IELTS

Listening
Preparation

IELTS LISTENING EXAM INFORMATION

What can you expect in an IELTS Listening test?

In an IELTS Listening test, you would listen to a few audio recordings played by
the examiner and answer the questions given below. These audio recordings are
in the form of monologues or conversations between two or more people.

What should you know about the IELTS Listening test?

 The duration of the IELTS Listening test is 30 minutes. For a paper based test,
you will be given an extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer
 sheet. For a computer-delivered test, you will be given 2 minutes to recheck your
answers.
 There are 4 sections in the IELTS Listening test and the difficulty level of the test
increases for each section. Each section has 10 questions, and so there are 40
questions in total. Each question carries 1 mark.
 The examiner gives you time to look into the questions before you start listening
to the recording that is played and in the end you will have time to review the
answers that you have written.
 There are same listening tests for both academic as well as general training
categories.
 In order to answer these questions, you might need to have a good
understanding of the monologues and conversations to interpret them and write
the answers, as the words in the audio and questions might not be exactly the
same.
 Be cautious about the word count limit and instructions. As some of these
instructions would specify whether your answer should be a word, two words, a
number or numbers.

How is the listening band calculated?

LISTENING BAND
Correct answers Band
39-40 9
37-38 8.5
35-36 8
32-34 7.5
30-31 7
26-29 6.5
23-25 6
18-22 5.5
16-17 5
13-15 4.5
11-12 4

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 PARTS OF LISTENING TEST

There are altogether 4 parts in the listening test and the difficulty level increases
in the different parts.

Conversation between 2 people in an everyday social

Part 1
context. (e.g. a conversation to book a room in a hotel)
Monologue set in an everyday social context. (e.g. a talk
Part 2
on using time effectively)
Conversation among 3 or 4 people set in an educational
Part 3 or training context. (e.g. students discussing an
assignment)
Monologue related to academics. (e.g. an university
Part 4
lecture)

LISTENING PRATICE TEST TIPS

How do I score a high band in the listening section?
The Listening section is one of the easiest sections to boost your band score. All
you have to do is follow these tips:

 The recording will be played only once during your IELTS test. You will not hear it
twice thus you must practice answering the questions by completing a full
listening test.
 You will be given a minute before each section to read your questions before the
examiner plays the recording. Make sure you read the questions and are aware of
the detail you need to listen to in order to write the answer.
 Read the instructions carefully – Read the instructions given about the questions,
to know what to fill in the blank spaces provided. If the instruction says ‘a
number’, your answer would be a number.
o A date/number is considered one word.
o A hyphenated word would be one word
o A compound noun which isn’t hyphenated is considered to be two words.

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 SPELLINGS! – Spellings are as important as the correct answers. It might be hard
to focus on both – getting the answers right and the spellings. So, focus on the
spellings only when you transfer the answers to the answer sheet.
 Be prepared for long gaps between answers or 3 to 4 answers to come one after
the other.
 Exam takers often miss out the plural words which will lead to wrong answers.
Please be attentive and recognize the plural words.
 There are high chances of twists and turns in the audio (i.e) there might be a
change in the information you’re looking for as the recording goes on, listen
keenly to spot the right answer.
 Do not lose FOCUS! Listening to audios keenly for 30 minutes might be tedious
but do not lose focus as you might miss out on the most important information.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS IN IELTS LISTENING

There are certain bits and pieces that you’ve got to know about the IELTS
Listening test if you want to ace it. Let’s look at them:

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

While listening to the audio recording there will be a section for multiple-choice
questions. The multiple choice questions are of two types – 

o Multiple choice question with one answer.

o Multiple choice question with two or more answers

There are questions that have one or more answers, for those type of questions,
you would have to listen keenly to identify all the answers from the options given.
There are a few things you would have to keep in mind while you’re answering
Multiple choice questions :

o You will hear all the options that are given to you in the question. You
would have to listen to the audio and interpret the answer from what is asked in
the question.

