IELTS Listening Practice and Tips
Uploaded by
Tess SeseIELTS Listening Practice and Tips
Uploaded by
Tess SeseListening Skills
Practice and Tips
for the
IELTS Listening Tests
General
Informatio
n
O
V
E
R
V
I
E
W
IELTS Listening
The IELTS Listening Test consists of 4 sections:
•In Section 1, two people have a discussion set in a social context (e.g.
talking about travel arrangements or renting a house).
•In Section 2, one person talks about a non-academic topic (e.g. the
benefits of exercise).
•In Section 3, up to four people have a discussion in an educational or
training context (e.g. a study group of students discussing a
presentation, or two students discussing a project with their tutor).
•In Section 4, one person gives a talk on an academic topic (e.g. a
lecture).
IELTS Listening
Each part of the test is more difficult than the previous one,
so Part 1 is the easiest and Part 4 is the most difficult.
The test lasts for approximately 30 minutes.
At the end of the test, you have 10 minutes to transfer your
answers to the official answer sheet.
The IELTS Listening Test contains 40 questions.
There are approximately 10 questions in each part.
IELTS Listening
The speakers in the recordings have a range of accents,
including British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and
American.
The British accent could include Scottish, Irish, English or Welsh
accents.
General
Tips
IELTS Listening Tips
1. The recording will be played only once. You will not hear it a
second time. You should practice doing this a number of times.
2. You will need to multitask. You must be able to read the
questions, listen for the answers, and write down words. You
should practice doing this.
3. If you don’t know an answer, GUESS. Always write something on
your answer sheet. You won’t lose marks if your answer is wrong.
IELTS Listening Tips
4. Check the number of words you can have for your answer.
Each time the question type changes, the number of words for the
answer might change, too.
5. If you answer is spelled wrong, the answer is marked
wrong. Check your spelling when you transfer your answers to the
answer sheet.
6. Read and follow the instructions carefully. If it asks for a
letter, do not write a word.
IELTS Listening Tips
7. Write your answers in CAPITAL LETTERS. These are often
easier to read. Also, you don’t risk losing marks for writing the
names of proper nouns incorrectly.
8. Don’t try to understand everything. IELTS will add lots of
extra information (distractors). Keep yourself focused on listening
for answers to questions.
IELTS Listening Tips
9. Listening requires a number of small skills, or micro-skills, to do
well.
IELTS tests a range of these micro-skills, including:
your ability to distinguish between different speakers
your ability to identify distractors
your ability to recognize paraphrase
your ability to predict answers
10. Practice several full tests at home to build up your ability to
concentrate.
Common Issues
1. Giving the answer then changing it.
Example:
Speaker A: “Is it ok to meet at 7pm?”
Speaker B: “Yes, 7pm works fine for me.” Oh, but I just
remembered I have a late meeting, could we
make it at half past instead?”
Don’t think that the first answer you hear is the correct
one.
Always keep listening and be ready for the speaker to change the
Common Issues
2. Listen for the word “but” or “however.” This can mean a
negative is coming which means it might not be the right answer.
3. In multiple choice question type, you might not hear the exact
words in the answer options – answers might be a paraphrase
Listening Test Question Types
multiple choice form completion table completion
note completion diagram labelling sentence
completion
summary map labelling form chart
completion
Multiple
Choice
Question Type A:
Multiple choice
Question Type A:
Multiple choice
Question Type A:
Multiple choice
Question Type A:
Multiple choice
Picture
Multiple
Choice
IELTS Listening Tips
1. The recording will be played only once. You will not hear it a
second time. You should practice doing this a number of times.
2. If you don’t know an answer, GUESS. Always write something on
your answer sheet. You won’t lose marks if your answer is wrong.
3. . Don’t try to understand everything. IELTS will add lots of
extra information (distractors). Keep yourself focused on listening
for answers to questions.
Question Type B:
Picture
Multiple Choice
Question Type B:
Picture
Multiple Choice
Sentence
Completion
IELTS Listening Tips
1. Read through the sentences carefully before you listen. Identify
the key words.
2.Predict what type of word you need to listen for.
3. Anticipate any possible paraphrases for words in the
sentences.
4. Check the number of words you can have for your answer.
5. If you answer is spelled wrong, the answer is marked
wrong.
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Good luck!!!
