CHAPTER II:

LISTENING MODULE STRATEGIES

 TASK TYPE I: OUTLINE COMPLETION
The Note Completion, Form Completion, Table Completion, Flow-chart Completion and Sentence
Completion in IELTS test your ability to locate and record specific information from a recording. You
sometimes listen to a conversation where one person is giving factual information to another, and
sometimes you listen to a lecture or presentation about a specific subject. In both cases, some of the
information you hear is already written on the question paper. You see a set of notes that includes the
information you hear on the recording. In each set of notes, some key words or numbers are missing.
Your job is to listen and fill in the gaps.
Here are the basic rules for these tasks:
• The spoken instructions tell you about the speaker(s) and the topic.
• The written instructions tell you how many words to write in each gap.
• When you listen, you hear the words that you need to write.
• You won't hear exactly the same words that you read on the question paper, but you will hear the same
information in the same order.
• You write the words in the same form as you hear them on the recording (e.g. singular/plural) - you
don't need to change them in any way.
• Spelling counts! The words you write must be spelled correctly.
• You hear the recording ONCE only.

It's very important to read through the notes before you listen, and think about the type of information
you're listening for. You'll hear different words that could fit into each gap. You have to listen carefully to
choose the correct information, so that the notes match the meaning of the recording exactly.
The set of notes may be presented in different ways. For example, you could see:
• notes with subheadings and bullet points
• a table with information under headings
• a form that somebody has partly filled in
• a flow-chart with information in stages
• a set of sentences with spaces to write the answers

GENERAL STRATEGIES
Strategy 1: Prediction
Prediction is an important skill in all areas of the IELTS listening test but crucially important in the form
filling section.
Predicting enables you to not only focus your brain on the area that you will hear, but more importantly,
not focus on any other areas.
For example:
Name: Shaun Rodgers
Room no. ___________
Number of occupants: 1
Check out time: ____________
In this example we can accurately predict that we are going to hear a room number and time. That means
we can completely focus on those two items, making it much easier for us to get the correct answer.
When predicting we should think about:
Grammar: noun, verb, adjective, adverb etc.. Often it will be obvious which word form we need to use.
If we use a different form of the word we will get the question wrong.
Subject: phone number, address, date, business name etc.. This will help us focus on the correct part of
the recording and find the correct information more easily.
Function: list, question, label, instruction etc..
In the IELTS listening test you will have between 30-45 seconds before you hear the recording. Use this
time wisely by predicting what you are going to hear.

Strategy 2: Synonyms
In the IELTS listening test it is normal for you to read one word but hear another word with the same
meaning. For example, you may read ‘cost’ but hear ‘price’. This is called a synonym and the IELTS
listening test has lots of them.
A common mistake is to read a certain word and listen for that word and not hear it. That is because the
recording used a synonym. For example, you might hear someone making a hotel reservation and you
have to note down their details.
The form might say ‘Arrival Date’, but you will hear ‘day you arrive’. Similarly, you may read
‘Departure Date’, but you might hear ‘day you leave’.
Make sure you think about the type of information you might hear in the form of synonyms, not just the
information you read.

Strategy 3: Word Limit

Be careful not to write too many words in this section. You will be given specific instructions and you
must not go over this limit. For example, NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS means that you may write
one OR two words but no more.
NOT MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER means that if you write more than one word
your answer will be incorrect.

Strategy 4: Numbers
You should familiarize yourself with how numbers sound in English and remember that the speaker may
have an accent from an English-speaking country you might not be familiar with, such as Ireland,
Scotland, New Zealand or Canada.
The numbers that often come up are:
13 30 17 70
14 40 18 80
15 50 19 90
16 60
These numbers are difficult for many non-native speakers and that is why IELTS like to use them.
Practice listening and saying these numbers.
You might also get a credit card number. These number are always 16 digits long, so depending on how
many numbers are already provided, you will know how many numbers to write down.
Finally, telephone numbers have two considerations. Firstly, native speakers offer say ‘oh’ instead of
‘zero’ and we may also group numbers together by saying ‘double’ or ‘triple’ in front of it. So,
0778880700 would sound like ‘oh, double seven, triple eight, oh, seven, double oh.’

