CAE Listening Test 2: a travelling exhibition, unfamiliar routes and neighbours’ skills
CAE Listening Test 2 is a free C1 Advanced Listening practice test: 30 questions in four parts and 39 min 46 s of audio, with every recording played twice. You hear discussions of product testing, historical photographs and meeting-free afternoons, a curator’s talk, a navigation researcher’s interview and accounts of learning from neighbours.
- Free, no sign-up to start
- Layout modelled on the computer-based exam
- Estimated Cambridge English Scale score
What is in CAE Listening Test 2
| Part | Task | Questions | What you hear | Audio, both plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple choice, three extracts | 1–6 | Three conversations, 6 voices | 9:12 |
| 2 | Sentence completion | 7–14 | “An exhibition on the move”: A curator called Clara talking about packing and installing a travelling exhibition. | 8:46 |
| 3 | Multiple choice, interview | 15–20 | An interview with a researcher called Elias Vale, who studies how people choose unfamiliar routes. | 12:32 |
| 4 | Multiple matching | 21–30 | Five short extracts in which people talk about learning a practical skill from a neighbour. Task 1: each speaker’s reason for learning the skill. Task 2: how each speaker now feels about the relationship with the neighbour. | 9:01 |
| Total | 10 synthetic voices: 7 British, 1 Australian, 1 Irish and 1 Canadian | 39:46 | ||
Part 1: the conversations and questions
- You hear two designers discussing a product demonstration they have attended.1. What did the woman find most informative about the demonstration? 2. Why does the man remain interested in the product?
- You hear two students discussing photographs as evidence in historical research.3. What has the woman come to question about her chosen photograph? 4. What does the man suggest about written sources?
- You hear two colleagues reflecting on a trial of meeting-free afternoons.5. What has the change made the man realise? 6. What does the woman want the team to do?
Part 2: the sentences you complete
- A (7) describes each work before it is sent to another venue.
- The material fitted around the framed works inside each case is (8).
- Venues must provide several days of measurements of (9).
- Clara requests a (10) to check the complete access route.
- A (11) reduces the need to lift the cases repeatedly.
- Local staff receive a (12) showing the sequence for unpacking.
- The team brings (13) to help manage natural light.
- Hosts are asked to record their practical experiences in a (14).
Marking and review notes
CAE Listening marking
1 mark per question. In Part 2, correct spelling is expected (British or American). 18/30 is about 180 and 26/30 about 200 on Cambridge’s guidance. Scores are estimates.
From our review
Our reviewer rated Part 2 somewhat easy for C1 and found some Part 1 wrong options easy to rule out.
More CAE Listening tests
CAE Listening practice tests · CAE Mock Test 2 · Updated 15 November 2026
Ready for CAE Listening Test 2?
About 40 minutes. Free, no sign-up to start: you give an email address when you submit, and your marks open straight away.