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IELTS listening test

How to score well in the ielts listening test.

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After reading this article, you will learn more about how to prepare for your  IELTS listening test  using our useful tips, tutorials and podcasts for IELTS.

Important things to remember about the IELTS listening test

All IELTS test candidates, whether they are taking IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training, will do the same IELTS listening test. Therefore any IELTS listening practice test will be fine for you to use.

The IELTS listening test takes about 30 minutes to complete and you will receive an additional 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

When you transfer your answers, they must be spelt correctly and have capital letters in the right places. For example, if the answer is 'London', you will score zero for writing 'LONDON', 'london' or 'lonndon'.

You will only hear the audio ONCE for each part. A variety of voices and native-speaker accents are used. You should do as many IELTS listening practice questions as you can so that you can feel confident listening to Australian, American and regional English accents.

The following types of questions are used in the listening test:

• Multiple choice
• Matching questions
• Form completion
• Note completion (this could also be a diagram or a flow chart)
• Sentence completion
• Short-answer questions
• Summary completion

There are four parts to the listening test:

Part 1 : Two people talking (a typical everyday conversation, e.g., two friends arranging to meet).

Part 2 : One person talking (a talk or speech in a social situation, e.g., explaining membership at a local gym).

Part 3 : Multiple people talking (minimum 2, maximum 4) in a training or educational situation (e.g., a training workshop/seminar).

Part 4 : One person giving a talk/presentation in an academic setting (e.g., a university professor).

Each part has 10 questions so there are 40 questions in total. You will get time to work through the answers and also some time to check your answers.

How to handle the listening test:

Do not open the listening test question paper until you are told to do so.

Write your name and candidate number in the spaces at the top of the listening test answer page.

Write your answers on the question paper as you listen, not the answer paper.

Remember you will only hear the audio once. So make sure that you read, write and listen all at the same time. Your answers do not have to be perfect, however - remember that you have 10 minutes at the end of the IELTS listening section to transfer them onto the IELTS listening answer sheet so it's fine to have some answers changed or crossed out.

Read the instructions and questions carefully before you listen.

As you transfer answers, make sure you write something for every single question. Many candidates leave multiple choice answers blank - that's crazy!! Just guess 'B'.

For more effective pre-test preparation:

As you do practice tests, make a note of the question types you find most challenging - for example, are multiple-choice questions difficult for you? Do you score lower on sentence completion? Make sure you practice MORE of these question types until you feel really confident.

Improve your IELTS listening skills by trying this useful trick - get the test script (these are available at the back of many IELTS preparation books) and read the script BEFORE you start listening, memorising any new phrases and vocabulary. Do this for two or three different IELTS listening tests. Many IELTS tests use very similar language and instructions, and you will get a better sense of the exam this way.

Take a look at some of our tutorials to help you improve your listening score and prepare for your IELTS listening test:

• IELTS listening test : multiple choice questions
• Matching questions in IELTS listening
• Top IELTS listening tips
• Overview of the computer based listening test
• Section one of the listening test
• Free Essay Band Score Evaluation
• Sign up to claim your free IELTS materials
• Jump to Band 7 or it’s Free
• IELTS Writing Evaluation
• IELTS Band Score Calculator
• Book Your Online IELTS Test
• Sample Topic Answers
• Useful Sentences
• Sample Task 2 Questions 2022
• Introduction to Paraphrasing
• Model Band 9 Essay
• Five Band 9 Words
• Model Band 7 Essay
• Differences Band 9 vs Band 7 Essay
• Band 6.5 Essay
• Academic Collocations
• Topic Sentences
• Discuss Both Views
• Tutorial: To What Extent Essays
• Paraphrasing Introductions
• Essay Structures
• Essay Plans
• Describe a Pie Chart
• Using Percentages
• Map Vocabulary
• Describe Flow Charts
• Describe a Bar Chart
• How to get Band 9
• AT 1 Sample Questions 2022
• Describe a Graphic
• GT Task 1 Questions 2022
• IELTS Vocabulary
• Google Play / Podcasts
• Apple Podcast
• Android App
• Task 2 Sample Questions
• AT 1 Questions

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IELTS SIMULATOR

Ielts listening – preparing and giving a presentation s6t4, ielts listening.

Preparing and Giving a Presentation

LECTURER : Hello, everyone. You’ve all been given an assignment for your sociology course, which will involve giving a presentation to the rest of the group. And so today I’m going to be giving you a few tips on how to prepare your presentations. This should help you with your current assignment, but a lot of the principles I’ll be putting across will be general principles, which will, of course, help you with all your future presentations.

Attempt full listening test…

So, first of all, the most important thing to consider is your audience, and in this instance, your audience are the other students in your group. There are three points to bear in mind. Firstly, you need to ask yourself what they need to know. Secondly, it’s useful to consider whether they’ll be Q31 supportive or not, and thirdly, will it be a small group, say, three or four, a moderate gathering of 20 or so people as for your current assignment or will there be hundreds of people?

Having settle that, what I’m about to tell you will apply equally to any audience. So, how do you structure your presentation? Right at the beginning, you should tell them something that forces them to Q32 pay attention . This could be something surprising or even shocking, but it needs to be relevant. After that, you need a list of items or topics showing them what you’ll be covering rather like an agenda. And then the main part of the presentation will follow. This main part will be the detailed information you’ll be presenting and could include facts, statistics, personal experiences, etc.

After this, you should summarize what you presented and close with what I call Q33 next steps . For this assignment, you could simply point the group to other sociology reference material. In other cases, you may want to suggest some actions that people can take.

Now. What about the design of the slides for your laptop? Well, the important thing here is to be Q34 consistent , you need to have the same type of font and use the same color and size for the same elements. For example, all headers need to look the same. All bullet points need to be presented in the same way. And don’t just stick to words. Bring the presentation to life by adding Q35 graphics . These could be in several forms, such as pictures, flow charts, diagrams, history grams, and so on.

And still, let’s move on now to presenting. You have your presentation prepared and you’re ready to start. Well, it’s important to give a good impression from the start, so take three deep breaths. Look at the audience, no matter how frightening they may be, and be enthusiastic and energetic.

