B2 First · Listening · Module 4, Lesson 4

Part 4: Long Interview

One longer conversation, seven multiple-choice questions in the order you hear the answers. The examiners are testing sustained concentration — you have to track a real, developing conversation for several minutes, not just one short exchange.

7 items 1 mark each (7 total) ~9 min target 3 options, A–C · heard twice
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What this part really tests

Part 4 plays one longer interview or conversation, usually between a host and a guest with some expertise. Seven questions follow the order of the conversation, testing detail, the guest's opinion, and sometimes what a speaker implies rather than states directly.

The examiner's method

  1. Read all seven questions and options before you press play — they map out the shape of the whole conversation for you.
  2. Questions follow the conversation in order, so use each one to anticipate the next topic the speakers will move to.
  3. Listen for the guest's own words and opinions specifically — the host's questions are prompts, not answers.
  4. Watch for a speaker correcting a common assumption ("people think X, but actually Y") — Y is usually the tested detail.
  5. If you lose the thread for a moment, don't panic; pick up on the next question's keyword rather than trying to reconstruct what you missed.
  6. On the second listen, confirm any answer you weren't fully sure about the first time.

Traps that cost marks

Common-assumption trap
An option states what most people believe, which the guest then explicitly corrects — the correction is the real answer.
Host vs. guest
Questions ask what the guest says specifically — an option based on something the host said is a trap.
Numbers close together
A conversation may mention two similar figures in the same answer — the question usually wants the second, more specific one.
Comparative trap
The guest says one thing is "more dangerous" or "more important" than another — an option reversing the comparison is a common wrong answer.

Worked example

Guest: "Most people assume the biggest risk in a kitchen fire is the flames themselves, but actually it's the smoke that overcomes people first, often before they even realize how serious the fire has become."

Question: According to the guest, what is actually the biggest risk in a kitchen fire?

A The flames spreading quickly B The smoke overcoming people C The heat damaging the kitchen
  1. The guest names the common assumption first: "the biggest risk... [is] the flames themselves."
  2. Then comes the correction: "but actually it's the smoke."
  3. Option A is the common-assumption trap; the guest directly rules it out.
  4. Answer: B.
Try

Micro-trainer — a short interview first

Read all three questions below before you press play. The recording is heard twice, exactly as in the real exam.

Try score: 0 / 3
Ready for the real thing? Scroll down to Apply — a brand new full-length interview in exact exam format, against the clock.
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Exam-format practice

A new full-length interview, official Part 4 format, seven questions. Aim to finish before the timer runs out — then check your answers below.

09:00

Your result

Score0 / 7
Percentage0%

This is a practice estimate for one exam part only. Your official Cambridge result is calculated across the whole exam on the Cambridge English Scale.

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