B2 First Listening Multiple Matching Practice
B2 First (FCE) · Listening Part 3 · 22 free exercises
Five short monologues on a common theme, matched against sets of statements — with extra options you won’t need. At B2 First this is Part 3, with one set of eight options.
Listening Multiple Matching: Match the meaning, not the words.
- 5 — speakers
- 8 options — some unused
- Heard twice — each recording
- Meaning — not words
Matching each of five speakers to an idea expressed in different words. The options never use the speaker’s exact phrasing, and some options are never used, so a wrong match can pull others out of place.
What real learners get wrong: B2 learners average 64% here (Part 3, a single task). The marks turn on matching meaning, not words — read all eight options in the pause.
The method
- Read the option list (both lists, if there are two tasks) before the recording.
- Note a best match for each speaker as they talk — do not leave a task for the second play.
- Match meaning, not words — "I couldn’t put it down" matches "found it gripping".
- Use elimination across speakers — a confident match removes that option for the others.
- Leave nothing blank; use the second play to confirm shaky matches.
The traps
- Not reading the options first: Starting a speaker without knowing the options means you cannot recognise the reworded idea in time.
- Matching words: An option repeating a speaker’s words is usually a trap — the real match is reworded.
- The cascade: One wrong match uses an option another speaker needs — keep confident matches firm.
- Forgetting some go unused: Do not force every option in — a leftover option is normal.
- Freezing on one speaker: Miss one and you lose the next — note a best guess and stay with the recording.
All Listening Multiple Matching exercises
Cambridge B2 First 4, Cambridge University Press
- A Cookery Course - Test 4
- Starting at University - Test 2
- Walking to Work - Test 3
- Working on a Cruise Ship - Test 1
Cambridge English First 2, Cambridge University Press
- Collecting Things - Test 6
- Giving Good Presentations - Test 8
- Office Move - Test 7
- Trip to Mars - Test 5
Cambridge English First 3, Cambridge University Press
- Problems in a new job - Test 1
- Why they delayed university - Test 3
- Working in shops - Test 4
- Writing comedy scripts - Test 2
Ready for B2 First 4th Edition Workbook, Macmillan Education Limited
- Moving to Another Country - Unit 1
- Talking About Cooking - Unit 12
- Talking About Family Members - Unit 6
Ready for B2 First 4th Edition, Macmillan Education Limited
- A Restaurant They Went To - Unit 12
- Changes at School - Unit 3
- Cycling in the City - Unit 8
- Relationship Problems - Unit 6
- Summer Jobs - Ready for Listening
- Telling Lies - Unit 10
- The Clothes We Wear - Unit 1