CELPIP Listening
Part 4 of 6
News Item
You hear a short news report played once and answer questions about it. News language is dense — the who, what, where and when arrive early and quickly — so the first few seconds carry most of the marks.
- questions
- 5
- audio plays
- Once
- whole test
- 46–55 min
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Select a practice
A taste of the set — 96 in total. The first is free; a free account opens the rest.
What a Part 4 prompt looks like
An example written by Celpip Plus in the same shape as the real listening part, with notes on how to read it.
You hear a local news report about a public library branch reopening after spring floodingnote 1. Sample question: "Why did the reopening take longer than planned?"note 2
- 1 The main event: the reopening. Attach the who, when and where to it as you listen.
- 2 What this question tests: cause and effect. Listen for "because of", "due to" and "as a result".
How to prepare for News Item
- Grasp the main event of the news report first, then attach the surrounding details of who, what, where and when to it.
- Stay alert for cause and consequence, because news items often explain why something happened and what resulted.
- Resist re-listening in your head to one sentence, since dwelling on a missed word can make you lose the next detail in a report that plays only once.
How CELPIP Listening is scored
CELPIP Listening is scored by how many questions you answer correctly across its six parts. That total is converted to a CELPIP level from 1 to 12 — there are no separate marking criteria for Listening.
Keep going with Listening Part 4
Practise on the real interface
The same screen, timer and controls as test day — rebuilt so nothing on the exam is a surprise.
News Item: frequently asked questions
You listen to a short news report played once and answer questions about the details and events it covers.
It is delivered at a natural news-report pace, so practising with real news audio helps you keep up with the flow of information.
No transcript is provided, and the audio plays a single time, so you rely on careful first-time listening and brief notes.
Expect questions on the central event plus supporting facts such as people involved, location, timing, and outcomes.