CELPIP Listening Part 4: News Item
In Listening Part 4 one speaker reads a news report of about 1.5 minutes about an everyday event. Then you complete about 5 sentences in about 5 minutes, all on one screen.
Practice News Item NowThe official format of Listening Part 4: News Item
CELPIP's official strategies for Listening Part 4
From CELPIP's Listening Pro Study Pack (2026).
- Set up your notes before the audio starts.
- Read the introductory statement for context clues.
- Listen for details about who, what, when, where, and why.
- Take note of people's last names: a person is introduced by their full name and then referred to by their last name.
- Keep your notes organized.
- Be aware of the time as you answer questions.
- Answer questions you feel confident about first.
A note template for Part 4
News reports answer five questions. People are introduced by their full name, then called by their last name.
A worked CELPIP Listening Part 4 example
You will hear a news report about a new service at a public library.
Read the transcript
News reader: The Harbor View Public Library has started lending out a new kind of device, and it has become so popular that there is already a waiting list. The library now offers reading pens: small electronic pens that read printed words out loud when you slide them across a page. Each pen comes in a small case with its own charging cable, and borrowers pick them up at the front desk.
News reader: The idea came from librarian Priya Raman. Raman noticed that many newcomers to the city were borrowing children's picture books to practice their English, because the sentences were short and easy to follow. She says the pens let adults read the books they actually want to read, from cookbooks to driving manuals, while hearing how each word is pronounced.
News reader: The pens did not come out of the library's own budget. They were paid for by a local business group, which says it wants to help new residents feel at home faster.
News reader: Among the first borrowers was Marcus Bello, a retired engineer who moved to the city last spring. Bello says the pen helped him get through the forms for his driver's license without asking his grandchildren for help every time. He says the hardest part was not the reading itself, but finding the courage to try something new. He now spends his weekends at the library, showing other borrowers how to charge and use the pens.
News reader: Because demand has been so high, the library plans to buy more pens next month. In the meantime, it is asking people who no longer need theirs to bring them back early, so that the next person on the list can start reading.
- The library's new devices are pens that
- translate words into other languages
- read printed words out loud
- record what people say
- help people learn to write
- Raman got the idea after noticing that newcomers were
- asking for driving manuals
- borrowing too many books
- having trouble finding the library
- borrowing children's books to practice English
- The reading pens were paid for by
- a local business group
- the library's own budget
- the city government
- a group of volunteers
- Bello now spends his weekends
- working as an engineer
- teaching English classes
- helping other borrowers use the pens
- reading with his grandchildren
- The library asks people who no longer need a pen to
- join the waiting list
- return it before it is due
- buy their own pen
- sign up at the front desk
Show the answers and why
- B. The report describes the pens right after it names them. The clue: "small electronic pens that read printed words out loud".
- D. She was introduced as Priya Raman, and after that the report only says Raman. The clue: "many newcomers to the city were borrowing children's picture books to practice their English".
- A. The library's own budget is mentioned first, but only to say the pens did not come out of it. The clue: "They were paid for by a local business group".
- C. He used to be an engineer, and his grandchildren are who he no longer has to ask. The clue: "showing other borrowers how to charge and use the pens".
- B. The report says bring them back early, and the answer says it in new words. The clue: "bring them back early".
One news reader, 5 sentence-completion questions, with the full name first and then the last name, as in the real Part 4.
A free CELPIP Listening Part 4: News Item practice question
A Week at the Alder Bend Arena
This free question has 5 questions. The audio plays once, as on the real test, so you need to listen to answer them. Here are the first 3:
- The news item is mainly about
- a photo that spread quickly.
- a town's efforts to protect an owl.
- an owl's effect on a town.
- a new schedule at a local arena.
- Boucher first noticed the owl because of
- the owl calling from the roof.
- a post on the town's community page.
- mice running across the snow.
- a group of noisy crows.
- The morning practices were moved because
- the lot was full at practice time.
- visitors were blocking the main doors.
- the owl needed peace and quiet during the day.
- visitors were crowding the lobby.
Common mistakes on Part 4: News Item
- Not writing down last names. Later questions use only the last name.
- Answering in order when you are unsure. In Part 4 you can answer the ones you know first.
- Running out of time, because all the questions share one timer.
- Choosing an answer with the same words as the report but a different meaning.
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Practice News Item questions with instant scoring and detailed explanations.
Start PracticingPart 4: News Item FAQ
How many questions are in CELPIP Listening Part 4?+
About 5, in about 5 minutes.
Who speaks in Listening Part 4?+
One speaker, who reads a news report like one on the radio or TV.
What do Part 4 questions look like?+
Sentence completions. All of them appear on one screen, and you can answer them in any order within the time.
Why do last names matter in Part 4?+
In news stories, a person is introduced by their full name and then referred to by their last name, so note both.