CELPIP Listening Part 3: Listening for Information
Tips & Strategies
How to Listen Effectively
Following the dialogue
Listen in full-sentence mode, not vocabulary mode
  • Listen for the complete idea of a sentence rather than focusing only on individual words.
  • This will help you understand ideas more clearly.
Avoid focusing too much on vocabulary
  • Vocabulary is useful, but only for some specific questions.
  • Do not allow one familiar word to distract you from the complete idea.
Listen and repeat ideas in your mind
  • Mentally repeat important ideas as you hear them.
  • This can help you absorb information and remember it.
You can take notes
  • You will be given a notepad, so notes can help you remember important information.
  • You can write notes in your own language; your notes are not graded.
  • Make sure writing does not interfere with listening.
Put yourself in the situation
  • Imagine the context visually and place yourself in the situation while listening.
  • Think about what you would want to know if you were part of the same situation.
  • This can help you follow the information more naturally.
What Information to Focus On
Topic, information, and main ideas
Understand the Situation and Context
Usually, one speaker asks questions and another responds.
  • Identify the speakers and their roles. What does each person want?
  • Identify the kind of situation. Is it at a store, between friends, at work, or somewhere else?
  • Focus on the questions being asked and the responses given.
Identify Specific Information About the Topic
What information is provided about the topic?
  • Information can include details about the topic, suggestions, solutions, possibilities, or other related ideas.
  • Some information may be indirectly related and does not have to be specifically stated.
  • Connect individual details to the larger topic.
Focus on Ideas More Than Vocabulary
This will help you understand the questions and answers more clearly.
  • Connect ideas to the situation and topic.
  • Do not choose an answer only because it contains specific words you heard.
  • Use vocabulary association to connect related words and retain the larger idea.
Listening to the Questions
Understanding the question focus
Repeat the question to better understand it
  • Mentally repeat or rephrase the question so you are clear about exactly what it is asking.
Focus on who the question is related to
  • Identify which speaker the question is asking about.
  • Keep the information provided by each speaker separate.
Focus on the specific part the question is asking about
  • Understand the connection between the question and the relevant part of the dialogue.
Questions are usually related to
  • The topic or situation
    • Specific information: Where are they? What are they doing? What is the speaker looking for?
  • Details about the topic
    • Information may be presented through explanations, descriptions, or a report containing several details.
  • Suggestions
    • What does the speaker suggest?
    • What does the person do or plan to do?
Responding to the Questions
How to select answers
Avoid Selecting Answers Only Because of Words You Heard
Answers often contain words from throughout the dialogue.
  • Answer choices may use familiar vocabulary while expressing a different idea.
  • Connect words with the complete idea before choosing an answer.
Focus on the Idea of the Answer More Than Its Words
Understand what each answer is suggesting.
  • This is especially important for longer answers and questions about suggestions or advice.
  • Some answers are indirect. The meaning may be implied by the information rather than stated in one exact sentence.
Eliminate Wrong Answers
Finding which answers are wrong can be as important as finding the answer.
  • Eliminate answers that do not connect correctly to the question or information.
  • For the remaining choices, look closely at what is different between them before selecting your answer.
Selecting the Answers
Identifying differences
Focus on Grammar
  • Similar ideas can have different meanings because of tense: present, past, future, or present perfect.
  • Modals can change meaning even more: could, may, might, should, would, have to, need to, and must.
Focus on Opposite Ideas
  • An answer may use information from the listening but connect it to the wrong person or situation.
  • An answer may also use familiar information while expressing the opposite idea.
Focus on Vocabulary Association
  • Similar words may appear in an answer without correctly connecting to the question or may express a different meaning.
  • Correct answers may use synonyms or paraphrases instead of the exact words you heard.
Focus on Meaning
  • Some answers require understanding the complete context of the conversation rather than one specific detail.
  • Consider what the speakers are suggesting or communicating throughout the conversation.
  • Expressions, idioms, and slang can communicate more than their literal words.
Main Page