CELPIP · LISTENING DESCRIPTION
CELPIP Listening
Six parts, thirty-eight scored questions, and every clip played exactly once. The parts get harder in order, so the work is to arrive at Part 6 with your concentration intact.
CELPIP Listening at a glance
Listening is the first section you sit, and the six parts climb steadily: two people solving a problem at the start, a formal prepared talk at the end.
| Part | Task | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Listening to Problem Solving | 8 questions | About 8 minutes |
| 2 | Listening to a Daily Life Conversation | 5 questions | About 5 minutes |
| 3 | Listening for Information | 6 questions | About 6 minutes |
| 4 | Listening to a News Item | 5 questions | About 5 minutes |
| 5 | Listening to a Discussion | 8 questions | About 9 minutes |
| 6 | Listening for Viewpoints | 6 questions | About 8 minutes |
The two halves work differently. In Parts 1 to 3 you hear each question and read four answer choices, one question at a time, with about thirty seconds each and no going back. In Parts 4 to 6 the questions are all on one screen as sentence completions, and you can answer them in any order within the time given.
Part 5 is the only part with video. Three speakers discuss something on screen, and their positions on screen are how you keep track of who said what.
Someone has a problem and someone else helps solve it. The clip stops three times, and the questions come after each stop.
An ordinary conversation between two people, played once, with the questions held back until it ends.
One speaker explains something factual to another. Details, numbers and reasons are what get asked about.
A short news report read by a single voice, in the register radio news actually uses.
The only part with video. Three people discuss something, and who said what is half the work.
The hardest part by design: a prepared, formal talk that uses low-frequency and specialised language.
- All speakers use English as a native language and have Canadian accents.
- In every two-speaker conversation, one speaker is female and one is male.
- All audio clips are played one time only.
- Clips begin automatically and cannot be paused.
- The questions always come after the audio, never during it.
How it is scored
Computer-scored, one point per correct answer, no penalty for a wrong one.
The level you get is reported on its own, from 1 to 12, and for levels 3 and above it is the same number as your Canadian Language Benchmark. See the listening scoring page for the detail.
Practise this section
Worked examples with answers and explanations are on the CELPIP listening samples page.
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