The ICFE test of listening offers the candidates different scenarios and dialogues to listen to for which they must answer 30 questions. This part of the examination focuses on a candidates ability to listen to spoken English in a variety of accents as well as their effectiveness at picking out key information from monologues and conversations. Candidates will be able to hear the listening tracks twice for each section.

Test Summary

Part 1 – During this part of the test candidates will hear four short monologues or conversations and have to answer two multiple choice questions for each.

Part 2 – For this part the candidate will hear one conversation lasting approximately five minutes, after which they must answer five multiple choice questions.

Part 3 – This part of the examination offers a monologue which the candidates must listen to; they will have nine sentences on the question sheet which they must finish, using words or phrases they have heard within the monologue.

Part 4 – The candidate will hear five short monologues, they must match the speaker of each monologue to statements written on the answer sheet.

What can you do to prepare?

Along with signing up for The Learning Institute’s specialized ICFE course training students can spend time listening to appropriate sources such as business news and videos posted on the internet to become accustomed to different accents and styles of speaking. They can also listen to a range of media sources to become accustomed to ways in which people give their opinions and feelings on different topics.

Candidates can also practice listening to radio programmes, noting down the key points of a speakers topic/argument concentrating on discerning the meaning as a whole rather than the meanings of individual words.