FCE Listening Part 1 practice: eight short extracts
This is a free FCE Listening Part 1 practice set: eight short, unrelated situations, each with one three-option question. It is part of our FCE practice collection. Read our Listening Part 1 guide to learn how the distractors work.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
Before you start
For now, the scripts are shown as text. To make the practice realistic, read the question first, then read each script once, at a normal speaking pace, and answer without looking back. Better still, ask a friend to read the scripts aloud to you.
- Read the context line: it tells you who is speaking and the situation.
- Expect to hear words from all three options. Only one matches what the speaker really means.
- Listen for words that change direction, such as but, actually and to be honest.
Practice · Listening Part 1
Listening Part 1 practice 1: Eight short extracts
Instructions: You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1–8, choose the best answer (A, B or C). Read each script as if you were hearing it, and answer before you check. In the real exam you hear each extract twice.
Your browser can't play the computer voice. Read the transcript after checking your answers instead.
1. You hear a woman talking about a cookery class she went to.
2. You hear two friends talking about a film they have just seen.
3. You hear a man leaving a voice message for a colleague.
4. You hear a student talking about her part-time job in a bookshop.
5. You hear a cyclist talking about a race he took part in.
6. You hear a tour guide speaking to a group of visitors.
7. You hear two friends talking about a new café.
8. You hear a woman on the radio talking about a novel.
After you finish
In most extracts the wrong options were mentioned and then rejected or corrected. Note how speakers did this, because the same moves appear in the real exam.
For more on these traps, read our guide to FCE listening tips and distractors. Then try the Part 2 sentence completion set.
Questions about this practice set
Are the extracts connected?
No. In Part 1 each extract is a different situation with different speakers, so start fresh with each one.
How many times will I hear each extract in the exam?
You hear each recording twice in the Listening paper, so use the first listening to choose and the second to check.