IELTS Preparatory Tips: Listening Section

In the IELTS Listening section, you will listen to four recorded texts, monologues, and conversations by a range of native speakers, and write your answers to a series of questions.

These include questions that test your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information, ability to understand the opinions and attitudes of speakers, ability to understand the purpose of an utterance, and the ability to follow the development of ideas.

Time Allotted: 30 minutes

Section 1

A conversation between two people on every day, social topic. This means that you will listen to two people talking to each other about arranging a trip, organizing an event, etc.

Section 2

This is a talk by one speaker on a general topic. This means that you listen to one person giving information about a public event, a service provided, etc.

Section 3

This is a conversation between two to four people in an educational or training context. This means that you listen to up to four people talking to each other about an assignment for a course, an academic subject in a seminar, etc.

Section 4

This is a monologue on an academic or study-related topic. This means you will listen to a person given a lecture or talk, which is focused academically.

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IELTS Listening Tips

These IELTS listening tips and tricks will help you in achieving a 9 band score.

Attempt all questions! As there is no negative marking in the IELTS Listening section one should attempt all questions.
Answers appear in the sequence you heard them in the audio. They might come with large gaps or can come quickly.
If the question requires a singular answer, a plural answer is incorrect and vice-versa.
Stress on what the speaker is saying and not how he is saying it.
You can write the answer using capital or lower case letters, however, experts recommend using all capital letters.
If you don’t know an answer, guess and move on to the next one.
A date like ‘1960’ is considered as one number.
A large number like 1,000,400 is considered one word.
Words with hyphens like ‘two-fold’ are considered as one word.
Read the questions before the recording begins, this will help you further when you will be starting the section.
Sometimes there will be a list of options to choose from, however, the answers may not be in the order you hear them.
After finishing a section you can move on to the next section.
Note down the word limit for each section. Just go as per the given instructions.
Look for similar words or synonyms from the question, this can help you find the answer.
Mention the dates in correct ways like 20th June, June 20, or 20 June.
Do not waste too much time on one question, as you have limited time, so make the best use of it.
Those who take IELTS test on paper are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers from the Listening booklet to the answer sheet once the recording is over. Do it once the recordings end as you might end up missing an important point about the next section.
In the case of a computer-delivered IELTS test, you will not get extra 10 minutes.

Work on your general listening skills

As the IELTS Listening section is designed to test your listening skills, you should listen to various other mediums and focus not just on listening to IELTS listening practice tests. Listen to informative TV shows, documentary programs, and radio reports apart from the IELTS listening practice tests.

Things to keep in mind

Focus on the first two sections is on listening to the specific factual information. However in the last two sections, in addition to factual information, you have to focus on the speaker’s attitude and opinions.
You will be allowed approximately 30 seconds to study the questions before the test begins. Use this time to check what kind of information or answers are needed in that particular section.
At the end of the Listening test, the answers must be written on the Answer Sheet. After the test, you will be given 10 whole minutes to copy all your answers to the Answer Sheet and only then you need to be doing that.
Do not mistakenly choose to copy the answers to the Answer Sheet during the time given before each section begins, because that time is for you to concentrate on reading the questions about the new section, to understand what’s coming up or what kind of information you need to focus on in the new section.

For in-depth preparation go for the IELTS speaking topics with answers, so you can understand their reasoning as well. Also, focus on learning more and more IELTS listening tips and tricks that will help you in better utilization of the time.

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