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CAE · Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion · United Kingdom

Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion for the CAE Exam — UK candidates

10% of the CAE test plan. Answering multiple-choice questions on short extracts and completing sentences from a monologue at C1 level. Calibrated for British candidates.

Behind every published pass rate is a distribution of which topics caused most of the failures. This is one of those topics. Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion sits at roughly 10% of the Cambridge Advanced (C1) content distribution — CAE Listening Parts 1 and 2 test complex listening at C1 level. Part 1 (3 multiple-choice per extract × 3 extracts) demands understanding of attitude, opinion, and implied meaning. Part 2 (8 sentence-completion items from a monologue) requires accurate note-taking and understanding of paraphrased information. Pass rates for the CAE are published annually by the awarding body and vary by cohort and locale. For UK candidates preparing for CAE, the calibration of study to local context matters: UK candidates often take exams for both domestic licensure (NMC, GMC) and migration purposes. IELTS UKVI is a separate, higher-stakes track.

Pass rates for CAE (United Kingdom) are published periodically by the awarding body.

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

  • !Part 1: Missing the speaker's underlying attitude because they focus on topic words
  • !Part 2: Writing a paraphrase instead of the word(s) from the recording — transcription is required
  • !Not pre-reading questions — losing the answer because you were not ready for it

Study tips

  • 1For Part 1, listen for hedging language, intonation shifts, and contrast markers that reveal attitude.
  • 2For Part 2, predict the grammatical category for each blank (noun, verb, adjective, number) from the sentence context.
  • 3Listen to authentic C1 content: academic lectures (TED Talks), BBC Radio 4 documentaries, and formal interviews.
  • 4In the UK, CAE schedules and reschedules align with state holiday calendars and post-Brexit fee adjustments — confirm pricing on the awarding body's site before booking.

Sample CAE Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real CAE questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

  1. 1

    You hear: "The results were, shall we say, not entirely what we had hoped for." The speaker's attitude toward the results is:

    • AEnthusiastic and positive
    • BDiplomatically negative or disappointedCorrect
    • CConfused and uncertain
    • DCompletely neutral
    Why this answer?

    "Shall we say" is a hedging phrase that introduces a careful formulation. "Not entirely what we had hoped for" is a classic understatement — the speaker is disappointed but expressing it diplomatically. The careful phrasing signals the speaker is being tactful rather than direct.

Frequently asked questions

How is CAE Listening different from FCE Listening?
CAE Listening includes longer texts with more complex language, and tests understanding of subtler aspects of meaning: speaker attitude, implied criticism, hedged positions, and academic register. The recording content is also more varied — academic lectures, formal discussions, and extended monologues.
What is the CAE pass rate for British candidates?
Pass rates for CAE candidates in United Kingdom are published periodically by the awarding body. Practice questions, full-length simulations, and weak-area drills are the highest-impact way to improve your odds.
How long should British candidates study Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion for the CAE?
For most candidates, focused mastery of Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion requires 20–40 hours of deliberate practice — drilling sample questions, reviewing failure modes, and timing yourself against exam conditions. UK candidates often take exams for both domestic licensure (NMC, GMC) and migration purposes. IELTS UKVI is a separate, higher-stakes track. Combine Listening Parts 1 & 2 — Multiple Choice & Sentence Completion study with full-length mock exams in the final two weeks before your test date.

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