As you go through the presentation. Remember to provide some variety in the way you speak. So, for example, you can talk fairly rapidly for information that may be familiar, but then slow down firm or unfamiliar sections and change your Q36 tone as you speak. Don’t keep it at the same level all the way through.

As I mentioned, look at your audience. Ah ah, a good tip is to pick people out and look at them for around five seconds. Not looking at the audience gives the impression that you’re either not interested in them or terrified of them. Looking too long at one particular person may make them feel rather uncomfortable.

There may be points in your presentation that you want your audience to really absorb, and in order to make important points stand out. You may consider adding Q37 silences , right after these. It will give people time to reflect on what you’ve just said. Also, you may be presenting complicated ideas or technical details, but trying to keep everything as simple as possible. Use simple words and as few as possible and be clear. If you say something like this appears to be, it implies uncertainty. So using Q38 weak verbs such as appears, seems, could be, etc needs to be avoided.

I’ll just finish off with a few thoughts on questions and interruptions from the audience. You may choose to invite questions from the audience as you go or ask them to wait until the end. Either way, questions should be encouraged as it provides you with some feedback on how interested the audiences and how well they understanding you. When a question is asked, you need to provide an answer that is as accurate as possible, so initially, my tip is to Q39 repeat it . This will ensure you have heard it correctly, and we’ll give you a few seconds to gather your thoughts.

Interruptions, on the other hand, can be unwelcome, and you may get them for a variety of reasons. It’s likely, however, that there’s something in your presentation that’s unclear or confusing.

So my advice is to reduce problems by reading through your presentation beforehand and Q40 predicting potential points, which could cause interruptions. You may then want to change that part of the presentation or at least be prepared if someone does interrupt you. Now, do you have any questions?

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IELTS Preparation Courses

Master IELTS Listening: Expert Tips, Strategies & Practice Tests

IELTS Listening is divided into four sections, with 10 questions in each section. The test takes around 30 minutes to complete, with each section getting increasingly more difficult. You will have 10 minutes at the end of the listening test to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. 

How to Get a Band 8 in IELTS Listening

In this video, I’ll teach you how to understand the IELTS Listening exam format and question types so you can walk into your test with confidence and get the score you need.

Top 5 IELTS Listening Tips

• Familiarise yourself with a range of accents. The IELTS Listening test will feature a range of accents to reflect the international nature of English. Therefore, you should get used to listening to accents from a range of English-speaking countries. Instead of just listening to the BBC, you could try smaller regional radio stations or actively watch TV shows from different English-speaking countries. A quick search on Google is all you need to find these.
• Don’t lose your concentration. It can be difficult to stay focused during your IELTS Listening test , but it’s also extremely important if you want to score a Band 7 or above. To improve your concentration, you need to practice active listening. This involves setting yourself small tasks when you are practising and actually doing something when you are listening, just like you will be in your test.
• Follow the instructions carefully. This especially applies when it comes to the word limit. If the question states ‘No more than three words’ then you can’t write any more than this. If your answer is four words, it will be incorrect.
• Familiarise yourself with the different question types. Doing so will mean you’ll know exactly what to expect on test day and how to react to the question types you’re given. To help you with this, you should use genuine practice IELTS past papers .
• Practice listening to things only once. Many teachers allow their students to listen to a recording 3 or 4 times. However, I strongly recommend practising the exam under exam conditions, which means listening just once.

IELTS Listening Question Types

Click on any of the links below for a full step-by-step guide to answering each IELTS Listening question type:

• Summary Completion Lesson

This lesson will help you prepare for the test by familiarising you with summary completion questions, giving you some tips and a chance to practice.

• Overview and Tips 

This is a good article to start with and will allow you to understand exactly what the test is and how you can use this site to improve your listening skills.

• Form Filling Question Tips

The first section of the test often has a form-filling question. Normally the answers will be one or two words long and will be factual information, such as phone numbers, dates and times.

• Multiple Choice Questions

This post will show you how to effectively answer multiple-choice questions in the test. It will show you the three different types of multiple-choice questions, look at common problems, and give tips and strategies to help you on test day.

• Labelling a Map or Plan

This post will help you answer labelling maps or plan IELTS questions more effectively by looking at common problems and useful language and giving you a strategy to use on test day.

Essential Exam Information

To score a Band 7+ in IELTS listening, you need to understand what is expected from you. The information below will help you understand exactly what is required from you:

• The IELTS Listening test lasts around 30 minutes.
• There are 40 questions in total. Each question carries 1 mark.
• The test is divided into 4 parts. The questions get progressively more difficult as the test goes on.
• Timing is key. For each part, you will have time to look at the questions before the recording begins, and you will have time to check your answers at the end.
• You will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet provided at the end of the test.
• Both General Training and Academic IELTS pupils take the same Listening exam.
• You can check out our complete guide to the IELTS exam here: IELTS Preparation Guide

IELTS Listening Test Day Advice

• Arrive at the test centre early and plan your journey. You need to be settled, organised and ready for what’s coming.
• Read and listen to the instructions very carefully. Many students throw away easy marks by misreading or not following simple instructions.
• Write your answers on the test paper. Feel free to write on it. You’ve paid for it.
• Carefully transfer your answers to the answer sheet at the end.
• You can write in all capital letters if you wish.
• If you have problems hearing the recording, complain at the end. You’ve paid for a service and deserve to be treated properly.
• For more help with test day advice, check out the IELTS website here: IELTS Test Day Advice

Improving your Listening Skills

• IELTS Listening: 10 Steps Towards a Band 8

Many of our pupils need to get at least one Band 8 for visa application or scholarship purposes. This article will detail the steps you must take to get a Band 8 in listening.

• Best Podcasts for English Learners

Podcasts offer insight into what you can expect if you lived in an English-speaking country. There are also so many of them that you can pick the ones that suit your interests.

• How to Improve Your Listening Skills

Students often ask me ‘How do I improve my reading and listening skills?’ The short answer is ‘Read and listen more.’ However, this is not a very good answer because you need to know HOW to practice and WHERE to get good sources of reading and listening material.

• Improving IELTS Listening through Connected Speech

This post will teach you about connected speech, the inadequacies of IELTS textbooks in preparing students for the listening test and suggest some alternatives for preparing from home.

