IELTS Listening

IELTS Listening: Key Information

  • Both IELTS Academic and General Training will take the same Listening test.
  • The duration of the test is 40 minutes – 30 minutes to listen to the audio and answer the question and 10 minutes to transfer the answers to the answer booklet.
  • 40 questions: 4 sections (10 questions from each section)
  • You will listen to 4 recordings
  • The IELTS Listening audio will only be played once.

IELTS Listening assesses your ability to understand the main ideas, detailed information, opinions, purpose, and attitudes of the speakers, as well as your ability to follow the development of ideas.

Note: It is important you practice effective listening by listening to native speakers’ conversations, documentaries, news broadcasts, TED talks, etc.

IELTS Listening: Section 1

This section usually involves TWO SPEAKERS on the telephone in a conversation about making a reservation, placing an order, reporting a stolen item, etc.

Specific details such as names, dates, times, places, numbers, etc. would be tested.

IELTS Listening: Section 2

This is usually a MONOLOGUE (one speaker) and you will hear a talk from a guide on navigating a building facility, a resort, and a company. It basically borders on presenting information about a place or an event.

Specific details about navigating a facility would be tested.

IELTS Listening: Section 3

This will be a conversation, often among several people, about an ACADEMIC DISCUSSION. You might hear a few students discussing something from class, or a professor providing feedback about an assignment, for example.

This section is a bit more challenging because vocabulary is more difficult, the topics are more complicated, and there are more speakers involved in the discussion.

IELTS Listening: Section 4

This will be an ACADEMIC LECTURE from a professor. It could cover any topic from a typical college course. You are not required to have specialized knowledge about the subject matter. However, the language will be difficult and the lecture will be complex. This is regarded as the toughest.

IELTS Listening: Question Types

There are a number of IELTS Listening Question Types.

  • SHORT ANSWER

    This question type requires you to identify specific information about a topic. You will need to listen and then write a SHORT ANSWER  in each blank space provided. The instruction will contain the number of words you are allowed to write as your answer.

  • MULTIPLE CHOICE

    This question type requires you to CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER from a list. Pay attention to synonyms and paraphrases in the recording.

  • FORM COMPLETION

    This question type requires you to fill in pieces of information as captured on the form.

    Watch out for distractors here.

  • SENTENCE COMPLETION

    This question type requires you to COMPLETE A SENTENCE with a short answer at the end. The sentence will almost always be a paraphrase of something you will hear in the recording. In other words, don’t expect to hear a speaker say the exact sentence as it is written in the question.

    You also need to note the NUMBER OF WORDS you are allowed to write as your answer.

  • PLAN, MAP & DIAGRAM LABELING

    It involves filling in a map with the information from the speaker. It can be plan of a building, a map of a location or a diagram.

  • MATCHING

    Here, you will listen to details in a conversation between two people and you will have to match the items in the lists of options.

    Synonyms and paraphrases may be used.

IELTS Listening: Tips & Strategies

  • Familiarize yourself with different accents.
  • Learn to multitask as you will be listening and writing the same time.
  • Spell your answers correctly in order not to lose marks for wrongly spelled answers. There may be names of people or places which usually would be spelled out and you may also be given some numbers combined with letters to write as your answer.
  • Use the waiting time to read and understand the instructions.

Example:
WRITE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER this means the following: 

You can write one word – e.g LIBRARIAN

You can write two words – e.g A LIBRARIAN

You can write three words – e.g A LADY LIBRARIAN

You can write three words and a number – e,g 2 AMERICAN LADY LIBRARIAN

You can write just a number – 2

You can write – TWO

If the instruction states that you should write ONLY LETTERS, write only
letters and not WORDS.

  • Underline KEYWORDS in the question to help you focus on the information needed.
  • Write all your answers under the Listening test in CAPITAL LETTERS. This will help to reduce the incidence of writing answers illegibly which may result in a loss of marks. E.g. COUNTDOWN, GARDEN AREA, etc

American or British spelling is allowed
      British             American 

   NEIGHBOUR        NEIGHBOR

   COLOUR               COLOR

   ORGANISE           ORGANIZE

   CENTRE                CENTER

  • Be aware of COMMON TRAPS or DISTRACTORS (Answers that are changed as the speaker is talking) Example:

CALLER: Here is my phone number 48623289, oh, sorry the last two digit is 98, not 89

  • Pay attention to paraphrases, synonyms, and plurals.

E.g. The event will take place at the Country Hall
Question
Event Venue…………………..

In conclusion

You need to take cues from the audio to help you focus on the answers. You also need to be aware of some tricks that IELTS has embedded in the audio.

You need to take to the instructions and write your answers correctly.

 

Need further help on IELTS Listening and more strategies? Check the link below:

Intensive Course on Listening