Follow these tips for the IELTS Listening Exam to get a high Band Score:
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Get to Know the Test
Each section of the listening test is designed to test different skills:
Part 1: A Short Conversation
The parts of the tests become progressively more difficult so part one is the easiest. The questions are relatively simple.
The conversation could be face to face or over the telephone and might involve a hotel receptionist, tour operator or holiday planner.
There would be questions and answers about both speakers. The format of the answer is generally a “fill in the blank” format according to the suggested word count.
Part 2: A Monologue
This task involves finding matching information or filling in the blanks using a specific word count. It might involve a teacher or someone in authority dictating instructions for a student or employee.
tips for IELTS Listening Section
Part 3: A Long Conversation
This generally involves a discussion between a group of people talking about an academic topic. The questions are becoming more complicated to test your comprehension level.
tips for IELTS Listening Section
Part 4: A Lecture
This part tests your ability to understand complex vocabulary and phrasing. It’s generally a lecture from a professor on an academic topic. You will be tested on your ability to grasp the main idea and answer questions about the topic, which could be about a study on a current issue or a scientific discovery.
2. Get to know the Types of Questions
Get to know the various types of questions that you may encounter in the exam, which are:-
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- Table, diagram, flowchart completion
- Multiple choices (MCQ)
- Short answer
- Matching information
- Sentence completion
3. Read the question carefully
Take care to follow the instructions. For example, if you are asked to answer a question using no more than two words make sure that you do. If you use three words then you will be marked wrong regardless of whether your answer is correct.
4. Practise
In the exam the recording will be played once only. Therefore do practice tests where you listen once only to get used to it.
5. Analyse the Instructions
Use the 30 Seconds before the audio starts by analysing the instructions and underlining the keywords.
6. Use a Pencil
Write your answers on the answer sheet using a pencil–not a pen.
7. Transfer your Answers
Once you have written your answers on the question paper they must be transferred to the answer sheet. Practise doing this at home. Take thirty minutes to answer the questions and ten minutes to transfer them.
8. Guess if you Don’t Know
If you don’t know an answer, guess it. I will not mark you wrong for an incorrect answer.
9. Check Your Spelling
Check that your spelling is correct. The best time to do that is when you transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet.
10. Learn to multitask.
During the exam you will need to read the questions, listen for an answer and write it down all at the same time so practise.
Follow these tips for the IELTS Listening Exam and you will get a high Band Score:
I’m glad to know the recording part of the test will be played once only! That makes me nervous, but maybe if I practice more then I will be able to do it right. Thank you so much for the information! I will definitely practice using only one recording from now on.
Yes, keep practising, Elle. You can do it!!
I would like the reemphasize the fact that sticking to the word count for each answer is very important. Exceeding the expected word count for a question can be a potential cause for low grades even when the given answers were correct.
Another good tip which I learnt to do during the speaking test was to “technically” seek for a repeat of the question at some points in such a way that the examiner had to rephrase the questions in a way that I had a better understanding of the question before answering the question. Doing this really helped me not to rush into a question thinking that I understood what was required.
Rather than guess to provide an answer you are unsure of, what if a student chooses to leave a space for the answer blank when he/she doesn’t know the answers. Will such a blank space be marked negatively or simply a zero mark for that question?
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