Tips for the Listening Test

Be aware of the exact procedure for the test. Be very clear on the order of each section, its
length and the specific question types. On the following pages, you'll find out more about
how to practice these skills for each test module.
✔
There are many resources to learn more about languages used in various
situation of social needs. One of the right places to start listening
include conversation books, radio programs, television
programs and movies made in countries such as the United Kingdom, the
United States of America and Australia.
✔ As you listen to these programs, try to learn how English is spoken in those
countries. Pay special attention to theirgrammar, choice of
words and sentence construction. Also remember their accents if you can, as
they are sometimes useful to the IELTS listening tests

✔ At the beginning of each section, you are given 30 seconds before the audio
tape starts. Use the 30 seconds wisely by reading the questions of that section.
Before the conversation starts, there will be the voice on the tape tells you how
many questions to answer in that section.
✔ Underline key words in each question on the question booklet like "what",
"when", "where" and "who" which tell you what to listen for.
✔ Answer all the questions as you hear them; don't wait until later. So that you
won't forget your answers.
✔ Time is also provided at the end of each section to check your answers. Use this
time also to read the questions for the next section.
✔ At the end of the Listening Test, you are also given 10 minutes more to transfer
your answers to the answer sheet. Make sure you transfer your answers
correctly.
✔ Be careful about your spelling. If you spell any word wrong, your answers will be
marked as wrong.
✔ If you miss any answer, don't panic. Panicking is only going to make you miss
another one. You still probably guess the answer correctly eventhough you miss
some sentences. So calm down and focus on the next one.
✔ Never leave a question unanswered. There are no negative marks for wrong
answers. So, just try your best to guess. You might have the right answer!
✔ When u read the questions before listening also think about synonyms.you
may not hear the exact words as in the answer choices

✔ If you miss any answer, don't panic. Panicking is only going to make you miss
another one. You still probably guess the answer correctly eventhough you miss
some sentences. So calm down and focus on the next one.
✔ Never leave a question unanswered. There are no negative marks for wrong
answers. So, just try your best to guess. You might have the right answer!
✔ First u should skim the questions quickly before the audio starts
✔ While skimming, underline the key words of each question
✔ Also look out for question words like WHO or WHEN which tell u that u
should listento specific words like people and the time
✔ When the recording starts, listen to the introduction given carefully
✔ And try to answer the questions as you listen or make notes if u r still
unsure of the answers
In sum, here're some tips for the Short Answers Questions.
• Read the instruction of each part carefully. You may have to choose more than
one choice.
• Skim the questions quickly before the audio starts. Skimming means reading very
fast to find only the main ideas of a text.
• Look out for question words while skimming so you know what you should listen
to.
• For the Short Answer question type, if your answer has more than the instruction
given which normally three words, your answer may be not correct. Analyse the
question again.

IELTS Listening
✔ Maintain Focus
✔ Taking the IELTS listening test can sometimes be tricky. There would be a lot of distractions that may
come from the recording itself or from the mixed feelings that you're having inside you while you're
taking the test. Because of these, we tend to lose our focus and eventually mess up.Then, what should
we do to avoid this?

Ignore everything else except for what the speakers are saying. In listening to the recording, you would
hear different voices that would have different accents. There would also be background noises as
a result of the setting in which the recording was trying to portray. Sometimes you would hear them
talking in an airport, street, university lecture. Expect these noises and be ready to ignore them. These
noises are simply there to make an easy task become more difficult.

Start answering while listening. Knowing that we are taking a test gives us stress. Moreover, we
arecontinuously bombarded with information so we tend to quickly forget some sentences soon after
we heard them. We also don't get a second chance to hear the recording so what's forgotten might
simply remain forgotten during the test. So, it is best to write down the answers as soon as we hear
them.

Move forward. Trying to remember an answer to a question when you missed it will do you no good.
You'll end up missing one answer after another and this is the worst thing that could happen to you
during the test. To avoid this, always read one or two questions ahead.If you missed one question, try to
forget about it and move on to the next one.