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o Sometimes, the answer options might be of the same kind to confuse
you. For instance, it might all be in the form of dates ( 15 November, 17
November or 18 November). You would have to read the question and choose the
correct answer.
o The words used in the question might not be the exact words that
you hear in the audio recording. So, you’d have to pay attention to synonyms and
how the words are paraphrased.
o The information provided in the audio recording might not be in the
same order as the questions asked, so in order to answer the questions correctly,
you should have read the questions beforehand to be aware of what is being
asked.
o There would be a lot of distractors in the audio recording. There
would be a lot of same kind of information. Sometimes, the speaker might give us
an information and then change it which might be the correct answer. So, do not
rush and write down the answer as soon as you hear it.

MAP LABELING QUESTIONS

For these type of questions, you would be provided with a map and you would
have to label the places in the map.
There are two types of questions:

1. A list of words might be given to you and you’d have to listen to the
recording and choose the correct word that fits the blank on the map.
2. There won’t be a list, you would just listen to the audio and identify the
place on the map.

There are a few things you would have to keep in mind while you’re answering
Map Labeling questions :

o There would be directions to a place or some kind of tour.

o Read the instructions before you begin, so that you’ll know the word limit of the
blanks.
o Description of the location – listen to words that best describes the location
given. For example, below the park, next to the supermarket, etc.

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o Look at the question numbers – Look at the question numbers and identify the
flow of the map. That would help you listen to what’s coming next.
o The audio recording would provide you with a understanding of where you are or
where you have to begin at. Pay attention to it at the beginning of the recording.
Also listen to nearby places and clues to help find the answers.

SENTENCE COMPLETION, NOTE COMPLETION. TABLE COMPLETION, DIAGRAM

COMPLETION QUESTIONS
In some of the questions, there will be a gap left in between and the examiner
asks you to fill that gap. In order to guess the word correctly, you must have solid
grammar skills.
There are a few things you would have to keep in mind while you’re answering
sentence(and other completion) questions:

o Read the question before you start in order to understand what you should be
listening for.
o Try to guess what would come in the blank. It could be a place, a number, year,
name or even a specific range of information (such as seasons, climatic
conditions)
o The words in the question need not necessarily be the same words you hear in
the audio recordings, learn to tune yourself to synonyms of the words in the
question.
o Though the questions might be phrased differently from the recordings, the
answers should be the exact words you hear in the audio.
o Remember to check the word count, spelling and grammar before you transfer
your answers to the answer sheet.

MATCH QUESTIONS
These questions are not as common as the other question types but they do
occur in the Listening section. These questions have a list of statements which
you’d have to match with the options provided. Mostly it would be names, places
or dates.
There are a few things you would have to keep in mind while you’re answering
Match questions:

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 Look at the statements and listen keenly to the kind of information that has been
provided as options. (i.e) if the options are dates, listen keenly to all the dates in
the audio.
By the side, write down all the information linked to that particular option, it
would make it easier for you to find the answer.

IELTS SIGNPOSTING LANGUAGE

What is a signposting language?
Signposting means using phrases and words to guide the reader through the
content of a passage or a recording. In this case, it’s an audio recording. With the
help of these phrases and words, the listener can anticipate what’s next and find
the answer.
Signposting examples:

Purpose Signposting language

The purpose of today’s lecture
is…
The subject/topic of my talk is …
The lecture will outline …
The talk will focus on …
Introduction to the lesson/lecture
Today I’ll be talking about /
discussing…
Today we are going to talk
about…
The topic of today’s lecture is…
I’m going to divide this talk into a
few parts.
Describing the structure of the lecture
First we’ll look at….. Then we’ll
go on to … And finally I’ll…
 
Introducing the topic/ first point / first Let’s start by talking about…
section To begin,…
Firstly,…
Starting an idea or linking to an another Let’s move on to…

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 Now, let’s turn to…
And I’d now like to talk about…
Building on from the idea that …,
idea
Another line of thought on …
demonstrates that …
Having established …,
In conclusion, …
From the above, it is clear that …
To reach the end of the talk / Summing Several conclusions emerge from
up this analysis …
To summarise, …
I’d like now to recap…

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 LESSON 1. FORM COMPLETION

In an IELTS form completion question you will complete a form about an everyday
topic like opening a bank or joining a club. You will often have to listen for
numbers (phone number/ street address) and letters (spelling names/ places).

