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IELTS Listening Lecture
IELTS Listening Lecture
IELTS Listening Lecture
Review
The Purpose of the IELTS Listening Module is to:
Establish your ability to function on a daily basis in a country
where English is spoken as a first language
The test is 30 minutes long, there are always four sections and 40 questions;
approximately 20 minutes to listen to the tape and answer the questions, and 10
minutes to transfer your answers to an Answer Sheet provided with the test
booklet.
Sections one and two test your ability to deal with situations where English is
spoken in a social context (for example, buying a plane ticket over the telephone).
You will be expected to listen to dialogues and monologues and answer questions
based on what you hear.
Sections three and four test your ability to listen to English spoken in an
academic context. This might include listening to a presentation or some form of
dialogue.
Unlike other tests, in the IELTS listening test you only hear a recording ONCE.
The Listening module of the IELTS consists
of a total of 40 questions
2. Social Needs (speech by one speaker) - also based on social or life situations:
for example, a news broadcast, or a description of college facilities. This is
usually a passage with only one person speaking.
Main Ideas
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.
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.
Example:
Man: Let’s go to Wal-mart.
Woman: There’s a Wal-mart in this small town?
Interpret
As you are listening to the conversation, put yourself in the person’s shoes. Think about why someone
would make a statement.
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.
In the Listening Test you use four skills at once. It is not surprising that
candidates often find this the most demanding of the four tests. You need to be
able to:
The more effectively you can predict, the quicker your mind will form the
correct word associations to make with the topic, and the better you will
be able to work out the meaning of what you hear.
It is important to think about the words that you expect to hear. Write
them down, and then check to see how many you guessed correctly.
To write down the answers more quickly, write only the first two or three letters of
the answer that you hear.
You can complete the words during the short period of time given to you after the
passage has finished.
The most common type of IELTS listening gap fill task requires you to listen to a
passage of spoken English containing information concerning a particular topic
or event. In the tests in this book both gap fill listening tasks are news items.
PRACTICE FOR SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
Be aware, however, that your test answers, must not be in note form.
This is for practice only.
For practice, you can devise and use your own system of note-taking
SPECIFY THE TOPIC
In a question which asks you to provide a short answer to a question, you
should first accurately out the question topic in order to give the correct
answer.
Before the passage is played, or as you listen, circle the topic of each
question.
SUMMING UP
You should wait for the speaker to sum up before giving your short answer
to a question.
STEP BY STEP
Before you listen:
Read the instructions carefully.
As you listen:
Accurately specify the topic before choosing the keywords/phrases to listen
for, and be aware of the question changing.
If you do not read the last choice given, and it asks you to consider all of
the other choices as correct
or incorrect answers, you might easily make a choice that only partly
answers the question.
STEP BY STEP
Before you listen:
You need to understand what the topic of the talk or conversation is
about so that you can predict what ideas and words you might hear.
Therefore, read the instructions first.
Once you have read the instructions, do not forget to look at the
example.
Next, you should read the first question and all the possible answer
choices to that question. By doing this, you will be prepared for the first
question when the passage begins.
Then, you should at least read the other questions for keywords before you
read any of the possible answer choices to those questions.
As you listen:
Carefully examine the answer choices for each question as you listen to
the
passage.
Do not overlook "all (or none) of the above" answer choices.
If in doubt, consider the longest answer after rejecting any illogical
answers.
"100% WORDS“
Sometimes statements which make 100% claims are not further qualified
in the same sentence, but are qualified a little later in the passage. Beware!
STEP BY STEP
Before you listen:
Read the instructions carefully.
Always look at (and listen for) the example.
As you listen:
Choose the keywords and topic to listen for and be aware of the question
changing.
Check the question statements carefully for modifying and qualifying
words.
Beware of question statements that contain words that imply 100%.
If necessary, wait for the speaker to qualify what has been said.
More Hints:
In Listening, use the example at the beginning of the first section to
familiarize yourself with the sound, the situation, and the speakers.
Keep listening until the recording stops, looking only at the questions that
relate to the part being played.
There are often pauses in the recording between different sections. Use
these to prepare for the next set of questions.
Answer Listening questions in the order they appear on the Question Paper.
Remember that they normally follow the order of the information in the
recording.
At the end of the recording you have some time to transfer your answers to
the Answer Sheet. Check your grammar and spelling as you do so.
The instructions may also include a word limit, e.g. Use no more than three
words. Keep to this by avoiding unnecessary words in your answer.
Spelling is not important in the Listening Sub-test, except that you must
pell words correctly when they are spelt out for you on the tape.
Your answers need to be legible, that is, they must be able to be read. This
applies to all the types of answers you give: letters, numbers and phrases.
You write your answers on the question paper as you do the Listening Sub
est, and when it is completed, you have 10 minutes to transfer them carefully
nto the Answer Sheet. Make sure that each answer is transferred
ccurately and is legible.
You must write your answers during the Reading Sub-test on the Answer
Sheet provided.