CELPIP Listening Practice: Parts & Scores

Listen to an original CELPIP®-General practice conversation and answer the questions below; no sign-in is needed.

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Arranging a Shift Exchange

You will hear a conversation between two coworkers at Vennick Distribution's warehouse in Winnipeg. Choose one answer per question.

1. Why does the woman also need Saturday off?
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Answer and explanation

D. She needs to rehearse her responsibilities for a family celebration. Saturday's run-through is for the people introducing speakers, and she has that responsibility on Sunday. Her uncle is preparing the venue on Friday, so helping him does not explain her Saturday absence.

2. Why can the man cover the woman's existing shift?
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Answer and explanation

C. His revised course booking falls outside her working hours. Her shift ends at 4, his course starts at 6 p.m., and the restriction concerns overlapping commitments. His existing qualification covers her morning team, whereas the later crew requires a different qualification.

3. Why does the man welcome the proposed exchange?
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Answer and explanation

B. It frees him to collect shelving while the seller is available. Taking his Sunday shift would free him during the seller's limited collection window. His brother is supplying a trailer, rather than delivering the shelves himself.

4. What particularly frustrates the woman about the approval procedure?
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Answer and explanation

A. Small schedule edits trigger the entire authorisation process again. She accepts the need for permission but objects to repeating the submission after a fifteen-minute correction. The supervisor's absence creates a scheduling difficulty, but it is not the focus of her complaint.

5. What will the man most likely do next?
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Answer and explanation

A. Enter their exchange electronically before leaving the warehouse today. An electronic request sent at midnight can reach the backup for his Thursday morning review before the 8 o'clock deadline, and the tablet is available near the man's locker. Tomorrow afternoon's paper collection would miss that deadline.

Read the transcript

Carla: Rafael, could you take my Saturday, 8 until 4? I've got Sunday off for our family gathering, but they've added something on Saturday.

Rafael: I could, if you'd take my Sunday the following weekend. That would actually help with those second-hand shelves I bought.

Carla: I thought your brother was bringing them over.

Rafael: He's bringing his trailer. The seller's only there between 11 and 2 that Sunday, right in the middle of my shift.

Carla: That works. My uncle's setting up the hall Friday. My sister arrives Saturday with the borrowed projector. Saturday's a run-through for whoever's introducing the speakers. Since I'm doing that on Sunday, I can't just drop off the projector and leave.

Rafael: My loading refresher got moved from Friday to Saturday. Does that complicate things?

Carla: The rule's about overlapping hours. A course can be on the same day; it just can't fall inside the shift you're covering.

Rafael: The reminder says 6 p.m. I'd forgotten they run evening sessions.

Carla: Let's put it on paper, then. The backup collects forms when he comes through. Our usual supervisor's on vacation.

Rafael: It's Wednesday afternoon. Approval has to be in place 48 hours ahead, so Thursday at 8. When's the next collection?

Carla: Tomorrow after lunch. He checks messages at 7 on weekdays, though. The app holds new requests until midnight before forwarding them.

Rafael: I've got the form already. We could change your start to noon and use the later cutoff.

Carla: Last month, I corrected a start time by fifteen minutes and the signature disappeared. I had to submit the entire thing again. I understand needing permission; restarting for that drove me mad.

Rafael: And the noon crew needs a different unloading qualification. My certificate covers your morning team.

Carla: Keep my hours, then. The shared tablet's free beside your locker. I've still got returns to finish.

Rafael: My jacket's there anyway. Did those returns come from the Brandon shipment?

Carla: Yes, two pallets. At least the labels are readable this time.

More listening parts

CELPIP® listening has six scored parts and 38 scored questions, with a section time of 46–55 minutes. Practise each part with explanations, then use timed exam mode and the correct-answer chart to review your estimated level.

Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP test-taker guide · Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP teacher guide, page 12

Open free listening practice

The six CELPIP listening parts

The listening section takes 46–55 minutes and includes 38 scored questions. Additional unscored items may appear; you cannot identify them during the test.

Part 1: Problem Solving

8 scored questions. Follow a problem, the possible solutions and the decision.

Part 2: Daily Life Conversation

5 scored questions. Track everyday plans, details and what speakers mean.

Part 3: Listening for Information

6 scored questions. Understand an explanation and identify relevant details.

