IELTS

Learn Listening For Tone Attitude before starting the preparation

The Listening Section of the IELTS Academic Test is divided into 4 sections, each with 10 questions so 40 questions in total. You will have about 30 minutes to complete before sections. in addition, you have about 10 extra minutes to transfer your answers from your question sheet to your answer sheet.

Listening For Tone Attitude

What is the IELTS Listening Test Format?

In the first recording, you’ll hear a whole conversation between two speakers, for example, a conversation about travel arrangements, opening a bank account, or inquiring about a training course.

In the second recording, you’ll hear a monologue or just one person speaking, for example, a speech about community activities, someone giving information on something such as a guided museum tour, or information about a conference.

The last two recordings deal with education or training-related situation in section 3 there’s a conversation between two main speakers, for example, 2 university students in discussion perhaps guided by a Tutor.

The fourth recording is a monologue on an academic subject and is usually a university-style lecture. This could be related to any academic topic.

You can only listen to the recordings once, which means if you want to do well on the listening task you need to be well prepared. To be well-prepared you need to be very familiar with the listening tasks so let’s take a look at these now.

No specialist subject knowledge is necessary. All the answers you need will be provided in the recordings.

Task Types

There are 6 different listening task types that you could see on your test. Each task is designed to test a different skill. You need to be able to recognize each task type immediately. This will save you a lot of time on the actual test conditions.

The different Task Types are:

Multiple Choice;
Matching Times Two ( there are two different matching tasks);
Plan, Map, Diagram Labeling;
Form, Note, Table, Flow-chart, Summary Completion;
Sentence Completion;
and Short Answer Questions.

Essential Exam Information

In order to score a Band 7+ in IELTS listening, you need to have a solid understanding of 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.

Top 5 IELTS Listening Tips

1-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.

2-Don’t lose your concentration.

To improve your concentration you need to practice active listening. This involves setting yourself small tasks when you are practicing and actually doing something when you are listening, just like you will be in your test.

3-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.

4-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.

5-Practice listening to things only once.

Lots of teachers allow their students to listen to a recording 3 or 4 times. However, I would strongly recommend practicing the exam under exam conditions and that means listening just once.

Getting band 9 for IELTS Listening is possible?

The answer is Yes! There are some things you need to do before the exam and some things you need to pay attention to on the exam. By following these tips, you can considerably improve your score and even get a band 9! You will find here s' the points to improve your listening to get the desired score on the IELTS Listening test:

Before the test

Improve your general listening skills

The goal of IELTS Listening section is to test your listening skills. Don't use practice tests to improve your score: it's not enough! They will help you to become familiar with the test, but won't much improve your listening abilities. It is much more effective to do various listening exercises, listen to general listening materials (radio reports, TV-shows, documental programs, etc) and only after that do IELTS Listening practice tests.

Polish your topic vocabulary

Section 3 is almost always about education. For example, students and a tutor talk about an assignment. Learn all the vocabulary you can about studying at university. This way you will understand this section better.

On the test

Word types

Skip over the questions and decide which type of word fits in each gap. Is it a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective? Write 'N' for noun, 'V' for verb, and so on. This will help you to focus on the specific word forms while listening.

"Plugin" the situation

Try to get an idea of the situation. Before each part you will be given a short introduction: 'Now, you will hear a dialogue between…' or 'you will hear a lecture on…' This information is not written on the question paper, so be attentive. Note: who are the speakers, why are they speaking and where are they. This will make understanding the rest of the recording much easier.

Don't loose attention

Remember, you will only hear the audio once. So if you didn't hear some words and passed over some questions, don't worry! Leave them blank and focus on the actual part. Review those questions at the end of the section, otherwise, you will only miss more questions and tangle in the recording. You will need to read, write and listen to all at the same time.

Watch out words-indicators

Listen for words-indicators, such as however, but, then, finally. They help you to anticipate what the speaker will say.

Don't write answers too quickly

A lot of students fall into this trap: as soon as they hear the needed information, they take it for the correct answer. But sometimes this information is repeated or corrected further in the section.

Example:

Sam: Thank you! I've received your email. So it is Loren-hanson@gmail.com.

Loren: No-no! You have mistaken, it is loren-hamson@gmail.com, spelled with M.

Sam: Oh, I'm sorry...

Check for silly mistakes

After each section you have 30 seconds to check your answers. It is important to check spelling, plurals, and word forms. Remember that only correctly written answers will gain points.

Transfer answers accurately

At the end of the listening test, you will have 10 minutes for transferring your answers into the answer sheet. And quite often students get confused in the numeration! As you write down your answers, check that they fit into the correct numbered space. In other words, make sure that the answer for question 7 goes into space number 7.

Don't leave any blank answers!

You won't lose marks for incorrect answers, so even if you don't know the answer it is better to write something in the answers box. Read the question again and make a guess!