CAE Listening Test 4: local footbridges, inclusive board games and public-facing roles
CAE Listening Test 4 is a free C1 Advanced Listening practice test: 30 questions in four parts and 39 min 23 s of audio, with every recording played twice. You hear discussions of peer observation, presentation rehearsal and slower travel, a footbridge project talk, a board-game interview and experiences in public-facing roles.
- Free, no sign-up to start
- Layout modelled on the computer-based exam
- Estimated Cambridge English Scale score
What is in CAE Listening Test 4
| Part | Task | Questions | What you hear | Audio, both plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple choice, three extracts | 1–6 | Three conversations, 6 voices | 9:51 |
| 2 | Sentence completion | 7–14 | “Recording local footbridges”: An organiser called Rowan talking about a project to catalogue local footbridges. | 7:14 |
| 3 | Multiple choice, interview | 15–20 | An interview with a designer called Tom Arlen, who creates inclusive board games. | 12:21 |
| 4 | Multiple matching | 21–30 | Five short extracts in which people talk about taking on an unfamiliar role dealing with the public. Task 1: each speaker’s main reason for taking the role. Task 2: what each speaker gained or realised through the experience. | 9:42 |
| Total | 10 synthetic voices: 7 British, 1 New Zealand, 1 Australian and 1 Indian | 39:23 | ||
Part 1: the conversations and questions
- You hear two employees discussing a scheme in which colleagues observe one another at work.1. What did the woman find valuable about being observed? 2. What do both employees think the scheme needs?
- You hear two students discussing rehearsing a presentation.3. What problem did the woman discover in her initial rehearsals? 4. How does the woman respond to the man’s plan for his opening?
- You hear two friends considering an itinerary with slower forms of travel.5. What concerns the man about the proposed itinerary? 6. What approach do the friends eventually agree on?
Part 2: the sentences you complete
- The project was inspired by drawings in an old (7).
- The first helpful maps were obtained from a (8) archive.
- Volunteers were asked to take one extra photograph of each bridge over water from (9).
- Some crossings originally had bridges constructed from (10).
- Information about (11) was left unresolved when sources were unclear.
- A (12) was used for basic measurements made from the path.
- Notes about (13) helped explain differences between photographs.
- Personal memories will be included in the (14) for a short route.
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 1 on the easy side for C1: the answers are stated explicitly.
More CAE Listening tests
CAE Listening practice tests · CAE Mock Test 4 · Updated 15 November 2026
Ready for CAE Listening Test 4?
About 40 minutes. Free, no sign-up to start: you give an email address when you submit, and your marks open straight away.