• IELTS Listening Practice

You must practice your listening skills at home regularly and strategically. These lessons will teach you how to practice wisely and improve your listening skills at home.

• All IELTS Listening Practice Questions On 1 Page

Here are some links to official IELTS practice tests:

• The British Council
• IELTS Official

Remember: DO NOT use practice tests from unofficial sites . These tests are created by people who do not know what they are doing. They are either too easy or too difficult. The tests will give you a false impression of your current level and will sabotage your progress.

Review Your IELTS Listening Practice Tests in 6 Easy Steps

• Complete official practice tests under exam conditions.
• Identify any particular question types that caused you problems.
• Analyse your mistakes.
• Think about why you made those mistakes. What were the particular reasons why you answered those questions incorrectly? Was it timing, strategy, vocabulary, grammar, listening skills, spelling?
• Focus on improving your weakest areas first.
• Repeat the process until you are consistently getting the score you need.

Calculating Your Band Score from Your Marks

You can calculate your IELTS Listening Band score by counting up your marks out of 40 and comparing them with the scores below:

18-22- Band 5.5

23-25- Band 6.0

26-29- Band 6.5

30-31- Band 7.0

32-34- Band 7.5

35-36- Band 8.0

37-38- Band 8.5

39-40- Band 9.0

See the interactive tool below for the most commonly asked questions we receive about IELTS Listening: 

IELTS Listening FAQs

How can i improve my listening.

You will find all the free materials, video lessons and practice tools that you'll need on our Listening Page. It has lots of helpful articles that will help you succeed. Click the link below: Listening For a step-by-step guide to answering any IELTS Listening question type, you should join my free Fundamentals Course. You can learn more here:

IELTS Fundamentals Course: Free Course

Can I use all capital letters?

Yes, this is fine, as long as you are consistent with your answers.

How do I answer _____ questions?

You'll find strategies for each question type listed on the page below:

How can I stay focused in the listening exam?

You'll find a number of methods to help you stay focused in the Listening exam below:

Video Lesson: How to Stay Focused in the Listening Test

How many questions do I need to answer correctly?

That depends on the score you need to achieve. You'll find help with calculating your score here:

IELTS Scores

Questions 1-5  Listen from here

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C .

1    Before giving her presentation, Kate was worried about 

A being asked difficult questions.

B using the projection equipment.

C explaining statistical results.

2    During many presentations by students, Martin feels that

A the discussion of research methods is not detailed enough.

B lecturers do not show enough interest in their students' work.

C the student does not make enough eye contact with the audience.

3    What is Kate’s opinion of the tutorials she attends?

A They involve too much preparation.

B They should be held more frequently.

C They do not have a clear focus.

4    What does Martin intend to do next semester?

A make better use of the internet

B improve his note-taking skills

C prioritise reading lists effectively

5    What problem do Kate and Martin both have when using the library? 

A The opening hours are too short.

B   There are too few desks to work at.

C   The catalogue is difficult to use.

 ------------------

Tip: Multiple-choice with single answer

►    This task requires you to choose the correct answer to each question from three possible answers .

►    There may be between one and ten questions.

►    The questions follow the order of the recording.

►    Within each question, you may hear reference to the three options in any order.

►    If you realise you have missed a question, don’t try to remember it, but move on, and make sure you do not miss the next question(s).

►    Multiple-choice questions vary considerably in terms of complexity.  In Section 1, they ask you to listen for relatively straightforward facts, but in Section 3 and Section 4, the questions will test your understanding of opinions, feelings, evidence, argument, and so on.

►    Do not immediately choose an option simply because you hear the same word or words on the recording. It is your understanding of the meaning of the whole question that is tested here.

Step-by-step guide

►     Step 1 - Think first

It is very important that you read the question carefully.

The stems of some questions (here  Questions 1  and  2)  are partial sentences, to be completed by the possible answers, while the stems of others are  complete questions (here  Questions 3, 4  and  5)

►     Step 2 - Watch out for possible dangers

Look at  Question 1.  The question consists of two parts: ' Before giving her presentation ' and ' Kate was worried about '. This is what you must listen for.

These are some dangers in choosing an answer:

• You hear Kate say what worried her during or after the presentation, not   before  her presentation, and choose the wrong answer.
• You hear Kate say what she was looking forward to, not what she was  worried about  before the presentation, and choose the wrong answer.
• You hear another speaker, not   Kate,  say what he or she was worried about before his or her presentation, and choose the wrong answer.

►    Step 3 - Consider the possibilities

Look at the tapescript for  Question 1  and answer the questions below about options A, B and C .

I was ever so nervous beforehand. It's silly, because I do know my stuff quite well. I must know those  statistics inside out, but when you have to get each table of results to come up in the right order, it can make you nervous . It was my first time using the  computerised projector , and I was sure I was going to get the controls wrong , or something. And of course, that's not a good situation, if you know you've got to listen to questions carefully and be ready to answer quickly .

1    Did Kate expect to be asked questions ?............

2    Does she talk about questions being difficult ? ........

3    Is option A the correct answer?............

1    Does she talk about using projection equipment ?

2     Does she talk about problems in connection with  projection equipment?............

3    Is option B the correct answer?............

1     Does she talk about statistical results ?............

2     Does she say that explaining statistical results was s omething she was worried about?............

3    Is option C the correct answer?............

► Step 4 - Listen and do the task

Questions 6-10  Listen from here

Who will do the following tasks?

C both Martin and Kate

Write  the correct letter, A, B or C next to questions 6-10 .

6 A B C     compose questionnaire    

7 A B C    select people to interview   

8 A B C    conduct interviews   

9 A B C    analyse statistics    

10 A B C    prepare visuals for presentation   

----------------------

Tips:  Classification

►    This task requires you to answer a series of questions with the same choice of answers in each case.

►    Although the possible answers are the same for each question, the questions do not depend on each other. You can get one question wrong, but the next one right.

►    Do not try to ' break the code ': it is not possible to predict how many answers will be the same, or to find a pattern of any kind.

►    In some cases, option C may be the combination of options A and B. In other cases, the possible answers may consist of three distinct possibilities - three different people, places, periods of time, and so on.

►    If you miss one question, leave it and go on to the next one.

►     Step 1 - Think first

What you hear on the recording may be different words from the questions, but with the same meaning.

