NOCN ESOL International Listening Examination Recordings
Level C2 Proficient
LIVE Winter 2017
ESOL International
English Listening Examination
Level C2 Proficient User
Texts to be used with the examination
The texts are to be recorded and sent to the centre on a disk prior to the examination.
Instructions are written in underlined italics and should not be recorded.
The recording must be played to learners in full from start to finish.
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NOCN ESOL International Listening Examination Recordings
Level C2 Proficient
LIVE Winter 2017
This is the NOCN ESOL International Proficient User Level C2 Listening examination.
Please check that your name and other details are on your mark sheet.
The invigilator will have explained how to fill in the mark sheet.
Do not write on your examination paper.
Put your answers on the mark sheet.
The Listening examination will now begin.
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NOCN ESOL International Listening Examination Recordings
Level C2 Proficient
LIVE Winter 2017
Part 1
You will hear 10 sentences. Read the replies on your examination paper. You have two minutes to read
the replies on your examination paper.
Pause for two minutes.
Listen to the sentences. You will hear the sentences in full twice. Choose the best reply for the
situation. You will then have two minutes to check your answers.
Play the sentences (three seconds between each sentence).
1. How did your job interview go? Did you get the job?
2. I am bored with my hair as it is. I need a change.
3. I don’t think your Wi-Fi is working properly. Has it been like this for long?
4. If I want to take annual leave, I have to fill in so many request forms.
5. My mobile phone signal is terrible. I am thinking of changing provider.
6. Has the leak in the shower been fixed yet? I asked them to come yesterday.
7. Did you collect the parcel from the post office? It came two days ago.
8. My car needs repairing. Can you recommend a garage?
9. Do you think you will apply for a mortgage or continue to rent?
10. Are you ok? You look tired.
Pause for five seconds after the first reading.
Now listen to the sentences again.
Play the sentences again.
Now check your answers. You have two minutes to check your answers.
Pause for two minutes after the second reading.
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NOCN ESOL International Listening Examination Recordings
Level C2 Proficient
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Part 2 – Conversations
You will hear two conversations. Read the questions and answers on your examination paper for both
conversations. You have two minutes to read them.
Pause for two minutes.
Listen to Conversation 1. You will hear the conversation twice. Answer the questions. You will then
have two minutes to check your answers.
Play the conversation.
Mary: Have you read the article about Maria Callas, she was one of the most accomplished sopranos of the last
century. She was instrumental in revitalising opera with her dramatic skill, range and technique that left
audiences spellbound. Born to Greek parents in America, her mother moved to Greece. There, Maria began
receiving formal training in opera singing.
Alfonso: Yes, I have it here, it says that after World War II, she moved to Italy to launch her career there. Her
Italian debut was a performance of ‘La Gioconda’ at the Verona Arena. Her performance in ‘Tristan and Isolde’
and ‘Turandot’ made her a celebrity figure in Italy. She has performed Bellini's ‘Norma’ many times.
Mary: That is right, she married Giovanni Battista Meneghini, an industrialist, and toured South America. Apart
from performing at Milan’s La Scala, the most cherished and renowned of opera houses, she performed at the
Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the New York Metropolitan Opera. Many performances got cancelled and this
adversely affected her career. Her dramatic weight loss enhanced her beauty but seemed to have affected her
voice. She was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy posthumously.
Alfonso: There are lots of interesting facts about Maria;
• Maria Callas was born Sophia Cecelia Kalos on December 2, 1923 to Greek parents, George and Evangelia at
Flower Hospital in Manhattan. Her father owned and ran a pharmacy in Manhattan where she spent much of
her childhood.
• She had a sister Yakinthi. Her brother Vassilis died before she was born. Her parents were an incompatible
couple as her mother was domineering while her father was a laidback person.
• Initially tutored by Maria Trivella at the National Conservatoire, she impressed the Spanish soprano Elvira de
Hidalgo in an audition, and was instructed at the Athens Conservatoire, from 1939.
Mary: Such an amazing performer!
Pause for five seconds after the first reading.
Now listen to the conversation again.
Play the conversation again.
Now check your answers. You have two minutes to check your answers.
Pause for two minutes after the second reading.
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NOCN ESOL International Listening Examination Recordings
Level C2 Proficient
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Part 2 – Conversations
Listen to Conversation 2. You will hear the conversation twice. Answer the questions. You will then
have two minutes to check your answers.
Play the conversation.
Jo: Hello Sam, are you thinking about doing the Great North Run? Or have you already signed up?
Sam: I am thinking about it, there are loads of great articles and websites about what training
methods we should use, what you should eat and what you should wear, are you tempted to
run?
Jo: Mmm, well the race is based in the North East of England, but the weather is usually very good,
so I may be persuaded!
Sam: That is great news Jo! Just be aware that when they say it’s mostly downhill… they lie. There are
two hills to look out for; the one after the Tyne Bridge and the one around 11-12miles, before
the sea comes into view.
Jo: How would I get there, I’m in the South and I am used to the London Underground, so I don’t
mind public transport.
