FCE Listening Part 4: interview questions, strategy and practice
FCE Listening Part 4 is a longer interview or conversation with 7 multiple-choice questions, each with three options, and you hear it twice. Questions follow the order of the recording and often test the speaker's opinions, attitudes and reasons. It is part of our B2 First Listening guide.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
What Part 4 is and what it tests
Part 4 is the last part of the Listening paper. You hear an interview or an exchange between two speakers, typically a presenter and a guest who talks about their career, an achievement, a hobby, a project or an experience. There are 7 questions, each with three options.
The questions follow the order of the conversation, and most of them are about what the guest thinks or feels, not just facts. Typical stems include:
- What does Maya say about her first job?
- Why did Tom decide to change direction?
- How did she feel when the project was cancelled?
- What does he suggest young designers should do?
Each option is usually connected to something in the recording, so your job is to find which option matches what the speaker actually means. The interviewer's questions help you: each new question from the presenter usually signals that the next exam question is coming.
Part 4 combines the multiple-choice skills of Part 1 with the long-recording concentration of Part 2. Its distractors are the same as elsewhere: read our FCE listening tips on distractors to recognise them.
Part 4 strategy, step by step
- 1
Before: read the stems first, options second
With seven questions to read, start with the question stems only. They give you the 'story' of the interview: who the guest is and what topics will come up. Then read the options and underline what makes each one different.
- 2
First listening: use the interviewer as a signpost
When the presenter asks a new question, check which exam question it matches. Listen to the guest's whole answer before choosing, because the guest often starts with a general comment and gives the real point later.
- 3
First listening: do not get stuck
If you are not sure about one question, mark two possible options and keep listening. Losing your place in Part 4 can cost you two or three questions.
- 4
Second listening: test every option
Listen specifically for why the two wrong options are wrong. Did the guest say this about the past, not now? Was it the interviewer's idea, which the guest rejected? Was it true but not the reason asked about?
- 5
Finish: answer all seven
Never leave a blank. Use your notes from both listenings to make your best choice, then use the checking or transfer time carefully.
Common Part 4 traps
Trap: Choosing the interviewer's opinion.
Fix: Presenters often suggest an idea ('That must have been frightening?'). Check whether the guest agrees or corrects it.
Trap: Picking an option that is true but answers a different question.
Fix: If the question asks why she left, a true fact about what she did next is not the answer. Keep the stem in mind.
Trap: Confusing past and present feelings.
Fix: Guests often describe how they felt then and how they feel now. Check the tense in the question stem.
Trap: Losing your place after one difficult question.
Fix: Read ahead to the next stem. When the interviewer moves on, you move on too.
Trap: Trusting a single repeated word.
Fix: Options often repeat a striking word from the recording. Check the meaning of the whole sentence around it.
Worked example: the interviewer's suggestion
The task
You hear an interview with Sam Okafor, a wildlife photographer.
What does Sam say about his first trip to the Arctic? A. He found the cold harder to deal with than he had expected. B. He was disappointed with the photographs he took. C. He realised how much he still had to learn.
Script (original): Interviewer: "Your first Arctic trip was famously tough. I imagine the cold must have been the biggest shock?" Sam: "Everyone asks that! But I'd trained for it, so the temperatures weren't really a problem. What hit me was that I'd spent years thinking I was a good photographer, and suddenly nothing I knew worked. The light was different, the animals behaved differently… Some of my shots were fine, actually, a couple were even published. But I came home knowing I was a beginner again."
- 1.
Option A is the interviewer's idea. Sam rejects it: 'the temperatures weren't really a problem'. The word 'cold' comes from the question, not from Sam's view.
- 2.
Option B is a generalisation trap. You might expect disappointment, but Sam says 'some of my shots were fine' and some were published.
- 3.
Option C is the paraphrase: 'nothing I knew worked' and 'I was a beginner again' = he realised how much he still had to learn.
- 4.
Notice how the key meaning comes after a 'But'. Contrast words are strong signals in Part 4.
Answer
C: he discovered that he was a beginner again.
Practice · Listening Part 4
Practise FCE Listening Part 4
How to practise Part 4
Start with our FCE Listening Part 4 practice set, and for each question write a short note: right because… and wrong because… for the other two options.
Free radio and podcast interviews are the best extra practice for Part 4, because they have the same shape: a host asks questions and a guest explains their experience and opinions. Before you play an interview, write three questions you think the host will ask. While listening, note the guest's opinion on each one in a few words. You are training exactly the skill Part 4 tests, and it also helps with Part 3, where opinions are paraphrased in the same way.
FCE Listening Part 4 FAQ
How many questions are in FCE Listening Part 4?
There are 7 multiple-choice questions, each with three options, based on one interview or exchange that you hear twice.
Do the Part 4 questions follow the order of the recording?
Yes. The questions follow the conversation from start to finish, and the interviewer's questions often signal when the next exam question is coming.
What do Part 4 questions usually test?
Most test the speaker's opinion, attitude, feeling or reason rather than simple facts. Read the stem carefully to know whose view and which time the question is about.
How can I avoid losing my place in Part 4?
Keep your eyes on the current question and the next one. If you are unsure, mark two options and move on when the interviewer changes topic. The second listening lets you fix it.
What is the best way to practise Part 4 outside the exam?
Listen to radio or podcast interviews and note the guest's opinion on each question the host asks, then check whether your summary matches what they actually meant.