FCE Listening Part 1
The Listening test is the hardest part of the exam for many students. So, you should try to get off to a good start in part 1 of the FCE Listening paper.
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Format
Part 1 of the FCE Listening paper consists of 8 different people talking in different situations. You need to answer 1 multiple choice (a,b,c) question for each different person/situation.
You don’t have time to read the questions before the recording starts.
FCE Listening Part 1 Technique
In the exam:
1. As the recording is starting, quickly underline the most important words in the 8 questions. DON’T read the a,b,c options as this will take too long.
2. You should put your hand over the a,b,c options the first time you listen to the 8 speakers. This should help you to avoid the ‘distractors’ (if you don’t know what ‘distractors’ are, go back and read the ‘Listening Paper – General Format’ section again.
3. While listening to the speakers the first time, quickly write (in note format) what you think is the answer to the question.
4. After you have listened to the 8 speakers for the first time, look at the a,b,c options. Is one option similar to what you wrote/thought? Put a mark next to this option.
5. Listen to the 8 speakers for the second time and confirm your answer.
This technique is not easy to follow in an exam situation as it requires quick work from you. For this reason, I recommend practising the technique as much as you can before the exam. In English we have the expression ‘practice makes perfect’. I cannot emphasise how important it is to use quality resources to practise this technique before the exam. You should first practise with coursebooks and online resources in order to learn appropriate vocabulary and grammar for the exam. When you feel comfortable with the technique and your level of language knowledge, you should then practise with practice test books.
Watch the video below to help remember the technique above. The video steps may have different numbers to the technique above, but the content is the same! Remember to watch to the end and complete the homework exercise.
FCE Listening Sample Paper 1
FCE Listening Audio Files
Listening Answer Key – page 2
Extra FCE Listening tip:
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