IELTS Listening Tips

Proof of proficiency in the English language is required to take admission to the college in English-speaking countries. One of the important exams is IELTS. Through this exam, the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of the students are checked. To know more about IELTS Listening Tips, keep reading this blog! 

Exam Name	IELTS
IELTS full form	International English Language Test System
Organized by	IDP Education Limited
Mode of Examination	Computer and Paper-delivered Test
IELTS fee	Rs.15,500
Score range	1 to 9

What is IELTS?

IELTS is an English language test for going abroad. If someone wants to work or study in countries where English is the main language of communication, then this test has to be given. The full form of IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. The countries where IELTS is accepted for admission to universities are the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Canada. During the IELTS test in IELTS India Exam, the candidate’s reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills in reading English are tested.

Understanding IELTS Listening 

IELTS Listening mainly consists of various recordings that the examinee can only listen to once and then answer the relevant questions. The maximum duration of this exam is 30 minutes, during which the candidate has to solve 40 questions. It is challenging to understand how to improve your IELTS listening score, so you need to be familiar with the four subsections it comprises – 

• Part 1 – A conversation between 2 people 
• Part 2 – A monologue 
• Part 3 – An academic discourse between a maximum of 4 people
• Part 4 – A monologue based on an academic topic.

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IELTS Listening in Detail 

There are four parts, each with ten questions. The questions are designed so that the answers appear in the order in which they are heard in the audio. 

The first two parts deal with situations that are located in everyday social contexts. In part 1 there is a conversation between two speakers and in part 2 there is a monologue. The last two parts deal with situations located in educational and training contexts. Part 3 has a conversation between two keynote speakers and Part 4 has a monologue on an academic topic. Recordings are only played once. They contain a variety of accents including British, Australian, New Zealand, American, and Canadian.

There are 40 questions and the time allotted is 30 minutes. Each question awards you one mark.  Different question types are used, selected from the following- 

• Multiple Choice
• Matching
• Plan or Map or Diagram Labelling
• Form or Note or Table or Flowchart or Summary
• Sentence Completion

IELTS Listening Tasks Description

Task 1 – Multiple Choice 

Format of the question

In multiple-choice tasks, the questions are given with three possible answers or you will be given three different choices to complete a statement. The options are labeled as A, B, or C. 

At times, you might be asked to choose more than one correct answer. For this, you should read the question carefully and choose the right option. 

Purpose of the task 

Multiple choice questions are taken into consideration to test a wide range of skills. The candidate should have a detailed understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main points of the listening text.

Task 2 – Matching

Format of the Question

After listening to the audio, the candidate has to match a numbered list of items to a set of options given in the question paper. 

Purpose of the task 

Matching assessment tests the skill of listening for every minute detail and whether a candidate can comprehend the information given in a conversation on an everyday topic, such as the different types of hotel or guest house accommodation. It also analyzes the ability to understand a conversation between two people. Also, it understands the candidate’s ability to recognize relationships and connections between facts in the listening text.

Task 3 – Plan, Map, Diagram Labelling

Format of the Question

A candidate is required to complete labels on a plan, for instance, a building, a map, part of a town or a diagram, like a piece of equipment. The answers are usually picked up from a list on the question paper.

Purpose of the Task

This task focuses on the ability to understand the description of a place, and to relate it to a visual representation. 

Task 4 – Form, Note, Table, Flow-chart, Summary Completion

Format of the Task

Candidates are asked to fill in the gaps in an outline of part or all of the listening text. The outline will point to the main ideas in the text. It may be – 

• A form that is used to record factual details such as names. 
• A set of notes is used to compile any type of data using the layout to show how different items relate to one another. 
• A table is used as a technique for summarising the information that relates to different categories.
• A flowchart is used to compile a process that has stages, with the direction of the process shown by arrows.

Candidates have to select their answers from a list on the question paper or find the missing words from the recording, adhering to the word limit stated. Candidates are not allowed to change the words from the recording in any way.

Purpose of the task 

It focuses on the key points that a listener would originally record in this type of situation.

Task 5 – Sentence Completion

Format of the Task

Candidates are required to read sentences that summarise the key information from all the listening text or from one part of it. They are then asked to fill in the missing information in each sentence using information from the listening text. Candidates are penalized for writing more than the mentioned number of words. 

Purpose of the Task 

Sentence completion concentrates on the ability to see the key information in a listening text. 

Task 6 – Short Answer Questions

Format of the Task 

Candidates are asked to read the question and write a short answer using information from the listening text. At times, candidates are given a question and ask them to list two or three points.

Purpose of the Task 

It focuses on the capability to listen for concrete facts, such as places, prices or times, within the listening text.

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IELTS Listening Score Chart

Raw Score	IELTS Band Score
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

IELTS Listening Tips 

Let us now read some IELTS Listening Tips. They are as follows – 

Tip 1 – Listen to English Daily

The only sound way to improve your listening skills for the IELTS Listening section is to listen to English daily. You do not have to spend hours on that, only a few minutes will help you get a hold of it. You can listen to anything that’s in English while you are traveling or having breakfast or sitting idly. As every country has different accents, you should hear speakers from the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or South Africa.

Tip 2 – Include Everything

If you have gone through the format and tasks of the IELTS Listening section, you must have observed that the section consists of two conversations and two monologues. So, when you practice listening to it, make sure you hear both the categories to know them well. You can take the help of Podcasts, TEDTalks, Radio Broadcasts, and Interviews on YouTube. 

Tip 3 – Polish Your Vocabulary

Memorizing a few words with their meanings will not help you build a strong vocabulary. For this, you need to hear and read a lot of English content on a regular basis. Whenever an unknown word comes your way, note it down, look for its meaning and try to make a sentence out of it. Also check for its synonyms, antonyms, and collocations.

Tip 4 – Go For Keywords

Before listening to the audio, read the question and mark the relevant keywords. Try to predict which words or phrases will help you find the correct part of the text. Think of other ways to say these words. Analyze the synonyms and antonyms. Try paraphrasing the sentence with the keywords. Stay focused while you listen to the audio, do not let your concentration get distracted. Also, follow the instructions to your maximum. 

Tip 5 – Practice As Much As You Can 

Practice makes a man perfect, this quote is true in itself. Listen to various audios wherever and whenever you can. Do not sit idle, utilise your time by listening to English stuff. When you are not in the mood to study for other sections, open your mobile or laptop and search for relevant English content to hear. Practice the listening tests made for the IELTS Listening section. 

Tip 6 – Know Your Weakness

Listening to English audio doesn’t mean only listening to them. Listen to them, take tests and see where you are lacking behind. Identify your mistakes and work on them till they become negligible. Take a good amount of time to analyze your performance and score better. Find what’s making you stay behind, is it vocabulary or grammar or something else? Redo your practice tests once you know your mistakes and try to avoid them in the next practice. 

Mentioned above were IELTS Listening Tips that could be useful for your listening task.

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IELTS Listening Score in Top Universities

Top Universities	IELTS Listening Score
Harvard University	7.5
MIT	7.0
California Institute of Technology	7 (overall)
Princeton University	7 (overall)
Yale University	7 (overall)
University of Chicago	6
University of Pennsylvania	6.5 minimum
John Hopkins University	7 and above
University of Toronto	6
University of British Columbia	6
McGill University	6.5 (overall)
Oxford University	7
University of Edinburgh	7
University College London	6.5
University of Cambridge	7
Imperial College, London	6.5
King’s College, London	6.5

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FAQs 

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