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CELPIP Listening Part 1 practice with answers
Part 1, Listening to Problem Solving, asks you to follow a conversation as a practical problem develops. A free transcript-based set with eight questions and answers is below.
Part 1 format and timing
Part 1 has eight questions across three sections of a conversation and takes about eight minutes. You hear the questions and have 30 seconds for each. The audio plays once, and you cannot return to an earlier part. Use the breaks between sections to answer from the information you have heard so far.
The set below follows a woman and an employee at a parcel collection counter. Their exchange develops through several concerns, so understanding the opening problem alone will not settle every question. Listen for what each new turn adds to the situation.
This page displays the transcript and written questions together. Its suggested eight-minute timer supports a focused attempt, but the page does not reproduce the test’s three-stage delivery. Keep the transcript covered while answering if someone reads it to you.
Separate a concern, an option and an outcome
A speaker can describe a possible problem before anyone knows whether it has happened. Keep that uncertainty in your understanding. A worried question is evidence of the speaker’s concern; it does not establish the condition of an object or the final outcome of an inspection.
Likewise, an employee may explain several available actions. Hearing an action mentioned does not mean the customer selects it. Wait for acceptance, refusal or a later decision before treating a possibility as the plan.
For cause questions, connect the event to its stated reason. For responsibility questions, identify who can carry out the action. In a service conversation, the person helping at the counter and another business may have different roles. An answer can contain familiar vocabulary while assigning the action to the wrong person.
Follow the conversation in stages
- Before listening, prepare space for the opening problem and later developments. Read the context without reading the answers or explanations. Avoid predicting a resolution from the title.
- During the first section, establish what the customer needs and what limits the available choices. Capture reasons alongside actions so you can explain why a proposed solution would help.
- During later sections, update the situation when new evidence appears. Mark an earlier assumption as uncertain or replaced instead of keeping two incompatible versions in your notes.
- After each section, answer the relevant questions from that section’s evidence. Read every choice and check whether it describes a concern, a proposal or something that actually happened.
If one detail escapes you, keep following the exchange. Reconstructing a missed word while the next speaker explains a decision can cost you the connection needed for a later answer.
Keep a short record of changes
On test day, take notes on the provided paper with the provided pen; both are returned at the end. Rehearse on paper so your method does not depend on typing or searching a transcript. Leave enough room to add an update beside an earlier point.
A useful layout has three headings: issue, available action and current result. Add a person’s role when responsibility matters. A small question mark can preserve uncertainty, while a crossed-out option can show that it was considered and then abandoned.
Do not copy the whole exchange. Record a number only with its purpose, and write a reason beside the action it explains. During review, check whether your notes show the conversation’s changes. If they preserve only the opening situation, reduce detail there and leave more attention for later turns.
Use the parcel-counter set
The recorded audio for this set is in the app; this page uses the transcript. Have someone read the transcript aloud once at a natural pace while you keep the page out of view.
For a staged rehearsal, ask the reader to pause after the fourth and eighth speaker turns. Answer questions 1–3 after the first group, 4–6 after the second and 7–8 after the final group. Those divisions follow this set’s conversation. Keep the explanations for afterwards.
Focus on how the purpose of the counter visit develops and how the speakers distinguish a current issue from a future precaution. Then use the Part 2 conversation to work on everyday arrangements without the same three-section structure.
Free Listening Part 1 practice set
Practice set: A parcel with an incomplete address
Original Part 1 set. A woman speaks to an employee at a parcel collection counter in Calgary. The recorded audio is in the app; here you get the transcript. Read it once at speaking speed (or have someone read it to you), then cover it and answer. Suggested time: 8 minutes.
Transcript
Woman: Hi. My tracking page says my parcel is waiting here, but I never received a collection card. It's a birthday present for my brother, and I'm taking the train to visit him tomorrow. Can you find it using the number on my phone?
Man: I can search that number. Ah, the parcel arrived yesterday, but the address doesn't include your apartment number. That's probably why the driver couldn't leave a card. The name and street address match your photo identification, so we can locate it that way.
Woman: I must have missed that box when I ordered. I'm in apartment four twelve. The package should be a long cardboard box, but I don't know the exact size because the seller packed it. Is it somewhere behind this counter, or in another room?
Man: Larger parcels are kept downstairs. I'll ask my colleague to bring it up. We don't send customers into the storage area because of the moving trolleys. It may take a few minutes; there's a bench here, and you can keep your place in line.
Woman: That looks like it, but one end of the box is crushed. It's a framed print, so I'm worried the glass has broken. Should I refuse it now? I'd rather not carry damaged glass on the train, and a replacement won't arrive before the birthday.
Man: You can refuse it unopened, and we'll return it to the sender. Or you can accept it and inspect it at the packing table. If the contents are damaged, you'll need to contact the seller directly. We can document the condition of the outside now.
Woman: Could you photograph the damaged end before I decide? I don't want the seller to think it happened after I left here. The print itself matters more than the frame; if only the frame is damaged, I could put it in a different one tonight.
Man: Yes, I'll add a photo to the collection record and give you a reference number. That records the box's condition, but it doesn't promise a refund. Only the seller can arrange that. You can also take your own pictures to include in your message.
Woman: All right, I'll accept it and open it at the table. I've taken pictures too. Oh, there's thick padding inside. The glass looks fine, and the print isn't bent. It's just the empty space at the end of the box that got crushed.
Man: That's a relief. Please check both corners before you pack it again. There's paper tape on the table, free to use. If you're taking it on the train, keeping the padding around the frame would be better than carrying it loose in a shopping bag.
Woman: Both corners are fine. I'll keep all the padding and tape the box closed. Could I borrow a marker to write my brother's name on it? I have two other gifts at home, and I don't want to mix them up when I pack tonight.
Man: Certainly, here's one. Remember to update the saved delivery address on the seller's website, not just on this collection record. We've added your apartment number for today, but that won't change the address used for your next order from the same shop.
How to review this set
Reopen the transcript and locate the evidence for each missed answer before reading its explanation. Compare the concern “the glass has broken” with the later observation “The glass looks fine”: the answer about inspection depends on the later evidence. Check whether you confused a possible action with the customer’s choice, or the counter’s record with the seller’s saved address. Add the missing relationship to your paper notes, then explain the correction in your own words.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in CELPIP Listening Part 1?
There are eight questions across three sections of a conversation. The part takes about eight minutes, with 30 seconds for each heard question.
Can I replay the Part 1 audio?
Test audio plays once. For this exercise, ask someone to read each section once and save rereading for review.
Does this page include a recording?
The recorded audio is in the app; the page uses a transcript.
What should I track when the problem changes?
Keep the original concern separate from new evidence and the final decision. Mark who is responsible for each next step.
Sources
Checked October 19, 2026. Rules and fees change: check the official page before you act. celpip.ca pages were read from public archive snapshots because the site blocks automated access.