Tips on the IELTS Listening Section

  Do not give more than one answer in a gap. Otherwise, it will be marked
as wrong.

  If you are unsure of the spelling of a word, write an approximation of the way the answer sounds. Sometimes you can copy it from the exam booklet itself.

  Listen to the instructions because they tell you which questions you should read before listening and answer while listening.

  In order not to stay focused, try to listen ‘actively’, i.e. predict what you are going to listen to especially the answers. Most mistakes are made because of the lack of focus.

  In labeling questions, following both the question and the chart might be confusing. You just need to follow the number or the letter logically in order not to be lost or confused.

  Do not use the time between sections to transfer your answers because there will be 10 minutes at the end to transfer them.

  Listen in chunks. It is not necessary to understand every single word to be able to answer the questions.

  Practice listening through the media like watching the BBC. This is important not only to develop your listening skill but also to develop your language in general.

  In gap-filling questions, be aware that some of the answers may come quickly one after the other.

  Check that your answers are given in grammatically correct English. For example, if there is the article ‘a’ before the gap, it means that you have to supply the answer in singular form. If not, it means that the answer will be either plural or an uncountable noun.

  In multiple-choice questions, before the passage is played, or as you listen, circle the topic of each question in order to stay focused.

  Pay attention to capital letters like names of people, months, places (hotels, cities, countries, etc.)

  In almost every IELTS listening test, you have to write dates at least once. The simplest way to write a date is to write the number and the month as in (15 July).

  If you miss something, do not worry. Otherwise, you will miss other things.

  Always write numbers as figures rather than letters in order to save time and to avoid spelling mistakes.

  While listening and answering, it is not necessary to write the words in full. This will help you save time to focus on answering the other questions. You exam booklet will not be marked.

  In labeling questions, following both the question and the chart might be confusing. You just need to follow the number or the letter logically in order not to be lost or confused.

  When writing down letters, do not confuse them such as (k & q), (j & g), etc.

  If you see a complicated question, spend the time given to look at questions in order to examine it carefully.

  Make sure that you include the suitable units if not included in the answer sheet. Examples of units are like cm, $, am, pm, etc.

  If you need to write one of the letters that have similar forms in both capital and small cases (like k and K, c and C), make sure that they are big enough, etc.

  A common mistake is confusing 80 with 90, 18th with 19th, etc.

  While listening and following on the exam sheet, you need to be patient and not to hurry things up writing down the first possible answer you hear.

  Often the speaker changes his or her mind and make a correction before giving the answer that you need or someone else corrects him/her.

  Capitalize the names of sections/departments related to institutions like (Computer Lab, Students’ Toilet, Staff Room, etc.

  The example done at the beginning of each IELTS listening question can be useful as an example of how to write the rest of the answers like whether to capitalize or not. When the speaker is about to say a number or the spelling of a proper noun, get ready to listen carefully and write quickly.

  In both reading and listening, you should consider the following when transferring answers into the answer sheet

  Spelling

  Grammar

  Transferring the answers to their correct places