What does Listening Part 3 test?
Part 3 tests comprehension of interactive academic speech: distinguishing speakers, following an evolving discussion, recognising stated and implied opinions, and catching the difference between a suggestion, a decision and a rejected idea. Multiple choice and matching dominate, with occasional flow-chart or note completion about the project under discussion. The paraphrase gap between recording and options is at its widest here.
How do you approach Listening Part 3?
- 1Before the audio, read the questions and note whose view each one asks about — "What does Marta think…" is answered by Marta’s words, not her tutor’s.
- 2Learn the voices in the first few seconds: names are always exchanged early, and attaching name to voice immediately pays off for the whole part.
- 3Listen for opinion and agreement language ("I’d go further", "I’m not convinced", "that’s exactly it") — these phrases mark where answers live.
- 4Track decisions to the end of each exchange: speakers float several ideas before settling, and the question wants what they finally agree, not what they first propose.
- 5Answer on meaning, not word-match — the correct option nearly always rephrases the recording, while wrong options recycle its vocabulary.
What are the common traps to avoid?
- Attributing one speaker’s opinion to another, especially when a speaker summarises someone else’s view before disagreeing with it.
- Taking a rejected suggestion as the answer because it was discussed at length — length of discussion does not equal decision.
- Distractors built from literal wording: hearing the exact words of option A is often evidence that A is wrong.
- Losing an answer while still deliberating over the previous question — Part 3 exchanges move quickly and answer windows are short.
How should you manage the timing?
One hearing, about five minutes, ten questions, no mercy for hesitation. Use the mid-part pause to read the second half of the questions properly. If two options still seem possible when the discussion moves on, commit to one instantly — an unanswered question is the only guaranteed lost mark.