IELTS Listening

Format of the IELTS listening section

You will be provided with 30 minutes to complete the listening section., plus 10 minutes transfer your answers. There will be 4 recordings from native English speakers with a variety of accents, which will include Canadian, American, Australian, British, and New Zealand. You will be asked a series of questions based on the recording. The recording will usually be played only once.

Part 1 will be a recording of a conversation between 2 people based on a daily social context.

Part 2 will be a speech or a monologue from 1 speaker based in a social context.

Part 3 will be a conversation between 2 to 4 people and will be based in an academic setting such as educational or training context, such as in a university where students are discussing an assignment

Part 4 will be a speech or monologue based on an academic subject, such as a university lecture.

How You Will be Graded

The assessor will focus on looking at the student’s ability to understand the main ideas and the detailed factual information, the speaker’s opinions or attitudes, the purpose of the utterance, and the evidence for your ability to follow the development of ideas.

Total of 40 questions in a variety of types including multiple choice, matching, sentence completion, map/diagram/plan labeling, or form/note/label/flow chart/summary completion. Each question will be worth 1 mark.

While completing the listening section, you can write your answers on the test itself as you listen to the recordings. At the end of the recordings, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet. Carefully transfer your answers because spelling and grammar will be considered when marking your answers.

Types of questions in the listening section

Multiple Choice

The Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) will consist of three or more possible answers to choose from. The test taker will be required to choose 1 answer from a list of options. Read the question carefully to ensure the answer relates to the question. There are a variable number of questions that can be asked in the multiple choice task.

Matching 

The Matching task will be where the test takers will match a numbered list of items from the listening text to a set of options on the question page.It is important to understand the information in a conversation on everyday topics. The conversation may be between two or more people as well as recognize the relationships and connections between the facts in the listening text for the matching section. There are a variable number of questions that can be asked in the matching task.

Plan, Map, Diagram Labeling

This section requires the test taker to complete the labels on the plan. A list of answers are provided for you to choose from. This task assessors the test takers ability to understand, which may include spatial relationships and directions. There are a variable number of questions that can be asked in the plan, map or diagram labeling task.

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

This section requires the test taker to fill in the gaps in an outline of part of all of the listening text. The text takers may need to select answers from a list or identify missing words from the recordings, and must stay in the word limit stated in the question. It may often be noted that the word limit is “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.” The marks will be penalized if more words are included in the answer. The focus of this task is to identify the main points. There are a variable number of questions that can be asked in the form, note, table, flow-chart or summary completion task.

Sentence completion

Sentences with a summary of key information from the listening text. Test takers will be required to fill in the gaps of the sentences using the information from the listening text. It may often be noted that the word limit is “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.” The marks will be penalized if more words are included in the answer. The focus of this task is to identify the key information in the text and understand the functional relationship, such as the cause and effect. There are a variable number of questions that can be asked in the sentence completion task.

Short Answer Questions

The test takers will read a question and provide a short answer using the information from the listening text. It may often be noted that the word limit is “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.” The marks will be penalized if more words are included in the answer. The focus of this task is on the ability to focus on concrete facts within the listening text.

The IELTSin1Month intensive IELTS listening course prepares you for all types of Listening questions in just one month.