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B2 First sentence completion: Listening Part 2 practice

B2Listening & Speaking40 questionsUpdated

Listening Part 2 gives you a monologue and a set of sentences with gaps. You write the word or short phrase you hear, and the answer is almost always a word the speaker actually says. The marks are lost in prediction, in spelling and in writing more than the gap can hold.

What this task tests

  • Predicting the type of word a gap needs: a number, a noun, a material, a job.
  • Listening for specific detail inside continuous speech.
  • Writing exactly what is said, without paraphrasing it into your own words.
  • Spelling, since a misspelled answer that changes the word scores nothing.
  • Grammar fit, because the finished sentence has to work as English.
  • Recognising when the speaker corrects a first answer.
  • Ignoring distracting numbers and names mentioned around the answer.
  • Keeping the answer short: usually one to three words.
  • Following the order of the recording, which matches the order of the sentences.
  • Using the second hearing for the gaps you left open.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read every sentence in the pause and predict the word class

    Write a tiny note beside each gap: number, place, job, material, day. You are not guessing the answer, only the shape of it.

  2. Step 2:

    Look at the words immediately before and after the gap

    An article before the gap tells you a noun is coming; a preposition tells you a place or a time. That halves what you have to listen for.

  3. Step 3:

    Listen for the words around the gap, not the gap itself

    The sentence on the page paraphrases the recording, but the words next to the answer are often repeated almost exactly, which is how you know the answer is arriving.

  4. Step 4:

    Write what you hear, not what you think

    This part asks for the speaker's words. Improving them into a synonym is the commonest way candidates lose a mark they had already earned.

  5. Step 5:

    Keep it to three words at most

    If your answer is a clause, you have heard the sentence rather than the gap. Cut it to the noun phrase that fits.

  6. Step 6:

    Watch for self-correction

    Speakers say ‘on Tuesday, sorry, on Thursday’. The answer is what follows the correction, so do not write the first thing you hear.

  7. Step 7:

    Leave a gap open rather than forcing it

    A wrong answer written early makes you stop listening for the right one on the second hearing. Leave it blank and listen with fresh attention.

  8. Step 8:

    Check the sentence reads correctly with your word in it

    Singular and plural, and a verb form that fits. A correct word in the wrong form can still lose the mark.

  9. Step 9:

    Use the second hearing only for open gaps

    You have limited attention. Spend it on the two or three you left rather than on rechecking answers you heard clearly.

  10. Step 10:

    Check spelling in the transfer time

    Days, months, colours, numbers and common nouns are where spelling marks are lost. Read your answers once as words, not as sounds.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisHearing ‘a waterproof jacket’ and writing ‘a coat for the rain’.

    ThisWriting ‘waterproof jacket’.

    The task wants the speaker's words. Paraphrase is rewarded in the reading paper and penalised here.

  • Not thisWriting a full clause into the gap.

    ThisWriting one to three words that complete the sentence grammatically.

    The sentence is already written around the gap. A long answer usually repeats words that are already on the page.

  • Not thisWriting ‘Tuesday’ when the speaker said ‘Tuesday, sorry, Thursday’.

    ThisWriting ‘Thursday’.

    Self-correction is a deliberate feature of these recordings. The answer is always the corrected version.

  • Not thisWriting ‘childrens’ or ‘Wenesday’.

    ThisWriting ‘children’s’ or ‘Wednesday’.

    Spelling is marked. The words tested are common ones, so these are avoidable losses.

  • Not thisLeaving a gap empty after the second hearing.

    ThisWriting the most plausible word of the right type.

    There is no penalty for a wrong answer, and a sensible guess in the predicted word class is sometimes right.

  • Not thisWriting ‘twenty euro’ when the speaker said ‘twenty euros’.

    ThisWriting ‘twenty euros’.

    The completed sentence must be grammatical. Singular and plural forms are part of what is marked.

Language this task keeps reusing

monologue
a recording with a single speaker
self-correction
when a speaker changes what they have just said
in other words
signals a restatement of the same idea
rather than
introduces the rejected alternative
roughly
approximately; often used before a number
no more than
used to give a maximum
at least
used to give a minimum
instead of
in place of something else
is made of
introduces a material
is aimed at
introduces the intended group
run by
managed or organised by
takes place
happens, of an event
due to start
expected to begin
free of charge
costing nothing

Practice: sentence completion

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Write one to three words exactly as the speaker says them.

You hear: ‘Walkers should bring a waterproof jacket.’ The sentence reads: Walkers are advised to bring a.
You hear: ‘The tour leaves from the old harbour, not from the main square.’ The sentence reads: The tour leaves from the ___.

3Write one to three words exactly as the speaker says them.

You hear: ‘The workshop lasts roughly ninety minutes.’ The sentence reads: The workshop lasts about.

4Complete with one noun.

A note beside the gap such as ‘number’ or ‘material’ is called a.
You hear: ‘We meet on Tuesday, sorry, on Thursday.’ What do you write?
Decide whether each statement about sentence completion is true or false.
  • The answers usually come in the same order as the sentences on the page.
  • The answer is normally a word the speaker actually says.
  • Rewriting the answer in your own words is a good way to show range.
3 to go

7Write one to three words exactly as the speaker says them.

You hear: ‘The benches are made of recycled plastic.’ The sentence reads: The benches are made of.
The gap follows the word ‘a’. What kind of word should you expect?

9Write one to three words exactly as the speaker says them.

You hear: ‘Entry is free of charge for members.’ The sentence reads: Members do not pay because entry is.

10Describe exactly what you do in the pause before Listening Part 2.

Keep going

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Frequently asked questions

How many words can I write?

Usually one to three. If your answer is longer, look again: part of what you wrote is probably already printed on the page.

Does spelling count?

Yes. Common words such as days, months and colours must be spelled correctly, so check them during the transfer time.

Can I use my own words?

No. This task wants the words in the recording, so write what you hear rather than a synonym of it.

Do the answers come in order?

Yes. If you are hearing material for sentence six, sentence five has gone, so guess it and stay with the recording.

What if two words seem possible?

Choose the one that makes the printed sentence grammatical. The sentence around the gap is a strong filter that candidates often forget to apply.

How should I practise this at home?

Listen to short talks and write down exact phrases rather than summaries. Dictating two sentences a day trains both the listening and the spelling this task needs.