TIPS & TRICKSMultiple Matching

  • 5 speakers, one theme
  • 2 tasks, 8 options each
  • 10 answers in total
  • You hear all five twice

You hear five short monologues on the same theme, and there are two tasks. For each speaker you choose one option in Task 1 and one in Task 2, so you give ten answers in total.

Each task has eight options, three of them extras. Both tasks come from the same recording, so you listen for two different things in each speaker's turn.

Two questions per speaker

Read both task headings carefully. They ask different things, for example why someone did something and how they feel about it now. Each speaker answers both, often in different parts of their turn.

Listen for both tasks

Keep both tasks in mind every time you listen, since a speaker may answer Task 2 before Task 1. If the double focus feels heavy, give Task 1 priority the first time and Task 2 the second, but note anything you catch for either.

Expect heavy paraphrase

At this level, the options are abstract summaries of what speakers say. Someone who complains that 'nobody warned me about the paperwork' may match being unprepared for the practical side. Think in ideas, not words.

Find the main point

Speakers often mention ideas from other options in passing. Ask what their turn is really about, and choose the option that captures their main point, not a detail.

Don't fix answers early

Once you're sure of an answer, that option is used. But be careful with doubtful ones: one wrong choice can push other answers out of place. Keep possibilities open until the second listening.

Gaps are normal

Few people get all ten answers on the first listening. You'll hear every speaker again, so stay with the speaker you're hearing now rather than worrying about one you've missed.

Strategy

  1. 1Read the theme line and both task headings so you know the two questions for each speaker.
  2. 2Read all sixteen options and think how each one might sound in real speech.
  3. 3Listen to each speaker for both tasks, noting possible answers as they come.
  4. 4Commit only to the answers you're sure of on the first listening, and note your guesses.
  5. 5Fill the gaps and test your doubtful choices when you hear the speakers again.
  6. 6Check that no option is used twice within the same task.
  7. 7Answer all ten items before the end, guessing any you still don't know.
Practise Multiple Matching16 exams to practise. The first one is free.