Listening
Listening Part 4
C1 Advanced Exam
Overview
During Part 4 of the C1 Advanced listening paper you will hear 5 30-second dialogues from different people. They will all be talking about the same topic.
There will be two columns with two similar but separate tasks. You must do two tasks for each excerpt, and you must do both tasks at the same time.
There are more options than correct answers.
What happens
For each question:
You will hear an introduction.
Then you will have 45 seconds to read the options.
The recording will start after that.
The recording will be repeated with little time between both recordings.
Before Listening
You will have 45 seconds to read the options before the audio begins
Use this time to underline keywords in the options
While Listening
When you begin to hear an answer, listen to the entire passage. Words like however or but can change the entire meaning of a phrase, so Cambridge likes to use these.
Remember to focus on the over-all message of the speaker. You may hear them mention bits and pieces of other answers, but don't let the distractors confuse you.
Warning
On other parts of the exam, the answers usually show up in the same order they appear on the test paper. This is not always true for this section. Because you must answer 2 questions about each excerpt at the same time, you may hear the answer for the second question before the first.
Tips
When practicing, if you get something wrong, look at the transcript and understand why your answer is wrong.
The answer will probably use different words than you hear. Cambridge loves paraphrasing and using synonyms. So, if you hear the the exact same words that you see in an option, that option probably is not the right answer.
Don't worry if you don't know every word. Try to guess the meaning of new words from context. The reading and listening tests intentionally include vocabulary above your level because test makers know you will have to deal with unfamiliar words in the real world.
Because you hear the recording twice, you could do the first task during the first playthrough and the second task during the second playthrough, instead of doing both tasks simultaneously. You should experiment with both strategies and see which works for you.
Transferring Answers
After this part of the exam:
you will have 5 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet if doing the paper-based exam
you will have 2 minutes to check your answers if doing the computer-based exam
Make sure to write everything in the correct spaces.
ALWAYS WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
Do this part in pencil.
If you don't know an answer, just guess. You do not lose points for incorrect answers.