For ' compose a questionnaire ' in  Question 6 ,  you might hear ' write a questionnaire ', ' create a questionnaire ', ' produce questions for a questionnaire ', ' put a questionnaire together ', and so on.

Look at  Questions 7-10.  Think of what you might hear on the tape and write your ideas:

7 ..........................................................................................

8 ..........................................................................................

9 ..........................................................................................

10 ..........................................................................................

►     Step 2 - Check what you will hear

Look at the tapescript for  Question 6.

Kate:  Yes. Well, we're going to need the questionnaire before we can do much else, aren't we? Do you want to handle that?

Martin:  I'd assumed we'd do it together ?

Kate:  You have more experience than me. Maybe you could think up the main questions, you know, a first version of the whole thing, and then I could read it through.

Martin:  And make suggestions? Well, OK .

Kate first suggests that Martin ' handles ' the questionnaire. If you choose option A (Martin) at this point, you are answering the question too soon . At this point, it has not been confirmed who will do the task of composing the questionnaire.

Next, Martin suggests that they do the task together . This indicates that both Martin and Kate (option C) is the answer. However, you cannot be sure, because Kate has not agreed to this yet.

Then Kate accepts Martin's suggestion and clarifies how they will both do the task. But you still cannot be sure, because Martin has not agreed to this.

Finally, Martin confirms his agreement ('Well, OK.'), and you can now safely choose option C as the correct answer.

►     Step 3 - Listen and do the task

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IELTS Preparation with Liz: Free IELTS Tips and Lessons, 2024

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IELTS Listening Essential 25 Tips

The essential IELTS listening tips and information for success in your test.  Learn the right listening techniques with over 25 top tips to help you achieve a high score. Learn about the listening exam content, writing the answers correctly, types of questions, scoring, making notes and much more. This is A MUST WATCH video lesson for all IELTS students.

Capital letters in IELTS listening . You can write in capital letters or lower case – your choice.  My recommendation is to use all capital letters as it is easier to read and avoids mistakes.

Watch the video first and then read through the summary of listening tips below.

IELTS Video: Listening Tips

IELTS Listening Test Summary

• All students take the same test. Both academic and GT students take the same listening test. It is marked in the same way.
• There are 40 questions
• Section 1 = two speakers. This is often a telephone conversation between two people, for example organising a place on a course, booking a table at a restaurant or renting an apartment. You must listen for specific information, such as names (tips on listening for names ), dates, times (tips on listening for time ), places and numbers.
• Section 2 = one speaker. This is often a talk from a guide. You might hear information about a building, a resort, a company, a charity etc.
• Section 3 = three or four speakers. This is an academic discussion. It could either be two students talking with a professor or a student presenting their resource to their colleagues.
• Section 4  = one speaker. This is an academic lecture.
• The sections get more difficult as the test progresses. This means section 1 is the easiest and section 4 is the most difficult.
• 30 minutes to listen to the recording and write down your answer on the question paper.
• 10 minutes to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet.
• IELTS is an international test. There will be a range of accents but the main accents will probably be British and Australian.
• IELTS accept either British English or American English spelling.

IELTS Listening Tips

Below is a list of IELTS listening tips that have been given in the video above. Read these tips carefully.

• You must practice completing a full listening test by listening only once before your test. You should do this a number of times.
• When you are developing skills and vocabulary, you might want to practice listening more than once. This is fine when you are in training.
• You will need to multitask. This means you must be able to read the questions, listen for the answer and write down words all at the same time. You should practice doing this.
• Practice transferring your answers to the answer sheet at home before your test. Here is a link to download the IELTS listening answer sheet .
• You should write your answers on the answer sheet using  pencil not a pen. This is the same as the IELTS reading test.
• Scores are calculated by the number of points you got correct. Here is a link to learn all about the IELTS band scores: IELTS Band Scores Explained . You don’t lose a mark if your answer is wrong. Your score will not change due to incorrect answers.
• If you don’t know an answer, guess. Always write something in the box on your answer sheet. Who knows, maybe you guess right !!
• You can write your answer using capital or lower case letters.  However, I recommend using all capital letters.
• 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. Here is an example of instructions: “No more than two words and/or a number”. To learn exactly what these instructions mean, please watch the video lesson above.
• Check the instructions to see if you can have a number (which means only one) or number s (plural which means more than one number).
• A date “1950” is considered one number.
• A large number “1,000,500” is considered one word.
• A hyphenated word “part-time” is considered one word.
• A compound noun which is not hyphenated “tennis shoe” is considered two words.
• The best place to meet is ………. = the answer must be grammatically correct so you need “at the hospital”.
• If the question is a note or form completion, such each 1) PLACE: …… = the answer can be just one word (with or without the article) “hospital” or “the hospital” (if two words are possible.
• Don’t worry about spelling while you are listening because you don’t have time to concentrate on spelling. You need to concentrate on listening to the recording and following the questions.
• Check your spelling when you transfer your answers to the answer sheet. That is the time to check and make sure everything is correct.
• If the answer is b, you must write “b” on your answer sheet not “summer”. The word “summer” would be marked wrong because the instructions ask you to write a letter not a word.
• form completion
• note completion
• summary completion
• sentence completion
• multiple choice
• diagram labelling
• map labelling
• table completion
• If you want practice with these types of question, go to my IELTS listening  page.
• Don’t try to understand everything. IELTS will add lots of extra information but you only need to listen for answers. Keep yourself focused on listening for answers to questions.
• Answers may come quickly. You might get three answers in a very short time. Get ready to write your answers down quickly. Answers may come slowly. There may be a gap between answers. Don’t panic. This is common in section 4.
• Look out for answers which are plural. IELTS know that students have difficulty hearing the plural “s”. So, these answers will certainly be given to test your listening ability.
• Giving the answer and then changing it. Here is an example: “Is it ok to meet at 7pm?” / “Yes, 7pm works fine for me” / “Oh I’ve just remembered I have a late meeting, could we make it half past instead?” The answer was 7pm but then the speaker changed it to 7.30pm. Always keep listening and be ready for the speaker to change the answer.
• Similar words might not be the right answer. Watch this video about IELTS listening multiple choice to understand this tip.
• If you miss an answer, just move on to the next question. Don’t waste time. Don’t lose your place in the recording.
• CONCENTRATE!!! 30 minutes is a long time to actively listen for answers. If you lose focus, you will miss answers. Don’t let that happen to you. Practice full tests at home to build up your ability to concentrate.

