IELTS Listening Tips and Tricks

Introduction

Let me quickly tell you about the test format and then we dive into IELTS listening Tips and Tricks. It lasts for 30 minutes and includes 40 questions which are split into four sections and questions get harder as you progress through the test. I would say the main difficulty of IELTS listening is the lack of time. I am going to talk about how you can manage your time more effectively during the test. The IELTS listening is a hard test, because it is difficult to understand what they are saying in there recording. It is because you need to listen, read and write almost at the same time. It is a test of your concentration and ability to manage time.

Theme 1: Test Format and Time Management

Test Format: 30 minutes, 40 questions, divided into four sections.

Time Management: Lack of time is a challenge in IELTS listening. You are going to get question sheets and an answer sheet. While you are listening to the recording you mark your answers on question sheets. At the end you are going to get extra ten minutes to transfer your answers.

As soon as you see the task, do not think about anything. You try to read all the questions in this section before the recording starts. Go to coming questions and keep on reading and memorizing them. I would say always try to keep an eye on two questions.

Theme 2: Preparing for Listening Section

Reading Questions in Advance: Read questions before the recording starts to maximize the given time. Imagine if I read the question for the first time while listening to the recording. I am unlikely to find the answer. I am just going to miss it so I need to read questions before I listen to the recording. When it starts, they give you a few seconds to read questions and you really need to use that time to the maximum.

Memorizing Questions: Read and memorize upcoming questions during the initial reading time.

Paying Attention to Key Words: Identify key words in questions and answer options to locate relevant information. Before the recording starts, try to pay attention to key words in each of them in each option. Then when you listen to the recording, you will be able to locate them more easily.

Theme 3: Tips for Listening Comprehension

Recognizing Incorrect Options: Cross out incorrect options as soon as you hear that they are wrong. Let's say they give you four options and they are going to talk about each of them in the recording. Most likely they are going to say something like initially I thought it would be this one but then it turned out to be wrong. Their opinion will be changing as soon as you hear that a certain option is wrong just cross it out straight away.

Managing Concentration and Time: Listen, read, and write simultaneously to test concentration and time management skills.

Dual Focus: Keep an eye on the current question and the next question to anticipate information.

Theme 4: Tips for Specific Task Types

Gap-Filling Tasks: Predict the type of word needed (noun, verb, adjective) and focus on singular or plural forms. Now let me take you through some of the most difficult types of tasks in IELTS listening, you always get questions when you need to feel a gap and the task would be write down not more than one word or a number or not more than two words and a number and what you can do here is you can read your question your sentence and think what kind of word can go there predict the answer would it be a noun a verb or an adjective what kind of information are you expecting would it be a street name a flat number or maybe color try to guess what kind of answer you might get event it will be much easier for you to recognize the word when you hear it pay attention to singular and plural nouns it matters and how you can sometimes check yourself just read the whole sentence and see if it's grammatically correct once you write down those words your sentence has to be grammatically correct and let me show you

Spelling and Correct Grammar: Make correct spelling and maintain grammatical correctness.

Let's say our sentence is,

Q. The company is looking to recruit University ----------------.

We either need to write graduate or graduates in the space. We need an indefinite article which should go in front of the word University, a university graduate, but we don't have it right so it has to be plural the company is looking to recruit University graduates

That's how you can check yourself sometimes and remember spelling matters. You have to spell the word correctly in order to get a point for your answer but it doesn't matter whether you spell words using the British or American spelling.

You are expected to spell out common names of the place and the surnames. However, for uncommon items, they pronounce the word first and then they spell it out.

For telephone number or other numeric values, they don't say zero. Usually they say oh. And if you have two digits which are the same, its double, you know James Bond double oh seven (007) and three digits which are the same is triple

Multiple-Choice Questions: Read options thoroughly, identify key words, and cross out incorrect answers. In MCQ, it is always effective to identify the distracter(s) and cross out. You cannot be sure of the answer but you can definitely spot out the wrong answers.

Map-Based Tasks: Firstly write the directions (north, south, east, and west) on the map and find the starting point before listening. Always remember about directions north is at the top, south is at the bottom, east west like on any map and it's important because you will hear things like you need to go to the north or to the south. So you should know which way you need to go and always make sure you find the starting point before the recording starts. Then only you can follow where you need to go.

Theme 5: Final Exam Tips

Transferring Answers: Use the allocated time 10 minutes.

Guessing: Make educated guesses for unanswered questions, as there is no penalty for incorrect answers in the test.