What a listening true/false item is: In Paper 2 Listening, true/false usually comes as ‘choose the N true statements’: a list of statements about the recording, and you pick only the ones the speaker actually says. You choose; you don't write a justification.
It asks two things
- Decide whether each statement is true or false — does it match what is said?
- Choose exactly the number of true statements asked for (often five).
The exam instruction you'll see: In the English Paper 2 Listening, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
“Choose the five true statements.”
Why there is no justification here: Quoting words as proof is how true/false works in Paper 2 Reading (the T/F + justify lesson in Unit 6). In listening you prove each answer to yourself: before you choose a statement, you should be able to name the words you heard that make it true.
- true / false
- whether the statement matches what the speaker says
- statement
- the sentence about the recording that you judge
- the true statements
- the ones the recording proves, and only those
- to choose
- to pick out the statements that are true
- to tick
- to mark a box to show your choice
- the relevant detail
- the precise part of the recording that proves a statement
Heard, not guessed: A statement can sound likely, repeat a word you heard, or have been true in the past. Choose it only if the recording says it is true now. Every choice needs proof you heard.
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Reading it is one thing — hearing it is another
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The mechanics on one card: Here is how a ‘choose the true statements’ item works. The rule everyone forgets is that a choice needs proof you heard, not a word that merely sounds familiar.
| Part of the question | True/false in listening |
|---|---|
| What you are given | a list of statements about the recording |
| What you decide | which statements are true |
| What you write | only the statements you choose, no justification |
| How many? | exactly the number asked (often five) |
| Your proof | the relevant detail you hear |
Proof, not a matching word: A statement that repeats a word from the recording is not automatically true. Check that the meaning matches: who, when, how many, yes or no. The relevant detail that confirms it is your proof.
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A method for every list: You don't need every word — you need a method. Run the same five steps on each list and you'll never choose a statement you can't prove.
Choose the true statements
1
Read the statements
Read every statement before the audio and underline the key idea in each: who, when, where, how many.
2
Listen for the part it refers to
Locate the moment in the recording each statement is about — that's where your proof lives.
3
Decide true or false
Decide T/F by comparing the statement with what the recording actually says.
4
Check the proof
Pin down the words you heard that prove it. Watch tenses, negatives and synonyms: the proof is often reworded.
5
Choose exactly N
Mark only the statements you can prove, and count: exactly the number the question asks for.
Read → Locate → Decide → Prove → Choose N
Use both plays: You hear each recording twice. On the first play, mark the statements you're sure of. On the second, check the doubtful ones and count your choices: exactly the number asked.
This is exactly how it feels: This is exactly how a true-statements item feels — you hear it, you don't see the words. In the real exam you'd hear it twice.
The steps
- Read the statements first.
- Find the proof in the speaker's words.
- Decide which statements are true.
- Then check the worked answer below.
Transcript — Sofia's routine: Hi, my name is Sofia. I used to have breakfast at home, but since I started my new school I have breakfast in the cafeteria with my classmates. I always have a slice of toast and an orange juice. Afterwards, we walk to class together because the school is very close, only five minutes away.
IB-style task — choose the two true statements
One list, step by step
- Read the statements. Underline the key idea in each: where she eats now (A), who with (B), how she gets to school (C), how far it is (D).
- Locate. Find the breakfast line, then the line about getting to class: "since I started my new school I have breakfast in the cafeteria with my classmates" … "we walk to class together … only five minutes away."
- Decide. A is false: she USED to eat at home ("I used to have breakfast at home"), but now she eats in the cafeteria. C is false: they walk. B and D are true.
- Check the proof. B is proven by "with my classmates", D by "only five minutes away". You can name the words for each choice, so both are safe.
- Choose exactly two. The answer is B and D. Two were asked for, two are chosen — nothing more to write.
Beware the past-tense trap: "I used to have breakfast at home" is the past — true once, false now. The words "since I started my new school I have breakfast in the cafeteria" prove statement A is false. Know the words that decide each choice, and remember you hear it twice to check.
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Where marks are lost: Most true-statement marks are lost on technique, not on listening. Compare what good candidates do with the traps everyone else falls into.
Good practice
- Choose exactly the number of statements asked.
- Choose only what you can prove with the relevant detail you heard.
- Watch verb tenses — "used to" vs "now" can flip the answer.
- Listen for meaning and synonyms — the proof is often reworded.
Typical errors
- Choose more or fewer statements than asked.
- Choose a statement just because it repeats a word from the recording.
- Be fooled by a past-tense detail that's no longer true.
- Choose what sounds likely, or what you know about the topic, instead of what was said.
Proof wins the mark: A choice only earns the mark if the recording makes the statement true. Before you choose, name the words you heard that prove it — if you can't, leave it and check on the second play.