Complete sentences without changing the meaning
A sentence gap asks you to preserve a whole idea, not just spot a familiar word. Read both sides of the gap and identify the relationship the sentence expresses.
Written preparation — recordings pending. These six original fictional entries practise interpretation of written transcripts, not listening performance. They are not official test questions. Specialist review has not been completed. Answers stay in this open page only; they are not saved and produce no band score or mastery record.
Read the sentence as a complete idea
- Check the response limit. Use the instruction for this task. These drills require words only; they do not cover every number or spelling variant in real papers.
- Predict the missing information. Is it a cause, place, time, object or description? Grammar can narrow the possibilities, but it does not prove the answer.
- Follow the relationship. Separate causes from results, chosen plans from rejected alternatives, and one speaker or group from another.
- Match paraphrased meaning. The sentence may express the same idea differently. Keep the requested detail accurate rather than copying a nearby word.
- Read the completed sentence. Check meaning, word form, spelling and the limit. Do not repeat an article or adjective already printed.
Sentence completion summarises information in sentences. A booking form usually records details under labels; note completion uses an outline. These tasks share word-limit skills, but their layouts and instructions still matter. In the actual Listening test, you hear the recording once; rereading these scripts is preparation only.
Worked example: identify the reason
Original script: “We closed the path because a tree had fallen across it. The river was high too, but the water stayed below the path.”
Sentence: “The path was closed because of a fallen ___.” Instruction: ONE WORD ONLY.
Answer: tree. The sentence asks for the cause of closure. River is a nearby fact but not that cause. Fallen is already printed, so do not write fallen tree.
Six original sentence gaps
Read one script, close it, then complete its two sentences. Reopen it to locate the evidence. This checks written understanding; it is not an unseen listening assessment. Editing an answer clears its feedback.
1. Separate causes from results
ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Read the original practice transcript
The museum moved the evening workshop to the library because the museum roof needed repairs. Attendance had been low, but that was not the reason for the move. After the move, more families came because the library offered parking nearby. The cheaper tickets were introduced the following month.
Write your answer, then compare it with the transcript.
Compare with the answer
repairs — Repairs completes the stated cause. Low attendance is explicitly ruled out as the reason; do not fill the gap from a nearby topic alone.
Write your answer, then compare it with the transcript.
Compare with the answer
parking — Parking explains the increase. Cheaper tickets arrived later and cannot explain this earlier result.
2. Follow meaning and grammar
ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Read the original practice transcript
For our neighbourhood survey, volunteers counted bicycles at road junctions. Cars were recorded by a different team. We repeated the count on weekdays, rather than weekends, because our aim was to study journeys to work.
Write your answer, then compare it with the transcript.
Compare with the answer
bicycles — Bicycles is the plural object counted by these volunteers. Cars belongs to the other team.
Write your answer, then compare it with the transcript.
Compare with the answer
weekdays — Journeys to work is paraphrased as commuting. Weekdays supplies the time; weekends is explicitly contrasted.
3. Keep only the missing words
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Read the original practice transcript
At the archive, fragile documents are stored in sealed boxes. These protect them from dust; the outer shelves do not provide that protection. Visitors request documents through an online catalogue, not by sending email. Staff then bring the requested boxes to the reading room.
Write your answer, then compare it with the transcript.
Compare with the answer
sealed boxes — Sealed boxes supplies both the container and the detail that explains protection. The plural phrase comes directly from the transcript.
Write your answer, then compare it with the transcript.
Compare with the answer
catalogue — Catalogue is the missing noun; online is already printed. A two-word maximum permits a one-word answer. This drill accepts catalogue and catalog.
Explain the relationship before choosing
Fresh written check: “The lecture moved online because the speaker was abroad. The hall was being cleaned, but that work finished before the lecture.” Complete: “The lecture was online because the speaker was ___.” Use ONE WORD ONLY. Explain why cleaning is not the answer.
Compare my reasoning
Abroad. That is the stated cause. Cleaning is a separate event completed earlier and does not fit the sentence’s grammar. Repeating this after seeing feedback is rehearsal, not independent evidence of mastery.
Continue your preparation
For booking labels and confirmed details, use form-completion preparation. For competing answers, use multiple-choice preparation.
The eight original Listening papers inspected use form or note-completion instructions, including some full-sentence gaps. A dedicated sentence-completion paper group has not yet been verified and linked here. New scripts still need recordings, timing, pronunciation and playback checks.