Level B Listening Skills
Set 1
Core listening skills
This booklet will help you become a better listener in English. Each part teaches one important listening skill: you learn strategies, then practise with real recordings.
Parts in this set
How to use this booklet
- Read the strategies and tips at the start of each part.
- Read the questions, then play the recording. Use 0.75× speed if you need it.
- Answer, then press Check my answers. Stuck? Press Hint once for a strategy and again for a clue.
- Listen again. Can you do it better?
Listening for General Understanding (Gist)
Gist listening means understanding the main topic or general meaning of what you hear. You do NOT need to understand every word!
What is gist listening?
When you listen for gist, you ask yourself: “What is this conversation or text about?” Think of it like looking at a picture from far away — you see the big shapes, not every small detail.
Gist listening IS
- Understanding the general topic
- Getting the overall feeling or mood
- Knowing who is speaking and where
- Understanding the purpose of the conversation
Gist listening is NOT
- Understanding every word
- Remembering all the details
- Translating in your head
- Stopping when you don’t understand
Strategies & tips
- Don’t panic! It is OK if you don’t understand every word. Relax and keep listening. The more relaxed you are, the more your brain can focus on collecting information.
- Listen for repeated words. Words that come up more than once are usually the most important. If you keep hearing words like restaurant, food and table, the topic is probably about eating out.
- Use clues to build the topic. Collect small clues — a word here, a feeling there — and piece them together. Ask yourself: “What situation would include all these words?” You are like a detective.
- Pay attention to tone and mood. Is the speaker excited, worried or upset? An urgent voice might mean a problem. A calm voice might mean an explanation or advice.
Practice
Listen to the short conversation. Answer the questions in a word or short phrase. You do NOT need full sentences.
Listen to the conversation and answer these questions. You do NOT need full sentences.
Listen to the voicemail message. Answer the gist questions with a word or short phrase. You do NOT need full sentences.
Listen to the short radio weather report. Choose T (True), F (False) or NM (Not Mentioned) based on the general meaning of the recording.
Listening to Identify Main Ideas and Details
After you understand the general topic (gist), the next step is to find the most important ideas — and the smaller pieces of information that support them.
Main ideas vs. details
Main idea
The most important point. Usually said at the beginning or repeated.
“The weather this week will be very cold.”
Details
Extra information about the main idea: facts, examples, reasons.
“The temperature will drop to −5°C on Wednesday.”
Strategies & tips
- Listen for “umbrella sentences”. The main idea is a broad statement that “covers” everything else. If a sentence could stand alone and still make sense, it is probably a main idea. If it needs another sentence to explain it, it is probably a detail.
- Ask “does this support something bigger?” When you hear a fact, number, example or reason, ask: what is this explaining? That bigger thing is the main idea.
- Notice when the speaker signals a shift. Main idea signals: The main point is … / Overall … / In general … Detail signals: For example … / Specifically … / In fact … / On Wednesday …
- Use a two-column note structure. Divide your notes into main ideas and details while you listen.
Main idea Details Very cold week −5°C Wednesday
Practice
Listen to a school announcement and complete both tasks below.
Listen to this radio interview about ‘A New Sports Centre’. Then answer the main idea and detail questions.
Listen to ‘A Travel Podcast’. Then complete the tasks.
Listening for Key Words and Specific Information
Sometimes you need to find one exact piece of information — a name, a place, a price or a fact. This is called listening for specific information.
Strategies & tips
- Read the questions before you listen. This tells your brain exactly what to search for. You are listening with a target.
- Underline the information type in each question. A name is often unfamiliar or spelled out. A place often follows in, at, near. A time or date has numbers, days, months. A price has currency words like dollars, pounds, euros. A reason often follows because, due to, since.
- Predict before you listen. If the question asks “How much does the ticket cost?”, you already know a number is coming.
- Write immediately, check later. The moment you hear your target, write it down — even part of a word or number. Complete it the second time you listen.
Common key word categories
| Category | What to listen for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Names | Unfamiliar or formal-sounding words, often stressed or spelled out | Maria, Mr Johnson, Dr Patel |
| Places | Words after in / at / near / on, or words that sound like locations | London, Park Street, the Grand Hotel |
| Contact info | Long sequences of numbers; words like call, email, visit, dot com | 07912 345678, info@school.com |
| Descriptions | Adjectives that answer what kind? what colour? what size? | tall, blue, medium-sized |
| Prices / costs | Numbers followed by currency words | £15, $30, twenty dollars |
| Times / dates | Numbers with time words like o’clock, morning, March, Monday | 9 a.m., 15th March, next Friday |
| Reasons | Information after because, due to, since | because of the weather, due to repairs |
Practice
Complete the booking form with information from the recording.
