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CELPIP · Listening · L5

CELPIP Listening Part 5: Listening to a Discussion

CELPIP Listening Part 5, Listening to a Discussion, shows a short video of two or three people discussing a problem or making a decision, often at work. It plays once. You then answer 8 multiple-choice questions with four options each, many about who holds which opinion and what the group finally agrees.

Questions
8
Media
A video of a discussion, played once
Speakers
Usually two or three
Answer type
Multiple choice, four options
Scoring
Counts toward your CELPIP Listening level (1 to 12)

How it works

  1. 1An instruction screen tells you that you will watch a discussion.
  2. 2The discussion plays once; watch the speakers as well as listening to them.
  3. 3The 8 questions appear after it ends.
  4. 4Answer them all, then move on to Part 6.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Excerpt Tara: We have budget for one thing this year: new laptops or a team training course. Ben: Laptops. Half of ours take ten minutes to start. Nadia: I hear you, but the training would help the new hires most, and they're the ones struggling. Ben: Fair point. Could we do the training now and laptops next spring? Tara: That works if finance agrees to move the laptop money. I'll ask them. Question: What does Ben finally suggest?

  1. ABuying laptops immediately
  2. BDoing the training first and buying laptops later
  3. CCancelling the training course
  4. DAsking finance for a larger budget
Show answer

Answer: Doing the training first and buying laptops later

Ben starts by wanting laptops but changes his view after Nadia's point, proposing "training now and laptops next spring." Buying laptops now was his first position, not his final one, and it is Tara, not Ben, who will contact finance.

Tips that work

  • Link each name to a face and a position early. Many questions ask who said or wanted something.
  • Watch for people changing their minds. "Fair point" or "I hear you, but" usually signals a shift the questions will test.
  • Separate proposals from agreements. The group's final decision is often a compromise that nobody suggested at the start.
  • Use what you see: expressions and gestures can show agreement or doubt before anyone says it.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up two speakers who hold similar views.
  • Answering with a speaker's opening position when the question asks what they finally suggest.
  • Missing who will take the next action, a detail questions often target.

Questions candidates ask

Is Part 5 really a video?

Yes, in the CELPIP-General test Part 5 is a video of a discussion, so you can see the speakers. The questions are still answered from what is said; the visuals mainly help you keep track of who is talking.

Why does Part 5 feel harder than earlier parts?

You follow several people at once, and their views can shift during the discussion. With 8 questions it is also one of the two largest listening parts, alongside Part 1, so it carries a lot of weight.

How can I keep track of three speakers?

Note a one-word position for each person as they first speak, then update it when someone changes their mind. That small table is usually enough to answer the who-said-what questions.

Other CELPIP Listening tasks

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