Listening Part 3 is usually a discussion between two or three speakers - often students and a tutor. It is where most candidates lose easy marks, because the recording is designed around distractors.
What a distractor sounds like
A speaker suggests an answer, and a moment later someone corrects it: "We could meet on Tuesday... oh no, I have a seminar then. Let's say Thursday." If you wrote Tuesday, you fell for it.
Three habits that protect your score
- Listen for change words: actually, but, although, on second thoughts, I'm not sure about that.
- Wait for agreement: in discussions, the answer is usually the option both speakers accept.
- Read ahead during pauses: know what the next two questions are asking before the audio reaches them.
Practise with transcripts
After each practice test, read the transcript and highlight every distractor you heard. Within a few weeks you will start hearing them coming.