IELTS Listening Strategies

There are three important IELTS listening strategies that we can use. They are:

1) Question analysis

2) Answer prediction

3) Keyword clues

1) Question Analysis
The listening test contains four recordings. Before listening to each of them
you will be given time (around 20-35 seconds) to read the questions they
relate to.

Use this time well. It might not sound very long but it’s long enough to do
the important preparation work that will enable you to complete the
questions successfully.

When analysing the questions, there are 3 key things to note:

a) Which section of the test are they in?

b) What type of questions are they?

c) What sort of information do you need to listen for?

These will all give you valuable clues to understanding the audio recording
and identifying the correct answers.

a) Test sections
There are 4 parts or sections to the IELTS Listening test.

Section 1 – A conversation between two people set in an everyday social

context (e.g. booking tickets to the theatre).

Section 2 – A monologue set in an everyday social context (e.g. a

welcome talk for new college students).
Section 3 – A conversation between up to four people set in an
educational or training context (e.g. a group of students discussing a
university assignment).

Section 4 – A monologue on an academic subject (e.g. a lecture on

wildlife).

If you memorise these, you will know the general context of each audio
before it plays and how many people will be talking – one (a monologue),
two people in conversation or a group conversation.

This might not seem especially important to know but any clues you have
as to what you will be listening to will be helpful. This information will also
help you to be better prepared mentally for the test which will reduce your
stress level and enable you to think more clearly and listen more
effectively.

b) Question types
The next part of this first IELTS listening strategy concerns question types.

You will be asked a variety of different types of questions selected from this
list. Most types could appear in any of the four sections of the test.

 Multiple Choice
 Matching
 Note Completion
 Form Completion
 Table Completion
 Sentence Completion
 Summary Completion
 Short Answer Questions
 Map & Plan labelling
 Diagram & Flowchart completion

You must be able to quickly identify what types of questions you are
required to answer. Sometimes the introduction will tell you or it will be
obvious, e.g. it’s a plan or map that requires labels. Other times, you will
have to look more closely to decide.

As with everything, you will master this with practice.

c) What sort of information do you need to listen for?
Knowing the type of question will help you to predict the sort of information
you need to listen out for.

2) Answer Prediction
To predict an answer is to say what type of word you think it will be based
on the evidence you have. That evidence will be in the question clues
we’ve just been talking about and the information in the questions.

We’ll look at an example in a minute but first, here are some things you
may be able to predict:

 The type of information required, e.g. name, date, phone

number, percentage, price, place name.

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

 Synonyms or paraphrasing that might be used, e.g. ‘a half’ for

‘50%’, ‘located in the countryside’ for ‘is in a rural area’.

Here’s a form completion sample question to illustrate the strategy of

prediction.
These are the answer predictions we can make:

1 – a surname

2 – the college name

3 – a postcode made up of letters and numbers

4 & 5 – numbers of measurement

6 & 7 – nouns (items in the box)

8 – numbers written as a price

Answers 1 and 2 will be proper nouns so you must write them starting with
a capital letter. This is another little clue that will ensure you get your
answer exactly right.

To sum up prediction, it is one of the most valuable of our IELTS listening

strategies because it identifies the type of information you will need to listen
out for in the recording.

3) Keyword Clues
Item number three in our list of IELTS listening strategies is also to do with
prediction but particularly relevant for questions containing a lot of text as
opposed to a diagram, map, plan or table.

The technique is to identify the keywords or phrases in the question. Why?

Because the answers will very likely be synonyms or paraphrasing of
these.

Example:

Step 1 is to underline the key words in the answers, e.g.

1 is in a rural area

2 only opened recently

3 offers facilities for business functions

Step 2 is to quickly think of some possible synonyms (s) and related (r)
words to listen out for in the audio.
Here are some that immediately come to mind:
 rural area – country or countryside (s)

 opened recently – new (s), refurbished (r)

 business functions – events (s), conferences (r), meetings (r)

Types of Questions:

Multiple Choice Questions

IELTS Listening multiple choice questions are one of the most difficult of all
the question types but if you have a good strategy for answering them,
you’ll be able to do so successfully. That’s what this lesson will teach you.

The lesson includes:

 The 2 question types

 Sample questions

 The strategy

 Practice question

 Answers

 Vocabulary

In multiple choice questions, you are required to choose the correct

answer from a list of options. There are two main types of question:

1) Single questions with a choice of 3 answers

(A, B or C). Occasionally, there may be 4
options.
2) List questions. These have a longer list of
possible answers and you must select more than
one as specified in the question.

Here are examples of both types of multiple choice questions from a

past paper. In this case, they happened to appear together but this is
not common.
Read the instructions very carefully.
Sample multiple choice question

The Strategy
1) Read the question

You will have a short time to prepare before the speaker or speakers
begin talking. First, read the question very carefully to ensure that you
know exactly what you have to do.
Particularly note the type of question – single with 3 options or list
selection with 2 or more answers to identify. For our sample question,
we must choose 3 answers. Underline or circle the 3 to remind you.

