CELPIP Listening Part 6: Listening to Viewpoints

What Part 6 looks like

The recording is a report or talk about an issue such as a new policy, a change in a city or a social trend. It explains a main position, presents another view, and gives reasons on both sides. After it ends, you answer six multiple-choice questions with four options each.

Why it feels harder

• It is longer, and it comes at the end of the section, when your concentration is lowest.
• There is no conversation to follow, just one voice explaining ideas, which makes it easier to drift off.
• The talk mentions views it does not agree with. You have to keep track of whose view each sentence expresses.
• The vocabulary is more academic: words like "advocate", "drawback", "sustainable" and "unintended consequence".
• Questions are often about reasons and attitudes, not facts you can simply write down.

Map the argument, not the words

Instead of trying to note everything, build a simple map. Split your paper into two columns: the main argument on the left, the opposing view on the right. Under each, note who holds the view and the reasons given. At the bottom, leave a line for the speaker's own conclusion, if they give one.

Most Part 6 talks move through a similar pattern: the issue is introduced, one side is explained with reasons, the other side responds, and the talk ends with a conclusion, a compromise or a question. Knowing this lets you predict where you are and what comes next.

Signal words that tell you where you are

Signal words are your best tool in Part 6. When you hear one, you know what kind of information is coming and which column it goes in.

An original example, broken down

Here is a short original CELPass passage in the style of Part 6, not an official recording:

"Several cities are now considering a four-day work week for municipal staff. Supporters argue that it improves morale and helps cities compete for workers, and some early trials reported fewer sick days. Critics, however, worry about service hours: if offices close on Fridays, residents who work weekdays may find it harder to get permits or pay bills. Admittedly, many services are now online. But the strongest objection is cost. If cities must hire extra staff to keep offices open five days, the savings disappear. Ultimately, the question may not be whether a shorter week works, but whether it can be introduced without reducing the service residents pay for."

Notes: "4-day wk, city staff. FOR: morale ↑, compete for workers, fewer sick days. AGAINST: service hrs (Fri closed), cost: extra staff → no savings. Admit: online services. ★ speaker: OK only if no service cut."

Likely questions: why supporters favour the idea (morale and hiring), what the strongest objection is (cost, not service hours), and what the speaker concludes. A trap option would say the speaker thinks online services solve the problem: they mention it only as a minor point before returning to the main objection.

Common Part 6 traps

• Choosing an argument the speaker mentions only to reject it.
• Mixing up the reasons: an option gives a real reason, but for the wrong side.
• Picking the most general option. "The speaker thinks change is difficult" may be true of almost anything; the right answer is usually specific to this talk.
• Ignoring degree. "The speaker strongly opposes" is wrong if the speaker is cautiously supportive.
• Losing the last 30 seconds. The conclusion often answers at least one question, so stay with the recording to the end.

How to practise Part 6

1. Do Part 6 practice under test conditions: one listen, two-column notes, then the questions.
2. Between tests, listen to radio segments or podcasts where an issue is discussed from more than one side. After each one, say in two sentences what each side thinks and why.
3. Build a list of signal words and attitude words ("sceptical", "cautiously optimistic", "firmly opposed") from your practice and review it daily.
4. Practise Part 6 when you are a little tired, for example at the end of a full Listening section, so test-day fatigue does not surprise you.

Part 6 uses the same skill as Reading Part 4, separating views and reasons, so practising one helps the other. If you want to see where Part 6 sits against your other Listening parts, a full CELPass mock test shows your result part by part.

• Listening Part 6 format and tips
• CELPIP Reading Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints
• CELPIP Listening Part 5: The Video Discussion
• Take a full mock test

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Why Is CELPIP Listening So Hard? And What to Do When You Miss an Answer
• CELPIP Listening Tips for All Six Parts
• How to Take Notes in CELPIP Listening
• CELPIP Listening Part 5: The Video Discussion