IELTS Listening Tips and Tricks

IELTS is an international language test which consists of four parts- Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Every part has its own importance and strategies in order to get good bands in IELTS exam. In this article, we will specifically look at listening module, and discuss exam format and IELTS listening tips and tricks.

IELTS listening module- format

IELTS listening module consists of four parts. In each part, recording is played and you have to find answer while recording is being played.

You are given 30 minutes to solve 40 questions. Each question carries 1 mark or point, and the questions are arranged in the same order as the recordings are played.

Now, let us understand the listening parts in detail:

Part 1: In this part, there will be a conversation between two people. This recording is about general conversation of social context.

Part 2: This part contains a monologue about social context.

Part 3: This is the third part of IELTS listening module, and consists of a conversation between two people. The conversation is in academic context.

Part 4: In this part, there will be a monologue about academic subject.

Format of IELTS listening module

5 Types of tasks in IELTS listening

There are more or less 5 different types of tasks that are included in IELTS exam. To get information about these tasks is important to get good bands.

Let us understand 5 types of tasks in IELTS listening:

Multiple choice questions

During listening, multiple-choice questions are asked, especially in part 2 and part 3. This part is considered very tricky, so following tips will help you to solve this portion skillfully.

There might be distractors (mental or psychological) while recording is played. Sometimes, the examiner will give confusing details and it becomes hard to find the right answer. This can only be avoided by underlining or circling the key words and significant information.
Sometimes, the answer is paraphrased, and its synonym is given. Therefore, it would be better to prepare advance IELTS vocabulary.

Map labeling questions

In these types of questions, you have to label a map which is given to you. You will have to listen to the recording and find answers that fit on the map or in the blank spaces. The given tips can help you during map labeling questions:

It can be about some place or any tour.
Sometimes, it is about direction, so pay attention to the words that explain direction. For example, below the table, over the moon, and in front of tree etc.
Read all the questions before the recording starts. This will minimize the chances of missing answer.
Read the word count or word limit for answer. If examiner has asked two words, then write only two words. If you write more than the limit, you will not be awarded points for that.

Matching questions

These questions are not very common, but they can be asked in listening. Following are the tips that will help you to find answer:

Read the statements given to you as questions, then point out keywords of these questions; it will make easier to find answer.
On the question paper, you can write down all the options or information linked to that particular question in order to find answer.

Sentence completion questions

This is the type of question which is common in IELTS listening exam. In this question, there would be a blank, and the examiner will ask you to fill it. These tips can help you to solve these questions:

You must pay attention to grammar, word count and spelling. Your marks can be deducted because of grammar and spelling mistakes.
Before you start listening to recordings, you should read all questions. This will help you to find the specific information you are listening for.
You can also guess the answer before the recording starts. The options can be a place, name, or date.
Sometimes, paraphrased words are used in the question, so it is essential for you to learn different kinds of vocabulary. Besides paraphrased question, the answer will be the exact word being played in the audio.

Short answer

In this type of task, the question is asked, and the listener has to find answer while audio is played. The answer must be in short form following the limit of words mentioned in the instructions.

6 points to consider about IELTS listening

IELTS listening test is same for both academic and general training test.
Limited time is given to you to read the questions before the audio starts. At the end, time to review answers is also given which should be used in the best possible way to read next questions.
There will be 30 minutes for listening. For paper based test, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer answers to IELTS listening answer sheet, and for computer based test, this time limits to 2 minutes.
There are 40 questions, and each question carries 1 mark. The level of difficulty increases with questions moving from part 1 to part 4.
Pay special attention to spellings, grammar, and word count.
Tune yourself with both type of tasks i-e monologue and general conversation.

IELTS band score calculation/ band chart

The following table illustrates the calculation of IELTS listening band score, also known as IELTS chart:

IELTS listening tips before preparation

Things you should set before preparation

See IELTS test and familiarize yourself with test structure/format.
Learn about the question types.
Understand about band score/band chart.
Study by setting goals.

IELTS listening tips- guidelines to improve

IELTS listening can be improved with practice, but it should be done in the right way. Here are IELTS listening tips and tricks that will help you achieve good bands in listening module.

Practice different accents

You must practice different accents while doing preparation. There are four audios and the speaker can be from different linguistic regions, and can have different dialect. So, practice all these accents. News channels can be the best source to well aware from these accents like BBC, or Al-Jazeera. You can also listen to different podcasts or radio channels.