Maintaining focus is necessary in taking the IELTS listening test. All you have to do is listen well, multi-
task and keep moving forward. By following these simple tips, you'd be able to get through the test a lot
easier

Use Test-Taking Strategies

✔ We always deal with time constraints during the IELTS Listening Test. These constraints make the test
more stressful. However, as most of you would know, there are test-taking strategies that you could use
for IELTS Listening test in order to breeze your way through the test.

Elimination
Most tests including IELTS utilize multiple-choice questions and the best way to deal with this type of
question is by using elimination. More often than not, 50% of the choices are not completely related to
the question being asked. You would have to be able to quickly spot these items in order to narrow
down your choices. However, remember that there are times when all choices are correct or none of
them is. So, remember to read and follow the instructions strictly in order to get through these tricky
questions.
 Gap-fill strategy
Another test-taking strategy you can use in IELTS is the gap-fill strategy. In this strategy, you need to
take a look at the words beside the blank. You would have to identify which part of the sentence is
missing. Is it the subject? the predicate? the direct object? indirect object? transitive verb?or a modifier?
After figuring out which part of the sentence it is, figure out which part of speech is it. Is it a preposition?
a noun? an adjective? adverb? or a verb?

Look at the example below:

Engines contained capsules of mercury to ensure a _________________ trip.

What are the words that you could see before and after the blank? You would find the words "a" and
"trip".
"A" is an article that is usually used before a noun. However you would find that the noun is already
given. The noun here is the word "trip". So it is safe to assume that the missing word is an adjective.
Moreover, we could assume that the word we are looking for starts with a consonant since "a" is used
and not "an".

Spotting "Chameleon" Questions

It has always been the practice to use words with the same meaning to replace those that are found in the
recording. Why? The examiners simply want to confuse you.
Let's look at the following example.

✔ In the recording, the speaker would say "Children are not allowed to go past this line because it is
dangerous."
Then the question would say " Children are prohibited from going past the line."- is it True, False or Not
Given? What do you think is the correct answer?

Time constraints make IELTS a little more stressful. However, there are test-taking strategies that we
could use in order to deal with the pressure. And remember that know these strategies is simply not
enough. You have to constantly practice and apply them whenever you're taking IELTS practice tests.

Beware Of Traps
✔ Traps are all over the test especially in the listening test. However, we won't be able to watch out for
them if we don't know what kind of traps are we looking for. In the listening tests you would usually find
three types of traps. To better understand, we'll explain the traps using examples.

1. One of the common traps is the sudden change of plans or information given by the speaker. Take a
look at the following:

Speaker: Yes, I'd like to book a ticket on Friday at 8 o'clock in the morning. Oh! Wait. I think I
have a meeting before that so please book me for the 10 o'clock flight.

In this example, the speaker said he wanted to get the 8 o'clock flight. Then he took it back and said that
he wanted the 10 o'clock flight. If the question would ask you for the time of flight, what would be the
answer and what would be the trap?

Watch out for these types of recordings. You have to listen well up to the very last words to avoid falling
for this kind of trap.

2. Another type would be generalizations. Sometimes the speaker would talk about a list of things.
Then he would sum it up in one word before or after the giving the list. Take a look at the following
example:
 Speaker: Our company is involved with Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, Blue Ribbon
Foundation and other similar non-government organizations.

In the test booklet, the question would go like this: "What kind of organizations is their company involved
with?" The answer should be "non-government organizations" and not "Habitat for Humanity" or
"UNICEF".

3. Most of explicit answer choices are traps. For instance, the speaker would say "The exams shall
cover chapters 1 and 2 excluding the articles excerpted from the New England Journal of Medicine". In
your test booklet, you would find a True-or-False question that would go like this: The students should
study all topic in chapters 1 and 2. In this question, False is the correct answers. To avoid falling for
such traps, take note of the exceptions that you would hear from the recording.

