In this section you’ll find some free practice activities to help you prepare for the test.
Listenings
There are 12 listening questions and there are four different types of questions. You can only listen to the audio twice.
- Dialogue – you’ll hear a short dialogue between two seafarers and you have to answer a multiple choice question.
- Dialogue – again, you’ll hear a short dialogue and the question will refer to a picture that you have to select. Be careful, there are distractors (these are words that refer to the picture
- Monologue – in this type of question, you’ll only hear the question and you have to choose one of four responses.
- There are some questions based on time and numbers (very important for a seafarer) One of the question you’ll have to write the number that you hear. This could be something like a time, speed, weight.
Some tips and advice to help with the listening part of the test
Read the questions carefully before listening so that you know what you’re listening for.
Listen out for synonyms (words which are similar) that could help you.
Listen to the whole recording before choosing your answer.
Use the second listening to check your answers.
Try to relax your listening skills will be better if you do.
Don’t leave any question unanswered. If you’re not sure, guess!
Here is a practice listening activity for the type 3 listening activity.
Grammar
These activities give you an idea of the types of questions that you will find. The grammar is generally at a CPR B2 level, but the vocabulary and situations are similar to what you might find at sea.
The other vocabulary exercise is a ‘drag and drop’ activity. You have 3 groups of words and you have to drag them into the correct column. Remember, if you don’t know what the word means, you can always guess the answer!
Another exercise that you have to do is to label the picture by dragging the correct word and dropping it into the corresponding box.
This is a test of grammar.
The next activity is a grammar test. Drag the words from left and right to make a correct sentence. The first and last words cannot be moved.
This is an example of a reading test. You have to read a couple of paragraphs and you need to complete the gaps with the correct word. Click on the arrows and select the correct word or phrase from each drop-down list.
This is another type of reading test, but this time it’s a bit longer. The theme, like everything on the test, is maritime. You have to read the text and decide which of these paragraph headings best describes what’s written in the paragraphs. There is one heading that you don’t need to use.
This is how we suggest you approach the paragraph-matching task
Quickly read each paragraph to get a general idea of what the text is about. (This type of reading is called skimming.)Then look at the paragraph headings, then read the paragraphs again, more slowly this time, with descriptions of the paragraphs and see if the answer ‘jumps out’ at you.
Even if you’re not sure about the answer, never leave anything blank. Just have a guess – after all, you’ve got a one-in-four chance of getting it right!
There are some multiple-choice questions too. In this set of 20 questions (with answers), they will give you practice with some common vocabulary that you will come across in a maritime setting.
IMO Standard Marine Communication phrases used in the Marlins Test
We’ve now got a YouTube Channel. This is being constantly updated, at the moment there are only phrases used in IMO communication. In the video I define and explain the vocabulary. You have a chance to then hear the word and then say it so that it’s easy to remember.
If you do like the channel, then remember to like and subscribe and this will help others to find it.
Want more activities? Then click on here to take you to the next free practice test
This site is constantly revised, and all mock-exam materials aim to be as accurate as possible and we offer you a good selection of up-to-date practice exams. However, we have to point out that that we are not connected or endorsed by Marlin. We also recommend that you check the Marlins website from time to time for any news about possible exam updates.