Full Information to IELTS Listening
If you wish to grasp the IELTS Listening query sorts, methods, and entire part, you then’ve come to the correct place. Learn on for all the pieces you’ll want to learn about Listening apply materials, format, timing, and extra. Plus, we’ll provide you with some knowledgeable ideas and tips to get a prime IELTS Listening rating!
Desk of Contents
IELTS Listening Follow Take a look at and Sources
To arrange properly for the Listening portion of the examination, you’ll want high quality apply checks. When taking a pattern check, incorporate as many actual check constraints as you’re taking them. For instance, don’t begin and cease the recording or take heed to the recording greater than as soon as. To start out, we suggest checking this set of free on-line IELTS Listening apply checks and pattern duties.
Along with these apply checks, we provide a lot of different basic sources that may make it easier to put together not only for the Listening part, but in addition for the examination as a complete:
As you undergo these sorts of Listening apply supplies, intently examine the recordings whenever you assessment your solutions and ensure to make use of the transcripts as you accomplish that (most apply supplies will present a transcript of the Listening supplies). Examine them. Make certain to know every mistake you made, and preserve observe of recent vocabulary.
Don’t restrict your self to apply checks, nevertheless. It is best to take heed to all kinds of fabric in your IELTS preparation, together with English listening past IELTS materials. Right here is an effective record of listening supplies you need to use:
How is the IELTS Listening check carried out?
Subsequent, let’s take a look at the final construction of IELTS Listening: how this part works and what’s in it.
Tutorial vs. Common IELTS Listening
Is IELTS Listening the identical for Tutorial and Common? The excellent news right here is that there aren’t any variations between IELTS Tutorial Listening and IELTS Common Listening. The IELTS Listening part is identical for the Tutorial and Common Coaching variations of the check. So you may put together in the very same manner regardless of which variation of the examination you’re taking! (Solely the Studying and Writing sections differ between the 2.)
Timing
IELTS Listening takes about 40 minutes whole. If you’re one of many many college students taking the IELTS on paper, round half-hour of this part might be listening to recordings and answering questions in your Query Booklet, the place you’ll discover the directions and questions. This Booklet is separate from the official Reply Sheet (PDF). After the ultimate recording, you’ll have 10 minutes of “switch time” to repeat your solutions out of your Query Booklet to your Reply Sheet. Solely the solutions you write in your Reply Sheet might be marked.
Use this switch time to your benefit. You don’t must document your solutions within the Reply Sheet till the allotted switch time on the finish. Use this time to put in writing rigorously and neatly — graders want to have the ability to learn your writing! Misspellings are marked incorrect, so use this time to additionally double-check the spelling.
Format
You’ll hear 4 completely different Listening passages on the Listening examination, and reply 10 questions in every part (40 whole). The passages come within the type of 4 separate recordings, they usually get harder as you progress by way of the examination.
Passage 1: That is normally a dialog between two folks. Usually, the dialog will contain a fundamental alternate of knowledge in on a regular basis context (enterprise interactions, job coaching contexts, and many others…). For instance, somebody is likely to be inserting an order over the cellphone, or confirming particulars for a reservation. The subject might be a daily-life state of affairs.
Passage 2: That is normally a monologue (one particular person talking). Passage 2 can even come from a typical day by day state of affairs, a really basic subject. For instance, you would possibly hear somebody offering instructions, or presenting fundamental details about a spot or an occasion.
Passage 3: The subjects change into noticeably tougher in Passage 3. This might be a dialog, usually amongst a number of folks, about a tutorial subject. You would possibly hear a couple of college students discussing one thing from class, or a professor offering suggestions about an project, for instance. Passage 3 is harder as a result of the vocabulary is tougher, the subjects are extra sophisticated, and there are extra audio system concerned within the dialogue.
Passage 4: This might be a college lecture from a professor. It may cowl any subject from a typical school course. You aren’t required to have specialised information in regards to the educational material. Nevertheless, the language might be tough, and the lecture might be complicated. That is the hardest passage on the Listening examination for many college students.