Traps are laid out in the IELTS listening test simply to confuse you. However, with practice and
knowledge of what traps to look for, these traps will never catch you off guard.

✔ Important words and main ideas in conversation are ones

that will come up again and again. Listen carefully for any
word or words that come up repeatedly. What words come
up in nearly every statement made? These words with high
frequency are likely to be in the main idea of the
conversation. For example, in a conversation about class
size in the business department of a college, the term 'class
size' is likely to appear in nearly every statement made by
either speaker in the discussion.
✔ Voice Changes
IELTS expects you to be able to recognize and interpret
nuances of speech. Be on the alert for any changes in
voice,which might register surprise, excitement, or another
emotion. If a speaker is talking in a normal monotone voice
and suddenly raises their voice to a high pitch, that is a
huge clue that something critical is being stated. Listen for
a speaker to change their voice and understand the meaning
of what they are saying.
Example:
Man: Let’s go to Wal-mart.
Woman: There’s a Wal-mart in this small town?
If the woman’s statement was higher pitched,
indicating surprise and shock, then she probably did not
expect there to be a Wal-mart in that town.
✔ Specifics
Listen carefully for specific pieces of information. Adjectives
are commonly asked about in IELTS questions. Try to
remember any main adjectives that are mentioned. Pick out
adjectives such as numbers, colors, or sizes.
 Example:
Man: Let’s go to the store and get some apples to
make the pie.
Woman: How many do we need?
Man: We’ll need five apples to make the pie.
A typical question might be about how many apples were
needed.
✔ Interpret
As you are listening to the conversation, put yourself in the
person’s shoes. Think about why someone would
make a statement. You’ll need to do more than just
regurgitate the spoken words but also interpret them.
Example:
Woman: I think I’m sick with the flu.
Man: Why don’t you go see the campus doctor?
Sample Question: Why did the man mention the campus
doctor?
Answer: The campus doctor would be able to determine if
the woman had the flu.
✔ Find the Hidden Meaning
Look for the meaning behind a statement. When a speaker
answers a question with a statement that doesn’t
immediately seem to answer the question, the response
probably contained a hidden meaning that you will need to
recognize and explain.
Man: Are you going to be ready for your presentation?
Woman: I’ve only got half of it finished and
it’s taken me five hours just to do this much.
There’s only an hour left before the presentation is
due.
At first, the woman did not seem to answer the question the
man presented. She responded with a statement that only
seemed loosely related. Once you look deeper, then you can
find the true meaning of what she said. If it took the woman
five hours to do the first half of the presentation, then it
would logically take her another five hours to do the second
half. Since she only has one hour until her presentation is
due, she would probably NOT be able to be ready for the
presentation. So, while an answer was not immediately
visible to the man’s question, when you applied some
logic to her response, you could find the hidden meaning
beneath.
✔ Memory Enhancers
You have scratch paper provided to you while taking the
test. This can be a huge help. While you listen, you are free
to make notes. If different people are talking, use short
hand to describe the main characteristics of each speaker.
As you hear main adjectives that you think might be hard to
remember, jot them down quickly in order that you can refer
to them later during the question stage. Use your notes to
help you remember those hard to remember facts.
Don’t end your test without making use of your
scratch paper ally.
Example:
Speaker 1: I’m Bob Thomas, and I’m majoring
in business development.
Speaker 2: I’m Matt Smith, and I’m majoring
in chemical engineering.
Speaker 3: I’m John Douglass, and I’m
majoring in speech therapy.
Your short hand might read:
Bob – Bus.
Matt – Chem. E
John – Sp. Th.
On subsequent questions about the characters, you’ll
be able to remember these basic facts and answer more
accurately. However, don’t spend so much time
making notes that you miss something on the tape. You
won’t be able to rewind it and catch what you miss.
The idea is that the notes should only supplement your
memory, not replace it.