For more tips and explanations – please watch the video above.

Do you have a question about IELTS listening or about the IELTS test? This page has over 100 answers to your questions: IELTS Test FAQ

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Top 5 IELTS Listening Tips

Here are the top 5 IELTS Listening tips to help you increase your score in IELTS Listening for the Academic and General tests. Follow these IELTS test tips when you practice taking IELTS tests and on IELTS test day. See your IELTS Listening score improve, even if you have only a short time to study before the IELTS test.

There are more IELTS tips and strategies in PELA Online’s IELTS Preparation modules, but here are just a few of ways to crack the IELTS and improve your IELTS band score.

Tip #1: Use all the ‘silent time’ to preview Listening test questions

Throughout the IELTS Listening test, you will have a total of about 7.5 minutes of time to look at questions and answers. Most of this time will be silent, so you can more easily focus on the questions and answers.

However, these 7.5 minutes are broken up into small periods of time .

• about 2.5 minutes before Section 1
• 30 seconds in the middle of Section 1
• 1 minute before Section 2
• 30 seconds in the middle of Section 2
• 1 minute before Section 3
• 30 seconds in the middle of Section 3
• 1.5 minutes before Section 4

What happens in the 2.5 minutes before Section 1?

The largest amount of time is at the very beginning of the test before the Section 1 conversation begins . During those 2.5 minutes, you will hear the test narrator welcome you to the test and give instructions on how to answer questions. Also, you will hear about 15-30 seconds of conversation from the beginning of the Section 1 conversation. They play this part of the conversation to explain to you how to answer fill-in-the-blank questions. At some point, the narrator will tell you that you have some time to look at the Section 1 questions . Lastly, the test narrator will tell you the test is about the begin .

Start looking at questions right away

Many students will sit and politely listen to the test narrator, waiting until they are told to look at the questions for Section 1. Don’t wait ! Start looking at questions right away. This will help you be better prepared for each Section of the IELTS Listening Section. Spend the entire 2.5 minutes looking at questions and answers in the Listening test.

As soon as the narrator begins to talk, you can look at any and all questions from any section of the Listening test. You don’t need to listen to the narrator, because they are not telling you anything you shouldn’t already know about answering IELTS questions and filling out your Answer Sheet.

Don’t review previous questions, focus on the next questions

At the end of Sections 1, 2, and 3, the test narrator will say that you now have ’30 seconds to review your questions’. Don’t do this! Instead, you should immediately look at the next group of questions and begin preparing them. This will give you the best chance of getting more correct answers in the next set of questions. ‘Reviewing’ questions you’ve already answered will almost never result in getting more correct answers.

Tip #2: Highlight difficult Listening questions & answers first

The IELTS Listening test is a race against time. You have to 1) listen to a conversation or lecture while 2) looking at questions and answers and 3) analyze what you are hearing .

To help you do all these three actions at once, you should spend more time preparing questions and answers that are in the more difficult sections of the IELTS Listening test.

Sections 3 & 4 are usually more difficult

The IELTS Listening test has 4 sections. Sections 1 & 2 usually have shorter questions and answers, so they are easier and faster to look at. But Sections 3 & 4 usually have longer questions and answers . You need more time to read the questions and answers and think about what makes each answer different than the others.

Also, look for Multiple-Choice questions . If they have long answer choices , it will take longer to examine and prepare them. This is because you need to analyze long answer choices and determine what makes them different from each other. Therefore, spend some time looking at those Multiple-Choice questions and answers so that you are not rushing to look at them later in the test.

We recommend the following:

• As soon as the test begins (during 2.5 minutes when the narrator is giving test instructions) quickly glance at Sections 1 & 2 to see what kind of topics and questions are there.
• Flip to Sections 3& 4 and begin to analyze any long questions and answer choices you seen.
• Spend about 60-90 seconds highlighting important words and phrases in Sections 3 & 4 .
• When you have about 30-60 seconds remaining jump back to Section 1 and begin to highlight words/phrases (usually this is when the test CD will play a short part of the Section 1 conversation and give a sample question/answer).

Spending some extra time on Sections 3 & 4 will give you a better chance to being ready to hear some of the more complicated and specific information talked about in the Section 3 conversation and Section 4 lecture.

Tip #3: Listen for ‘changing information’ in IELTS Conversations

In Sections 1 and 3 of the IELTS Listening test, you are going to be listening to conversations where they try to trick you in some very specific and predictable ways. Listen for these tricks when you are taking practice IELTS exams!

‘Mistaken or Unclear Information’ in Section 1

In Section 1, there will often be one or two points in the conversation where one person will misunderstand the other person . Alternatively, one person might be unsure about what the other person said. Or, one person may tell the other person that something isn’t possible .

‘Differing or Changing Opinions’ in Section 3

In Section 3, there will be several times in the conversation where two people disagree about something. If you hear a disagreement, listen for how they resolve the disagreement —one person is usually persuaded by the other person to change their mind. So, if you hear one person give an opinion, listen for the other person’s reaction–do they agree or disagree?

‘Changing Decisions or Plans’ in Sections 1 & 3

Also, in Sections 1 and 3, there might be a time where one person decides to change a planned action . This is usually because the other person points out a problem with what the first person was hoping to do. So, when one person says they want to do something, listen to determine if the other person thinks it’s a good idea–someone might change their mind!

Listen for these moments! They are often giving you important information to help you answer a question. If you don’t hear the changing decision, differing opinions, or mistake information, you might pick a wrong answer. Even high-level students might miss some of these important clues if they are not paying attention.

Tip #4: Pay attention to voices ‘emphasizing’ and ‘highlighting’ information

The IELTS test does try to help you hear many answers in the Listening test. Listen for the people talking in the IELTS conversations and lectures using their voice to ‘highlight’ words or phrases. They might stretch words out as they speak or raise the tone of their voice. They may also ‘punch’ a word, using a short pause before or after a word.