Scoring for IELTS Listening
The Listening part has a reasonably easy scoring system. Every query is value 1 level, so you may obtain a “uncooked” rating as much as 40 factors which is then transformed to a band rating. (See Magoosh’s IELTS rating calculator to transform your uncooked Listening rating to a band.) This IELTS Listening rubric breakdown will make it easier to perceive what every band means extra particularly. As a result of your band is predicated in your uncooked rating, you’ll need to deal with every query from Part 1 onwards with the identical weight.
IELTS Listening Query Varieties
There are six fundamental query sorts within the IELTS Listening part. For a apply set of every query sort, click on the button under to obtain Magoosh’s IELTS Listening Query Varieties PDF.
And for an outline of every of the IELTS Listening query sorts, see under:
IELTS Listening Query Kind: Quick Reply
Click on right here to study all about brief reply questions.
For this query sort specifically, it’s crucial that you simply ensure you learn and comply with the instructions. This query sort comes with very clear phrase and quantity necessities — no matter you do, comply with them! Furthermore, you’ll usually have to seek out detailed data associated to some class.
The Sentence Completion IELTS Listening Query Kind
Click on right here for more information on this query sort.
It’s useful to consider Sentence Completion questions as a type of Quick Reply questions. So, as soon as once more, take note of the directions — that is the place you may simply lose factors!
For this query, you’re going to finish a sentence and can nearly all the time be a paraphrase of one thing you heard within the dialog or lecture. So, don’t anticipate to listen to an actual word-for-word match with the query. Put together to suppose and use synonyms.
These sentences are filled with vital data that may make it easier to predict the solutions. Pay shut consideration to the grammatical construction of the sentence and the knowledge that’s lacking. Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective, and so forth?
The Plan, Map, and Diagram Completion IELTS Listening Query Varieties
Click on right here to study these IELTS Listening query sorts.
These questions contain some kind of visible — be it a plan, a map, or a diagram. These visuals may have some lacking labels. The questions may have you fill out these lacking labels primarily based on what you’ll have listened to.
These visuals embody lots of clues. As an example, suppose you obtained a Map Query. Have a look at the situation of the primary query, after which take a look at the map to see the place the next questions are situated. The questions are requested within the order of what’s mentioned by the speaker(s). So, you may start to anticipate the kind of stuff you’ll must hear for.
You may also examine the map to familiarize your self with the situation of different objects. For instance, maybe the map features a statue, a restaurant, or another landmark. You should utilize this to anticipate the kind of stuff you’ll need to take note of. Getting accustomed to the Map, Plan, or Diagram earlier than you take heed to the speaker will make it easier to get oriented.
Matching in IELTS Listening
Click on to develop the outline of Matching questions in IELTS Listening.
Matching Questions normally contain listening for detailed data. It’s vital to have a look at the class of knowledge that you’ll match to the reply selections. Generally you’ll have lettered choices, in others you’ll must fill in a field.
IELTS A number of Selection Questions
Click on for particulars on a number of alternative questions.
IELTS A number of Selection questions solely have 3 potential solutions. Generally (however not usually), there might be greater than three reply selections. On this case, you’ll normally be instructed to decide on a couple of reply.
You could bear in mind to enter your Reply Sheet with a letter — both A, B, or C. Keep in mind: Don’t write the reply alternative phrase(s)! Generally, you’ll solely have two or three A number of Selection questions in a bit. At different instances, there could possibly be as much as 5 to eight.
Deal with A number of Selection questions precisely like different query sorts. Within the time offered earlier than you take heed to the passage, skim the entire questions and the reply selections to seek out key phrases. Solutions will are available order within the passage, so that you want Observe solutions throughout the entire questions within the activity you’re engaged on.
There’s an vital subtype to the A number of Selection query sort that you could be not encounter, however is vital to learn about. This subtype, often called the Fundamental Concept, would require you to have the ability to articulate the principle level of the recording. You possibly can learn an in-depth evaluation of this subtype right here: IELTS Listening Query Kind: Fundamental Concept.
Completion IELTS Listening Query Varieties: Types, Summaries, Circulate-Charts, Tables, Notes
Click on for added data on this household of IELTS Listening query sorts.
