The ECL measures listening and reading. In the ALCPT, 50 of the 100 questions are listening questions. Many learners who read well lose points here, because spoken English is faster and less clear than written English. The good news: listening improves quickly with regular practice.
Listen before you read
In the trainer, press Listen (or the L key on a computer) before you look at the choices. Try to understand the sentence by ear first. Then read it. This small change turns every grammar question into a listening exercise.
Learn the sounds of fast American English
Native speakers do not pronounce every word clearly. Learn to expect these changes:
- The soft t. Between two vowels, t often sounds like a quick d: water, better, a lot of.
- Short forms. I'll, he'd, wouldn't, should've. Listen for the small sound that carries the grammar.
- Weak words. Small words such as to, for, and, of become very short. The important words carry the stress.
- can and can't. In I can go, can is weak and short. In I can't go, can't is stressed and longer.
- Past endings. The -ed ending can sound like t (worked), d (called) or id (wanted).
Practice numbers, times and dates
Numbers are easy to read and hard to hear. Practice them aloud until they are automatic:
- military time: 0800 is zero eight hundred, 1430 is fourteen thirty;
- years: 1988 is nineteen eighty-eight, 2008 is two thousand eight;
- teens and tens: fifteen (stress at the end) and fifty (stress at the start).
Shadow the voice
Shadowing means repeating a sentence right after you hear it, with the same rhythm. Use the Listen button, pause, and repeat. Do it for five minutes a day. It trains your ear and your speaking at the same time.
Change the speed
In Settings > Audio you can change the reading speed. Start slower if you need to, then move to normal speed as soon as you can. Practice at a speed that is a little difficult for you, not one that is comfortable.
Choose a good voice
On a computer, the voice comes from your browser. Google Chrome offers Google US English, and Microsoft Edge offers natural voices such as Aria or Jenny. You can choose the voice in Settings > Audio. On an Android phone, the free app uses your phone's Google voice and also works without internet.