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CELPIP · Listening · L4

CELPIP Listening Part 4: Listening to a News Item

CELPIP Listening Part 4, Listening to a News Item, plays a short news report in a broadcast style, usually about a local event, service or change in a community. It plays once. You then answer 5 questions, each with four answer choices, about what happened, who is involved, and what comes next.

Questions
5
Audio
One news report, played once
Answer type
Four answer choices per question
Typical content
Local news: a new service, an event, a change in the community
Scoring
Counts toward your CELPIP Listening level (1 to 12)

How it works

  1. 1An instruction screen tells you that you will hear a news item.
  2. 2The report plays once, with no pause or replay.
  3. 3The 5 questions appear after the report ends.
  4. 4Choose one of four answers for each question, then continue to Part 5.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Excerpt Anchor: Cyclists in Harbourview will soon have a safer route downtown. City council approved a protected bike lane along Front Street on Tuesday. Construction starts in May and is expected to last about ten weeks. During that time, the street will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Some shop owners worry that losing parking spaces will hurt business, and council has promised to review the project one year after it opens. Question: What did council promise to do?

  1. AKeep all parking spaces on Front Street
  2. BDelay construction until the fall
  3. CReview the bike lane a year after it opens
  4. DPay shop owners for lost business
Show answer

Answer: Review the bike lane a year after it opens

The report ends with council promising "to review the project one year after it opens." Parking is raised as a worry, not a promise, and nothing is said about delays or payments. News questions often test the last detail in the report.

Tips that work

  • The first sentence of a news report usually states the whole story. Get it right and several questions become easier.
  • Listen for who reacts and how: officials, residents, business owners. Reports usually include at least one opinion besides the facts.
  • Pay attention to time: when something starts, how long it lasts, and what happens afterwards.
  • Watch for paraphrase. The answer rarely repeats the reporter's exact words, so match meaning, not sound.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a concern raised by someone in the report as a decision or fact.
  • Choosing an answer because it contains a word from the report, even though the meaning differs.

Questions candidates ask

Is the news in Part 4 about real events?

The test uses news-style reports, typically about local matters like a new service or a community project. You do not need outside knowledge: everything you need to answer is in the recording.

Is the language harder than in Parts 1 to 3?

The register is more formal because it sounds like a broadcast, with fewer pauses and more compact sentences. The questions still focus on main idea and key details, so train your ear on news-style speech at natural speed.

What does a news report usually include?

Typically what is happening, where and when, who is affected, and how people are reacting. Organizing what you hear under those headings makes the 5 questions much easier to handle.

Other CELPIP Listening tasks

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