General Strategy for Listening

While there are specific tips in approaching the different types of questions, here is the general
approach to the IELTS Listening module.
1. Before you listen to the recordings and during the very short breaks in between the sections – take
advantage of what you can understand visually. Just as you do with the Reading module, orientate
yourself to the listening. Look at any pictures/diagrams or introduction to the questions. Predict
what you will hear. Quickly identify:
• Who are the speakers? What is their relationship to each other and to you as the listener?
• Where are they? If helps you understand the context and maybe the kind of dialog and vocabulary
you can expect.
• Why are they speaking? Know the context of the conversation, so that you can anticipate what they
are going to talk about.
2. Look carefully at the task and make sure you understand the instructions. Know exactly what
you’re supposed to do. For example, if it’s a short answer question, find out how many words you must
write (a maximum of one, two or three is stated in the directions).
3. Usually the questions follow the order in which you will hear information. Be prepared to know what
you’re listening for. You only get to hear the recording once.
4. When you’re reading the questions, underline key words that you should focus on and listen out for.
They may not be the exact words that you hear, but will be similar words. Use sign post
words (words that tell the listener what is coming up, ie. “for instance”, “on the other hand”, “firstly” –
I’ll write more on this later). If there are gaps to fill or labels for a diagram/map/flow chart, predict
words that might fit in each space.

5. At the end of the recordings when you have time to transfer your notes onto your answer sheet, be
VERY CAREFUL that you put your answers with the correct question number.

6. Pay attention to your spelling! Misspelled words, even if the word is correct, are not counted!

I’ll be writing more strategies for specific types of questions later – stay tuned! 🙂

Strategies for Section 1 – listening to a

conversation
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 Section 1 is a conversation between two people in an everyday
social context, for example: booking accommodations or asking questions at an information desk. You
only hear the recording once. Each section has 10 questions and may have a variety of question types.
Here, you will most likely be listening for specific information. You will usually have to fill in gaps in a
form or notes (form completion/note completion) . Here is a sample question with tapescript &
answers and the corresponding Mp3 recording.
Strategies:
1) As I wrote in a previous post on general strategies – read the instructions carefully first – it will tell
you how many words or numbers you can use in the gap/blank – one, two or three at the most.
2) You have a short time before the listening to look over the questions. Read each question in the
form/note and predict what you’ll be hearing – what kind of information do you have to listen out for?
Look at any headings on the form and underline key words before and after that gap that will direct you
on what to listen out for.

3) Think about the kind of word that will fit in the gap (a number, a noun, a name, a date, etc.)

4) Be prepared to hear a word or expression that is a synonym or similar to the key words on the
form/note rather than the exact same word.

5) Since you are listening to a conversation, a speaker might say something then correct themselves or
clarify what they say (as we do in normal conversation) – so make sure you catch the right answer!

6) Questions come in the order of the recording. As you listen, take careful notes as you follow the
form/note. Don’t get stuck on one, move on and keep up with the recording as you will only hear it
once. It’s better to miss
7) You will have time (10 minutes) at the end of all 4 sections to transfer your notes onto your answer
sheet. Be careful when you transfer your answers to the correct question number! And take care with
your spelling, as this count.
TIPS:
• When spelling out names, we often use the English Phonetic Alphabet to help clarify the sounds of
the letters for the listener. We often use common first names, animals, common words, city names
or countries, etc. For example:
– “M” as in “Mary” – a girl’s name or “Mother”
– “F” as in “Fox”
– “T” as in “Tiger”, “Tom”
– “L” as in “London”
• When there are two of the same letters or numbers, sometimes we say “double”. Example:
“Manhattan” is spelled out ” M-A-N-H-A- double T- A-N”. With numbers – example: 633, we can say
“6-double 3”. Similarly, sometimes we use “triple” for three of the same letters or numbers. 444
becomes “triple 4”

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• The number “0” can be referred to as “zero” “oh” or “nought”
• Be familiar with numbers and units of measurements:
– Dates/time: August 5, 1995 is “August fifth nineteen ninety-five”; 2012 can be “twenty-twelve” or
“two thousand twelve”
– Dimensions/Weight/Distances: feet, inches, yards, miles, millimeters, centimeters, meters,
kilometers; ounces, pounds, grams, kilograms
– Money $2.50 = “two dollars and fifty cents”, “two-fifty”
– Ordinal numbers: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.
– Percentages/Fractions: 1/2, 50%, half; 1/4, 25%, a quarter; 3/4, 75%, three-quarters, etc.
– Decimals: American English “zero-point-two-five” = 0.25, British English “nought-point-two-five” =
0.25

