Mastering the IELTS Listening Part: Hear, Decode, Ace !

Hey fellow IELTS warriors! So you have started your IELTS journey well done that means you are one step closer to your dreams. Nailing the listening part is crucial to getting a higher overall band score. No worries, though, I've got your back. Let's Break it down, shall we?

What's the deal with IELTS Listening?

Alright, let's get the basics straight. This section is all about testing your ability to understand spoken English in various contexts. Imagine you're in a lecture, a casual conversation, or even a radio broadcast- that's the king of scenarios you'll face. The test is about 40 minutes and contains 4 sections with a total of 40 questions. You will hear a 30-minute recording and you will have to answer the given questions within that time. The recording will only play once and at the end, you will be given 10 additional minutes to transfer your answer to the answer sheet.

Breaking down the sections:

Now, let's dissect what you'll be facing:

Section1: Conversations in Everyday Contests

• You will hear a conversation between two people. It could be about booking a hotel, buying tickets, or something equally every day. Easy peasy, right?

Section2: A Monologue  in a Social Context

• This is like listening to a speech or a presentation at a school gathering. Think of it as being at a community Meeting or a talk.

Section3: A Conversation in an Academic Context

• This gets a bit meatier. You'll be tuning in to a chat between multiple speakers, maybe in a university setting. Don't worry you got this!

Section4: An Academic Monologue

• This is like attending a university lecture. It might cover topics from your field of study. But hey, you're a pro in your field, right? That's why you are here.

Okay, let's talk about Listening question types now,`

During the exam, you will be facing several types of questions that assess different listening skills. You will not get all the types in one paper but it is your best to know everyone in order to ace the exam.

1. Multiple Choice:    

In this type of question, you are provided with a question and a list of options. You have to listen to the recording and select the correct option.

Multiple Choice Questions

2. Matching Information:

You will be given a list of options (e.g., sentences, phrases, or diagrams) and a list of choices. You need to match the options with the correct choices based on what you hear in the recording.

A Matching Information Question

3. Plan/Map/Diagram Labelling:

You'll be given a plan, map, or diagram with labels missing. While listening to the recording, you need to fill in the missing information.

A Map Labelling Question

4. Form/Narrative/Note/Table/Flowchart Completion:

Similar to labeling, but instead of labels, you'll be filling in gaps in a form, note. table, or a flow chart.

A Table Completion Question

5. Sentence Completion:

You'll be given an incomplete sentence, and you will have to listen to the information and complete it.

6. Summary/ Note/Flowchart/Table/Chart Completion:

You'll be provided with a summary, note, flowchart, or a table that is partially complete. Your task will be to fill in these missing parts based on what you hear.

A Note Completion Question

7. Short Answer Questions:

These questions required you to provide short answers(Usually one or two words) to questions based on what you hear in the recording.

8. Sentence/Summary/Note/Table/Flowchart/Map/Diagram/Lable Matching ( Classification):

In this type of question, you'll be given a set of statements or labels that need to be matched to options, categories, or features in the recording.

Remember, it's crucial to read the instructions carefully before you start each section of the listening test. This will help you understand exactly what you need to do for each question type. It's a simple mistake most people make forgetting to read the instructions. 

How to practice for the listening test:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice:

first of all, you need to find out where your skills at. To do that you can take a simple mock test. The easiest way to do it is just to go to YouTube and search for " IELTS Cambridge Book 15 Listening TEST 1". Then you will find a lot of videos and you just need to play it and try to find answers. This will give you an idea of where you at right now. From there you can start practicing identifying your weak areas for example you might find matching information is quite easy for you so don't focus too much on those questions Multiple questions might be a bit harder than other types for you so put more focus on those questions. Like that, you need to practice as much as you can. Do mock tests as much as you can. There are four tests in each Cambridge Book do as much as you can. And before you know you will be an expert so get started right away. One important thing to mention here is that when you use YouTube videos to practice Increase their Playback Time to 1.25x. In the beginning, this will be a bit hard but trust me it will give you an edge in the real examination.

2. Time management:

It is really crucial to manage your time well when you are in the exam because you will not get any additional time you will have to read questions and find answers at the same time. So use every bit of time you can to read the texts and questions in advance as you can. The recording will give you some time to read the questions. My advice is to start reading questions when the recording is giving instructions. To do that you need to get familiarised with the tests and question types so you know exactly what to do. So that's why preparation is really important. 

3. Try to predict the answer:

Anticipate what the speakers will talk about. Get a feel for the context.

4. Keep an Ear out for signposts:

Words like 'however', 'on the other hand', or 'finally' can guide you through the conversation. Listen clearly because sometimes the whole idea can be turned upside down at the end.

5. Stay Cool, Move on:

If you miss an answer, don't get stuck! Keep moving forward. You can't dwell on what already said and the recording will not play a second time. But when you transfer the answers to the answer sheet don't just leave it empty guess, write something that you got from that conversation because you will not get negative marks or anything.

6. Improve Your concentration:

This is quite important in the listening part. Do meditation if you can or you can use concentrating music when you practice. It all comes down to this at the end.

Additional Tip;

You should increase your time with English. Listening to English songs, Podcasts, BBC News watching English movies, and TV series. Because these things will put your mind in a new state that will boost your knowledge and fluency.

Final Thoughts,

The IELTS Listening test part is like a dance. You tune in, pick up the rhythm, and move with it. Don't stress, you've got the moves!

I'll try to post more articles about each question type in the foreseeable future.

Cheers to your IELTS journey! You are going to rock it. 

Catch you in the next post,

Hasitha Senarathna

P.S. Do you have any killer tips for IELTS Listening? Share'em below and let's conquer this together.