Part 4: News Item

5 scored questions. Separate the main event from supporting facts in a report.

Part 5: Discussion

8 scored questions. Distinguish the views and reactions of the speakers.

Part 6: Viewpoints

6 scored questions. Follow a developed position, its reasons and implications.

Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP test-taker guide

How to use listening practice and exam mode

In practice mode, work through a part, then use replay, the transcript and explanations to identify the evidence you missed. In timed listening exam mode, work through the parts in order with audio played once. Review whether an error came from the main idea, a detail or an inference.

Record the reason for each wrong answer in your own words. Then try a different set to check whether the same misunderstanding returns.

Correct answers and estimated CELPIP levels

Published correct-answer ranges
Estimated levelListening correct / 38
10–1235–38
933–35
830–33
727–31
622–28
517–23
411–18
37–12
M (0–2)0–7

The overlaps reflect differences in test difficulty and score equating. The published chart groups levels 10–12 together; it does not distinguish those levels from a raw score. Use the ranges to interpret practice, rather than promise a result on another test form.

Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP teacher guide, page 12

Try a listening drill: identify the evidence

Original fictional practice: An Online Coat Return. The voices are synthetic. Listen before opening the answer. Scenario prices and dates are fictional.

Why does the man want to return his purchase?
Check the answer and explanation

Answer: B. The coat appeared charcoal online but looks greenish beside his work trousers. The delayed delivery concerns the other coat, rather than the purchase he is returning.

Review task: write the paraphrase that connects the recording to the answer, then explain why the delivery detail is a distractor.

Read the transcript after answering

Yvette: Hi there. What can I help you with?

Clark: I'd like to return this coat. I ordered it from Nerwick & Thread's website during the November sale. It looked charcoal on my screen, but beside my grey work trousers it's greenish. I've been wearing it over my suit during the cold spell.

Yvette: This tag is from our final-sale event. Online items from that event are exchange-only, whether you bring them here or post them to the warehouse.

Clark: Could I leave the amount here for gloves in January? The box had a prepaid label, so I'd wondered about sending it back.

Yvette: We include those labels in every parcel. We can look at another garment here, once I've checked this one's condition.

Clark: I would've come last week, but I needed this for the walk to the station. Another coat I'd ordered elsewhere was due Thursday; it finally showed up on Monday.

Yvette: December deliveries can be slow. Could you take it out of the bag?

This worksheet stays on the page and is not saved. Continue with an unfamiliar set in the listening hub.

Which part would you like to practise?

Public practice by part and task; timing from the sample bank and runner configuration
Part or taskQuestionsTimeAccessStart
Listening 1: Listening to Problem Solving8 questions in this set152.6 seconds of conversation audio; 30 seconds per answerFree; no account for the public sampleStart this part
Listening 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation5 questions in this set114.6 seconds of conversation audio; 30 seconds per answerFree; no account for the public sampleStart this part
Listening 3: Listening for Information6 questions in this set119.4 seconds of conversation audio; 30 seconds per answerFree; no account for the public sampleStart this part
Listening 4: Listening to a News Item5 questions in this set67 seconds of conversation audio; 205 seconds for all answersFree; no account for the public sampleStart this part
Listening 5: Listening to a Discussion8 questions in this set125.3 seconds of conversation audio; 240 seconds for all answersFree; no account for the public sampleStart this part
Listening 6: Listening to Viewpoints6 questions in this set115.1 seconds of conversation audio; 260 seconds for all answersFree; no account for the public sampleStart this part

How is this practice prepared?

Updated . Original questions, published by CELPIP Study. The conversation voices are synthetic. Read our editorial approach and scoring methods and measured limitations.

Related resources and task guides

Frequently asked questions

How many listening questions are scored?

There are 38 scored listening questions across six parts. Additional unscored items may appear.

Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP test-taker guide

How long is the CELPIP listening section?

The section time is 46–55 minutes.

Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP test-taker guide

How many correct listening answers correspond to level 7?

The published level-7 listening range is 27–31 correct out of 38. It overlaps adjacent ranges, so it is an estimate for practice.

Checked 2026-10-22 — CELPIP teacher guide, page 12

Should I use practice mode or exam mode?

Use practice mode to review the transcript and explanations. Use timed exam mode after that to rehearse answering in order with audio played once.