Listening skills

A question with a short list of options (A, B, C, D) where exactly one is correct; you pick it from what you hear.

Right or wrong against an answer key — one mark, no half marks.

Exactly one.

A plausible wrong option, often repeating a word you hear but twisting the meaning.

To choose the correct option.

The meaning — what the whole sentence actually says.

Only one answer — exactly one option is right.

To tick / mark the option you choose.

One mark, awarded all-or-nothing.

Read all the options → Predict what each could sound like → Listen for the MEANING → Eliminate the distractors → Choose one and move on.

So you know what they differ on and can predict the vocabulary, which lets you eliminate distractors as you listen.

It may be the word-match trap — the same word is often planted in a wrong option. Judge by meaning, not by a single word.

Ruling out the options the recording contradicts is faster and narrows the choice, making the right option clear.

No — use the second listen to confirm; only change it if you clearly misheard the first time.

A statement you mark true (V) or false (F) AND justify with words from the recording.

Nothing — V/F alone earns no marks.

To justify — to prove your true/false choice with the relevant words from the recording.

With words from the text/recording — your justification must use the recording's own words.

The justification — the exact proving words you quote to support your V/F.

True and false.

A quote — the exact words from the recording used as proof.

The exact part of the recording that proves your V/F — not the whole sentence and not an unrelated line.

Both — the V/F AND the justification.

Read the statement → Locate the part it refers to → Decide V or F → Find the exact justifying words → Write BOTH the V/F and the justification.

The question awards the mark for the V/F PLUS the justifying words; without the justification the answer is incomplete.

Copying the whole sentence buries the proof; the mark needs the exact words that decide V or F.

A past-tense detail («prima…») can be true once but false now — the tense can flip whether the statement is V or F.

It doesn't prove your V/F; only the relevant detail that actually supports the answer earns the justification mark.

A sentence or note with a blank that you complete with the exact word(s) you hear.

Yes — the exact word is the answer, so a misspelling or missing accent can lose the mark.

Usually one word or a few — only what the gap needs.

Fit grammatically in the sentence (correct gender, number and sense).

To fill in the gaps.

The gap — the blank you complete.

The accent mark — e.g. the difference between «e» and «è», or «perche» and «perché».

To fit grammatically — your word must agree and make grammatical sense in the sentence.

Spelling — the correct letters, accents and double consonants of the word.

Read the gapped sentence → Predict the word type → Listen for it → Write it correctly (spelling + accents) → Check it fits grammatically.

Knowing whether the gap needs a number, a time or a noun tells you exactly what to listen for, so the word jumps out.

The gap is part of a real sentence; a word that doesn't agree or make sense is almost certainly the wrong answer.

Because spelling and accents are part of the answer — a misspelling, a dropped accent or a missing double consonant can cost the mark.

Writing extra words can bury the answer or break the grammar of the sentence; the gap wants the exact word(s), nothing more.

A question you answer in a few words of Italian — not a sentence — giving the correct, relevant detail.

The short answer — a few words, not a full sentence.

The piece of information / the detail the question asks you to give.

The key word — the one word (or two) you note down as the answer.

The correct, relevant content — NOT essay style, length, or perfect grammar.

Yes — a few correct words score full marks; the full sentence adds nothing.

To answer in a few words — give just the detail asked for, not a paragraph.

Precise — exactly to the point, only the detail the question asks for.

In Italian — a few words of Italian giving the correct detail.

Read the question → Listen for that detail → Note the key word(s) → Write a short, precise answer → Check it answers the question.

The shorter the answer, the less chance of including something wrong that cancels the mark — give the detail and stop.

The mark is for the precise detail; a long chunk may not answer the question and buries the relevant point.

Answering a DIFFERENT question — a correct fact that doesn't answer what was actually asked scores nothing.

Never — you hear each recording twice, so use the second listen to fill every gap; a blank scores zero.

Overarching techniques (predict, two-listen, deduce, infer) that improve every Paper 2 Listening question type.

To predict — to guess the vocabulary you'll hear, from the questions, before you listen.

The gist — the general idea of the recording (who, where, what about).

The detail — the specific piece of information a question asks for.

To deduce / work out — figure out the meaning of an unknown word from context.

Inference — what is meant but not stated outright (mood, opinion, purpose).

Active prediction; the two-listen strategy (gist then detail); deducing unknown words from context; inference of mood/opinion/purpose.

Use the first listen for the gist and the second listen for the details and to confirm.

To capture the gist — to grasp the general idea on the first listen.

Read the questions → Predict the vocabulary → First listen for the gist → Second listen for the details → Infer what isn't said & check.

Nobody catches every word — you need the meaning. The gist plus key details beats transcribing the whole clip.

Don't freeze — deduce its meaning from the surrounding context and keep listening; one word rarely costs the answer.

When the answer isn't word-for-word — you deduce the mood, opinion or purpose from the clues.

It exists to catch the details and confirm your answers — not just to re-hear the gist.