2) Look for a title

Not every question will have a title but if there is one, it will tell you the
context of the question. This will help you to understand the answers
listed and give you a big clue as to what sort of information will be
contained in the recording.
Our sample question has the title ‘Spa Day’. Knowing the context
gives some collective meaning to the words in the list of possible
answers which would otherwise appear random and unrelated.

3) Underline the key word in the question

Next, underline or highlight the key word in the question. In this

question, it is ‘recommended’.

The question is telling us that we must select 3 items that the speaker
will recommend that we take with us on the spa day, that is, things we
‘should’ take.
However, don’t expect the word ‘recommend’ to be used throughout
the recording. The speaker isn’t going to say, “I recommend that you
take a towel and I recommend that you wear a watch.” Synonyms and
paraphrasing will be used extensively, so think of some words that
might be used instead, including negatives for things you should not
take. For example,
“You must…”, “It’s advisable...”, “You shouldn’t…”
4) Predict the answer

Now look at the list of answers. You may be able to predict which
ones are correct or at least one or two of them, and a couple that are
probably wrong.
Try this now. Which items do you think you'd be recommended to take
to a spa and which are you unlikely to be asked to take with you?

a) money
b) slippers
c) fruit

d) towel

e) ticket

f) watch

g) make up
h) swimming costume

5) Think of synonyms

Expect to hear all the answer options in the recording, not just the
correct answers. You will have to listen very carefully to determine if
each item is or is not recommended.

Synonyms will definitely be used for some of the words, so scan the
list and see if you can quickly think of any synonyms or related words.
An example might be some specific items of fruit for answer (c)
instead of the word ‘fruit’.

So, you are not looking for the exact words but the same meaning.
Also, be aware that the answers will not be in the same order as you’ll
hear them in the recording.

6) Identify the difference

In single questions with a choice of 3 or 4 answers, the answers may

be similar in some way to try and catch you out. If this is the case,
underline any key words that will help you to work out the difference in
meaning between them. An example for our question might be:

 You must take a towel.

 You can borrow a towel.

 A towel will be provided.

Map & Plan Practice

The IELTS Listening sample test in this lesson will teach you how to
answer map and plan labelling questions. 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.

Strategy & Tips

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

So, you must write a letter next to each word in the answer list.
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.

3) Visualisation
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.

4) Answer order
The answers will come in the same order in the recording as they are listed
in the question

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

Summary Completion
Definition of a summary:

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.
 Strategy & Tips

1) Read the instructions

Read the instructions carefully, paying particular attention to how many
words you are allowed to write for the answer as this does vary.

Examples:

Write ONLY ONE WORD for each answer.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

2) Look for a title

Not every question will have a title but if there is one, it will tell you the
context of the question. This will help you to understand the question and
give you a big clue as to what sort of information will be contained in the
recording.
3) Answer order
The answers will come in the same order in the recording as they are listed
in the question

4) Predict the answers

Try to predict what the answers might be. This will focus your mind on what
to listen out for in the recording.

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.

5) Synonyms and paraphrasing

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
summary but also, different words and phrases that have the same
meaning.

6) Problematic vocabulary
There are 6 types of vocabulary that can cause particular problems for
students and some of them are frequently used in summary completion
questions. The 6 types are:

 Time

 Numbers

 Prices

 Dates

 Letters

 Addresses
You must be able to recognise them in speech and to write them correctly
in your answers.

7) Watch out for distractors

The examiners may try and catch you out with distractors. A distractor is a
word or a phrase that changes or corrects the original piece of information
given. So, you may be given an answer and then have it taken away again.

 The venue is most famous for its operatic performances but pop
concerts are equally as popular today.

 The cost to build Sydney Opera House was estimated at $7

million. However, the final bill came to $102 million and it was largely
paid for by a State Lottery.

Diagrams & Flowcharts

Both types come up regularly in the Listening test so you need to know
how to answer them.

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.

1) Read the instructions

Read the instruction carefully, paying particular attention to how many
words you’re allowed to write for the answer.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each

answer.
Other questions might tell you to write NO MORE THAN TWO
WORDS or ONLY ONE WORD, so be careful. Don’t lose marks over silly
mistakes like this.

2) Read the labels & title

Learn as much as you can from the title and existing labels. The
information you get from them will help you to understand the diagram and
give you clues as to what the speaker(s) will talk about.

3) Predict the answers

Try to predict what the answers might be. This will focus your mind on what
to listen out for in the recording.

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

 The type of information required, e.g. a name, a number, a

percentage.

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

4) The introduction
Before the first speaker begins talking, there will be an introduction in which
you’ll be told what the recording is about. For this question, we are told,

You will hear a part of a seminar entitled Understanding the World's Oceans
given by a climate scientist.

The first speaker will then begin the talk or conversation by introducing
themselves and the subject or purpose of the talk. This will help you to
understand the context and give you more detail about the subject.

Here’s the first sentence of the recording.

Scientist: Thanks to all of you for coming along today to hear about how the
robotic float project is helping with ocean research.
You can see how important it is to listen carefully right from the start.