CELPIP Listening Practice — All 6 Parts

Train across every listening scenario the CELPIP test uses — from casual conversations to academic lectures — and build the real-time comprehension skills that matter most.

Try a free listening session →

CELPIP Listening format

Six distinct audio types that cover the full range of English listening contexts.

6

Parts

38

Questions

~55 min

Time

CLB 1–12

Score scale

Part 1

Problem Solving

You hear two people working through a practical issue — a miscommunication at work, an unexpected problem at home, or a logistical challenge they need to resolve together. Questions focus on what the problem is, how each person responds to it, and what solution they reach by the end of the conversation.

Tracking a problem and its resolution across a short dialogue

Part 2

Daily Conversation

Two speakers discuss an everyday topic — weekend plans, a recent experience, or a shared decision about something in their personal lives. The language is informal and natural, with contractions, interruptions, and the kind of back-and-forth that happens in real Canadian conversations.

Understanding informal register and following natural spoken exchanges

Part 3

News Report

A short audio clip modelled on a radio or television news segment presents information about a recent event, a community issue, or a public interest story. The delivery is more formal than Parts 1 and 2, and questions test whether you can extract key facts, sequence events correctly, and identify the main point of the report.

Identifying main ideas and specific facts in formal broadcast-style English

Part 4

Viewpoints Discussion

Two or more speakers share different perspectives on a topic — a local policy, a social trend, or a community debate. Unlike Part 2, the conversation here involves contrasting opinions, and questions ask you to distinguish between what each speaker believes, not just what they say.

Tracking multiple viewpoints and distinguishing between speakers' positions

Part 5

Practical Talk

A single speaker delivers information in a structured, informational style — a recorded announcement, a set of instructions, or an explanation of a process. The vocabulary is moderately formal and the content is organised into clear points, which requires you to listen for structure as much as for individual details.

Following organised informational speech and noting sequential details

Part 6

Lecture or Classroom Discussion

A longer academic-style audio — a short lecture, a facilitated seminar, or a structured classroom exchange — presents ideas on a topic in science, history, society, or culture. This is the most cognitively demanding part of the Listening section, requiring you to track a line of argument across several minutes of speech.

Synthesising ideas from extended academic or semi-academic spoken discourse

3 listening strategies that work

Predict the type of information each question needs

Before the audio plays, read each question and identify what kind of answer you need: a number, a name, a reason, a sequence, or a speaker's opinion. This primes your brain to listen for a specific type of information rather than trying to retain everything. When the relevant moment arrives in the audio, you will recognise it faster.

Do not panic when you miss a detail

Every test-taker misses something in a listening passage — it is an inevitable part of real-time comprehension. The mistake is to dwell on a missed detail while the audio keeps playing, causing you to miss the next two sentences as well. If you did not catch something, note the question number and move on immediately. You can often infer the missed detail from the broader context of questions you did answer.

Listen for discourse markers to track structure

Academic and informational passages in Parts 5 and 6 rely heavily on spoken signposts: 'however', 'on the other hand', 'the key point here', 'to summarise'. These phrases signal where the speaker is shifting direction, introducing a contrast, or arriving at a conclusion. Training yourself to listen for these markers — rather than trying to hold every sentence in working memory — makes longer passages far more manageable.

Frequently asked questions

2 free listening sessions daily — no credit card required

Practise all six audio types with comprehension questions and instant feedback.