Strategies for Listening Section 3 – Conversation

between 2 or more speakers

Section 3 of the IELTS Listening module involves 2 to

4 people discussing an academic topic. This section requires more careful attention to the conversation
or argument being expressed because of the academic topic.
General listening test strategies:
• Preview the questions – look at any pictures, diagrams and read the questions. This will help you
to familiarize yourself to what you’ll be listening to. By being prepared with some knowledge of
what to anticipate, you will know what to expect and what to listen for.
• Read the directions carefully for each question. Fill in the gaps questions require you to write a
limited number of words (i.e. “No more than 3 words or No more than 2 words”).
Some tips:
• Because there are two or more speakers, it’s important you are able to distinguish between the
different speakers from the very beginning (know who they are) as well as understand what they
are saying.
• Remember to check which speaker is focused on in each question.
• Questions usually follow the order in which you hear the information
Here’s a sample listening task from ielts.org along with sample test questions.

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 Here’s how I approach answering those questions:

1. I read the directions that tell me I am completing sentences and can use only up to 2 words.
2. I read each sentence to get an idea of what the conversation will be about and who might be talking.
From skimming these 4 questions, I’m expecting a conversation about an Open University course. I
know it’s about balancing work and studying and that one of the speakers is a woman named
Rachel who overall enjoyed it. I already know a lot about the conversation without even hearing the
recording!!
3. I quickly identify (underline) key words to listen out for that indicate that I will hear the answer
very soon. You can also guess what could go in the blank to finish the sentence. For example, an
adjective or noun, or a specific name or time period or place, etc.

4. You may not have much time to do all this thoroughly, but it will give you a head start. Also
remember, the questions follow the order of the recording, so you can also analyze questions as you’re
listening to the recording.

** Now, I’d like you to take the time now to listen to the recording and to answer the 4 sentence
completion questions here. Listen to it ONCE only. Check back here to see how you did!**

Strategies for Section 2 Listening – Talk by a

single speaker

“Listen to Me” by keela84 via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Section 2 of the IELTS Listening test is a monologue (one person talking) based on a general subject in
a non-academic situation, such as a short talk on healthy eating or tourist information or a sales
presentation.
Here’s a link to a practice test for section 2 from the British Council.

Your questions could be filling in the gaps in sentences/notes or on a form or diagram/chart, or multiple
choice.

Filling in a chart or diagram:

• Read the instructions carefully and be aware of how many words you can write for your answer.
• Look at the heading(s) for columns and rows in a table, look through the questions and identify key
words that will help guide what you will be listening for
• Look at the gaps and try to predict what word could fill in the gap based on what you’ve skimmed
in the questions or diagram/table. To predict the possible answer for the gap – think of the type of
word it could be – such as a noun, adjective, verb or adverb.

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• Be aware that you may not hear the exact same words as the key words you’ve identified from
your questions from the form you have to fill in. Be prepared to listen out for similar expressions or
different ways to express the same thing.
If you listened to the practice test for Section 2 from the link I gave above, here are some notes I’d
like to point out:
In questions 11-14:

Notice the words you hear are different from the words used in the statements.

• For example, Q11 says “if you do not have an appointment”. In the recording, you hear the speaker
say that xx is available for “drop-ins”, which refers to people who don’t have appointments.
• Another example is the statement in Q12, which says, “if it is your first time seeing a counsellor”. The
speaker says “if you have never seen a counselor before …”
• So as you can see, these are different ways to express the same thing – be prepared to listen out for
this.
In questions 15 – 20:
• You are filling out a table of notes, make sure you understand the headings in both columns and
rows to know what to listen out for.
• The gaps follow the recording, so don’t worry about having to jump around. Tackle each one at a
time in order. If you missed one, keep moving so that you don’t miss the next one and end up
getting lost.
• Take advantage of the time given to skim over the questions and try to predict the answer that could
fit into the gap. For example, Q18, in the Anxiety Workshop, you see ” ___________, breathing
techniques, meditation, etc.” for Q18 as content of the workshop. What word(s) (remember, the
instructions say no more than 2 words) can you guess that would fit in with meditation and
breathing techniques to reduce anxiety? Note it down to the side – you may actually hear the word
you predicted!

IELTS listening strategies for section 4

Over the 4 sections of the IELTS listening test, the recordings and
questions become more challenging, so by the time you reach Section 4, you should expect it to be
the most difficult. In order to get a good result, here are some useful tips and suggestions. Thanks to
Khaled Manasrah for questions that led to creating this post!