Strategy 5: Letters
If there is a word, such as a surname or address, that is unfamiliar to most people, the recording will spell
it out. Make sure you familiarize yourself with how all the letters sound. You could also categorize them
by similar sound. For example, B, D, E, T, G, P and C all have a similar final sound and may be used to
try and trick you.

Strategy 6: Addresses
Are you aware of the normal address format in the UK and Australia? Many different countries have very
different address formats to this one and can be confusing. In the exam you want to know exactly what to
expect.
It is normally:
House/Flat Number
Street Name
Town/City Name
Finally, you might have to write down a post code. These always start and end with one or two letters first
(normally the same as the city) and then a series of numbers in between. Make sure you write down both
the letters and numbers. Example: M1 4JH
For example:
22 South Street
Bristol
BS1 5TW

Strategy 7: Dates
Make sure you are aware of the spelling of all the days of the week, especially difficult ones like
Wednesday. This is also true for months like February. Also, if you don’t put a capital letter at the
beginning of these words you will be incorrect.
Also be aware of some synonyms such as, weekend for Saturday and Sunday or fortnight for two weeks.
There are also different ways of saying and writing dates, for example:
‘The eleventh of September 2002′ could be written as ’11 September 2002.’
Again, pay attention to the word limit in the question and only write under this limit.
 GENERAL TIPS
1. Before you listen, you have time to read the notes and think about what you're going to hear.
2. Think about the type of information that's missing in each gap. For example, are you listening for a
name, a number or another type of word?
3. Look for clues in the notes that tell you what to listen for, e.g. the information already written under
each heading.
4. Sometimes the notes tell you what to listen for, for example, 'type of engine'. But you may hear more
than one type of engine mentioned in the recording. Listen carefully to know which is correct.
5. Most of the missing information is facts about the topic, so the words you need to write are mostly
either concrete nouns or numbers. If the words are nouns, think about whether your answer needs to be
singular or plural. The rest of the notes may help you with this.
6. The word or words you need to write are on the recording. Don't try to put the information you hear
into your own words.
7. The instructions tell you how many words to write - if you write more. your answer will be marked
wrong. Most answers are single nouns, e. g. 'iron', or compound nouns that include two words, e. g.
'guided tour'.
8. Write numbers as figures, e.g. '104' - not as words, e.g. 'one hundred and four'.
9. The notes follow the order of information in the recording. The question numbering will help you to
see how the information is organized, especially in tables.
10. When you listen to the recording, you hear some words or ideas from the notes. These tell you that the
words you need to write are coming. There's no need to write the words that are already in the notes.
11. Use the headings in the task to help you. Think about the meaning and listen for the main ideas -
headings can help you with this.
12 Don't just write down the first word you hear that fits the gap - keep listening and keep thinking about
the meaning.
13. You should think about your spelling. If you spell a word incorrectly, your answer will be marked
wrong. But the words you need to write are words which you probably know. And which are easy to
spell.
14. Some words, like the names of people and places, may be spelled out for you on the recording.
15. If you aren't sure, always write something. No marks are taken off for wrong answers.
16. Remember, you hear the recording ONCE only.
 1. FORM COMPLETION
1.1 About the task
Form completion tasks are usually found in section 1. You need to fill in missing information in
the gaps. You have to listen for such specific information as names, dates, places, times, prices,
measurements, special features and characteristics.
For questions involving things like measurements or money, you should write the unit of
measurement (for example, cm, m, $) if this is not already given on the question paper. It is not
necessary to write the full form (for example, centimeters); the abbreviated form or the symbol is
fine. Such abbreviated forms (for example, 12m, $45, 23%) count as one word.
Example: FORM COMPLETION
1.2 Strategies
• Check how many words or numbers you can include in each answer.
• Predict what sort of information you will need for each answer.
• Carefully check the order of the answers. Sometimes with a table the order may be horizontal.
• Pay attention to the words before and after the gap. Listen, in this example, for these words: Name and
Address, which appear before the gap.
• The order of the gaps in the form will follow the conversation.

