G3 English Language · 1184 / K300 · Paper 3 Listening
English listening comprehension: 30 marks, two sections, and one recording you hear only once
Paper 3 is 10% of the English grade and runs about 45 minutes. Most of it is heard twice. The last 8 marks are not: they come from a note-taking task on a recording played once, which is the part worth practising on purpose.
There is no marked practice here yet.
What you can use today is the exam itself — the format, the marks and the published band descriptors, taken from the syllabus and cited — and free practice questions you can time and record yourself on. Marked practice, with feedback on what you said, is being built and will be here in time for the 2027 orals. This page will say so the day it opens, and not before.
What is in the English listening paper?
Two sections, 30 marks in all, about 45 minutes. Section A (22 marks) is a set of listening tasks on several recordings, each heard twice. Section B (8 marks) is a note-taking task on one recording, heard once.
Section A. Candidates respond to a variety of listening tasks based on a number of audio recordings which the candidates will hear twice.
Section B. Candidates listen to an audio recording and do a simple note-taking exercise. Candidates will hear the recording only once.
Source: SEAB syllabus K300 (PDF), read 23 October 2026. Listed on SEAB’s G3 syllabus page.
Is it multiple choice?
Partly. The syllabus names multiple choice as one of several question types, alongside matching and filling in a graphic organiser, and gives them as examples rather than a complete list.
“A variety of question types, e.g. multiple choice, matching, and filling in a graphic organiser, may be set.”
“The tasks, which are based on a variety of types of audio texts, e.g. texts that recount, describe, explain or inform, may have visuals where appropriate.”
A graphic organiser is a table, chart or diagram with gaps to fill in as you listen. It matters because it changes what you listen for: a multiple-choice question gives you the options, while a gap in a table asks you to catch a detail and write it down yourself.
The audio texts are named by purpose: texts that recount, describe, explain or inform. That is the most useful line for planning practice, because each kind puts its important details in different places.
What is the Section B note-taking task?
One informational recording, heard once, and a “simple note-taking task” worth 8 marks. It is the only part of the paper you cannot hear a second time.
The syllabus does not describe what the notes look like on the page. It says only that the task is simple and the text is informational.
How is the listening paper run, and when?
SEAB’s rules say it is “conducted through a broadcast”, and you must be seated 30 minutes before it starts. In 2026 it was sat on 15 October 2026. No 2027 date has been published.
“Listening comprehension examinations will be conducted through a broadcast. You must be seated in your assigned seat, 30 minutes before the start of the examination.”
SEAB, Examination Rules and Regulations, GCE N(T)/N(A)/O-Level 2026, section 7.2.1.
The same rules say that a candidate who cannot hear the broadcast clearly at any point must tell the invigilator immediately. For 2027, SEAB’s SEC page says only: “Non-written examinations such as Science practical, oral, and listening comprehension will be scheduled before the written examinations, as per current practice.” The full timetable picture is on the exam dates page.
Is it the same at G1 and G2?
G2 is the same paper as G3, word for word. G1 is shorter on marks (20) and describes its questions as multiple-choice and multiple matching. It says nothing about sections or how many times recordings are heard.
| Level | Marks | Share of English | What the syllabus says |
|---|---|---|---|
| G3 (K300) | 30 | 10% | Section A (22), heard twice; Section B (8), note-taking, heard once |
| G2 (K200) | 30 | 10% | Section A (22 marks), recordings heard twice; Section B (8 marks), a note-taking task, heard once. “A variety of question types, e.g. multiple choice, matching, and filling in a graphic organiser, may be set.” |
| G1 (K100) | 20 | 10% | No sections stated. “a set of listening tasks comprising multiple-choice and multiple matching questions” |
From the 2027 K300, K200 and K100 syllabuses, pages 4–5. All three run about 45 minutes. The oral differs more between levels than listening does: see G1 and G2 English oral.
What the syllabus does not tell you
How many questions there are, how long each recording is, and whether you can read the questions before a recording starts. SEAB states none of these, so this page does not either.
How to practise for it (our advice, not SEAB's)
Practise each of the four kinds of audio text the syllabus names, and practise taking notes from a recording you hear only once.
This section is our suggestion, built from what the syllabus says the paper contains. It is not from SEAB.
- One kind of text at a time. A news report or a talk about an event recounts; a radio feature about a place describes; a talk on how something works explains; an announcement or a public notice informs. Listening to one kind for a week teaches you where that kind puts its key details.
- Once, then notes. For Section B, play a short informational recording a single time and write notes as it goes. Then play it again and check what you missed. The second play is for checking, not for the notes.
- Fill a table, not a page. Before you listen, draw a small table with headings you would expect (who, what, when, why) and fill the gaps as you listen. That is the habit a graphic organiser question asks for.
Common questions
- Is the O-Level English listening comprehension multiple choice?
- Not entirely. The syllabus says: "A variety of question types, e.g. multiple choice, matching, and filling in a graphic organiser, may be set." Multiple choice is one of several types, and the list is given as examples.
- How many marks is the English listening paper?
- 30 marks, 10% of English Language at G3 (and at G2). Section A is 22 marks and Section B is 8. At G1 the paper is 20 marks, also 10%.
- How many times is the recording played?
- In Section A, twice: candidates respond to tasks "based on a number of audio recordings which the candidates will hear twice". In Section B, once: "Candidates will hear the recording only once." The G1 syllabus does not say.
- Is the listening paper part of the English oral?
- No. Paper 3 Listening and Paper 4 Oral Communication are separate papers, sat on different days. In 2026 the listening paper was sat on 15 October 2026, months after the July orals.
- When is the 2027 English listening paper?
- SEAB has not published it. Its SEC page says only: "Non-written examinations such as Science practical, oral, and listening comprehension will be scheduled before the written examinations, as per current practice."
Last checked against the SEAB syllabus documents on 13 September 2026. This page was updated on 2026-10-23. OralPrep is not affiliated with SEAB or MOE.