PRACTICE 1
Spell correctly the names of the Scottish cities and towns. Track 1.mp3

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

PRACTICE 2
Listen and fill in the blanks Track 2.mp3

Name: Mr. Andrew …………………………

Address: 63 ………………………… Road, Birmingham

Website address: www. ………………………….com

Meet at the ………………………… Hotel

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 Registration number: …………………………

PRACTICE 3
Listen and fill in the blanks to complete sentences Track 3.mp3

1. Her name is Brenda

………………………………………………………………………………

2. Your new student ID number is

…………………………………………………………………

3. The seminar will be held in

………………………………………………………………………

4. You can ……………………………………………campus clubs at the

…………………………

5. We’ll e-mail you a …………………………………………………after

…………………………

PRACTICE 4
Listen and fill in the blanks Track 4.mp3

QUESTION 1-4 

Complete the form below

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER

Children’s Art Course Enrolment Form

Personal Details

Name of parent: Pablo 1 …………………………

Age of child : 2 ………………………… years old

Enrolment Information

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 Course: Introduction to Art

Cost: 3 £………………………… per month with a full year enrolment

Starting date: 4 …………………………

Payment method: credit card 

PRACTICE 5
Listen and fill in the blanks Track 5.mp3

Complete the form below

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

Room Booking

Name: 1 …………………………

Telephone number: 5762 23821

Date of arrival: 2 …………………………

Date of departure: 23rd September

Room type: Twin room

Cost: 3 £…………………………

Payment method: 4 …………………………

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 Test Tips

üRead the instructions carefully. 

Example 1 Remember to check the word
limit.
ü Look at the title to decide what
the form will be about.
Questions 1-10 ü Look at the categories to decide
what type of information is
Complete the form below. required.  For example, in
question 6 below we know that
Write ONE WORD AND/ OR A NUMBER for each answer.
we need to listen for the name of
a job.
ü Practice listening to numbers and
know some key phrases (double
zero = 00) and the difference in

OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT

Example                                     Answer

Example1.mp3
Application for a                       Current bank account

Type of current account: The 1 ' .......................... ' account

Full name of applicant:                          Pieter Henes
Date of 2 ........................
birth:                                        
Joint account holder(s):  No
Current 3 .......................... Exeter
address:                                     
Time at current address:                       4 ...................... .
Previous address:   Rielsdorf 2. Utrecht. Holland
Telephone:                                             work 5 ...................... .
  
Occupation:                                            6 ........................ .
  
Identity Name of his 7.. ........................ :
(security):                                     Siti
Opening 8 € ....................... ..   to be transferred
sum:                                           from Fransen Bank, Utrecht
Statements:                                             Every
  9 ....................... .
Requests:                                              Supply information about the bank's  10
      ......................... service.
                       
Tapescript

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 LESSON 2. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Multiple choice questions commonly occur in parts 2, 3 and 4 of IELTS

Listening test.  In such questions you are given three (rarely four) answer
choices, only one of which is correct.

In this lesson you will learn useful strategies and advice to answer multiple

choice questions in IELTS Listening test most effectively. You will also practice
gained skills by answering tricky exercises with multiple choice questions.

The transcript is provided for each audio. The correct answers are underlined in
the transcripts. For the examples the transcript is shown, and for the exercises it
is hidden. You can hide/show the transcripts as you wish.

First, let’s learn some basic answering strategies and look at the examples below.

STRATEGY 1: DON’T IMMEDIATELY PICK UP THE FIRST ANSWER CHOICE YOU

HEAR.
You will often hear all of the answer choices in the audio. And only one of them is
correct, the other two are meant to confuse you! So don’t straightaway choose
the answer you hear the first as it may be incorrect. So listen carefully and wait
until the speaker finishes giving information about the current question.

