Listening Part 2 - Gapped Text

Paper 4 of the First Certificate is the Listening test.  Listening Part 2 is the part of the test where you complete the gaps with grammatically correct words or short phrases.  Here are some tips to help you with this part of the test.

  

1. There are ten questions and each answer is worth one point.
2. The questions follow the order of the text.
3. Read the questions before you listen.  Think about the kind of information that is missing.  Is it a noun, adjective, etc.?
4. It is not a dictation.  The words you read will be in a different order to the words you hear but you will hear the exact word(s) you need to complete the gaps.
5. You can write between 1 and 3 words in each gap.
6. You can write numbers as figures or words.
7. Do not repeat words that you read.
8. Check that your word or phrase is grammatically correct and makes sense.
9. Check your spelling.

The Exam
Try to relax while you are listening, and don't try to understand every word. If you're not sure about something, continue with the test and complete what you can.

At the end of the test you will be given some time to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.  If you couldn't complete all the gaps during the listening, take a guess!  Maybe you'll right and you'll get an extra point!

If you find this part of the listening difficult, don't worry.  It is only one part of the listening test, and a small part of the whole First Certificate exam.  If you are good at other parts of the listening test or exam, you will still pass!

Click here for some Australian accent online practice.


Good luck with your studies!