Listening Part 5 is called Listening to a Discussion. It has 8 questions. The audio plays once, so you must follow the ideas as you hear them. This guide gives you a plan, a short example written for this guide, and the mistakes to avoid.
1.What the task is
Part 5 is part of the CELPIP General Listening test. It is named Listening to a Discussion and it has 8 questions. The questions are multiple choice. The audio plays once.
A discussion means people share views, give reasons and often reach a decision. Your job is to understand who thinks what, and why.
2.How it is scored
- Each question is marked right or wrong.
- A wrong answer has no penalty. A blank answer earns nothing, so always choose an answer.
- Listening has 38 scored items in total. Part 5 adds to that total.
- Levels 4 to 12 map one to one to CLB 4 to 12. A higher number of right answers supports a higher level.
3.A plan that fits most tasks
- Find the topic early. Ask yourself what the people are deciding or arguing about.
- Track each speaker. Keep each person's position separate. Who suggests an idea? Who objects? Who agrees?
- Listen for reasons. Words like "because," "the problem is" and "that way" often point to the reason behind an opinion.
- Listen for changes. People often start with one idea and end with another. The final decision is often what a question asks about.
- Choose by meaning. Pick the option that matches the idea, not the option that repeats a word you heard.
- Move on fast. If you miss a detail, let it go. The audio will not replay, so keep your attention on what comes next.
- Answer every question. A guess costs nothing.
4.A worked example
Discussion (written for this guide, not from the test):
Maya: I think we should move the weekly team meeting from Monday morning to Thursday at 2:00. On Mondays everyone is still catching up on email.
Tom: I see the problem, but Thursday is bad for me. I visit clients on Thursdays. What about Tuesday morning?
Maya: Tuesday works for me. But the new hires have training until 10:00 on Tuesdays.
Tom: Then let's start at 10:30. That gives them time to finish.
Maya: Good. I will tell the team today.
Question: What do Maya and Tom decide about the meeting?
- A. Hold it on Thursday at 2:00.
- B. Hold it on Tuesday at 10:00.
- C. Hold it on Tuesday at 10:30.
- D. Keep it on Monday morning.
Answer: C. Tom suggests Tuesday morning and Maya agrees. Then Maya mentions the training, so Tom moves the start to 10:30.
Why the others are wrong: A was Maya's first idea, but Tom rejected it. B is the time of the training, so it would not work. D is the problem they want to fix.
5.Common mistakes
- Choosing the first idea you hear. In a discussion, the first idea may change.
- Mixing up speakers. Keep track of who said what.
- Picking an option because it repeats a word from the audio. Check the meaning.
- Stopping to think about a missed word. You lose the next part of the discussion.
- Using your own opinion instead of what the speakers said.
- Leaving a question blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.
6.Next step
Practise the plan on real questions now: Try a free Listening to a Discussion set. After each set, find why each wrong option is wrong. That habit builds the skill fastest.