Gurdhian
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Hear it once. Catch it all.

You hear each recording one time, and in Parts 1 to 3 you hear the questions too. Your notes are your memory. Learn what to write down and what the wrong answers will try.

01

The method

Every detail you hear will appear somewhere in the options, mostly in the wrong ones. Hearing a word is not evidence. What decides the answer is the final version: the plan they settled on, the correction they made, the point after the “but”. Write down decisions and changes, not everything.

  1. 01Use the situation screen. Before the audio starts, guess who these people are and what the problem will be.
  2. 02Take notes on the paper you are given: names, numbers, decisions, changes of mind. Keywords only.
  3. 03The last version wins. “Let’s meet Tuesday. Actually, make it Thursday.” The answer is Thursday.
  4. 04Listen hardest after but, actually and however. That is where the answer usually is.
  5. 05In Parts 1 to 3 you get 30 seconds per question and cannot go back. Answer, then let it go.
  6. 06A wrong answer costs nothing. Never leave one blank.
02

Part by part

PART 1

8 questions · 3 sections

Listening to Problem Solving

A conversation in three sections about solving a problem. Questions are heard after each section.

  • Note who has the problem, every solution suggested, and which one they choose.
  • Mark rejected ideas with a cross. “What will he do?” questions love an idea dropped two minutes earlier.
  • “How does she feel?” questions are answered by tone as much as words. Note it: annoyed, relieved, unsure.
TrapThe first solution suggested, not the one they finally agree on.

PART 2

5 questions

Listening to a Daily Life Conversation

An everyday conversation between two people.

  • The first 15 seconds give the relationship and the purpose. Write both down.
  • Times, dates and places change during the conversation. Keep only the final one.
  • Understand polite refusals: “I’d love to, but I’ve got that thing” means no.
TrapAn indirect “no” taken as a yes.

PART 3

6 questions

Listening for Information

One person explains something to another: steps, rules or options.

  • Notes as a numbered list: step 1, step 2, or option A, option B.
  • Note conditions next to each item: only on weekends, costs extra, needs ID.
  • Questions ask for specific details and for what the speaker recommends.
TrapA detail that applies to a different option or step.

PART 4

5 questions

Listening to a News Item

A news report. Complete five sentences afterwards.

  • Note who, what, where, when and why, plus every number.
  • Reports follow a shape: the event, the details, people’s reactions, what happens next.
  • The sentences paraphrase the report. “Rose by a third” becomes “increased significantly.”
TrapA number from the report attached to the wrong thing: 15 instead of 50, or last year’s figure.

PART 5

8 questions · video

Listening to a Discussion

A video of three people discussing a topic.

  • Match voices to names in the first minute and note one feature for each.
  • Track each person’s position, who agrees with whom, and who changes their mind.
  • Questions ask “Who suggests…?” and “What does she think about…?”, so notes by person beat notes by topic.
TrapThe right opinion attributed to the wrong speaker.

PART 6

6 questions

Listening to Viewpoints

One speaker presents an issue and the opinions on it.

  • Separate the speaker’s own view from views they report: “some people believe…”.
  • Note the structure: the issue, side A, side B, the speaker’s conclusion.
  • The speaker’s own view usually comes in the last third. Stay focused to the end.
TrapA reported opinion chosen as the speaker’s own.
03

The six trap answers

Wrong options are not random. They are built from a handful of patterns, and once you can name the pattern you stop falling for it.

01

Heard-it

You hear:
I thought about the gym, but the pool is closer.
Trap:
She will join the gym.

You heard “gym”, but it was rejected.

02

First idea, not final

You hear:
Let’s say six. Actually, seven works better.
Trap:
They will meet at six.

Plans change. The last version wins.

03

Number shuffle

You hear:
Tickets are fifty dollars, but students pay fifteen.
Trap:
Student tickets cost $50.

Both numbers were said. Only one goes with students.

04

Polite no

You hear:
That sounds fun, but I’m swamped this week.
Trap:
He agrees to go.

An indirect refusal is still a refusal.

05

Wrong speaker

You hear:
Mia: “We need more parking.” Raj: “I’d rather fix the buses.”
Trap:
Raj wants more parking.

Right idea, wrong person.

06

Reported view

You hear:
Critics say the plan is too costly. I disagree.
Trap:
The speaker thinks the plan is too costly.

The speaker reported that view, then rejected it.

04

Signal words

These words tell you where the answer is, or that an option is about to turn wrong. When you hear one, your pen should move.

Correction

actuallywaitsorry, I meanon second thought

Throw away what came before. The new version is the answer.

Contrast

buthoweveralthoughthe thing is

The real point is coming.

Decision

so let’sI’ll go withokay, we’llthat settles it

The final choice. Write it down.

Emphasis

the main thing iswhat really mattersabove all

Likely to be asked about.

Sequence

firstthenafter thatfinally

Steps or order. Number your notes.

Opinion

personallyif you ask meI’d arguesome people think

Whose view it is. Speaker’s own or reported?

05

A note-taking system

You cannot write everything. Use symbols so your notes keep up with the speakers.

M / W or initials
One column per speaker, so every note has an owner
→
Decision or result: “bus → too slow”
✗
Rejected idea. The trap answers come from these
?
Undecided, or a question still open
↑ ↓
More / less, rising / falling (prices, numbers)
★
Emphasised point: “the main thing is…”
06

Download the PDFs

Start with the cheat sheet: one page with everything you need to remember on test day.

07

Before you move on

  • Every question answered, even with a guess.
  • Notes show the final decision, not just the first idea.
  • Every number noted with what it belongs to.
  • In Part 5, every note has a speaker’s name on it.
  • In Part 6, the speaker’s own view kept separate from the views they report.

Listening Test 1 is free, with spoken questions, a 30-second timer and each recording played once.

Start Listening Test 1