Sam: Great, you can catch a train to either arrive at Newcastle Central Station, or the Haymarket and
Monument Metro stations, then your best option is to walk to the start. With 13.1miles to run,
a 1.5mile walk will provide an excellent warm-up. If you let me know which one is best for you,
I can meet you there and we can warm up together.
Jo: Excellent! What about food and drinks whilst we are running?
Sam: We can take a sports drink and a health bar, but there will be people handing out water on the
route.
Jo: Are there any sights to watch out for?
Sam: Yes, there are lots of great sights to see, my favourite is the Millennium Bridge. Don’t forget to
watch out for the kids based on the bridge by Gateshead Stadium with water pistols!
Jo: Really looking forward to it now, best get training!
Sam: Maybe next year we could take the children and do the Junior Great North Run.
Pause for five seconds after the first reading.
Now listen to the conversation again.
Play the conversation again.
Now check your answers. You have two minutes to check your answers.
Pause for two minutes after the second reading.
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NOCN ESOL International Listening Examination Recordings
Level C2 Proficient
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Part 3 – Debate and discussion
You will now hear a debate and discussion. You will hear them twice. You have two minutes to look at
the questions for both the debate and the discussion.
Pause for two minutes.
Now listen to the Debate. You will hear it twice. Answer the questions. You will then have two minutes
to check your answers.
Debate.
Host: Summer camps are a wonderful way for children to meet new friends and develop new skills.
Staying home also allows children to develop new skills, some of which involve deepening family
relationships and leading a less structured life. There are pros and cons to both summer alternatives.
Alex, would you like to present the pros of summer camps?
Alex: If a child has a special interest, there is probably a camp for that. Whether its photography or
football, many camps focus on a few core activities. Residential camps located in mountain
hideaways, or island retreats offer children a chance to learn about nature and the plants and animals
of that region. Camps located in cities allow children to become comfortable with maneuvering in that
environment.
Jamie: The cons of summer camps are that they take the children away from home, away from the
influence of the family, and expose them to new environments that may cause homesickness.
Alex: Learning from others in a new environment continues the independent work that children begin
at school. Residential camps offer further opportunities for children to learn to live on their own. Day
camps also allow children time away from the home and the home environment.
Jamie: While camps allow a different set of adults to influence the children, staying home re-enforces
the messages and interest of the family, including extended family and interests.
Host: What about boredom?
Alex: Staying home for the summer might bore some children and tire parents, whereas camps are
set up to combat this and keep the interest of the participants going.
Jamie: Exposure to more family time is in-valuable, the camps allow a different set of adults to
influence the children, and this may have a negative impact.
Host: To sum up then: Both camps and staying home offer valuable options for children during the
summer months.
Pause for five seconds after the first reading.
Now listen to the debate again.
Play the conversation again.
Now check your answers. You have two minutes to check your answers.
Pause for two minutes after the second reading.
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Level C2 Proficient
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Part 3 – Discussion
Listen to the Discussion. You will hear it twice. Answer the questions. You will then have two minutes to
check your answers.
Play the discussion.
Discussion
Host: Good morning, listeners and welcome to our daily discussion. Today we are going to be talking
about the healing power of turmeric. Yes, the main spice used in curries has healing powers it seems. A
sufferer of illness for five years is here with us today. Dion found that help was at hand for her through
this spice. Welcome Dion. What a fascinating story.
Dion: Hello! Yes, I had been on all sorts of toxic drugs to combat my illness and there were side-effects,
nothing seemed to work.
Host: Then, Dion, you started a new treatment, this was not another high-tech, expensive drug, but a
remedy based on something many of us have in our kitchen cupboards, turmeric! The treatment
involved curcumin which is a key component of the spice turmeric.
Dion: Yes, when we reviewed my progress, and recovery, there is no other explanation other than a
positive response to curcumin. My reaction to the spice has been amazing!
Host: That is great, research has also discovered that curcumin has been linked to many other benefits,
including combatting heart disease, infection, depression and dementia.
Dion: Indeed, and a review carried out in 2016, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, found there
is scientific evidence to support the use of turmeric extract in treating many conditions including
arthritis.
Host: So, developments are taking place all the time with natural remedies, do you think that natural
remedies are the way forward, and more people will be using them?
Dion: Absolutely, I am so much better, it has been a marvelous transformation for me. Taking curcumin
has been better than I ever could have hoped for. I am still taking 8g of curcumin in tablet form daily.
Host: Dion, that is wonderful! Thank you so much for coming in to see us, and enlighten us with this
exciting information, best wishes for the future.
Pause for five seconds after the first reading.
Now listen to the discussion again.
Play the discussion again.
Now check your answers. You have two minutes to check your answers.
Pause for two minutes after the second reading.
That is the end of the Listening examination. Please check your mark sheet is completed correctly. Put
your pens down.
End of Examination
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NOCN
The Quadrant
Parkway Business Centre
99 Parkway Avenue
Sheffield
S9 4WG
E-mail:nocn@[Link]
Tel: 0114 2270500
Fax: 0114 2270501
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