Listening Part 1 of the CELPIP test is designed to evaluate your ability to understand and respond to everyday problem-solving situations. This section is the easiest in the listening test, so it’s a great opportunity to build confidence and score well early on.
🧩 Overview of Listening Part 1
- Type: Conversational dialogue between two people (always one man and one woman).
- Relationship: They are strangers — one has a problem, and the other offers help.
- Structure:
- Divided into 3 short audio segments (each 40–90 seconds).
- After each segment, you answer 2–3 multiple choice questions.
- Audio plays once only.
- Questions are read aloud once — no text on screen during reading.
🎧 Key Listening Skills
To succeed, focus on:
- Understanding the context — who is speaking and what the situation is.
- Identifying the problem and solution.
- Following the order of events — questions often follow the sequence of the conversation.
- Noticing tone and emphasis — helps with inference-based questions.
📝 How to Take Efficient Notes
1. Set Up Your Note Page
Use a simple T-chart format:
Man Woman (notes) (notes)
- Label each side with “Man” and “Woman” to track who says what.
- Use the introductory statement and picture shown before the audio to know who’s who (e.g., customer/server).
2. Use Smart Shortcuts
- Don't write full sentences.
- Use:
- Abbreviations (e.g.,
apptfor appointment), - Symbols (e.g.,
$for money), - Question marks for things being asked,
- "vs" for comparisons.
- Abbreviations (e.g.,
3. Capture Key Points
Listen for and note the 5Ws:
- Who is speaking?
- What is the issue or topic?
- Where is it happening?
- When is something happening (times, days)?
- Why is something being said or done?
📚 Types of Questions to Expect
1. General Meaning Questions
- Ask about the overall purpose or main idea.
- Example: “What is the main reason for the conversation?”
2. Specific Information Questions
- Focus on a detail or fact (e.g., a time, choice, price, name).
- Often answerable from one word or phrase.
3. Inference Questions
- Require you to read between the lines.
- The answer is not stated directly — you must combine clues from the dialogue.
- Example: “Why does the person ask so many questions?”
🧠 Test Strategies
- Use the image and description before the audio to understand the situation.
- Prepare your notes setup before the audio begins.
- Listen actively — don’t daydream.
- Keep your notes short but meaningful.
- Review your notes immediately after the audio ends — before the questions are asked.
- Match answers logically to your notes — use elimination to discard clearly wrong choices.
- Guess if unsure — there is no penalty for wrong answers.
🛎 Final Reminders
- You’ll only hear each audio clip once.
- Questions are read aloud only once — you cannot replay them.
- Organize your notes clearly and consistently.
- Be ready for questions that require literal memory and ones that require logical deduction.
- Practice note-taking using real audio samples so your ear gets used to focusing and writing quickly.