Parts Three and Four

Part Three is another multiple choice activity (like Part One), but this time there's only one
recording and it's quite long - up to 4 minutes. The format is often an interview. There are
6 questions. (In the exam, the question numbers are 15-20.)

GENERAL TIPS
 You hear the answers in the same order of the questions. In other words, the first
answer comes at the start of the recording and the last answer is at the end.
 As soon as Part Two is over, turn to Part Three and start reading the questions. This
is the section with the most text, so the sooner you start reading, the better. Start
by reading the questions and if you have time, go back and start reading the
choices. Underline key words.
 Look out for distractors in this section. Be careful of 'exact match' phrases. If
option ‘C’ uses the word 'abundant' and one of the speakers uses the word
'abundant', it's probably not the answer.
 Eliminate answers that are definitely wrong. It’s often possible to eliminate 3 of
the 4 choices, making it possible to get the answer even if you don't know the
meaning of a certain word.
 There will be words you don't know. You have to develop the skill of guessing a
word’s meaning based on context.

How to study for Part Three

Most of this section is about understanding how people feel about certain topics. What
are their attitudes and opinions? Study the following:

REPORTING VERBS

"Jack regretted eating his girlfriend's chocolate."

"Thierry admitted he had cheated to win."

"Sally resents being made to learn the piano."

*Note: here are all the reporting verbs from just one practice exam: emphasise, agree,
support, compare, suggest, criticise.
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS THAT DESCRIBE FEELINGS AND
ATTITUDES

"I'm frustrated by the poor battery life of my phone. All phones are like this nowadays, so
I guess it isn't all that unexpected. But, I hoped it would be better and I'm a bit
disappointed."

DEGREES OF CERTAINTY

"I'm completely convinced that everyone will have a robot in the future."

"I find that doubtful. It's more likely that only rich people will have enough money and
the space in their homes to run one."

Listening Part Four

You have to listen and say why each speaker changed their job.

For example, Speaker 1 says, "I had to quit my job because I was working 7 days a week
and I was close to burnout." Then you might write 'E' in box 21. You'll notice that there are
more possible answers than questions - there are three you shouldn't use.

Here's what it looks like at CAE level:

On the left is Task One: 'Why people changed their jobs'. On the right is Task Two: 'How
they feel about their new jobs'. You have to do both Task One and Task Two at the same
time.

Perhaps Speaker 1 says, "I had to quit my job because I was working 7 days a week and I
was close to burnout. / … I started working as a janitor in a school, cleaning toilets and
picking up litter. I can't believe how happy it's made me - now I can go home at 4 o'clock
and all the stress I had before is gone."

eg. In box 21 you should write 'E', and in box 26 you should write 'C' (delighted by a change in
lifestyle).

Be careful since this is possible: "I recently started working as a janitor in a school,

cleaning toilets and picking up litter. I can't believe how happy it's made me - now I can
go home at 4 o'clock and all the stress I had before is gone. / … I had to quit my old job
because I was working 7 days a week and I was close to burnout."

It's almost exactly the same, but with the answer to Task Two coming before the answer
to Task One. Just to make sure you are paying attention!
Strategies

Some students do Task One when listening to the recording for the first time, and Task
Two when the recording is replayed. That works for some people, but it’s a suggestion to
do both tasks simultaneously. Use the second replay to check your answers.

- (what if you miss a key word or phrase during the replay .. but this is up to you)

Note: Cambridge have done research that shows both methods work equally well. You
should try both methods to see which is better for you.

When part 4 is over

After Part Four is repeated, you get 5 minutes to copy your answers from the question
paper to the answer sheet. If you have any blank spaces at this point, just guess. You
never lose points for incorrect answers.

Be extremely careful to put your answers in the RIGHT SPACES ie. the second
question on Part Four – is question number 22 in the exam. Take extra care to fill in your
answers in the correct spaces.

Listening Parts Three and Four Practice Test Questions

See links below:
https://www.examenglish.com/CAE/cae_listening3.htm

https://www.examenglish.com/CAE/cae_listening4.htm