IELTS Listening Module

 

Listening Module in IELTS

IELTS Listening Module is appeared in the beginning of the test. The Listening test is the same for both IELTS Academic test and IELTS General Training test. It consists four different parts. Each parts has ten questions where you will get 30 seconds pauses in the middle of the questions except in part 4. You will have 1 to 40 questions which you hear only once the audio clips. You will have 30 minutes average time to hear the audio where you will be provided British, American and Australian accents. Later, you will have 10 minutes extra time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

IELTS Listening Answer sheet

Let's learn about the different parts of listening and how they appear in the exam.

Part-1

This section is the easiest section. Speaker talks quite slowly making pauses. The key information is usually repeated.

        Examples: two people talking about their journey, asking about the destination, one is giving advices to another about a new project, two men are discussing about the result of football match, tourist registering at the hotel etc. You have to focus on the given facts (information).

Part-2

A monologue about everyday situation where the speaker talks quite slowly, but makes less pauses than in previous part

Example: information for potential buyer about new built flats, radio interview about lake resort, advertisement about positive effect of a new toothbrush etc. You have to focus on the given facts (information).

Part-3

It is a conversation about 2, 3 or 4 speakers about educational (academic) or training situations.

This part is comparatively difficult than the two previous parts. Speakers talk at a faster pace and sometimes they use advance vocabularies. Examples: a university tutor and students discussing an assignment, people talk about the professors' academic speech etc.

Focus on the given facts, key ideas and the speaker's opinions and attitudes.

Part-4

It is an academic subject. It is the most difficult part. There is no break in the middle, the speaker talks quite quickly and uses a wide range of vocabularies.

Examples: lecture about endangered species about global warming and its effects, talks about how to bring up children, lecture about forest reserve, a university lecture etc.

Focus on the given facts, key ideas and the speaker's opinions and attitudes.

A wide range of English accents and dialects are used in the recordings which reflects the international usage of IELTS.

 

Context (every part of listening)	Number of speakers
1.   Social needs	conversation between two speakers
2.   social needs	speech by one person/speaker
3.   Educational or training	conversation between up to four speakers
4.   Academic subject	speech by one person/ speaker

 You can calculate your Band score by counting up your marks out of 40 and comparing them with the scores below:

Top 5 IELTS Listening Tips

1.   Familiarize yourself with a range of accents.

2.   Don’t lose your concentration.

To improve your concentration you need to practice active listening.

3.   Follow the instructions carefully.
This especially applies when it comes to the word limit. If the question states ‘No more than three words’ then you can’t write any more than this. If your answer is four words it will be incorrect.

4.   Familiarize yourself with the different question types.
Doing so will mean you’ll know exactly what to expect on test day and how to react to the question types you’re given. 

5.   Practice listening only once.

1.   Matching Questions

2.   Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

3.   Note completion

4.   Form completion

5.   Table completion

6.   Sentence completion

7.   Summary completion

8.   Short answer question

9.   Map and plan labelling                 

          Diagram and flow chart completion

1. Matching Questions

Candidates are given a list of items from the audio and are requested to match it with a set of options on the question paper. The set of options might be criteria of some kind. The questions will be sorted following the listening text order in the record. The information part will be a list of answers to match, they are in a random position, not following any specific order.

Example:           

 2.                  Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

In multiple choice questions, you are required to choose the correct answer from a list of options. There are two main types of question:

      i.            Single questions with a choice of 3 answers (A, B or C). Occasionally, there may be 4 options.

   ii.            List questions. These have a longer list of possible answers and you must select more than one as specified in the question.

 

The Strategy

1) Read the question

2) Look for a title

3) Underline the key word in the question

4) Predict the answer

5) Think of synonyms

6) Identify the difference

7) Watch out for distractors

8) Writing the answer

9) Guess if necessary

 3.  Note Completion

Note completion questions come up regularly in the IELTS Listening exam so there’s a high chance of you getting one in your test. They can take many different forms but will always be a gap fill activity of some sort where you have to fill in missing words. You could, for example, be asked to fill in missing words in a set of notes from a lecture or a list of instructions for a journey. It’s also common to make notes, for example, during meetings and telephone conversations or when browsing the internet for information on a particular topic, such as travel information for a holiday.

4.  Form completion

Form completion questions are one of the easiest types of IELTS Listening questions to answer as long as you know how to recognise and write the vocabulary they typically contain. Form completion questions are common in Section 1 of the test and the recording will often be a telephone conversation between two people.

The two most common types of form you’ll see are:

• An application form

• An order or quotation  form

Application Form

 

The recording for this sample question is a telephone conversation between the Youth Council administrator and a young man who wants to apply for election to the Youth Council.

                                         Quotation Form

5.  Table completion

Table completion questions come up regularly and can appear in any section of the test.

Table completion questions are gap fill questions that require you to fill in missing words. The table will be made up of columns and rows containing information.

Generally, tables categorise information, that is, they group pieces of information that are related in some way or share the same features. It follows an order.

6. Sentence completion

Sentence completion questions are one of the less common types of IELTS Listening questions but you need to know how to answer them in case you do get one.

They are a type of gap fill question where you must listen to the recording and fill in the missing words in the sentences to complete them. It's very often the ending of the sentence that you'll have to complete but you may also have to fill in words within sentences.

Sentence completion questions can appear in any section of the IELTS Listening test but as long as you have a good strategy to follow, you’ll be able to answer them successfully. Occasionally, you may be able to predict the actual word but it should certainly be possible to determine the type of word needed to fill each gap, such as,

a noun,   an adjective,   a verb, adverb, number

7.  Summary completion

Summary – a short, clear description that gives the main facts or ideas about something

For summary completion questions, you'll be given a summary of the recording. The recording will typically be a monologue on an academic subject such as a lecture on the Amazon rainforest or the Pyramids at Giza. There will be words missing from the summary which you must fill in.

