Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.
In all three exams, the words in the question and the words in the audio are usually different. The examiners test whether you understand meaning, not whether you can spot a repeated word.
In fact, an option that repeats a word you heard is often a trap. If the speaker says “the price wasn't the issue, it was the delivery time”, an option about price uses the speaker's word but is wrong.
At C1, you also need to do this at natural speed: speakers link words together, shorten small words and use idioms and phrasal verbs instead of formal vocabulary.
| Type | In the question | What you hear |
|---|---|---|
| Synonym | The results were surprising. | The findings were unexpected. |
| Phrasal verb or idiom | The meeting was postponed. | We've had to push the meeting back a week. |
| Word class change | There was a significant increase in demand. | Demand increased significantly. |
| Negative + opposite | The task was easy. | It wasn't nearly as hard as we'd feared. |
| General ↔ specific | Some equipment was damaged. | Two of the laptops and a projector got broken. |
| Numbers and proportions | About a quarter of the staff | roughly one in four employees |
| Active ↔ passive | The council approved the plan. | The plan was given the green light by the council. |
Fast speech is not just faster. The words change shape:
You don't need to hear every sound. Focus on the stressed content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives), which stay clear, and let your knowledge of grammar fill in the rest.
Match each question phrase to what a speaker might say. There are two spoken phrases you do not need: they sound similar but mean something different.
| Question says | Audio says | Type of paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| The scheme has been more successful than predicted. | has got off to a better start than many expected | Synonym + idiom |
| About 25% of households joined. | roughly one in four households signed up | Number + phrasal verb |
| It exceeded its target. | comfortably above the council's target | Synonym |
| There were some early difficulties. | hadn't been without its teething problems | Double negative + idiom |
| Collection times were inconsistent. | the collection day kept changing | Adjective ↔ verb phrase |
| Savings will fund children's facilities. | money saved… put back into children's playgrounds | Word class + specific |
| Business owners want the plan reconsidered. | urged the council to think again | Passive structure ↔ idiom |
“hadn't been without its teething problems” is a double negative: not without problems = there were some problems. Teething problems are small difficulties at the start of something new. A question might simply say initial difficulties.
“comfortably above the target”: if a question asked “What proportion of households did the council aim for?”, the answer is 15%, not 25%. Both numbers are in the same sentence. Always check which number answers the question.
Watch the trap: an option such as “Restaurants have stopped using the scheme” repeats the word restaurants but is wrong. The scheme has not yet been extended to restaurants.
Listen to the conversation and choose the best answer. The correct options paraphrase what the speakers say.
Listen to the lecture and choose the best answer. Watch out for options that repeat the speaker's words but change the meaning.
Listen and type each sentence exactly as you hear it, with normal spelling. Write contractions such as I'd or they've when the speaker uses them. Try each sentence at normal speed first, then slow it down if you need to.
Save words to review them later with flashcards.
“The question paraphrases what the speaker says.”
“The new booking system had a few teething problems.”
“They pushed the launch back by a month.”
“The deadline has been brought forward to Friday.”
“Arriving ten minutes before the exam is cutting it fine.”
“The printer offered a thinner paper as a substitute.”
“The photos looked washed out on the thin paper.”
“People value their own work disproportionately highly.”
“Finishing a difficult task makes us feel competent.”
“Managers are often reluctant to cancel their own projects.”
“The council gave the green light to the new cycle lanes.”