Listen to the conversation ‘Lost Property’. Complete the lost property report with the exact information you hear.
Spot the key word. Tap the most important word(s) to listen for in each question.
Understanding Numbers, Dates, and Times
Numbers, dates and times are often the hardest part of listening — but with practice, you can get them right every time!
Strategies & tips
- Predict the format before you listen.
Type Pattern to expect Price Currency word + number → “five pounds fifty” Phone number Groups of numbers, said with pauses → “07912 … 345 … 678” Date Ordinal + month → “the fifteenth of March” Time Number + time word → “half past nine / 9:30” Year Two pairs of numbers → “nineteen ninety-five / two thousand and six” - Write fast using shortcuts. “Twenty-five pounds” → £25 · “Half past three” → 3:30 · “The first of April” → 1/4 · “A quarter to nine” → 8:45. Tidy your notes on the second listening.
- Listen for stress to separate similar-sounding numbers. thirTEEN (13) vs THIRty (30) · fifTEEN (15) vs FIFty (50) · nineTEEN (19) vs NINEty (90). A -ty number is often followed by another number (thirty-five); a -teen number rarely is.
- Use context to check your answer. A cinema ticket for £500 is unlikely. A phone number with four digits is incomplete. A meeting at 25:00 is impossible.
Quick reference: number forms
| Type | How it sounds | Write it as |
|---|---|---|
| Date | the fifth of June / June fifth | 5th June / June 5 / 5/6 |
| Time | quarter past two / two fifteen | 2:15 |
| Phone | oh seven eight one two | 07812… |
| Price | twelve pounds fifty | £12.50 |
| Year | two thousand and twenty-five | 2025 |
| Percentage | thirty-five percent | 35% |
Practice
Listen and write the correct number, time or date. You can write numbers in figures (e.g. 14:35, £38.50).
Listen to this cinema phone recording. Write the correct number, date or time for each question.
Confusing numbers! Choose the number you actually hear. Be careful — these pairs sound similar in English.
Listen to two friends planning a birthday party. Complete the party planner with the exact numbers, dates and times you hear.
Listening for Signal Words and Sequence
Signal words tell you what is coming next. They help you follow the speaker’s ideas and understand the order of events.
Common signal words
| Function | Signal words |
|---|---|
| Starting | First, To begin, The first step is, Let’s start with … |
| Adding info | Then, Also, In addition, Next, Another thing is … |
| Contrasting | But, However, On the other hand, Although … |
| Giving a reason | Because, So, That’s why, The reason is … |
| Giving an example | For example, For instance, Such as, Like … |
| Finishing | Finally, Lastly, In the end, To sum up, In conclusion … |
| Sequencing events | After that, Before, During, While, At the same time … |
Strategies & tips
- Listen for the sequence. When someone explains a process or tells a story, listen for first … then … finally. These words tell you the ORDER.
- A contrast word = something different is coming. When you hear but or however, the speaker is going to say something opposite or surprising.
- Number the steps. If you are listening to instructions, write 1, 2, 3 … next to each step in your notes.
Practice
Put the steps in order (1–6).
Choose the signal word you heard.
Listen to a museum tour guide explaining the history of a building. Write the use of the building for each period.
Match each signal word from the audio to its function (A–E).
Listen to this short story. Number the events in the correct order (1–7).
Fill in the blanks with the correct signal word from the story.
Answer the questions. Short answers are fine.
Listening and Understanding Inferences
Sometimes speakers do not say everything directly. You need to ‘read between the lines’ — use clues from what you hear to understand the full meaning.
What is an inference?
An inference is something you understand even though it was not said directly. You use the words the speaker uses, the speaker’s tone of voice (happy, sarcastic, worried, surprised) and what you already know about the world.
Someone says: “I’ve been waiting here for forty minutes. My coffee is completely cold.”
They don’t say they are angry — but you can infer (understand) that they are very frustrated!
Strategies & tips
- Listen to the tone of voice. HOW someone speaks tells you how they feel. A flat, slow voice can mean sadness or boredom. A fast, high voice can mean excitement or worry.
- Listen for what is NOT said. If someone changes the subject or gives a short answer, they may not want to talk about something.
- Use context clues. If you hear seatbelt, engine and road, you know you’re in a car conversation.
- Notice softening language. “I’m not sure this is exactly right …” often means “I think this is wrong.” Polite language hides a message.
Practice
Answer the questions. Use clues from the audio: words, hesitation and tone.
Written answers are not checked automatically — share them with your teacher.
Listen to this conversation. Use clues to understand what each person is really feeling or thinking.
Written answers are not checked automatically — share them with your teacher.