IELTS Listening Preparation (Part 1)

Is it the same for GT and Academic test-takers?
The IELTS Listening test is the same (question types and difficulty) for both Academic and General Training test-takers. The Listening test measures your ability on how well you understand spoken English in various real-life situations. So, no matter the type of IELTS test you are taking (General Training or Academic), you will be assessed with the same types of questions with the same difficulty level.

In the Listening test, you will listen to 4 audio recordings, with generally 10 questions in each section. The questions are ordered in the same manner as the information provided in the recording; therefore, the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on. The recordings might include various accents, like British, New Zealand, Australian, Canadian or American, to cater for the international usage of IELTS.

The 4 Sections of the Listening Test:

Section 1/ Recording 1: A conversation between two people within a social or everyday context, like accommodation or shopping.

Section 2/ Recording 2: A monologue based on a social or everyday context, providing practical information about daily living.

Section 3/ Recording 3: A conversation between two or more people within an educational and training context, such as a student assignment or a lecture.

Section 4/ Recording 4: A monologue usually based on an academic subject, for example, a university lecture or a presentation.

This is the general test format for the 4 sections of the test. However, it may vary slightly from time to time. So, don’t worry if the sections or recordings are not exactly the same as above.

Here is an example of a real IELTS Listening Test and its 4 sections.

For each section, you are provided with a set of questions and a short period of time to read and understand the questions before listening to the conversation or monologue. As you listen to the recording, you are required to answer the questions by choosing the correct answer, completing sentences, filling in the gaps and so on. Later in this article, we will teach more about the types of questions you are likely to have in your Listening test.

Each section gets more difficult as the test progresses. Each audio is played only once. So listen attentively. The test is approximately 30 minutes long – 20 minutes to listen to the audio and write answers in the question papers, and another 10 minutes to transfer answers from the question booklet to the answer sheet.

Some Useful Tips To Follow:

You should practice well so that you understand both monologues and conversations by multiple people. Without getting used to listening to different types of talks, you may find it difficult to understand and answer when you take the IELTS Listening test.

1. Practise so that you understand different types of English accents.
In your IELTS Listening test, you will have a variety of English accents. If you do not listen to them regularly before you take the test, you may find it difficult to understand some accents.

2. You should be very careful about your spelling.
Any incorrect spelling will cost you marks. Even if your answer is accurate, but your spelling is not, you will not be given any marks for the answer.

3. If your answer is grammatically incorrect, it will be marked as wrong.
Grammar is also important in the IELTS Listening test. Write grammatically accurate answers. Not being able to do so will cost you marks.

4. You should try to predict the answer before you hear the audio clip.
This is perhaps the most important tip that we can share with you! As you can read the question before you begin to listen to the conversation, you know what type of information you need to hear in order to answer a question. [ Practice this tip, and you are guaranteed to score higher. ]

5. You ought to know the instructions of the test beforehand.
You should read the instructions of the IELTS Listening test very carefully while you prepare for the test. Do that so often that you do not need to read each word of the instruction when you take the test. This way, you would be able to save some time in your original IELTS Listening Test. Always adhere to the instructions. For instance, if the instruction says that your answer should not be more than 3 words, you must follow this instruction. Otherwise, your answer will be incorrect.

6. Develop your vocabulary, and it will enhance your listening score.
A rich vocabulary helps you understand the talks and write the answers accurately. So, you should be curious to learn more English words.

7. You should get used to listening to a recording only once.
This is because when you take the IELTS Listening test, you will listen to the recording only once. There is no way you can request to repeat a conversation or a part of a conversation.

8. Practice daily for a couple of hours rather than practising for several hours per day.
Research shows that everyday practice for a couple of hours produces far better results than the other approaches.

IELTS Listening Exam Question Types:

The IELTS Listening test includes different types of questions, and knowing about them and how to answer each type of question will help you score higher.

Question Types:

• Multiple Choice 
• completing Forms/Notes 
• Short Answer Questions 
• Sentence Completion 
• Matching 
• Table Completion 
• Labelling a Map/Plan 
• Summary Completion 

The diverse range of question types means that you often need to write the answers on your answer sheet instead of simply selecting the correct answers from four choices, as you do when you have only multiple-choice type questions. This is crucial because in such cases, you are also required to spell correctly, or the answers will be marked as incorrect. If the answer, for instance, is “cats” and you write ‘cat’, it may be marked as incorrect. You also need to make sure that you write the right information. To illustrate, if the answer is “white cat” and you write only ‘cat’, you may also lose marks.

Question Type # 1: Multiple Choice

In the multiple choice question type, you will hear a series of recorded monologues, dialogues, or conversations, and answer questions by choosing the right answer from a set of given options (usually from 4 choices). There are three different kinds of multiple-choice listening questions. They include:

• Short Answer 
• Sentence Completion  
• Matching Picture 

Common Problems with this question type: 
You may encounter several common issues/ complexities while answering multiple-choice-type questions. Being aware of these complexities, you can overcome these mistakes. The most common problems are:

Issue 1:  In the recording, often, all of the choices will be mentioned, not just the correct one. This makes things confusing!
Solution: Listen attentively and discard options that are not correct. Do not select the first one you listen to, and assume that this is the correct answer. Rather try to understand which is the correct answer and why.

Issue 2: The answers will usually be paraphrased, which makes it hard to find.
Solution: So do not expect to hear what has been given in the question. Rather, get ready to listen to something that has the same meaning but a slightly different sentence format.

Issue 3:  The answer choices often seem similar in meaning.
Solution: Enhance your vocabulary. Guess the answer as you listen, find out why this is the correct answer, and others are incorrect.

Issue 4:  You have to read a lot of information and pay great attention to the recorded audio at the same time.
Solution: Try to learn about the question types and instructions when you prepare. This way, you won’t have to read all the instructions, word by word, when you take the test.

Tips for answering multiple-choice question types:
The following tips will help you to maximise your score in Multiple Choice Questions. It has been formulated to help you understand how to answer the questions quickly and accurately:

Tip 1:  Pay attention to the keywords. The keyword in the question will guide you to find the correct answer. The keywords in the different choices are the ones that create different meanings between the options.

Tip 2:  Don’t choose the first option you hear. Keep in mind that the question might try to trick you.

Tip 3:  Don’t spend excessive time on a single question. If you don’t know the answer and are unsure, then make your educated guess and proceed.

Tip 4:  Be cautious when you hear words like ‘but’ or ‘however’. These words often indicate that the speaker will add more details or alter what they previously said.

Tip 5: Your answer will often be a letter, not a complete word. Therefore, you should read the instructions carefully and be cautious when transferring your answer at the end of the test.

Strategy for Multiple Choice Question Type:
The following strategies will help you to achieve a high score in Multiple Choice Questions:

Strategy 1:  Read the instructions meticulously.

Strategy 2:  Read the question carefully and figure out what they are actually asking for. Highlight the keyword in the question.

Strategy 3:  Take a look at the different options and underline any keywords that will help you to distinguish the difference in meaning.

Strategy 4:  Think about synonyms and paraphrases that you might hear.

Strategy 5:  Try to predict the answer in advance.

Strategy 6:  When you are listening, listen carefully for important words and synonyms.

Strategy 7:  Don’t write the first answer you hear. The speaker may discuss multiple options. So, wait until the speaker has talked about all the options and then answer. Be cautious with the answers that are initially given by the speaker but then changed or taken away.

Strategy 8:  If you think an answer is correct, mark it with a tick and keep listening to confirm.

Strategy 9:  Don’t spend more time than needed. If you are confused with an answer, make a good guess and move on without getting stuck.