This type of question is most likely to come up in Section 4, the most challenging part of the test. Occasionally, you’ll be able to predict the actual word but mostly it’s one or more of these things that you’ll be able to determine:

• The type of information required, e.g. name of a person, place name, number, date.

• The type of word required, e.g. noun, adjective, verb.

8. Short answer question

These come up regularly in the exam and can appear in any section of the test. They are particularly common in Section 2 which will be a monologue set in an everyday social context, for example, a welcome talk for new college students.

You must listen to the recording and write a short answer in each blank space provided. Synonyms and paraphrasing will be used extensively in the recording. So, you will not only be listening for the exact words that are used in the questions but also, different words and phrases that have the same meaning.

In your preparation time, scan the questions and underline key words that are likely to be replaced by synonyms or paraphrased. Then, quickly think of words that might be used instead.

Occasionally, you’ll be able to predict the actual word but mostly it’s one or more of these things that you’ll be able to determine:

• The type of information required, e.g. name, date, time, phone number, address, price.

• The type of word required, e.g. noun, adjective, verb.

Sometimes, more than one answer will be required, for example,

What are the TWO major concerns new students have regarding accommodation?

sample 1

Sample 2

9. Map and plan labelling

 These come up regularly in the exam and are particularly common in Section 2. The subject for plan questions will typically be a tour of a specific building such as a hotel or museum, or the description of a place. In map questions, the speaker will often talk about proposed changes to a location.

Your task is to listen to the recording and identify different areas, features or rooms. You will often be given a list of words from which to choose the correct answers. If no list is given, you will have to identify the answers from the recording. Many students find these one of the easiest question types to answer because the graphic will contain lots of clues as to the missing words, especially in the labels already present.

 In the recording for this sample question, the chairman of the Highways Committee is explaining the new traffic regulations and parking arrangements proposed for Granford at a public meeting.

 

In the recording for this sample question, the chairman of the Highways Committee is explaining the new traffic regulations and parking arrangements proposed for Granford at a public meeting.

For this question, the speaker is the librarian of a new town library. They are talking to a group of people who are visiting the library.

Strategy & Tips

You will have a short time to prepare before the speakers begin talking. Use this time to familiarize yourself with the question and focus your mind on what you need to listen out for.

1) Read the instructions

Read the instructions very carefully as the wording, and what you have to do, vary in this type of question. For example, the instructions for the first sample question state:

Write the correct letter, A–I, next to Questions 14–20

Very important: Write only the letter (A–I) on the plan. Do not write the word. If you do, your answer will be marked wrong.

So, if answer 11 was ’computers’, your answer would be 11 C, not 11 computers.

2) Read the labels & title

Learn as much as you can about the map or plan from the existing labels, and the words in the answer list if there is one. Some maps and plans will also have a title which is another big clue as to the context of the question and what the recording will be about. For example, the question in IELTS Listening Sample Test 1 above, has the title ‘Proposed traffic changes in Granford’. Knowing this should bring a few ideas to mind as to the sort of information that will be included in the audio text. The more familiar you are with the vocabulary and the layout of the graphic, the easier it will be to understand and follow what the speaker says.

If there is no words list, try and predict what type of word the answers will be from the context of the plan or map, for example, is it a room, a building, a street, a feature such as a pond or a facility such as a public toilet.

Generally, the speaker will begin their talk by introducing themselves and the subject or purpose of the talk so this will also help you to understand the context.

 

3) Visualization

One of the skills needed to answer map and plan questions successfully is to be able to visualise what the place being described looks like.

We use maps and plans in everyday life so your brain will already be used to doing this, although you normally do it subconsciously without even thinking about it.

4) Answer order

The answers will come in the same order in the recording as they are listed in the question so, for our sample question, you'll hear answer 11 first, then answer 12 and so on. This makes it easier to pick out the answers than if they were in a random order.

5) Vocabulary

To do well in map and plan questions, you need to understand the language of location and direction.

• Location – where something is in relation to another object or place.

• Direction – the position towards which someone moves or faces

 

Common vocabulary of location:

• near

• next to

• in front of

• beside

• between

• across from

 

Common vocabulary of direction:

• turn right

• turn left

• go straight on

• go past

• head south

• northwest

6) Synonyms and paraphrasing

7) Watch out for distractors

8) Guess if necessary

10. Diagram and flaw-chart completion

Diagram labelling

In diagram labelling questions, you will be given a diagram of a process, an object, a structure or a machine and you must either fill in the missing labels or complete notes within the diagram.

You could get almost any topic. Examples of diagrams from past papers have included a beehive, a soda can, a fire extinguisher, a Ferris wheel, a zip fastener, a solar heating system, an undersea turbine and soil layers.

As long as you have a good strategy to follow, you’ll be able to answers questions on any subject. In fact, students generally find this one of the easiest question types to answer because the graphic and the existing labels give lots of clues as to what the missing words might be.

Flowchart Completion

Flowchart Completion questions, on the other hand, show the steps of a process. The process will have a start and an end with several steps in between. 

It could be about almost anything that can be broken down into stages, for example, the outline of a lecture or essay, an application process, the stages of a training course or a short manufacturing process.

The graphic in the sample question below shows the 3 stages of a project to design a water treatment system. Like most flowchart completion questions, it occurs in Part 3 where the recording will be a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context.

                                                                                By Bal Ram Shah