A quick look at IELTS Listening test

Duration: 30 minutes
The Listening test is the same for both IELTS Academic test and IELTS General Training test. You will need to answer 40
questions in response to four recordings.

Multiple choice
Multiple choice questions can be answered with one correct answer, or more than one correct answer. Read the question very carefully to check
how many answers are required.

In a multiple choice question, where you are required to choose one correct answer (A, B or C), you will be given:

 a question followed by three possible answers

 the beginning of a sentence followed by three possible ways to complete the sentence.

In a multiple choice question, where you are required to choose more than one correct answer you will be given a longer list of possible answers
and told that you have to choose more than one answer.

Multiple choice questions are used to test a wide range of skills. You may be required to have a detailed understanding of specific points or an
overall understanding of the main points of the listening text.

Matching
You are required to match a numbered list of items from what you hear in the listening audio to a set of options on the question paper. The set of
options may be criteria of some kind.

Matching assesses the skill of listening for detail and whether you can understand information given in a conversation on an everyday topic, such
as identifying different types of hotel or guest house accommodation. It also assesses your ability to follow a conversation between two people. It
may also be used to assess your ability to recognise relationships and connections between facts in the listening text.

Plan, map, diagram labelling

You will need to complete labels on a plan (e.g. of a building), map (e.g. of part of a town) or diagram (e.g. of a piece of equipment). You can
usually select your answers from a list on the question paper.

This matching task assesses your ability to understand, for example, a description of a place, and to relate this to a visual representation. This may
include being able to follow language expressing directions (e.g. straight on/turn left/opposite).

Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion

In this completion task, you are required to fill in the gaps in an outline of part or of all of the listening text. The outline will focus on the main
ideas/facts in the text. It may be:

1. A form: used to record factual details such as names, addresses, telephone numbers

2. A set of notes: used to summarise information using the layout to show how different items relate to one another

3. A table: used to summarise information which relates to clear categories – e.g. place/time/price,

4. A flow-chart: used to summarise a process which has clear stages, with the direction of the process shown by arrows.

You will select the missing words in either way:

 From a list presented in the question paper

 From the recording

You must keep to the word limit stated in the instructions and use the exact words you hear from the recording.
You should read the instructions very carefully as the number of words or numbers you should use will vary. A word limit is given, for example, ‘NO
MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. If you use more than the word limit, your answer will be marked as incorrect so check the word
limit carefully for each question. Contracted words will not be tested, e.g. ‘don’t’. Hyphenated words count as single words, e.g. ‘police-man’.

This gap completion task focuses on the main points which a listener would naturally record in this type of situation.

Sentence completion
In this sentence completion task, you are required to read a set of sentences summarising key information from either:

 all the listening text

 from one part of it.

You will then fill a gap in each sentence using information from the listening text. A word limit is given, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN ONE WORD
AND/OR A NUMBER’.

You should read the instructions very carefully as the number of words or numbers you should use will vary. A word limit is given, for example, ‘NO
MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. If you use more than the word limit, your answer will be marked as incorrect so check the word
limit carefully for each question. Contracted words will not be tested, e.g. ‘don’t’. Hyphenated words count as single words, e.g. ‘police-man’.

Sentence completion focuses on your ability to identify the key information in a listening text. You must understand functional relationships such as
cause and effect.

Short-answer questions
In the short-answer question type, you are required to read a question and then write a short answer using information from the listening
text. Sometimes test takers are given a question which asks them to list two or three points.

A word limit is given, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. If you use more than the word limit, your answer will be
marked as incorrect so check the word limit carefully for each question. Contracted words will not be tested, e.g. ‘don’t’. Hyphenated words count as
single words, e.g. ‘police-man’.

Short-answer focuses on the ability to listen for concrete facts, such as places, prices or times, within the listening text.