Improve your vocabulary

Make a strategy to listen different topics every day. This will help you in building your vocabulary. This is an important to hold strong grip at vocabulary because, sometimes, questions are paraphrased.

Practice multitasking

You have to write answer while recording is played, so practice multitasking. You should have the ability to read the question, write an answer, and listen to at the same time. This task can only be achieved by a lot of practice.

Learn to ignore irrelevant words

Also, learn to listen what is essential in the audio. Its means there may be some words which are irrelevant to questions. Pay attention to what is important. For this, read all the questions carefully, and then underline keywords, so it becomes easy to find answers.

Prepare well for every type of question

IELTS listening have different tasks, and each task requires slightly different strategy. This is important to know every task type, and do practice according to it.

Answers may come in short interval of time

Sometimes, 2 to 3 answers come in a short interval of time. You can meet with the time requirement need only by doing a lot of practice.

It can also be possible that answer might come after some time, but you should be attentive. This is common in section 4, in order to check your listening abilities.

Active listening

The audios are 30 minutes long, and it is hard to listen actively without practice. Practice a lot to listen to actively without losing concentration. Only a small distraction can miss your answer.

You will listen the audio only one time, and if you miss any answer the audio will not be played again. During preparation learn to listen only once. But if you are practicing vocabulary it is fine to repeat the audio.

Practice until you become confident

Make a schedule or study plan to prepare for your test. Also, attempt various mock tests, as they will help you to understand how your preparation is.

Work on your weaknesses

When you attempt different tests, highlight the areas of weaknesses. You should give more time to your weak area for getting good bands.

IELTS listening tips for test day

These tips can help you on the test day, so pay attention to these precautions.

Arrive early in the exam hall to avoid being late. This will be helpful in relaxing and being friendly with the environment.
The exam will be 2 hour and 40 minutes long, listening, reading, and writing will come in consecutive sections, so sleep and eat well before coming for exam.
Read all the instructions carefully. Sometimes, you may lose your easy marks by avoiding simple details.
Transfer answers to IELTS listening answer sheet and also review it. Do not let the question paper blank, if something is missing; make a guess for it.
Check the headphones before the start of audio. If you face any problem in the audio, tell it to examiner.

IELTS listening tips during exam

Use abbreviations

You will listen to audio only once, and answers may come in a consecutive order. This may be difficult to compete with time given; in that case you can use abbreviations to save time. After recordings are played, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer answers, then you should write the full form. For example, the abbreviation for time can be “T”.

Common problems

The examiner may give the answer of the question and then change it; it is called trap, and you should practice a lot to understand traps.

For example, The John will arrive at 3pm if Julia will come, but it is also possible that John come at 4pm because I just have listened John saying this. Always be ready to listen to the required data and do not answer in urgency.

But, whatever you listen, write on the question booklet, as you cannot listen to for the second time.

Plurals

The examiner might give questions in which answers are plurals. These questions are given to check the listening accuracy, because it is difficult to hear the “s” sound in different accents. Be focused to avoid such mistakes.

Read Instructions carefully

Read the instructions with full attention, as a trivial mistake can be the reason of low bands. If the examiner instructs to write one word, then write only one word.

A date “2000” is considered one number.

A compound word “rainy day” is considered one word.

A large number “1,200,450” is considered one word.

A hyphenated word “father-in-law” is considered one word.

In case, if you write more words than the examiner has asked in the instruction, your answer will be considered wrong and your marks will be deducted.

Grammar

It is possible to be confused of using article or preposition in the answer. Answers of these questions depend on the type of question.

If the question is about to mention only the name of place, you can use only one word as hospital or house.

The best thing to meet is that the answer should be grammatically correct. Here you should use “at the house” instead of at house.

Spelling

This is crucial to use right spelling. Your marks will be deducted if the spellings are wrong.

Do not concentrate on spellings while listening and writing because you do not have time for this.
Write answers with concentration, so you can write answers with proper spellings.

Letter or word

In the multiple choice questions, if the examiner has asked to write a letter then only mark the letter “b” or “c”. For example,

People
Public
Place

Suppose the write answer is “public”, then instead of writing public write letter ‘b” in the answer sheet. But if you write word “public”, then it will be considered wrong, as you do not follow the instructions.

Do not waste Time

If you have missed the answer, it is better to leave the question and concentrate on the next question. Otherwise, you may miss other answers too.

You can guess to unknown questions when you are transferring answers in the answer sheet.

Handwriting mistakes

To avoid handwriting problem, it is recommended to use all capital letters, or small letters. Practice it at home in order to complete exam sheet on time.

