Listening Comprehension Tasks and Strategies

Listening comprehension is the first module of the written part. Knowing words is not enough. You have to grasp the situation, the speaker's intention and a specific piece of information quickly. Points are most often lost because you read the instruction too late, wait for an identical word or unnecessarily change a good answer.

What listening tests at B1, B2 and C1

At B1, you are expected to understand individual utterances, dialogues, simple polylogues, that is, conversations between several people, and longer monologues in the standard variety of the language. The standard requires understanding the main idea and specific information. The recording is at normal speed, in good, though not ideal, acoustic conditions. It may be studio-made or authentic, for example from radio or television.

At B2, utterances may have a fairly complicated structure, and the pace can be natural, including fast. Recordings are usually authentic, from radio or television, with minor interference. The speaker's intention is important, not only the facts.

At C1, you have to understand almost all kinds of utterances, including colloquial, idiomatic and stylistically marked ones. Recordings are authentic, fast and sometimes acoustically imperfect. You will encounter lectures, presentations, debates, commentaries, reports and film excerpts.

At every level, the same habits work: read the instruction before the recording, predict the topic, mark the answer while listening, and after the recording check only the logic. Do not translate the whole text into your own language.

Types of tasks and how to read them

In the sample papers, listening has 5 tasks. At B1 it lasts up to 30 minutes and has 30 points. At B2 and C1 it lasts up to 40 minutes and has 40 points.

Short utterances after one listening are stressful because there is no second chance. Before the recording, decide what you are looking for: a place, a purpose, an emotion, a problem, a time, a price or a decision. Do not wait for an identical word. If the answer says "odwołano spotkanie", in the recording you may hear: "spotkanie się nie odbędzie".

Listen to dialogues after two playings in stages. The first listening is for the general meaning: who is speaking, where they are, what they want. The second listening is for details. In a true/false interview task, remember: false means information that contradicts the text, not information that you did not hear.

Matching people to opinions tests the speaker's position. Two people may talk about praca zdalna, but one praises it and the other criticizes it. Note signs: plus, minus, problem, example. When matching columns, first cross out the obvious answers. This is a similar technique to the one used in reading comprehension, only there is less time.

What to do before the recording

First read the instruction. It tells you whether you have to choose the main idea, a detail, an opinion, a person, a place or the function of the utterance.

Then underline the key words in the answers. Look for differences between the options. If three answers concern travel, the verbs may be important: "kupił bilet", "zarezerwował nocleg", "odwołał wyjazd".

Predict paraphrases, that is, other ways of saying the same thing. "Pacjent ma przyjść na czczo" means that the patient must not eat before the examination. For administrative topics, revise official vocabulary, because words such as "wniosek", "zaświadczenie" or "termin" change the meaning of the utterance.

Pay attention to negations and contrasts: ale, jednak, chociaż, mimo to, właściwie. The sentence "Chciałem jechać pociągiem, ale ostatecznie wybrałem autobus" does not confirm the train.

What to do during and after the recording

While listening, do not write down whole sentences. Write abbreviations. If you hear: "Pani Anna uważa, że praca zdalna pomaga jej lepiej planować dzień", "Anna - zdalna + plan" is enough.

Do not stop at one unknown word. Keep listening. Often the meaning becomes clear again after the next sentence. At B2 and C1, losing three seconds may mean losing the next piece of information.

During the second listening, check your hypothesis. If after the first listening you marked B, look for confirmation or contradiction. Change your answer only when you have a specific reason, for example: "nie w poniedziałek, tylko we wtorek".

After the recording, do not add a story from your own life. The answer must follow from the text. If the doctor says: "proszę przyjść bez rejestracji", you choose that information, even if normally the visit has to be registered.

When the task requires you to understand who said what, watch for reported speech (mowa zależna), that is, reporting someone else's words. The section on reported speech helps, because in the recording you hear: "powiedziała, że nie zdąży", and in the answer: "kobieta spóźni się".

Examples of sentences and notes that help in the task

• W nagraniu usłyszałem, że spotkanie się nie odbędzie, więc zaznaczam odpowiedź o odwołaniu spotkania.
• Mężczyzna najpierw mówił o pociągu, ale na końcu wybrał autobus.
• Kobieta nie narzeka na cenę, tylko na długi czas oczekiwania.
• W pierwszym odsłuchaniu sprawdzam, kto rozmawia: klient i sprzedawca.
• W drugim odsłuchaniu zapisuję szczegół: odbiór dokumentu w piątek po południu.
• Zdanie „on kiedyś mieszkał w Krakowie” nie znaczy, że mieszka tam teraz.

