FCE Listening Part 2 practice: Counting seabirds
This is a free FCE Listening Part 2 practice set: one talk and ten sentences to complete with words you hear. It belongs to our FCE practice collection. Our Listening Part 2 guide explains how to predict the missing words.
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Before you start
Read the ten sentences before you read the script, and predict what kind of word is missing in each: a noun, a number, a place? The sentences follow the order of the talk.
The script is shown as text for now. Read it once at a normal pace, as if you were hearing it, and fill in the gaps as you go. Then check.
- Write the exact words you hear. You don't need to change them.
- The speaker often mentions a wrong answer first and then corrects it.
- Check your spelling: in the exam, answers must be spelled correctly.
Practice · Listening Part 2
Listening Part 2 practice 1: Counting seabirds
Instructions: You will hear a university student called Ruth talking about a summer she spent as a volunteer on a small island. For questions 1–10, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase. Write the words you hear; you don't need to change them. In the real exam you hear the recording twice.
Your browser can't play the computer voice. Read the transcript after checking your answers instead.
1. Ruth found out about the project from a in her university library.
2. Before the trip, the volunteers had to order enough for the whole stay.
3. The boat to the island comes once every .
4. The volunteers lived in a building which used to be the island's .
5. Ruth looked inside the puffins' burrows using a small .
6. According to Ruth, the worst weather problem on the island was .
7. Ruth learned to identify different birds by their .
8. Because of the damp air, the data was written in a .
9. In the evenings, Ruth learned how to bake .
10. Ruth now plans to do a master's in .
After you finish
Look at where the distractors were. In almost every sentence, Ruth mentioned another possible answer first, such as what she expected or what other people did, before giving the real one.
Next, try the Part 3 matching set, or read the Listening Part 3 guide first.
Questions about this practice set
Do I need to write the exact words?
Yes. Write the word or short phrase you hear. Changing it can make the answer wrong, especially if the meaning shifts.
How many words should I write?
Usually one to three words. If your answer is longer, you have probably included words that are already in the sentence.