Signpost language

You may have heard this word in IELTS listening, “what is signpost and why this signpost language is important in listening section?”

Signpost or signposting language is “words or phrases that help you understand what has just happened and what will happen next.”

It is also used to guide listener about the topic.

Why signpost language is important?

Signpost language is designed to help the students who have weak listening ability and this language usually helps in the section 4 IELTS Listening.

Section 4 is a conversation about academic subject, so this language will help you to understand whether it’s the start of the topic or you are at the end of discussion. Following table will help you to understand signpost language.

Signpost language examples

IELTS listening questions with examples

It would be better to practice questions to make yourself familiarize with the test pattern and how it is used. Here, you can find some examples and process to find the answer.

Summary completion question with example

These types of questions are usually asked to check your proficiency in two key abilities i-e summarizing and paraphrasing. You will be given a portion in which questions are about summary completion. Remember that these lines are paraphrased.

When you will hear the recording lines, it will be different. For example, in this sentence the examiner might say, The_____ house design has changed in the last fifty year. But in the listening, you may hear…. In the last half century the house decoration has changed. So, what you should do for these types of questions?

Read all the questions given for summary completion.
Make a guess for general meaning.
Look at the gap and predict answer.
Write down the correct word according to grammar. It may be verb, adjective, noun etc.
Read Instructions carefully and write the exact word limit which is asked by examiner.

Example of IELTS listening

IELTS listening sample for summary completion is

Section 4

Question 31-34

Complete the summary completion questions below

No more than three words in every question.

Few Habits which you need to change that blocking your_________
________days are important to adopt new habits.
What is the worst theory according in human history_______
Who_____ sold 30 million copies about making habits.

Listen to this ted talkTED Talk Link

Answers

Path

21 day theory

Dr. Maxwell Malts

Form filling Question with Answer

Form filling questions are in the first section usually. Normally, this section consists of factual information about phone number, date or time etc.

Although this is the easiest section in the listening paper, yet many find difficulty in getting these easy marks. It may be because the examiner gives information and later changes it by correcting. If you face such situation, in many cases consider the second information as authentic answer.

The second thing which should be kept in mind is the use of synonyms. For example, in the form it may be a table reservation but in recording it is table booking.

The form might say “permit” but in the listening it may be “give someone permission to”. Similarly, the form may say “leaving” and in the listening it can be “depart from”.

Sample of IELTS listening

Section 1

Question 1-5

No more than one word in every blank

House/flat number

Street name

Town/city number

Post code

In the exam, there will be question in the form filling section like this, and you have to complete answer by listening to the audio.

Sample answers

22 American street

Anatolia

Bs1

M1 4hm

IELTS Listening practice resources

Here, are some links to IELTS practice test

The British Council

IELTS Official

You should visit these sites and take practice test to identify your progress level.

IELTS listening in 5 easy steps

Complete the practice test as you are in the real situation of exam.
Identify the area of weakness.
Analyze your mistakes and work to improve them.
Think about your problem like time management or understanding pronunciation and struggle to improve those areas.
Repeat the process until you are consistently getting the score you need.

Frequently asked questions about IELTS listening module

How many questions are in IELTS listening?

There are 40 questions. IELTS listening has four sections and each section contains ten questions.

How many sections are in IELTS listening?

It has four sections.

Is the IELTS listening same for academic and general?

Yes, the IELTS listening test is same for both academic and general.

What is an IELTS listening answer sheet?

Examiner will give you an answer sheet to transfer your answers. You will be given 10 minutes to write down answers.

Do answers come in order in IELTS listening?

It depends on the type of questions. It may or may not be in order.

How to start preparation for IELTS listening?

For starting preparation of IELTS listening, you should follow these steps:

Make a strategy or study plan
Listen podcasts, radio conversations or news channels daily
Take practice tests as much as is possible
Work on your weaknesses
Should I use article ‘the” or “a” to give answer?

It depends on the demand of the question. Whether you use “the “or ‘a” it should be grammatically correct. Otherwise, the answer will be considered wrong.

Are spellings important in IELTS listening?

Yes, it is important. If you spelled wrong your answer will be marked as wrong.

How can I improve my IELTS listening?

You can improve your listening abilities by listening-practice. You can use various useful websitesfor practice. Also, various news channels such as BBC and Dawn can help you to do better.

But, remember these will only better your listening ability; to search or listen for specific information can only be done by practice.

How long are the recordings of IELTS listening?

It takes 30 minutes to complete the audios.