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Tip 1 – be prepared!

Knowing what to expect when the Section 4 recording begins is a great advantage, so here’s what
you can expect. Unlike Sections 1, 2 and 3, Section 4 does not pause midway through the recording
for you to read the next set of questions. However, you have more time before the recording begins
to read through the questions (40 seconds instead of the normal 20 seconds).

Tip 2 – use the time given in Section 3

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At the end of Section 3, the recording will say ‘You now have 30 seconds to check your answers’.
However, we strongly recommend you use this time to only briefly check your answers to Section 3 –
it is more important to quickly move on to Section 4 and start looking through the questions there.

Tip 3 – underline, circle and highlight important words in the questions

As you look through the questions in your preparation time, make sure that you are identifying key
words and qualifying words in the question. Don’t just read them – circle them, underline, highlight
them – anything that will make it easier to focus on the key points.

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Tip 4 – use the questions to help you understand the recording

As Section 3 ends and you start looking through the questions for Section 4, you should be building
a mental picture of what the Section 4 topic relates to. Are they talking about people, places, animals
etc? As Section 4 begins (but before your 40 seconds preparation time), the announcer in the
recording will give a brief description as well (e.g. ‘You will hear a lecturer talking about the subject
of deforestation’) – this should add to your understanding of the recording and make following the
context easier.

Tip 5 – use the questions to show you where the recording may change direction

Keeping track of where you are in the recording in relation to the questions is very important, so
before the recording begins, try to identify where the focus of the questions changes. For example, if
the first three questions are talking about one particular place, then the fourth question refers to a
person, this should indicate a change in direction for the speaker and will let you know where you
are in the recording.

Tip 6 – always read one question ahead

This is not specifically a tip for section 4 only – it is a good idea to know not just the next question,
but the next two questions so if you miss one answer you are prepared for the next. It is particularly
useful in Section 4 because if you lose your place in the first few questions, there is no midway
pause for you to catch up!

Tip 7 – be realistic about getting ALL the answers

During the test you may find that you are waiting for an answer that you don’t hear, but you do hear
the answer to the subsequent question. Because the questions in the listening test are all answered

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in order, this tells you that you have missed an answer. The main point here is not to panic or
become stressed about that missed answer – simply move on with the recording. Remember that at
the end of the test, you have 10 minutes to check your answers, so will have time then to make an
educated guess for any missing answers.

We hope these tips have helped, but if you have a tip or suggestion that you think could help others,
we’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

You should also look at this page for other tips and hints for IELTS listening

Unfortunately, losing focus during the IELTS listening test is very common, even for very high level
candidates. Many people find that after the listening test has started, they realise that although they
have been ‘listening’ to the recording and waiting for an answer, they haven’t actually heard what is
happening and can no longer follow what the speaker or speakers are saying.

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So what’s the problem? Why won’t my brain stay focused?

The main problem relates to ‘question paralysis’, where you are so focused on listening for an
answer to a specific question that your normal listening skills are lost. The best technique here is to
keep in mind that you need to follow the recording, regardless of the questions. Of course, you need
the answers, but most of your focus should be on listening to the flow of the conversation or
monologue, considering what the speakers are saying.

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This can often be achieved best by not constantly staring at the questions – read them in the time
given before the recording begins, and causally glance at them, but for the most part, you should
find that your eyes are unfocused and slightly glassy and that you are staring at a point on the wall
or on the desk in front of you. You should return to the question paper (or screen) only when you
need to double check a question or to write an answer/glance at the next question.

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Active listening

You should also be using a technique referred to as ‘active listening’. As the name suggests, this
mean that you are not casually sitting back and not paying attention – you are focused and listening
carefully. Here are two tips to help improve your active listening:

1. Mentally repeat the main points of what the speakers are saying. Of course, this must
be done in your head and not out loud!
2. Stay in the moment. Don’t play with your hair, pick at your fingernails, make doodles on
your question paper. React in the same way that you would react if the speaker was right in
front of you – nod, smile, shake your head (but don’t say anything out loud!)

So how can I practice?

One of the most effective (although boring!) ways of practicing your active listening is to listen to a
short recording and then transcribing (writing down) what you hear. To begin with, focus only on the

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main idea, but as you being to improve you will find that you will be able to listen to a longer piece of
audio and transcribe almost everything you hear. You can practice this using the listening practice
tests, then compare the notes you have transcribed with the transcript given.

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