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CELPIP · Listening · L2

CELPIP Listening Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation

CELPIP Listening Part 2, Listening to a Daily Life Conversation, plays one conversation between two people about an everyday matter, such as neighbours planning an event or friends making arrangements. You hear it once, then answer 5 multiple-choice questions with four options each about what they say, feel and plan.

Questions
5
Audio
One conversation between two people, played once
Answer type
Multiple choice, four options
Typical content
Plans, opinions, feelings and relationships in daily life
Scoring
Counts toward your CELPIP Listening level (1 to 12)

How it works

  1. 1An instruction screen introduces a conversation between two people.
  2. 2The whole conversation plays once, without pause or replay.
  3. 3The 5 questions then appear one at a time.
  4. 4After the last question the test moves on to Part 3.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Excerpt Lena: So are you coming to the book club on Thursday? Omar: I told Jessica I would, but honestly, I haven't finished the book. I'm only on chapter four. Lena: Nobody minds. Half of us just come for the tea. Omar: Maybe, but last time I stayed quiet for two hours. I'd rather skip it than do that again. Lena: Then read the last chapter tonight. That's where everyone's opinions come from anyway. Question: Why is Omar thinking of not going?

  1. AHe does not like the people in the club.
  2. BHe is worried he will have nothing to say.
  3. CHe has another plan on Thursday.
  4. DHe thinks the book is badly written.
Show answer

Answer: He is worried he will have nothing to say.

Omar has not finished the book and remembers staying "quiet for two hours" last time. His concern is being unable to join the discussion. He never criticizes the people, the book or mentions another plan.

Tips that work

  • Work out early who the two speakers are to each other. Friends, spouses and neighbours speak differently, and some questions ask about the relationship.
  • Listen for reasons behind what people say ("honestly", "I'd rather"). Part 2 questions often ask why, not just what.
  • Track who says what. A common trap is an option that is true for one speaker but asked about the other.
  • Notice suggestions and the reaction to them. The last exchange often settles a plan that a question will test.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a suggestion as a decision when the other speaker has not agreed to it.
  • Choosing an option that sounds like the speaker's words but reverses their meaning.

Questions candidates ask

How long is the conversation in Part 2?

It is a single conversation that is longer than any one section of Part 1, so you need to hold more detail in mind. Check the official CELPIP site for current timing details; the key point is that it plays only once.

Are the questions about details or about feelings?

Both. Expect a mix of main idea, specific detail and inference questions, such as why someone hesitates, how a speaker feels about a plan, or what they will probably do next.

Does it help to know Canadian expressions?

CELPIP uses Canadian English, so everyday Canadian vocabulary can appear, for example words for home, weather, school and transit. Practising with Canadian-accented audio makes the conversations easier to follow at natural speed.

Other CELPIP Listening tasks

CELPIP overviewCELPIP Listening: all partsCELPIP full mock testsCELPIP articles on the blog