Lesson 5 · Lesson guide
Listening Part 1: Form and Note Completion Strategy
Hello, my dear student!
Hello! Listening Part 1 is the easiest part of the test, and that is exactly why every mistake there hurts. It is a conversation about everyday things: booking a course, joining a library, renting a room. You complete a form or notes.
Students lose marks here not because the English is hard, but because of small things: a wrong spelling, a missed number, three words when the limit is two, or the first answer they hear when the speaker then corrects it.
Today you will learn a simple four-step method. Use it in every Part 1, and these marks become easy.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
Your browser has no English voice, so the listen buttons are hidden. Everything is written on the page.
The four-step method
Step 1
Read the instructions
Underline the word limit: ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER means “Tuesday” or “15” or “15 Tuesday”, but never two words.
- Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Step 2
Predict the answer
Before you listen, look at each gap and ask: a number? a name? a date? a noun? Look at the words before and after the gap.
- Phone: ___ → a number
- Surname: ___ → a name, spelled
- Price: £___ → a number
Step 3
Wait for the correction
Speakers often change their mind: “It’s on Monday… oh no, sorry, it’s Tuesday.” The last answer is the right one.
- It’s fifteen pounds… sorry, I mean fifty.
Step 4
Check the limit and spelling
A spelling mistake is a wrong answer. Check plurals (books / book) and capital letters are not a problem.
- accommodation: two c, two m
Remember!
Read → predict → listen for the correction → check the limit and spelling.
Numbers that sound alike
Listen to the stress: thirTEEN, THIRty.
thirteen, thirty
13 / 30
fifteen, fifty
15 / 50
double seven, triple zero
77 / 000 in phone numbers
oh
zero in phone numbers
Mistakes that cost marks
Not: Answer: on Tuesday morning (limit: ONE WORD)Say: Answer: Tuesday
Three words break the limit, so the answer is wrong even if the meaning is right.
Not: Surname: Smyth → SmithSay: Smyth
Write names exactly as they are spelled for you.
Not: Price: £15 (when you hear “fifteen… no, fifty”)Say: £50
The correction is the answer.
Check yourself
Limit: NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Is “a large kitchen” correct?
“Date of birth: ___” What kind of answer?
Now it’s your turn!
8 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher