TCF Listening Part C has two longer recordings, a presentation or an interview with a healthcare professional, each about five minutes long, with six three-option multiple-choice questions each. That makes 12 questions. The questions test whether you can follow an argument: what the speaker believes, why, and what they suggest.
Part C at a glance
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Recordings | 2, each about 5 minutes |
| Questions | 12 (6 per recording), three options each |
| Format | A presentation, or an interview with a health professional |
| Focus | Opinion, attitude, reasons, implied meaning |
| Order | The questions follow the recording |
What makes Part C different
Parts A and B reward hearing the right detail. Part C rewards understanding stance. A speaker may describe a common view before rejecting it, or talk about an early mistake before explaining what they do now. The option that matches the first half of that sentence is usually the wrong answer.
A method for Part C
- Read all six stems in the preview time. Together they outline the talk. Note the key noun in each, such as "funding", "patient feedback" or "trial results".
- Listen for signposts. Phrases such as "what surprised us", "the real issue", "I'd argue" and "looking back" come just before an answer.
- Track contrast words. "However", "although", "at first" and "in fact" mark a change of position. Answer from the position the speaker ends on.
- Stay with the speaker. Mark your best choice and move on. The next question's topic is already starting.
Common distractors in Part C
- The rejected view: an idea the speaker mentions only to disagree with it.
- The true but unanswered option: a statement that is correct, but does not answer the question asked.
- The word match: an option that repeats a term from the recording in a different context.
How to practise Part C
- Listen to health podcasts or conference talks, and after each segment write one sentence on the speaker's opinion and one on their reason.
- Practise identifying stance words: sceptical, cautious, optimistic, frustrated, convinced.
- Build stamina with full 5-minute recordings. Part C comes at the end of a 40-minute sub-test.
Timed Part C practice with answer review is in the Exam Hero TCF question bank.
