John Field. The convention of allowing test-takers to hear a recording twice is a controversial topic within L2 listening assessment. Arguably, it compensates for the lack of visual and contextual information when an audio recording is used; but it can also be argued that, in most real-world circumstances, listeners have only one opportunity to make sense of what is said. Hearing a recording twice has been shown to increase scores, fostering the impression that it renders a test ʻeasierʼ. However, little is known about the precise effects of double play upon test-taker behaviour, the focus of this study.