An Overview of ICFE Listening
Number of questions: 30
Answer format: candidates write their answers on an answer sheet (PDF).
Timing: approximately 40 minutes
Marks: each question in the paper carries one mark
Part |
Task Type and Focus |
Number of questions |
Text Type |
1 |
Multiple-choice Understanding gist, detail, function, purpose, topic, attitude, feeling, opinion and inference |
6 |
Three short, unrelated extracts of approximately one minute each. There are two questions per extract. Texts may be monologues or dialogues in finance-related contexts. Each extract is heard twice. |
2 |
Multiple-choice Understanding gist, detail, function, purpose, topic, attitude, feeling, opinion and inference |
5 | A conversation of approximately 4 minutes between two or more interacting speakers in a range of finance-related contexts. Heard twice. |
3 |
Sentence completion Following the main points and retrieving specific information |
9 | A monologue of approximately 4 minutes, heard twice, from the following range of text types: announcements, speeches, talks, lectures, etc. Heard twice. |
4 |
Multiple matching In the multiple matching format there are two tasks; the questions require selection of the correct option from a list of six in each task. |
10 | A series of five themed monologues in a finance-related context, of approximately 30 seconds each; the whole sequence is heard twice. |