You want to pay attention to these changes in how the speakers are talking, because these changes are often telling you “ this is a clue for an answer ” or “ get ready—you’re about to hear an answer ”.

Stutters or non-word sounds are also clues!

Interestingly, when you are listening to IELTS conversation and lectures, you might hear a speaker say sounds like, “um”. You might hear a speaker stutter, like “S-s-snakes”; it sounds like they are having difficulty saying a word or thinking of an idea. You might even hear someone ‘rustle’ some paper, as if they are flipping through a file looking for a document.

All of these are in the IELTS listening test for a purpose!

The IELTS uses these ‘non-word’ sounds to tell you to pay attention, because the IELTS often uses these non-word sounds right before answers (or clues for answers) are given.

Tip #5: Focus on two questions at a time in IELTS Listening

A danger that student face on test day is focusing on listening for the answer to only one question at a time. This is dangerous because if for some reason you don’t hear the clues to answer that question, you might focus too long on listening for one question and miss the answer to the next question!

For example, imagine these were two questions from Section 2 on your IELTS test, where one person is giving a presentation:

15          What annual event does Washington Food Bank organize?

            A           Displaying a community garden on local television

            B          Putting on a music festival

            C          Organizing Local farmers’ markets

16          What activity does Washington Food Bank mostly need volunteers for?

            A           Packaging food for poor families

            B          Traveling around the state soliciting donations

            C          Manning booths at local events

So, if you are listening for key words from Question #15 but miss clues the speaker talking about an ‘annual event’, you may not notice that the presentation speaker has moved onto talking about ‘volunteers’. Now, you may miss two questions, because you spent too much time focusing on Question #15 and missed the part of the presentation where the speaker talks about Question #16.

So, on test day, when you answering Listening questions, always focus on keywords for two questions at at time . Move your eyes back and forth between the questions and answer choices for the two questions, which will give you a better chance of hearing clues for both questions. For example, once you hear the answer to Question #15, you shift you focus to looking at key words for Questions #16 and #17!

So, remember to use all the silent times between conversations and presentations to prepare for the next part of the IELTS Listening test or for a part that looks more difficult. Listen to how the IELTS conversation and presentation speakers use their voice to help you hear the correct answer. It takes time to become effective with these techniques, so practice using these techniques many times before IELTS test day so that they become a habit! Remember to use these 5 IELTS Listening tips every time you are doing mock IELTS Listening tests, and you will see your IELTS Listening score improve!

More IELTS exam tips!

• Tips to help you with IELTS Listening map questions
• Use the “3×3 Method” to improve your English listening ability!
• Tips for IELTS Cloze (Fill-in-the-blank) Questions

Discover more IELTS test tips!

• Top 5 tips for improving Writing IELTS Academic Task 1 Skills
• Top 5 IELTS Academic Task 1 Writing Tips
• Advanced Grammar for IELTS Writing Academic Task 1
• Top 5 Tips for IELTS General Writing 1 Letters
• Top 5 tips to improve Writing IELTS Task 2 Skills
• Top 5 IELTS Task 2 Writing Tips
• Top 5 tips for IELTS Speaking Preparation
• Top 5 IELTS Speaking Tips
• Your attitude can increase your IELTS Speaking score!
• How to Improve English Speaking Skills
• Top 5 IELTS Reading Tips
• How IELTS Reading Logic Flips can trick you!
• Use PELA’s 3×3 Method to learn English at home!

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Giải The Official Guide to IELTS – Listening Test 2 with transcripts & answers

Section 1: short story competition – ielts listening answers.

Questions 1-6

Complete the notes below.

Write  NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER  for each answer.

Questions 7-10

Write  NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS  for each answer.

Judging and Prize Details

• The competition is judged by  7  …………………….
• The top five stories will be available  8  ……………………
• The top story will be chosen by the  9  ……………………
• The first prize is a place at a writers’ workshop in  10  ……………………

SECTION 2: Sea Life Centre – information – IELTS Listening Answers

Questions 11-17

Complete the question below.

Write  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS  for each answer.

Sea Life Centre – information

11. What was the Sea Life Centre previously called?…………

12. What is the newest attraction called? ……………………

13. When is the main feeding time? ……………………

14. What can you do with a VIP ticket? ……………………

15. What special event will the Sea Life Centre arrange for you? ……………………

16. Where will the petition for animal conservation be sent to?…………

17. What can you use to test what you have learnt? …………

Questions 18-20

What does the guide say about each attraction?

Choose  THREE  answers from the box and write the correct letter,  A-E , next to Question 18-20

18    must not miss ……………………

19    temporarily closed   ……………………

20    large queues ……………………

• look out for somebody / something (phrasal verb): tìm gặp
• petition /pəˈtɪʃn/ (noun): lời thỉnh cầu (tập hợp chữ ký của nhiều người)
• overlook something /ˌəʊvəˈlʊk/ (verb): bỏ qua, bỏ lỡ

SECTION 3: George’s experience of university – IELTS Listening Answers

Questions 21-22   Choose  TWO  letters,  A-E .

Which  TWO  subjects did Martina like best before going to university?

Questions 23-26     Complete the summary below.

Write  NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS  for each answer.

George’s experience of university

George is studying Mechanical Engineering which involves several disciplines. He is finding  23 …….. the most difficult. At the moment, his course is mainly  24 ……. He will soon have an assignment which involves a study of  25 …… He thinks there are too many  26 ………… and would like less of them.

Questions 27-30    Choose the correct letter,  A ,  B  or  C .

