CAE Listening Part 4 Format and Technique Dictation
You can write your dictation from the video below using my online dictation practice worksheet. Remember, you can also slow down or speed up the dictation using the settings control at the bottom of the video player. Make sure you watch till the end of the video for your BONUS TIP!
Dictation Script:
You can check your dictation writing with the script below:
"CAE Listening Part 4
Format
In part 4 you listen to five different people talking about the same theme.
You have 10 questions to complete (21-30).
For questions 21-25 you normally have to choose a reason why someone does something. There are 8 options (A-H) to choose from but you only need to select 5 of them.
For questions 26-30 you also have to answer 5 questions from 8 different (A-H) options. For questions 26-30 you usually need to listen for more specific information.
The format is slightly confusing in this part. Try to remember, you should answer the relevant questions below for each speaker:
Speaker 1 - relevant questions: 21 & 26
Speaker 2 - relevant questions: 22 & 27
Speaker 3 - relevant questions: 23 & 28
Speaker 4 - relevant questions: 24 & 29
Speaker 5 - relevant questions: 25 & 30
This part of the test might be easier to visualise through photos and exercises which you can find in my ‘C1 or not C1?’ Coursebook.
Technique
- You have 45 seconds to look at the questions before the recording starts. Use this time to read the A-H options for questions 21-25 and the other A-H options for questions 26-30. Underline the most important (key words) and write down some synonyms and other words related to the key words.
- The first time you listen, try to write the correct letter next to each question. You might think there is more than one correct answer, so write both letters next to the appropriate question number.
- Confirm your answers the second time the recording is played. If you’re stuck between two options, check if you have either option next to another question. If you have ‘F’ and ‘G’ next to question 22 for example, do you also have ‘F’ next to question 25? If yes, and you don’t have ‘G’ next to another question, choose ‘G’ for 22 and ‘F’ for 25.
Question: Letter:
Your friend Tim has sent you a letter asking for advice:
“Hi Marie,
I’m going to take the CAE exam next month. I’m really nervous, particularly about the Listening paper. I know you took the exam recently, could you give me some advice on the best resources and other ways to prepare. I look forward to hearing from you.
Your friend,
Tim"
Write a letter responding to Tim in 220-260 words."
If you want to answer the letter question above from the dictation, you can submit it via my CAE writing assessment service >>
You can also write down how many mistakes you made on the 'Dictations' sheet of this document >> I showed you how to edit this document earlier in this CAE course.
CAE Listening Part 4 Practice 1
We are now going to listen to a passage about part 2 of the Reading and Use of English paper and do a Listening part 4 exercise based on the passage. Can you remember how many seconds you have to read the passage before the recording begins?
CAE Listening Part 4 Questions
The questions below are similar to the ones you would face in part 4 of the Listening paper. However, in the exam you listen to 5 different speakers. In the passage below you will only listen to me.
I advise you to write down the questions below on a piece of paper, so then you can follow the first step in my technique above. If you can't remember this step, go back and take a look! Then, start your stopwatch and after 45 seconds, press the play button on the recording beneath and try to answer the questions. The recording plays the passage twice for you as you will get to listen twice in part 4 of the Listening paper.
What does Listening Part 4 look like?
If you are taking the paper-based exam, the exercise above will actually look more like this:
| Which of the following are involved in the format of the exam: | Which of the following are mentioned in the exam technique: | ||
| A | There are several passages to read. | A | You should learn word endings before the exam. |
| B | There are more than 5 questions to answer. | B | Part 2 often required you to write short words. |
| C | Part 2 of the Use of English is a multiple choice exercise. | C | Auxiliary verbs are very commonly tested in part 2. |
| D | There are some gaps in the text. | D | You should think about the type of word you put in the gap. |
| E | The gaps always need to be filled with a noun. | E | Prepositions are the most common words you need for Part 2. |
| F | There are many types of words that can fill the gap. | F | It is pointless reading the whole passage at the beginning. |
| G | Use of English part 2 is a similar type of exercise to the Listening part 2. | G | The words before and after the gap try to confuse you. |
| H | You need to think of 8 words to fill the gaps. | H | Guess the missing word based on the meaning of the surrounding sentence. |
In the paper-based exam, you can put marks on the question paper with a pencil, but you will need to transfer your answers to a separate answer sheet at the end of the listening paper. The answer sheet looks like this:
If you are doing the computer-based listening test, the questions will appear similar to this:
You click the appropriate box to put a tick in it for your answers and in the end it will look something like this:
CAE Exam Tip: Sorry, this tip is available for paid members only. Register for paid CAE membership here >>
CAE Listening Part 4 Exercise 2
You have 45 seconds to read the questions below before playing the recording. Again, I advise getting a piece of paper, writing the questions down and following step 1 from my technique above! Then hit play and try to answer the questions. The passage will play twice for you!
The exercise below is available for higher-level members only Join here >> and the recording and quizzes will come to life!
