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TOEFL iBT · Listening · L3

TOEFL iBT Listening: Listen to an Announcement

Listen to an Announcement is a TOEFL iBT Listening task based on a short campus or classroom announcement of roughly 40–85 words, such as a schedule change, a rule, directions or an event. You hear it once, then answer multiple-choice questions about its purpose, key details, what it implies and what listeners should do next.

Items
About 6–10 in total
Announcement length
About 40–85 spoken words
Setting
Classroom or campus
Audio
Heard once; notes allowed
Focus
Purpose, detail, implication, next action, prediction

How it works

  1. 1A picture of the speaker and setting appears, then the announcement plays once.
  2. 2You take notes on times, places and instructions.
  3. 3Questions appear after the audio ends, one at a time.
  4. 4You pick one answer for each question.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Transcript (you only hear this in the test): Professor: Before you leave, one change. Thursday's quiz is moving online. It opens at 8 a.m. and closes at midnight, and you'll have 30 minutes once you start. If you have questions about the material, come to office hours on Wednesday, because I won't be answering email the night before. What is the main purpose of the announcement?

  1. ATo explain a change in how the quiz will be given
  2. BTo cancel Wednesday's office hours
  3. CTo give students more time to study
  4. DTo remind students to email questions early
Show answer

Answer: To explain a change in how the quiz will be given

The professor opens with "one change" and then describes the online quiz. Office hours and email are supporting details; they are not why the announcement was made.

Tips that work

  • Catch the opening line. Announcers usually state the purpose first, often with words like change, reminder or update.
  • Write every number you hear with its meaning: "8 am open", "30 min". Detail questions often swap two numbers.
  • Listen for instructions and conditions (if, unless, make sure). Next-action questions come from these.
  • Ask yourself what the announcement implies for a student who missed it. Implication questions test exactly that.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a detail as the main purpose because it was mentioned last.
  • Mixing up two times or dates because they were not noted separately.

Questions candidates ask

How many questions come with each announcement?

Public ETS material does not fix a number per announcement, so expect it to vary. The section includes roughly 6–10 announcement items in total.

Are announcements harder than conversations?

They are shorter but denser: times, places and instructions arrive quickly with only one speaker. Clear notes matter more than in conversations.

Can I practice with audio that plays only once?

Yes. EnglishHub's exam-style Listening practice uses the same one-play rule, so you can build the habit before test day.

Other TOEFL iBT Listening tasks

TOEFL iBT overviewTOEFL iBT Listening: all partsTOEFL iBT full mock testsTOEFL iBT articles on the blog