27  Martina thinks the students at her university are

• A    sociable
• B    intelligent
• C    energetic

28  George hopes that his tutor will help him

• A    lose his shyness
• B    settle into university
• C    get to know his subject better

29  What does Martina know about her first assignment?

• A    the topic
• B    the length
• C    the deadline

30  George would like to live

• A    in a hall of residence
• B    in a flat on his own
• C    with a host family
• opt for something /ɒpt/ (verb): chọn
• get a grasp of /ɡrɑːsp/ (verb phrase): hiểu được
• studious /ˈstjuːdiəs/ (adj): chăm học
• heavy-going (idiom): nặng, khó hiểu
• bound to do something /baʊnd/ (adj): chắc chắn sẽ
• dread something /dred/ (verb): sợ điều gì sẽ xảy ra
• approachable /əˈprəʊtʃəbl/ (adj): dễ gần
• frustrating /frʌˈstreɪtɪŋ/ (adj): gây khó chịu, bực dọc

SECTION 4: Preparing and Giving a Presentation – IELTS Listening Answers

• supportive /səˈpɔːtɪv/ (adj): hay giúp đỡ
• energetic /ˌenəˈdʒetɪk/ (adj): tràn đầy năng lượng
• agenda /əˈdʒendə/ (noun): chương trình nghị sự
• terrified of somebody/ something /ˈterɪfaɪd/ (adj): sợ
• pick somebody/ something out (phrasal verb): lựa chọn ra (từ một nhóm)
• Giải đề Listening Official
• Giải đề Listening Cambridge

• A Beginner’s Guide to IELTS
• Common Grammar Mistakes [for IELTS Writing Candidates]

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A Complete Guide to the IELTS Listening Exam

Listening is one of the four parts of the IELTS exam and it is the same regardless of whether you choose to take the academic or general test. It is comprised of four sections and you will be asked a variety of questions on these listening passages. You can expect to hear different accents and different types of materials, from phone conversations to lectures. There are forty questions and you have forty minutes to listen and answer. In this article, I will give a complete guide to the IELTS listening exam. You can find useful hints and tips for IELTS listening elsewhere on this site.

An Overview

The IELTS listening exam is the same for both the general and academic IELTS tests. It requires no specialist knowledge in order to pass, and is a good test of your overall English ability. Sections one and two are in a social context but the third and fourth sections are usually located in an educational facility, and have an academic context. I shall explain more about this, in detail, later.

The purpose of the IELTS listening exam is to test your ability to do the following:

• understand main ideas
• follow logical arguments
• find specific information (ie numbers, addresses)
• recognize opinions or attitudes

Importantly, you will only have one chance to hear the recording and choose a correct answer.

You will listen to approximately thirty minutes of recordings, including time for reading the questions. The instructions are clear, and you will be told “you now have x minutes” to check your answers or read the next set of questions. At the end of this time, you have ten minutes to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer paper, which looks like this:

You will be given some time to read the questions prior to actually listening to the recording. You should note your answers on the question paper, and then transfer them during the final ten minutes to the answer sheet. Copy the answers carefully, paying attention to spelling. Make sure that you enter the right answer for the right question number.

Hint: Use your time wisely. When you are given time before a new section starts, don’t check answers from the previous section. Instead, read ahead and predict the sort of material you will hear next. For example, if there is a $ before the blank space, you will be listening for a number. Think about themes and content, as well as the specific answers you should listen for. You can use the time at the end to check spelling and review your answers.

There are four sections to the exam, and each is little more difficult than the one before it. This means that the first section is the easiest and the last is the most difficult. In this regard, it is the same as the speaking exam . There are ten questions in each section, making forty questions in total.

The first thing that you will hear is a set of instructions and an example answer, which is also marked on your question paper. After that, you will soon begin section one.

In this section, you will hear a conversation between two people. The situation will be a normal, everyday social setting. For example, a phone call to a travel agency or realtor. You are typically expected to listen for specific details like the person’s name, address, and phone number. It may look like this:

The British Council (who run the IELTS exam along with Cambridge University) offer free practice tests like this one . You can practice your listening skills here, or buy the official exam papers .

Next is a monologue, which means just one person speaks. This is again a social setting and typical examples include someone giving details about services, arrangements, or facilities. It will be something of general interest. You can expect different types of questions, and one very common question type in section 2 is filling in a table with the correct information.

Now we begin the academic half of the listening exam. In section 3, you will hear a conversation between two or more people talking about something related to education – maybe a college assignment or a post-lecture discussion. There can be up to four people talking, and you will most likely have to track their attitudes and opinions. You should also be aware that you may need to record factual information as well.

Here is an example question:

The final section is the most difficult one, and is a monologue set in an academic context. It will be related to section 3 and may consist of a lecturer or other speaker giving an informative talk on a set topic. You will not need to know anything about the topic in advance in order to get the questions right. You will, however, need to gather factual information and identify attitudes and opinions .

Here is a practice test that only looks at section 4 of the IELTS listening exam:

Video Overview

I made this video to help you better understand the IELTS listening exam as a whole. It should be very helpful for students who haven’t yet taken the IELTS, and just want to get a basic understanding.

Question Types

You will have noticed from reading the above guide that the IELTS listening exam, although difficult, is actually quite predictable. It is easy to prepare for it because it doesn’t change much. Thankfully, there are only a limited number of question types, too. Some of these are similar to the questions you are asked in the reading exam, while others are specific to the IELTS listening. I will look at some of the more common ones.

Multiple Choice

This is a very common question type, so you really should practice it often. In this type of question, you will be given several possible answers. You may be given a simple question or else the first part of a sentence. It is also possible that you may have to choose more than one answer, so read the instructions very carefully.

Here’s an example question:

What is John going to do before the course starts? A.  attend a class B. write a report C. read a book

Hint: If you don’t know what the answer is, think about what is not correct. If are certain that C is incorrect, then you can guess at either A and B. Never leave a question unanswered.

Label a Map, Diagram, etc

One of the more challenging questions in the listening exam is labeling a map, diagram, or plan. In this case, you need to listen very carefully and follow the verbal description well enough to associate it with the visual representation. This requires the ability to follow instructions and directions, or determine spatial relationships.

It should look something like this:

Form, Table, Summary Completion

There are many variations on this, but quite simply you will be given some sort of incomplete information and asked to complete it according to the information in the listening passage. Perhaps it will be a note or form that needs to be filled with names or numbers. In other cases it is a more complex flow chart that needs you to listen for stages in a procedure.

The most important thing with this type of question is to read the instructions carefully. It will say something like:

WRITE NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

You must make sure to stick to this as any answer with too many words will be marked as incorrect.

Short Answers

This is something many students find to be difficult as you are asked a question and required to listen to find the words in the recording. You will again be told the maximum number of words you can use, so make sure not to exceed that limit.

Because of the nature of the question, the answer will not be too complex. Instead, expect questions like “Who…?” and “What time…?” that require only one or two words as an answer.

