Listening test advice

Follow this Listening test advice, and make sure you understand how to respond
to 'completion' type questions.

You will be given time to read through the questions before you listen. You will hear each recording of the
Listening test only once.

As you listen, write your answers on the question paper. At the end of the test, you will have 10 minutes
to transfer your answers to the answer sheet in pencil. You may write your answers in lower case or
capital letters.
It is essential that you transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Nothing you write on the question paper
will be marked.

Make the most of your Listening test:

if you cannot hear the audio clearly, let a member of staff know
straightaway

follow the instructions carefully; they may be different to practice or

previous tests

listen for the specific information you want

try and anticipate what the speaker will say; this will require concentration

do not worry if there is a word you do not understand; you may not need to
use it

if you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it but do not waste
time; move quickly onto the next one

be careful with your spelling and grammar

do not panic if you think the topic is too difficult or the speaker is too fast;
relax and tune in

read, write and listen at the same time

focus precisely on what you are asked to do in completion type questions

pay attention to the word limit; for example, if you are asked to complete a
sentence using no more than two words, if the correct answer is leather coat,
the answer coat made of leather would be incorrect

if the question asks you to complete the note in the and the correct
answer is morning, note that in the morning would be incorrect; the correct
answer is 'morning'

attempt all questions; there are no penalties for incorrect answers

 check your answers

Some time ago Vasco Medeiros, our previous IELTS results competition winner, had sent me his best
tips and methods he used in his preparation. In other words, these are the techniques responsible for
his Band 8.0 in IELTS, and you, too, can benefit from them.

Today I am publishing the first portion of Vascos tips (the Listening part) and the other 3 parts
(Reading, Writing and Speaking) will follow.

Vasco says:

I am happy to share some thoughts and advice with those of you preparing for IELTS. By taking this
exam you are investing in your future career/studies, which is why I want to personally congratulate
you. You want to succeed and are willing to pay for it. And this exam will open many doors.

Please realize that your level of English is already good. It has to be. If you are reading this blog and
understanding our tips then you already have some background knowledge of English that you can,
therefore, develop further every day.

Listening tips

Remember: all the answers are given in the recording soconcentration is the key. Stay focused!
Dont allow your attention to wander for even a second! Practice a lot with the CDs / audio files
included with your IELTS book.

After you have completed a listening section and answered the questions, you can listen to it again
while reading the script, thus activating both your listening and visual senses simultaneously. Do this
not only to check whether youve got those answers right (in the exam you only get to listen to the
recording once), but to become further aware of the pronunciation and rhythm of spoken sentences,
while looking at them printed. We learn best by activating many senses simultaneously (visual and
auditory in this case).

Listening to audio books in English, or other high-quality audio recorded by native speakers also trains
your listening skills. A good technique to develop concentration is to listen to a sentence or so and
then hit the pause button, then repeat aloud what the speaker just said. You dont have to say
exactly the same words, instead focus more on the meaning and pronunciation. Then progressively
increase the amount of sentences you can listen to and repeat aloud. This is a great way to enhance
your concentration that is vital for the Listening section in IELTS.

TOP TIPS FOR IELTS LISTENINGS

Part 1- Predicting

Do you find the IELTS listening exam more difficult than other listening exams you have done? What makes
it seem difficult? It has the same format as other exams filling in spaces, completing information,
matching exercises, and a variety of accents. So why does it seem more complicated?

The Listening exam has 4 parts, 40 questions and lasts 30 minutes. You then have another ten minutes at
the end of the exam to copy your answers onto the answer sheet provided. Parts 1 and 2 concentrate on
social needs or survival English the kind of English you need on a regular basis if you are living in an
English speaking country, for example asking for information or getting directions. Parts 3 and 4 focus more
on the topics of education or training. You will hear a combination of dialogues between 2 or more people
and monologues.

One of the big differences between the IELTS listening test and other listening exams you may have done is
that you only hear it once. This doesnt seem like a big problem until you have finished listening to it and
have just realised you missed the crucial information and need to hear it again.

So, what can you do to overcome this problem? Look at the following advice and practical examples.

1. One of the key things you can do is make sure you read through the questions before you listen. At
the beginning of the test, and before each new part of the test you are given time to read the questions
before you listen. This is extremely important as it gives you time to practise your prediction skills and
understand what information they are asking for and helps you predict your answers.

Heres a typical example of an IELTS listening exercise. Which parts would you underline on a first
reading to help you predict what information is needed in each question? Before you listen,
decide what answers you think will go in each space.

Click here to check your predictions. (*******)

How well did you predict the information you need? Now try listening and see how well you do. Listen to
the text and complete the spaces.

2. Reading the questions is obviously very important. As youve just seen, it helps you predict the
answers which, if you only hear a text once, is crucial to help you understand. Its also very important to
read all instructions and questions to make sure that what you write fits into the spaces and that you
write the appropriate number of words.

Click here to see a students answers to IELTS 1.

How many answers do you think they got right? Remember there are no half points, an answer is either
right or wrong. Click here to check the answers and see if you were right.

Now check again to see how many you got right yourself. Click here for the correct answers.
TOP TIPS FOR IELTS LISTENINGS
Part 2 - numbers and spelling

More advice for the listening exams:

3. A common problem with the listening test is that you may be able to predict that you need a number,
but you have trouble distinguishing what the number is. Is it 15 or 50, 17 or 70? The only thing you
can do to help with this, is practise. Think of situations where you might hear lots of numbers and listen
to as many of them as possible. Click here to do IELTS 2 number practice.
4. Another problem is spelling. Everything must be spelled correctly. Make sure youve practised those
tricky letters. Do you know the difference between A-E-I, G and J, B and V? Think of the letters you
have problems with and practise them before the exam. IELTS 3 will help you with spelling
practice - click here to do this activity.

5. Spelling is always important even if the word is not spelled out for you. Try the following exercise.
One word in each sentence is not spelled correctly. Can you spot them and correct them? Click
here to do this activity.
6. A few more things to consider before doing the exam:

Make sure you read the questions carefully

Its not necessary to understand every word
If you dont know an answer, move onto the next question
If youre not sure about an answer, write something, you do not lose marks for wrong answers
The exam must be done in pencil make sure you have a pencil and rubber with you
Spelling is important
Make sure your handwriting is clear
If the instructions tell you how many words you can write, follow the instruction its there for a
reason
You have time at the end of each section to check your answers. As soon as you finish, move onto
the next section and start reading the questions to help prepare you for the next part of the text
You have ten minutes at the end to copy your answers. Make sure you copy the right answer next
to the right number.
Do as much practice as possible before the exam
Good luck!

FINAL check
(********)

IELTS 1 students answer: