to paraphrasing while studying, listening for synonyms will become natural.
Follow instructions carefully
Sometimes a question will say “answer using only 3 words”. In this case, your answer must only have three words. An answer with four words will be incorrect.
Additionally, any misspelled words will be marked as wrong, so always check spelling and grammar.
Stay focused
Do active listening exercises, and learn how to stay focused. This is hard to do under regular circumstances, and it will be worse on the exam.
It's important to give yourself small tasks to do while listening during practice sessions. Take notes, write down any numbers or dates you hear, or do exercises that force you to answer questions about the content.
I have shared many listening exercises taken from old Cambridge exams through my Telegram group to help people with listening comprehension. Check them out.
Get familiar with different accents
Watch a variety of programming and news from English-speaking countries from around the world including Australia, the United States, Canada, Scotland, New Zealand, and South Africa. Don't only watch the BBC.
Practice Listening for Numbers
The following pairs of numbers are challenging for non-natives to distinguish:
13 30
14 40
15 50
16 60
17 70
18 80
19 90
Keep in mind two things about telephone numbers:
Native speakers often say ‘oh’ instead of ‘zero’
They often also group numbers together by saying ‘double’ or ‘triple’ in front of them. 0778880700 might become ‘oh, double seven, triple eight, oh, seven, double oh' for example.
Listening for numbers in general is pretty challenging for learners of a second language. It's even hard for professional interpreters.
There are some ways you can improve your listening, however:
Listen to money-related programs and write down numbers and dates that you hear.
Do math and counting activities out loud. I don’t just mean counting from 1 to 100.
count in different intervals such as 4s, 5s, pairs,
do basic arithmetic.
also do these same activities but backwards - beginning from a high number and going back.
By getting comfortable with using numbers and you’ll be able to recognize them better when you hear them.
Always Double Check Answers
Even if you think you are right, double check your answers. You get to listen to the recording twice, so take advantage of this.
How to Prepare
Many of the techniques needed for for the listening section will require some practice.
You should only use quality resources to practise your techniques before the exam.
Practice first with coursebooks and online resources to learn appropriate vocabulary and grammar for the exam.
The majority of the resources I provide come from official study material.
When you feel comfortable with the technique and your level of English, you should then practise with practice test books.
Practice B2 First Listening
The most reliable way to practice listening is by using one of the official resources listed on my resource page.
Check out the listening exercises that I share in my Telegram groups.
I also like to use this YouTube channel:
Be sure to leave time to write your answer on the answer sheet. It looks like the one below.
You must use a pencil (B or HB).
You must write in capital letters.
Make corrections using an eraser.