Each question is worth one mark, so you will be given a mark out of forty for your IELTS listening test. This is converted to a band score of between 0-9.

You can calculate your band score from the number of answers you get correct. Do plenty of listening practice under exam conditions and you will get a good idea of what your band score will be after doing the real IELTS exam.

Other Important Things to Know

You may hear speakers from the U.K. or U.S.A., as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, or South Africa. Some students practice listening exclusively to American TV or BBC News and so they are confused by the other accents. However, English is an international language and you should be familiar with these accents at the very least. The speakers will speak clearly and in standard English, so there is no new slang or technical jargon to encounter.

The IELTS exam is, to some extent, also a test of your thinking skills. Sometimes there are answered designed to trick you. It is not always straightforward. You may have to think carefully about a question and the answer may appear to be one of two possible answers, but only a very careful analysis of the language would reveal the correct one. In these cases, it is best to take a guess and move quickly on. You don’t have time to dwell on the difficult ones. Make sure you get the easy stuff right first.

Strategies for Success in IELTS Listening

I have numerous posts on this blog offering free help for students with their IELTS listening preparation. You can find some of them here:

• How to Answer Multiple Choice Questions [IELTS Listening Tips]
• How to Pass the IELTS Listening
• 4 Tips For Improving Your IELTS Listening Score
• Improve your English listening skills with podcasts
• 10 IELTS Listening Tips

The gist of it is this: practice is absolutely vital. Additionally, you need to be familiar with hearing English, with exam techniques, and with listening for specific details in both conversations and monologues. Get used to the format of the IELTS exam and the wording used in listening questions, and then on exam day you must read these instructions very carefully. It is easy to make small, silly mistakes.

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IELTS Listening Section Exam Guide

Updated On Dec 15, 2021

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Listening Section Format

Also check :

• IELTS Listening Answer Sheet
• IELTS listening recent actual test
• IELTS Listening preparation tips
• IELTS Listening words
• How to Improve IELTS Listening Section 3 and 4?
• What is Signposting?

 (2) Multiple Choice

Remember…

• The questions wil folow the order of the recorrfcig.
• You wil be told either to choose ONE option from A, B and C, or TWO options from A, B, C. D and E.
• Always read the questions before you start The wil give you an idea of what the retorting is about and what to listen for.
• Listen carefuly to the narrator’s introduction to find out what the recording is about
• As soon as you’ve freshed one question, listen out for the answer to the next (do not dwell on questions you aren’t sire of as you only hear the recordng once; quickly move on or risk missing another answer).

(3) Form Completion

N.B. Table completion tasks are very similar to note completion exercises.

(4) Table Completion

(5) flow-chart completion.

• flow charts require you to follow the development of a diccussion.
• The steps in the flow-chart will be in the sane order as what you hear
• Listen careMy to the part of the dscussion to whch the task relates because you wil only hear it once.
• There are two types of flowchart task; A and B (see below). A requres you to choose an option (A. 8. C etc) from the box to complete each space. B requires you to write the exact word(s) you hear in the space.

(6) Diagram Labelling

• You will have to transfer the information you hear to a simple picture or plan of some kind.
• You will need to be familiar with the kind of language used to express where things are.
• Listen carefully to the part of the discussion to which this task relates because you will only hear it once.
• There are three types of diagram labelling tasks. See below for details.

(7) Map Labelling

N. B. Map labelling is very similar to diagram labelling. There are three types of map questions and they follow the format of types A, B and C above.

• Read the instructions so you know what to write (e.g. a word or letter).
• Look at the map and try to understand what it shows and how each location might be described.
• Use the places already marked on the map to help you follow the recording.

(8) Matching

• Matching requires you to listen to detailed information and connect it to a number of places, people, groups etc.
• You will only hear the part of the recording related to the matching task ONCE.
• Match ONE piece of information from the box to each question.

(9) Sentence Completion

N.B. Sentence completion is similar to note completion. I

General Listening Tips

Practice ielts listening based on question types.

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Janice Thompson

Soon after graduating with a Master’s in Literature from Southern Arkansas University, she joined an institute as an English language trainer. She has had innumerous student interactions and has produced a couple of research papers on English language teaching. She soon found that non-native speakers struggled to meet the English language requirements set by foreign universities. It was when she decided to jump ship into IELTS training. From then on, she has been mentoring IELTS aspirants. She joined IELTSMaterial about a year ago, and her contributions have been exceptional. Her essay ideas and vocabulary have taken many students to a band 9.

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• Academic practice
• General practice
• Task 1 Academic
• Task 1 General
• Task 2 (essay)

IELTS Listening Sample 12. Section 3

SECTION 3. QUESTIONS 21-30

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER for each answer.

Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark. Correct spelling is needed in all answers.

• Student Loans
• Finance Office
• Supermarket
• Natural Medicine
• Careers Office
• Email attachment
• Data analysis
• Presentation

Question 1 - 10

Complete each sentences with correct ending

ĐÁP ÁN & GIẢI THÍCH CÂU 1

• Nội dung giải thích được viết bởi DOL IELTS Đình Lực - Học Viện Tiếng Anh Tư Duy đầu tiên tại Việt Nam
• Đề được viết bởi nhà xuất bản lớn gồm Cambridge và Oxford

• Preparing for IELTS
• Practice tests
• Free online IELTS Listening practice tests

IELTS practice Listening test - part 2

This is the second part of your Listening test. Listen to the audio and answer questions 11-20.

Listen to the instructions for each part of this section carefully. Answer all the questions. You can download the questions for the entire Listening practice test from the Listening practice test 1 page. The questions for part 2 are also shown on this page. While you are listening, write your answers on the question paper. Use a pencil. 

When you have completed all four parts of the Listening test you will have ten minutes to copy your answers on to a separate answer sheet.

IELTS practice Listening test audio: part 2

First, listen to the audio. Left click on the link to listen now (the audio player will open in a new tab) or right click and select 'Save Link As' to download the file to your computer and listen later.

Questions 11–14

Which counsellor should you see? Write the correct letter, A, B or C, next to questions 11–14. 

Questions 15-20

Complete the table below. Write no more than two words for each answer.

You have completed the second section of your Listening test. Now move on to Listening section 3.

• IELTS practice Listening test - part 3