What it is: You read notes with gaps and hear a recording. Write the missing words. 1 mark per gap.
The instruction on the paper: Complete the following gaps. Use no more than three words for each gap.
Example: Complete the following gaps.
Press play, fill the gaps, then show the answer.
You are going to hear a museum guide talk about a new exhibition.
- A visitor's notes: • Material collected over almost [ – 1 – ] • Most popular piece: a whale made of [ – 2 – ] • Before you go: book a [ – 3 – ] online
The exhibition, called Ocean Plastics, opens on the fourteenth of March. It took our team almost two years to collect the material, most of it from beaches in the north. The most popular piece so far is a whale made entirely of fishing nets. Entry is free, but you need to book a time slot online.
- 1. two years · 2. fishing nets · 3. time slot
- Complete the following gaps.
- Write the missing words.
- no more than three words
- One, two or three words. Never four.
- for each gap
- The limit counts for every gap.
- [ – 12 – ]
- Gap 12. Write it on line 12.
- The journalist's notes:
- The gaps are in someone's notes.
Remember: Write the words you hear, and spell them clearly. The line must make sense with your answer.
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Reading it is one thing — hearing it is another
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Fill the gap
Read around each gap
Use the reading time. Read the words before and after.
Predict the word
A number? A place? A thing?
Write what you hear
Use the speaker's words. Three words at most.
Check it fits
Read the line again with your answer.
Read → Predict → Write → Check
Example: predict, then listen
You are going to hear a podcast about keeping bees in cities.
- Your notes: • Beginners often underestimate the [ – 1 – ] • Biggest risk: a lack of [ – 2 – ] nearby
Keeping bees on city roofs has become popular, but beginners often underestimate the cost. A basic hive with equipment costs around three hundred pounds. The biggest risk, though, isn't money: it's a lack of flowers nearby, which can leave bees without enough food.
- 1. cost · 2. flowers
Know your predicted grade
Take timed mock exams and get detailed feedback on every answer. See exactly where you're losing marks.
This is how it feels: In the exam you hear it twice and never see the words. Try it here.
Complete the following gaps. Use no more than three words for each gap.
You are going to hear an interview with Marta Diaz, who trains guide dogs.
- The journalist's notes: • Training lasts around [ – 1 – ] • About a third fail: too easily [ – 2 – ] • Key skill: intelligent [ – 3 – ] • Example: refusing to cross when a [ – 4 – ] • Main challenge: finding [ – 5 – ]
A guide dog's training starts when it's about a year old and lasts around six months. Not every puppy succeeds: roughly a third are too easily distracted, and they go to families as pets instead. The most important skill isn't following commands; it's what we call intelligent disobedience: refusing an order that would put its owner in danger, like crossing when a car is coming. At the moment our biggest challenge is finding volunteers to raise puppies in their first year.
- 1. six months · 2. distracted · 3. disobedience · 4. car is coming · 5. volunteers
After the trap: It isn't X; it's Y. The answer is usually Y. Write the word after it's.
Do
- Read around the gap first.
- Write the words you hear.
- Check the grammar of the line.
Don't
- Use four words or more.
- Repeat words already in the notes.
- Write the word before isn't.