What you Need to Know about the Listening Test (IELTS Academic: Listening): Study Material
Overview of the listening test
What is the IELTS Listening test?
The IELTS Listening test measures your ability to understand spoken English in a range of everyday, social, educational and academic situations
The topics are varied and realistic, and they reflect the type of spoken English you may hear in real life
In the test, you will hear a range of different English accents (e.g., British, Australian, North American, etc.)
How is the Listening test structured?
The test lasts about 30 minutes
There are four parts:
Part 1: an everyday conversation between two speakers
Part 2: a monologue usually set in an everyday social or work situation
Part 3: a conversation between two or three speakers set in an academic or educational context
Part 4: a monologue set in an academic or educational context
Each part has ten questions, so there are 40 questions in total
You hear each recording only once, and you cannot stop the recording
Before each part, you hear information about the speakers, the situation and the topic
There are short pauses between recordings for you to check your answers and read the questions
You will answer a variety of question types:
The questions follow the same sequence as the information in the recording, so the answer to each question comes before the answer to the next one
You should type your answers while listening
At the end of the test, you have two minutes to check all of your answers
Both UK and US spellings are accepted in Listening test answers
How is the Listening test marked?
Each correct answer = 1 mark
You do not lose marks for wrong answers
Maximum score = 40 marks
Your score out of 40 (e.g., 29/40) is then converted into your final IELTS band score (1-9) for the Listening test
Listening Part 1
In Listening Part 1, you hear a conversation between two people
This part is usually the most straightforward section of the test, but you still need to listen carefully for names, numbers, dates, times and other important details
The situation is usually related to everyday life in an English-speaking country
Some typical conversations you may hear are between:
an employer and an employee
a hotel receptionist and a tourist
two people making social plans
The conversation usually has a clear purpose, such as:
asking for information
giving instructions
making a booking
making arrangements
This part of the test mainly checks your ability to understand specific details, such as:
Names
Postcodes
Phone numbers
Addresses
Dates
Typical questions in Part 1 include:
Listening Part 2
In Listening Part 2, you hear only one person speaking
The speech is usually set in an everyday social or work situation
For example, you may hear:
an employer speaking to staff
a person making an announcement
someone giving information or instructions
Typical questions in Part 2 include:
Sentence completion
Map labelling
Multiple choice
Matching information
Listening Part 3
In Listening Part 3, you hear a discussion up to four people in an academic or training context
The speakers usually talk about a study-related topic and exchange both information and ideas
For example, you may hear:
two students discussing a research project
a tutor talking to students about their progress
a discussion about an academic task or problem
The speakers may:
agree with each other
disagree with each other
discuss different points before reaching a conclusion
This part of the test mainly checks your ability to:
follow the development of ideas
understand each speaker’s opinion or point of view
identify the result of the discussion
Typical questions in Part 3 include:
Form/note/table/flow chart/summary completion
Sentence completion
Map labelling
Matching information
Listening Part 4
In Listening Part 4, you hear one speaker giving a lecture or presentation
The topic is academic, and the speaker usually discusses it in depth
You may hear:
a speaker describing research
a talk about a particular subject area
a presentation that explains different ideas or opinions on a topic
The talk usually has a clear purpose, such as:
giving an overview of a topic
explaining developments in a field of research
presenting detailed academic information
Listening Part 4 is often the most demanding of all four
Typical questions in Part 4 usually include:
Note/summary completion
Sentence completion
Multiple choice
Short answer
Essential listening strategies
The IELTS Listening test checks several listening skills, including:
Understanding main ideas
Understanding specific details
Recognising opinions and attitudes
Following the development of ideas
Understanding meaning from context
It is important that you learn the format of the test well and make sure you know what happens in each of the four parts
Listen carefully to the instructions on the recording and use the information about the speaker, situation and topic to prepare yourself
Try to predict the kind of information and vocabulary you may hear
Use the pauses between the recordings to read the instructions and questions carefully
Expect distractors: the speakers might say one answer and then correct themselves.
Example: “Let's meet at 5:00 pm... oh wait, I have a meeting, let's make it 6:30”
Strategy: Do not write the first number you hear immediately if the speaker sounds uncertain or continues talking about the topic
Use the words from the question paper to help you follow the recording
If you miss one answer, move on quickly and focus on the next question
Write something for every question even if you are not completely sure
You will have some time to check your spelling after the recording, so do not spend too much time worrying about spelling while the recording is still playing
Sign up now for IELTS Academic
or
Was this study material helpful?