1.3 Practice exercises

Exercise 1: (Audio 1.1)
Circle the key words around the gaps. Then listen to the conversation and complete each form.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Exercise 2: (Audio 1.2)

Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Exercise 3: (Audio 1.3)

Listen and complete the form in Exercise 3.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS A ND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Exercise 4: (Audio 1.4)
Listen to a conversation between a customer and a customer service clerk. Complete the form. Write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. The recording is played once
only.

Exercise 5: (Audio 1.5)

You are going to hear a phone conversation. Complete the details on the report form with the information
you hear. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND I OR A NUMBER for each answer. The
recording is played once only.

Exercise 6: (Audio 1.6)

Complete the form below, based on the information in the conversation you hear.
Write ONE WORD AND I OR A NUMBER for each answer. The recording is played once only.
Exercise 7: (Audio 1.7)
You will hear a conversation between two colleagues. Based on what they say, complete the message
below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. The recording is played once only.

Exercise 8: (Audio 1.8)

Listen to a message on a telephone answering machine. Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN
TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. The recording is played once only.
Exercise 9: (Audio 1.9)
Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
The recording is played once only.
Exercise 10: (Audio 1.10)
You will hear two people discussing an extramural course. Fill in the information you hear on the
application form below. Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER for each answer. The recording is played once only.
Exercise 11: (Audio 1.11)
Complete the form.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

PACKHAM’S SHIPPING AGENCY – customer quotation form

Example
Country of destination:   Kenya

Name: Jacob 1 ....................
Address to be collected from: 2 .................... College, Downlands Rd
Town:Bristol
Postcode: 3 ....................

Height: 5 ....................

Width: 4 ....................

  
Contents: clothes
 6 ....................
 7 ....................
Total estimated value:8 £ ....................
Exercise 12: (Audio 1.12)

Complete the form below.

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

HEALTH CLUB CUSTOMER RESEARCH

Example Answer

Name: Selina Thompson

Occupation: 1 ……………………………………..

Age group: 2 …………………………………….

Type of membership: 3 …………………………………….

Length of membership: 4 ……………………………………. years

Why joined: Recommended by a 5 …………………………………….

Visits to club per month: Eight (on an average)

Facility used most: 6 …………………………………….

Tennis courts
Facility not used (If any):
(because reluctant to 7 ………………………………….)

Suggestions for
Have more 8 …………………………………….
improvements:

  Install 9 ……………………………………. in the gym.

  Open 10 ……………………………………. later at weekends.

Exercise 13: (Audio 1.13)
Complete the form below
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Exercise 14: (Audio 1.14)
Complete the form below. Write  ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER  for each answer.
Early Learning Childcare Centre Enrolment Form
Personal Details
Child’s name: Kate
Age: 1 ………………………………
Address: 2 ……………………………… Road, Woodside, 4032
Phone: 3345 9865 
Childcare Information
Days enrolled for: Monday and 3 ………………………………
Start time: 4 ……………………………… am
Childcare group: the 5 ……………………………… group
Which meal/s are required each day? 6 ………………………………
Medical conditions: needs 7 ………………………………
Emergency contact: Jenny 8 ……………………………… Phone: 3346 7523
Relationship to child: 9 ………………………………
Fees
Will pay each 10 ………………………………

Exercise 15: (Audio 1.15)

Listen and complete the form. Write no more than TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer.
DUBAI PALM APARTMENTS
Enquiry taken by: Amanda
Name: 1 ………………………………
Address: 37 2 ………………………………Vienna
Telephone number: 3 ………………………………
Number of people: four
Starting date: 4 ……………………………… January
Length of stay: 5 ………………………………
Price per day: maximum 6 ……………………………… euros
Other requirements:
 fully equipped 7 ………………………………
 view of 8 ………………………………
 air conditioning must be 9 ………………………………
 10 ………………………………for car