The section, quickly
Listening runs about 29 minutes across roughly 47 items and four task types: Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, and Listen to an Academic Talk. Audio plays once; questions follow. It's auto-scored.
Listen and Choose a Response
You hear a short utterance and pick the most appropriate spoken reply from multiple choice options — no transcript, no second play. The skill is catching function, not just words: is the speaker asking a question, making a request, or expressing frustration? The right reply matches the intent, not just the topic. See our Choose a Response practice.
Listen to a Conversation
A campus or daily-life conversation between two speakers, followed by comprehension questions. Listen for what each speaker wants and how their positions shift over the conversation — questions often test whether you tracked a change of mind or a compromise, not just isolated facts. See our Conversation Listening practice.
Listen to an Announcement
A short announcement (campus notice, schedule change, event info) with questions on the key details — who, what, when, where, and why it matters to the listener. These are usually shorter and more literal than the conversation or lecture tasks; the main risk is losing a single specific detail (a date, a location) rather than missing the overall gist. See our Announcement Listening practice.
Listen to an Academic Talk
A lecture-style talk with questions on structure and content — main idea, supporting examples, and how the speaker organizes their points (contrast, cause-and-effect, chronological). This is the closest task to the pre-2026 lecture-listening format. Note the transitions ("however," "as a result," "for example") as you listen — they signal exactly the kind of structural relationship these questions ask about. See our Academic Talk Listening practice.
General tips across all four
- You only hear it once. There's no replay, so active listening from the first second matters more than on Reading — don't drift during the setup.
- Take light notes on structure, not transcription. Jot down who's speaking, their stance, and 2–3 key points — trying to write down full sentences means you fall behind and miss what's said next.
- Listen for signal words. "But," "actually," "the main reason," and similar phrases usually flag exactly what a question will ask about.
- Don't panic on unfamiliar vocabulary. Academic talks especially will include some words you don't know — the questions rarely hinge on a single unfamiliar term.
How it's scored
Like Reading, Listening is objective and auto-scored — your raw score (correct ÷ total) converts to a 1–6 band. See our band scores explained guide for what each level means.
Practice the real 2026 format
Listening skill builds through volume and pacing under real conditions — timed practice with audio you only hear once, exactly like the actual exam.