IELTS Listening Tips : An Overview
IELTS Listening Tips : An Overview
There are four parts to the IELTS listening test. Each part is about a different topic and gets increasingly more difficult.
The first audio is usually an informal dialogue in a social or everyday situation. For example, a conversation about opening a bank account, or someone inquiring about accommodation or a training course.
The second audio is usually a non-academic monologue. This could be one person giving information on something such as a guided museum tour, information about a conference or tourist information.
The third audio is usually a discussion (between 3-4 people) related to education/training. This may be a discussion between 2 students and a tutor about a group assignment, or among a group of students talking about a project.
The fourth and final audio is usually a university style lecture. This could be related to any academic topic.
Remember to speak to the examiner immediately if you’re having audio problems!
Summary of the Listening Test
Part 1 – Social context (2 speakers)
Part 2 – Social context (1 speaker)
Part 3 – Education/training (2-4 speakers)
Part 4 – Academic context (1 speaker)
No specialist subject knowledge is necessary. All the answers you need will be provided in the recordings.
The total test time is 40 minutes: 30 minutes of listening, and 10 minutes to transfer your answers from the test sheet onto the answer sheet. There will be 40 questions in total.
IELTS Listening Tips
Here are some important IELTS listening tips to remember:
Tip #1: You will be given some time to read the questions before each recording is played. Read the questions very carefully as you will hear each recording only once, so you want to be familiar with the questions before you hear the recording
Tip #2: As you listen, write your answers in your test booklet and then transfer them at the end of the listening test. You will be given 10 minutes to do this. Be sure to check that you have transferred your answers correctly and remember to check your spelling and grammar. Also, be sure to complete your answer sheet. An incomplete answer sheet means and incomplete score.
Tip #3: Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything you hear. Listen out for the keywords from the questions and focus on what you need to be listening out for.
Tip #4: If you miss a question, don’t dwell on it because you may miss the answer to the next one. So, if you miss one, move on.
Tip #5: Make sure you follow the word count in the instructions of each question. For example, if the instructions say “write no more than one word” and you write “the train” instead of “train”, your answer will be marked as incorrect.
Tip #6: There is no negative marking, so you will just get a zero for an incorrect or incomplete answer.
Tip #7: Always cross check your answers from your answer sheet to your listening booklet.