Let’s try to use this strategy in the first example.

Example 1 ( Track 6 )

Only rescue birds that are

 all alone

 sitting on the ground

 obviously injured

Script:

1st man: Right, ok. I think we should start by talking about how to rescue a bird.
Probably, first we should help people understand which birds need rescuing

- Note: S + need + to +verb +O: sử dụng nghĩa chủ động, cần làm gì

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 S + need + V-ing: Cái gì đó cần được làm gì: passive.

Need as a modal verb: S + Need + Verb

2nd man: Yeah, that’s really important. Because a lot of times people see a baby bird that’s all alone or
they find a bird sitting on a ground and they think it needs to be rescued.

1st man: And usually those are just baby birds learning to fly. So we should emphasize that people
should only attempt (effort) to rescue a bird that’s clearly injured.

STRATEGY 2: KNOW THAT ANSWERS MAY COME IN A DIFFERENT ORDER.

Unlike other questions types in IELTS Listening, multiple choice questions don’t
necessarily have their answer choices coming in the same order as you hear
them in the audio. So don’t worry if you first hear the third answer choice - it
doesn’t mean you’ve missed the previous two, as answers often come in a
different order.

STRATEGY 3: MIND THAT ANSWERS ARE OFTEN PARAPHRASED.

You shouldn’t be waiting for a 100% match - the answer choice can differ from
what you hear as it can be paraphrased. To approach multiple choice questions
effectively, look through the answer choices while listening to the question being
discussed. Do it to get a general idea of answer choices.

Now let’s use strategies 2 and 3 in the second example.

What is the best way of protection from harmful bacteria? ( Track 7 )

 following hygiene rules

 using antibiotics

 visiting doctor regularly (physician visits, health check-up, doctor’s visit)

Script: We all know that some bacteria can be dangerous and cause diseases. But how can we protect
ourselves from harmful bacteria? Well, a lot of people would answer that using antibiotics will kill the
pathogenic microbes (vi sinh vật gây bệnh). However, antibiotic abuse (lạm dụng) can be dangerous
to people’s health as well. In fact (In reality), the best way of protection is preventing the disease by
keeping yourself clean and washing hands before you eat.

sexual abuse: lạm dụng tình dục

abnormal: dị thường

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 prefix: ab- mang nghĩa tiêu cực bất thường, rời xa, tách khỏi.

https://membean.com/wrotds/ab-away

PRACTICE 1
Question 1: The most widespread style of graffiti in Brazil

A. Anti-capitalistic and anti-war 

B. Legalized 

C. Dangerous and illegal 

Question 2. The Brazilian graffiti is different from simply some scribbling on a wall
because

A. It always lacks harmony 

B. It takes originality seriously 

C. It portrays skeletons 

Question 3. The reporter in the centre of Sao Paulo mentions all of the following,
EXCEPT

A. It's Tuesday evening 

B. He's approaching a huge loud group of people 

C. There are some police cars at the end of the street 

Question 4. The group of people (mentioned by the reporter) know what the
graffiti on the buildings says because

A. They know the language of the graffiti 

B. They wrote most of it 

C. They have lived in this area for a long time 

Question 5. The more risky the process of graffiti tagging is, the more its artist is

A. Searched by the police

B. Considered extravagant

C. Respected among other graffiti taggers

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 PRACTICE 2
PAPER ON PUBLIC LIBRARIES
 
1    What will be the main topic of Trudie and Stewart’s paper?

A   how public library services are organised in different countries

B   how changes in society are reflected in public libraries

C   how the funding of public libraries has changed

2    They agree that one disadvantage of free digitalised books is that

A   they may take a long time to read.

B   they can be difficult to read.

C   they are generally old.

3    Stewart expects that in the future libraries will

A   maintain their traditional function.

B   become centres for local communities.

C   no longer contain any books.

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