These query sorts would possibly look very completely different, however they really share rather a lot in widespread. They’re usually Quick Reply questions, however you might also be offered with a listing or a field with reply selections. Principally, you will want to fill in lacking data primarily based on the Listening passage.
It’s crucial to have a look at every query quantity. Discover the place it’s situated on the visible or abstract and what the key phrases are that encompass it. It is best to “observe” these key phrases as you take heed to the speaker.
Right here’s a fast overview of the several types of completion questions that you simply would possibly encounter on the IELTS Listening part:
- Circulate Chart Completion Questions on IELTS Listening
- This reveals steps or levels in a course of. You possibly can anticipate that you’ll want to hear for the completely different levels of the method.
- Desk Completion Questions in Listening
- It might probably check with many issues, however usually a desk is used to categorize a number of issues, so you will want to fill in lacking data on the desk.
- IELTS Listening: Notes Completion Questions
- This can be a widespread query sort for Passage 4, during which you’ll hear a lecture. You should have incomplete lecture notes that you’ll want to fill in primarily based on what the professor says.
- Abstract Completion Questions
- You’ll be offered with a paragraph of a number of sentences which summarize the listening passage and fill within the blanks primarily based on the discuss.
- Type Completion Questions
- This query sort is widespread for Part 1 of the Listening examination, although they’ll come up in different sections occasionally.
Suggestions and Tips for IELTS Listening
Earlier than we get into the remainder of the ideas and tips, let’s discuss in regards to the instructions. You’ll obtain many particular instructions for various query sorts. In case you fail to comply with these instructions, you can lose factors even when you already know the solutions. To keep away from needlessly lacking check questions like that, click on under to open up an in-depth set of ideas for following instructions in IELTS Listening.
Present Suggestions for IELTS Listening Instructions
Consideration to element is essential on the IELTS Listening examination. Sadly, too many individuals lose factors unnecessarily as a result of they don’t pay shut consideration to the instructions. Listed below are some basic tips to comply with:
- Be sure to write the proper sort of reply in your last Reply Sheet. For instance, on A number of Selection questions, the proper reply might be a letter (A, B, or C). Generally, college students mistakenly write the phrases or numbers that come after the letter on their reply sheet and due to this fact reply incorrectly.
- Varied varieties of brief reply questions are widespread on the Listening paper. You could must fill in a abstract, a map, some notes, or simply hear for some particular phrases that it’s essential to fill in in your reply sheet. The IELTS will all the time let you know what number of phrases and/or numbers you’re allowed to make use of in your solutions. You MUST learn the instructions for every set of questions as a result of the necessities change. One set of questions might permit a brief reply of three phrases, however the subsequent might solely permit two. If the instructions let you know that you could be not use “MORE THAN TWO WORDS and/or A NUMBER,” then your reply might be marked incorrect for those who write down three phrases, or a couple of quantity.
Word that one quantity may be a couple of digit. For instance, the quantity 14 [fourteen] is one quantity. 1 and 4, written individually, can be two numbers.
And now, listed here are hyperlinks to extra IELTS guides from Magoosh, filled with ideas and tips that reach far past simply following instructions:
Extra Sources for IELTS Listening Follow and Preparation
Finding out for the IELTS Listening examination is only one a part of examine plan. Be sure to have all of the sources you’ll want to obtain your goal band rating for the entire IELTS check! Magoosh presents IELTS Prep video classes that will help you on the Listening part, however the classes cowl the opposite IELTS sections as properly. (And paid subscribers even have entry to tutor help by way of electronic mail!)
Many college students who want steering with Listening additionally want some help with IELTS writing. Listed below are some Guides to IELTS Writing Job 1 and Job 2 that will help you put together for this tough portion of the examination.
Lastly, relying on how a lot time you’ve earlier than you’re taking the IELTS, this one-month examine schedule may help you keep organized. In case your prep time for the IELTS examination is extra restricted, go over to the net web page for our one-week schedule!
Better of luck, and completely satisfied learning!
