Part 1 Mastery: Listening to Problem Solving

In Part 1 you hear a man and a woman talk about a problem. One of them needs something, and the other one helps. You hear the conversation once, in three pieces, and after each piece you answer two or three questions.

There is no replay. So this lesson is about one thing: what to write down while you listen, so that the answers are already on your paper when the questions come.

What Part 1 looks like

Source: CELPIP Listening Pro study pack, 2026. Three more rules to know:

• Each section plays one time only. There is no replay button and no second chance to hear it.
• You can change an answer until the time for that question is up.
• Every question is worth 1 point. A wrong answer does not lose points, so never leave one empty.

The conversation can be almost anywhere in everyday life: a customer and a shop worker sorting out a return, or two coworkers talking about a problem one of them has at home. The tone is friendly and polite, like a normal chat, not formal.

Every Part 1 tells the same story

While you listen, you are looking for four things: is there a problem, what exactly is it, what fixes are offered, and which fix the person picks.

That gives every Part 1 conversation the same shape. Someone has a problem. The other person offers ways to fix it, usually with prices, times or rules. Then the person with the problem decides.

Often the first section brings the problem, the second brings the options, and the third brings the decision. But that is not a rule. A new problem can appear in the last section, and a decision can come early. So listen for all three things in every section.

Our method: three boxes on your paper

This method is ours, not CELPIP's. It is a simple way to write down what you are listening for.

Before the audio starts, draw three boxes on your paper:

Draw the boxes before the audio starts, not after it begins. And fill them in the same order every time, so you always know where to look.

Then, while you listen:

1. Read the introductory statement first. Before the audio, a short line on screen tells you who is talking and where. It is your free head start, so read it closely. Write one word for each person, for example customer and shop.
2. Write the problem in two or three words. Not a sentence.
3. Write every option with its number next to it. A price alone is not enough. Write what the price is for: express $150, not just $150.
4. Write the decision as soon as you hear it. Listen for words like let's do that, I'll take, that works for me.
5. When a rule changes, cross out the old one. Do not erase it. Draw a line through it and write the new one next to it.

Keep your notes short. While you write one word, the speakers say ten more. If you miss a word, let it go. Hold on to what you did understand and keep listening, because the next sentence often repeats the idea in easier words.

🎥 CELPIP Listening Part 1: the three boxes on a real practice set (12:36)

The three boxes filled in while a free practice conversation plays, then all 8 questions answered from the notes.

Jump to: 0:59 the Part 1 format · 2:00 problem, options, decision · 2:18 the 3 boxes · 2:52 the free practice set · 4:47 questions 1 and 2 · 6:58 questions 3 to 5 · 9:24 questions 6 to 8 · 10:16 3 wrong answers · 10:58 recap

The example on this page

We wrote this short example for the page. A real Part 1 has three sections of about 1 to 1.5 minutes each. This one has two short sections.

Introductory statement: You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman in a phone repair shop. The man works at the shop. The woman's phone is broken.

Section 1

Section 2

The three boxes, filled in

Three questions on the example

Every answer is in a box. Now look at the wrong options. Each one is there for a reason.

Three wrong answers to expect

These three patterns are ours. They are the wrong options we see most often in Part 1 practice sets, including the free one in the video.

The boxes catch all three. The DECISION box shows what was chosen. Writing each number with its label shows what the number is for. And writing the two rules side by side, with the newer one last, shows which version is the old one.

What the questions ask about

The questions in Part 1 ask about the same few things again and again. This list is ours, from practice sets. CELPIP does not name question types.

For questions about a person, listen to how they sound, not only to their words. Does the person sound worried, pleased, unsure? In the example, the woman's first worry is time (I need it fixed soon), so an option like She is worried about the time the repair takes would be correct.

Lesson 3 looks at these question shapes across all six parts.

Practice

Practise taking notes before test day, with a pen and paper, so you already know which way of writing works for you. Here are three ways to do that.

1. Boxes only (5 minutes). Play one section of a Part 1 practice set. Fill the three boxes. Do not answer anything. Then read the questions and count how many your notes would have answered.

2. Label every number (5 minutes). Play a section again and write only the numbers you hear, each with a label: what is this number for? Check them against the transcript after.

3. The full part. Do a complete Part 1 set once, with no pausing and no replay, the way the real test works. Afterwards, look at each wrong answer and ask which of the three patterns caught you.

• Try the free CELPIP Listening Part 1 practice set from the video (Weekend Bike Rental)
• Practise more CELPIP Listening Part 1 sets

Related:

• Lesson 1: Orientation & Success Targets for the number of correct answers to aim for
• Lesson 6: Part 2 Mastery for the next part
• Lesson 12: Answer Engineering for more wrong-answer patterns.