LanguageCert Academic Listening
In short
LanguageCert Academic Listening takes about 40 minutes and has 30 questions in four parts: unfinished conversations, complete conversations, note completion from a lecture or talk, and a three-speaker academic discussion. You hear every recording twice.
The Academic Listening section is set where a student actually listens: conversations with lecturers and classmates, a talk to a tutor group, a podcast where academics argue a point. It's the version of the exam used for university entry, the UK Student visa and Australian visas.
Unlike IELTS, every recording is played twice. That changes the strategy: you can use the first hearing to understand and the second to check, instead of trying to catch everything at once.
Format, part by part
About 40 minutes for 30 questions. Every part is played twice.
Part 1: Unfinished conversations (7 questions)
Seven short exchanges between two speakers in academic settings: students, a student and a lecturer, a student and admin staff. Each stops before the end and you choose the best reply from three.
How to approach it: Listen for attitude as much as words. Stress, intonation and a shift in formality tell you whether the speaker is agreeing, reluctant or surprised, and the right reply matches that.
Part 2: Complete conversations (10 questions)
Five conversations, two questions each, testing purpose, relationship between the speakers, opinions and feelings. Three options per question.
How to approach it: LanguageCert's own tip: use the first hearing to answer the first question and the second hearing to answer the second.
Part 3: Note completion (7 gaps)
A monologue such as a lecture, presentation or podcast. You complete a set of notes with one to three words per gap. You get 30 seconds to read the notes first.
How to approach it: Use the 30 seconds to predict each gap: a number, a name, a noun? The exact words are in the recording, so write what you hear rather than paraphrasing.
Part 4: Academic discussion (6 questions)
A discussion between three speakers on an academic issue, for example academics on a podcast or a broadcast interview. Questions test opinion, agreement, contrast and cause and effect. You get one minute to read them.
How to approach it: Before it starts, note which speaker each question is about. During it, listen for agreement and disagreement markers ('I'd go further than that', 'that's not quite right') to track who holds which view.
How it differs from LanguageCert General Listening
- Part 4 has three speakers here and two in General. Keeping three opinions apart is the hardest thing in either Listening paper.
- Settings are academic: seminars, lectures, tutorials and research podcasts. General uses everyday and workplace settings such as a staff induction or a radio interview.
- Academic Listening takes about 40 minutes, General 35.
- Academic reports B1 to C2; General reports A2 to C1.
Taking the other one? Read the LanguageCert General Listening guide
How it’s scored
Listening is marked by computer: each of the 30 answers is right or wrong, then converted to the 0–100 scale.
30 marks
7 + 10 + 7 + 6 questions, one mark each.
Spelling counts in Part 3
A misspelt answer gets no mark, even if you heard the word correctly.
CEFR B1 to C2
40 is B1, 60 B2, 75 C1 and 90 C2. Below 40 isn't given a level on Academic.
Australian visas
Listening minimums: 41 Vocational, 57 Competent, 67 Proficient, 80 Superior.
Worked example: Part 1
Our own exchange in the Part 1 format. Read it as if you were hearing it.
The task
Student: Dr Patel, would it be all right if I handed the lab report in on Monday instead? Lecturer: Well... the deadline's been on the module page since September. What does the student say next? A) I know, and I'm sorry. My data file was corrupted on Thursday. B) Great, Monday it is, then. C) The module page is very clear, actually.
Answer
A) I know, and I'm sorry. My data file was corrupted on Thursday.
Why
- The lecturer's 'Well...' and the reminder about the deadline signal reluctance, not agreement. The natural next step is to apologise and give a reason.
- B assumes the lecturer said yes. Choosing it means you heard the words but missed the tone.
- C picks up 'module page' from the conversation but doesn't respond to what the lecturer meant. Repeated words are a common trap in Part 1.
Common mistakes that cost marks
Writing more than three words in Part 3
The notes ask for one to three words. Extra words earn nothing and can make a correct answer wrong.
Misspelling a word you heard correctly
Part 3 answers must be spelt correctly to score. If a name is spelt out in the recording, copy it letter by letter.
Answering Part 1 from the words, not the tone
Part 1 tests attitude and register. Ask yourself how the speaker feels before you choose.
Losing track of who said what in Part 4
With three speakers, questions often hinge on which person holds a view. Label your notes with initials as you listen.
Wasting the reading time
You get 30 seconds before Part 3 and a minute before Part 4. Read every question and predict the kind of answer in that time, not during the audio.
On the day
- Computer-based, at a test centre or online. Use the test-centre version for Australian visas.
- Answers come in the same order as the recording.
- If you miss an answer on the first hearing, move on: you'll hear it again.
- Official results arrive in 5 working days.
- In Part 2 the two questions on each conversation usually follow its order, so the first hearing often settles the first question and the second hearing the other.
- Parts 1 and 2 always have two speakers, typically a student talking to a classmate, a lecturer or admin staff. Working out who's who early tells you how formal the right reply should be.
Try a practice task
A real practice task in the exam’s format. Sign up to answer the questions and see them marked instantly.
Longer conversations
You will hear five conversations. Listen and answer the questions. Choose the correct answer (a, b or c). You will hear each conversation twice.
FAQ
How long is LanguageCert Academic Listening?
About 40 minutes for 30 questions in four parts.
Is the audio played twice in LanguageCert Academic Listening?
Yes. Every part is played twice, unlike IELTS, where you hear each recording once.
How many speakers are in Part 4?
Three. They discuss an academic issue, and the questions test who thinks what, so keep track of each voice.
Does spelling matter in LanguageCert Listening?
Yes, in Part 3. Answers that are misspelt don't get a mark.
What Listening score do I need for a UK Student visa?
B2 (60) for a degree-level course and B1 (40) below degree level. Below degree level it must be Academic SELT, taken at a UKVI-approved centre.
Related guides
Practise it: Full timed LanguageCert Academic mock test
Practise LanguageCert Academic Listening
One full practice test free, marked instantly. A plan opens every test, and Reading and Listening never use credits.
Sources
Checked against LanguageCert’s own handbooks and exam pages in October 2026.