Choose a voice and pace you can follow

Start with a clip of a few minutes rather than a whole programme. Ask yourself whether the voice sounds clear, whether you can make out the sentences and whether you can identify the general topic. The aim is not to understand every detail on the first listen. It is to stay engaged without quickly losing track. These questions give you a simple way to compare the stations you try.

Also check whether the pace and style suit you in the formats you would actually listen to. A tightly packed news bulletin may feel harder to follow than a story or a calmly delivered presentation. Cambridge English recommends choosing listening material that interests the learner, and mentions online radio and short news audio as ways to practise. You can therefore favour a station whose way of telling a story makes you want to keep listening.

Compare topics and formats, not just the label “news”

A station may offer bulletins, interviews, regular features or stories. Each format asks something different of you as a listener: a short bulletin may move rapidly from one fact to the next, while an interview switches between voices. Before choosing a station, look at the kinds of programmes available and pick out the ones you would enjoy hearing regularly. Ask yourself, too, whether the topics are familiar enough that you can focus on the English rather than constantly trying to work out the background.

To test the range, choose one clip about a familiar topic and another about something you know less about. Compare how easily you can tell who is speaking, what they are talking about and which information seems important. The British Council’s B2 listening activities include programmes and an activity about business news. That is one example of listening material to explore; when choosing a station, compare the formats you personally enjoy.

Check what help is available before settling on a station

A transcript can help you check a word or sentence you could not catch. See whether transcripts actually accompany the programmes you want to hear and whether they are easy to find. Also check whether you can replay the audio, access programmes when it suits you and listen on your device. These practical details are worth considering before making a station your regular listening resource.

Try it for yourself: listen without reading first, then consult the transcript if there is one and replay the same passage. Notice whether the text helps you understand what you missed, without assuming every programme will have a transcript. Cambridge English suggests working with short segments and returning to something you have already heard to pick up more ideas. When choosing, favour a station whose access and supporting materials make you want to repeat this test.

Try this during your next listening session

1. Choose two English-language news radio stations and find a short clip from each.
2. Listen to each clip once without reading a transcript; note the topic and the words you recognise.
3. Compare how clear the voices are, the format and your interest in the topic.
4. Replay the clip you preferred, using a transcript if one is available, then choose which station to explore further.

Listen with Slow English FM

To try a station designed for easier listening, discover Slow English FM: a free live radio in easy English, delivered at a measured pace, with news, stories, weather and short English-learning segments. The continuous live broadcast includes music breaks. You can also find replays, transcripts and sources; some programmes offer synchronised text highlighting. Listen to a clip and see whether the pace and formats suit you.

Sources and writing

• How can I improve my listening? A brief guide with tips for improving listening skills
• B2 listening

Guide written with AI assistance and automatically checked against our editorial standards. The exercises are practice suggestions, with no guarantee of results.