IELTS LISTENING TIPS:

1 . Four sections; 40 questions

 Section one (social)two speakers (context is a social situation,e.g booking a hotel)

 Section two (social) one speaker (e.g talking about charity)
 Speaker three (academic)three/four speakers (It is an academic discussion ,you should be able
to identify who is speaking and what is speaking about.)
 Section four (academic) one speaker (it is an academic lecture,e.g a professor giving a lecture at
university.

2. Length: 40 minutes (10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.)

3. Practice using the answer sheet if you test is paper based.

4. You hear the recording only once.

5. Scores are calculated by correct answers. (there are 40 answers and 40 points.)

6. Capital letters or lower case. (eg. GARDEN/garden…….MR BROWN/Mr Brown)

You have to choose if you will write with capital letters or respect the writing rules and write the
capital letter when it is needed.

7. Numbers of words for each answer.(no more than two words and/or a number)

8. Don’t try to understand everything but just focus in the answer you are looking for.

9. Answers can come quickly so keep your eye in the other question.

10. Make notes in your question paper or use abbreviations if it is needed.

11. There might be a gap between answers. (students start listening and then the panic starts
but it happens,there might be a gap between answers,that’s why it is important to underline the
key words.

12. Common traps:

 Answers that are changed (suddenly the answer changes so you keep a note of it but
even listen so you can catch it properly)
 Using similar words rather than paraphrases (you might think that it is easy because you
listen the same words but it is a trap,you have to be suspicious.
13. Repeat answers (the word would be repeated e.g Do you mean this….)

14. Listen for plurals (you need to pay attention if the word is pronounced with s or not
because they know that foreigners struggle listening the plural form)

15. All words and numbers are counted (a holiday/1990/ (half-time)this is one word)

16. Spelling is important because if you spell the word incorrectly ,it is incorrect.

17.Words or letters: a. spring

b. summer
c. winter (you have to write the letter in you answer sheet not
the word so read the instructions carefully.

18. Question types:

 Multiple choice
 Map completion
 Diagram labeling
 Form completion
 Note completion
 Flow chart completion
 Sentence completion
 Summary completion
 Short answer questions table completion.