Writing Competition
Listen to a radio programme and complete the notes with the words you hear.
Listening Part 3
Improve your Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) listening skills with this Part 3 gap-fill exercise. You will hear one person talking and complete a set of notes using the exact words you hear — usually one or two words, a number, a date or a time. This activity helps you prepare for the exam and build real-life listening confidence.
- ⏱️ This Writing Competition task takes 10–15 minutes
- 💡 Listen to a radio programme and fill each gap with the words you hear
- 📶 B1 — the intermediate stage of learning English
Key Vocabulary
- edition — one issue of a regular programme, magazine or newspaper
- prize — something you win in a competition
- entry — a piece of work you send in to take part in a competition
- imagination — the ability to form new ideas and pictures in your mind
- age limit — the youngest or oldest age at which you are allowed to do something
Useful Language
Talking about the prize: You can win your own computer. · It comes with a colour printer.
Competition rules: Write a short story up to 1,500 words. · Everything must be in the future. · You must be under eighteen.
Sending entries: Send your entries to the usual address. · Put your name, address and age at the end. · Post it by the 8th of March.
Exam Tip
The notes usually follow the order of the recording. Listen for the facts a competition needs — the prize, the word limit, the type of story, the age limit and the closing date — and write numbers and dates exactly, such as “1,500 words” and “the 8th of March”.
Part 3: Writing Competition
You will hear part of a radio programme about a writing competition.
Joy Jones Well, that’s about it for this month’s edition of Book Club. We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing our discussion this week. Now it’s time for me to tell you about our super new competition. And I have to say, you won’t believe the prize we’ve got for you this month. Would you believe we’re giving you the chance to win your own computer? And not just a computer – it comes with a colour printer as well. This is a competition you really have to enter, isn’t it? So, what do you need to know? And what do you have to do?
All you have to do is enter our short story competition. It couldn’t be easier. We want you to write a short story up to 1,500 words long. The rules are very simple. In fact, they could hardly be simpler. We want lots of entries. What you have to do is sit down and write a short crime story, using your own ideas – and they can be as strange and wonderful as you like, in fact, the stranger, the better. But, and this is important, everything that happens in your story must be in the future. So, just let your imagination fly away, and start writing, because this could be your lucky month.
Send your entries to me, Joy Jones, at the usual address. Put your name, address, telephone number and, very important this, so don’t forget, your age, at the end of your story. Oh, and I forgot to say, for this competition, there’s an age limit. You must be under eighteen when you enter. Make sure you post your story in time to reach me by the 8th of March. So good luck, good writing and good reading until next month.
Now listen again.
That is the end of B1 Preliminary Listening Part 3. You now have two minutes to check your answers.
B1 Practice
We provide targeted listening and speaking exercises to help students prepare for B1 Preliminary Listening Part 3 of the Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) exam. These interactive activities are designed to build confidence, improve comprehension, and develop essential skills for success in Part 3 of the B1 Listening Test. Practise now and get ready for test day with real-life topics and engaging tasks.
Part 1 — Multiple Choice
Part 2 — Multiple Choice
Part 4 — Multiple Choice
The B1 Preliminary Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One examiner talks to you while the other listens.
B1 Success
We regularly update our website with new B1 Preliminary Listening Part 3 activities, as well as reading and writing exercises to support your learning. Bookmark our site and return anytime to keep improving your English — whether you are at home, at school, or on the go!
Part 1
Read five real-world notices, messages and other short texts for the main message.
- Notices and Messages How to Video
- Notices and Messages Set 1
- Notices and Messages Set 2
- Notices and Messages Set 3
- Notices and Messages Set 4
- Notices and Messages Set 5
- Notices and Messages Set 6
- Notices and Messages Set 7
- Notices and Messages Set 8
Part 2
Match five descriptions of people to eight short texts on a particular topic, showing detailed comprehension.
Part 3
Read a longer text for detailed comprehension, gist, inference and global meaning, as well as writer’s attitude and opinion.
Part 4
Read a longer text from which five sentences have been removed. Show understanding of how a coherent and well-structured text is formed.
Part 5
Read a shorter text and choose the correct vocabulary items to complete gaps.
- Bagpipes
- Book Recommendation
- Mountain Climbing
- Playing Computer Games
- Popular Website
- Saving a Tree
- Single or Mixed-gender Schools
- Work of Art
Part 6
Read a shorter text and complete six gaps using one word for each gap.
Part 1
Write about 100 words, answering the email and notes provided.
Part 2
Write about 100 words, either an article or a story.
Articles
Short Stories
Links
Cambridge English exams help learners at every stage of their language journey. From A2 Key (Elementary level) to B2 First (Upper-Intermediate level), these internationally recognised tests provide proof of English language ability in real-life situations. Whether you are preparing for work, study, or travel, Cambridge exams are designed to assess your English skills in practical and meaningful contexts.