The subject of this article is to present the results of the research aimed at diagnosing the level of listening skills of 4th grade students. The study was conducted on a sample of 210 students from eight primary schools in Opole. An original test based on a popular song was used for the diagnosis. It consisted in checking the mastery of selected receptive and productive skills (both at a global and local level). The research shows that receptive skills are better mastered by fourth graders than productive ones. As part of their receptive skills, students are good at understanding the song at a global level, while it is difficult for them to understand the text at the local level. In turn, as part of productive skills, the tendency is reversed: for those under examination it is easier to use detailed information from the text in practice than sense it over. The obtained research results help to answer the question as to which perceptive skills should be developed as part of the Polish language educa-tion to prepare students for competent listening in out-of-school situations.