Typical mistakes made by Ukrainian-speaking, Russian-speaking and English-speaking people

Ukrainian-speaking people

• *On aktualnie pracuje w banku, więc pracował tam w przeszłości. Correct: On aktualnie pracuje w banku, czyli pracuje tam teraz. The error comes from a false friend. Polish "aktualnie" means "teraz", not "ważnie" or "obowiązująco".
• *Lekarz kazał przyjść na pusty żołądek, więc pacjent ma zjeść lekki posiłek. Correct: Lekarz kazał przyjść na czczo, więc pacjent nie ma jeść przed badaniem. The error comes from not knowing a fixed medical expression.
• *Kobieta wstąpiła do sklepu, więc zaczęła tam pracować. Correct: Kobieta wstąpiła do sklepu, czyli weszła tam na krótko. The source is the similarity to East Slavic verbs connected with "wstąpieniem" into an institution.

Russian-speaking people

• *Nie dosłyszałem słowa "tylko", więc zdanie znaczy to samo. Correct: The word "tylko" can change the whole answer, for example "nie w środę, tylko w czwartek". The error comes from ignoring short contrast markers.
• *On zapomniał dokumenty w domu. Correct: On zapomniał dokumentów z domu albo zostawił dokumenty w domu. This is a calque from Russian. In listening, it can lead you to misunderstand whether the documents are absent, or whether someone simply did not remember them.
• *Ja słyszę podcasty codziennie, żeby ćwiczyć egzamin. Correct: Słucham podcastów codziennie, żeby ćwiczyć egzamin. The error comes from mixing up "słyszeć" and "słuchać". "Słyszeć" means to perceive a sound, while "słuchać" means to do it deliberately.

English-speaking people

• *Ona powiedziała, że ma 30 lat, więc informacja o wieku jest zawsze aktualna. Correct: You need to check the tense and the context: "miała wtedy 30 lat" refers to the past. The error comes from not paying attention to Polish tense (czas) and aspect (aspekt) forms. Polish verb forms tell you when the information was true and how the event is presented, so do not treat every reported fact as automatically current.
• *Mężczyzna powiedział "ewentualnie w piątek", więc piątek jest pewny. Correct: "Ewentualnie w piątek" means "może w piątek", not "eventually". This is a false friend with English.
• *Nie usłyszałem rodzajnika, więc nie wiem, czy chodzi o jedną osobę czy wiele. Correct: Polish has no articles, so there is nothing to hear that would carry "a" or "the". In Polish, number (liczba) and gender (rodzaj) are in the endings, for example "poszedł", "poszła", "poszli". The error comes from looking for an English-type article system that Polish simply does not have. It is worth reviewing syntax (składnia) and word order (szyk), because information is often hidden in the form of the sentence.

What it looks like in the exam

Listening comprehension is one of the four modules of the written part. The others are reading comprehension, grammatical accuracy and writing. There is also an oral part.

According to the sample papers from March 2020, at B1 listening has 5 tasks, lasts up to 30 minutes and gives 30 points. The whole written part at B1 has four modules worth 30 points each, 120 points in total. At B2 listening has 5 tasks, lasts up to 40 minutes and gives 40 points. At C1 it is the same: 5 tasks, up to 40 minutes, 40 points. The whole written part at B2 and C1 has four modules worth 40 points each, 160 points in total.

Pass thresholds are calculated separately for each module. Until 31 December 2026, in accordance with § 23 of the regulation, Journal of Laws 2025, item 217, at B1 you must obtain at least 50% in each module of the written part separately and in the oral part. At B2 and C1 you must obtain at least 60% in each module separately and in the oral part. Points are not averaged. A very good result in writing will not save weak listening.

Tasks may include short statements played once, dialogues played twice, an interview with true and false answers, matching people to opinions and matching columns. At B1 the situations are closer to everyday life: phone call, shop, doctor, flat, office, travel. At B2 and C1 you will more often hear authentic materials: interviews, commentaries, reports, excerpts from programmes, discussions and films. For professional topics, work vocabulary will be useful.

What to review before the exam

• Typical instructions: wybierz, dopasuj, zdecyduj, czy zdanie jest prawdziwe czy fałszywe.
• Contrast words: ale, jednak, chociaż, natomiast, mimo to, za to.
• Paraphrases of everyday situations: odwołać, przełożyć, zarezerwować, odebrać, złożyć wniosek.
• Numbers, times, dates and prices, especially at a fast pace.
• Phrases used at an office, a clinic, work, while travelling and when renting a flat.
• The difference between the main idea and a detail.
• Taking notes with abbreviations, not full sentences.
• The rule: the answer must follow from the recording, not from a guess.