IELTS Listening Strategies for Success IELTS Series, Volume 2 Matt McGinniss and Matt Cudmore Published by Englishtec, 2021. IELTS Listening Strategies for Success - Academic & General by Matt McGinniss & Matt Cudmore Published by Englishtec Pty Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without written consent from the authors. Copying any part of this book for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of International Copyright Laws.
Any unauthorised reprint or use of this material is prohibited. Disclaimer The authors and publishers of this book shall in no event be held liable for any loss or damages that may occur due to information contained in this book. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Introduction Strategy # 1 - Know the Structure of the Listening Test Strategy # 2 - Question Types, Tasks and Instructions Strategy # 3 - Know Who is Talking in Each Section Strategy # 4 - Become Familiar with the Spoken Instructions Strategy # 5 - Look for Clues Like a Police Detective Strategy # 6 - Get Clues from the Questions Strategy # 7 - Ask Yourself Questions about the Listening Strategy # 8 - Underline Keywords in the Questions Strategy # 9 - Listen for Clues in the Introduction to Each Section Strategy # 10 - Listen for Specific Details Strategy # 11 - Practice Numbers, Names and Letters Strategy # 12 - Listen for Information Changes Strategy # 13 - Listen for Synonyms Strategy # 14 - Eliminate Incorrect Answers in Multiple- Choice Questions Strategy # 15 - Preview and Predict Gap-Fill Questions Strategy # 16 - Check Meaning and Grammar in Sentence Completion Strategy # 17 - Learn Common Spelling Rules Strategy # 18 - Practice Methods to Improve Spelling Strategy # 19 - Know When to Use Capital Letters Strategy # 20 - Stay with the Speaker Strategy # 21 - Forget the Missed Question Strategy # 22 - Know the Instructions Types Strategy # 23 - Make Intelligent Guesses Strategy # 24 - Use your 10 Minutes Transfer Time Effectively Strategy # 25 - Practice Your Listening Skills Further Reading: IELTS Speaking Strategies for Success Introduction Welcome to IELTS Listening Strategies for Success – Academic & General. It’s great that you have taken a positive step towards success in IELTS by using this book.
Our goal is to help you get the IELTS score you need. We genuinely believe you can do it by following our strategies and language structures. We start with the first strategy that involves understanding the exact structure of the listening test for both the computer-based test and the paper-based test. The book then moves through a series of strategies that will prepare you for the questions you will hear on the listening test and build your confidence for test day.
Are you ready to build your IELTS listening strategies? Let’s get started! Strategy # 1 - Know the Structure of the Listening Test The listening test is in four sections, with the first section being the easiest and the fourth part being the most difficult. The test is the same for both Academic and General versions of the test. Each section lasts for about eight minutes and includes ten questions. The total amount of listening time for the test lasts for about thirty minutes.
Remember! You will only hear the information one time, so you need to concentrate carefully. Computer-Based Test If you are doing the computer- based test, you will enter the answers as you listen so the total time will be 30 minutes. Paper-Based Test After the thirty minutes of listening, you have an extra ten minutes for transfer time. During this extra time, all forty answers must be transferred onto the final paper answer sheet.
Listening Question Types You can expect the following question types on all four sections of the listening test (more information on this in Strategy # 2). Multiple choice Matching Selecting pictures Short answer questions Sentence completion Form completion Chart / Table completion Gap-fill Labelling diagrams Skills Required You will need to listen with carefully using the following language skills (more information on this in strategy #: Listening for context Listening for details Understanding opinions Spelling Listening Test Section 1 Format: Giver of information & receiver of information (eg. buyer & seller) Speakers: 2 Questions: 10 Section Break: 1 break Listening Test Section 2 Format: Information talk – general topic (eg. tour guide gives information) Speakers: 1 Questions: 10 Section Break: 1 break Listening Test Section 3 Format: Giver of information & receiver of information (eg.
buyer & seller) Speakers: 2 - 4 Questions: 10 Section Break: 1 break Listening Test Section 4 Format: Information talk – general topic (eg. tour guide gives information) Speakers: 1 Questions: 10 Section Break: No breaks The best way to get to know the structure of the IELTS test is to complete as many practice tests as you can before your test date. When you know the structure of the test you can fully concentrate on the English skills, rather than having to wonder what will happen next. Strategy # 2 - Question Types, Tasks and Instructions The best thing about the IELTS listening exam is that you will always have the same question types.
This makes the test predictable. Before the test, make sure you know what the question types look like, what the instructions will be for that question type and what you will be expected to do for each question type. You will receive the following types of questions, tasks and instructions on the test. Multiple Choice Task: Read the question and pick the best answer from the 3/4/5 choices based on what you hear on the recording.
Instructions: Choose the best answer A, B, C or D. Selecting Pictures Task: Choose a picture that best describes what you hear. Instructions: Choose the correct letter. Short Answer Questions Task: Answer using 1, 2 or 3 words.
Instructions: Complete the table/notes. Use NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer. Sentence Completion Task: Make the sentence complete by adding information. Instructions: Complete the sentences.
Use NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer. Form Completion Task: Complete the blank fields of the form. Instructions: Complete the form. Use NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.
Chart / Table Completion Task: Complete the blank fields of the chart or table. Instructions: Complete the table/notes. Use NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer. Gap-Fill Task: Choose words to fill the gaps from the information provided in a list or the information that you hear.
Instructions: Complete the notes. Use NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer. Labelling Diagrams Task: Write a description using 1, 2 or 3 words to describe a diagram using the information that you hear. Instructions: Complete the diagram / label the diagram.
Use NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer Bonus Tip! You should be so prepared before you take the test that you are not surprised by any of the tasks you need to do, or the instructions that you hear. This is the preparation you need to do before the test to be successful. Strategy # 3 - Know Who is Talking in Each Section The speakers you will hear in the listening test are as follows: Section 1 A conversation between two people. This may about buying or selling a product or service, completing an application form, making a booking or finding out information about an upcoming event.
Section 2 A talk by one person about a general topic. This may include a radio program that talks about an issue, or a tour guide giving information about a new tour. It may be about an interesting new product or service which is innovative. Section 3 A conversation between students or university professors, in which they discuss an academic situation such as an assignment task or research paper.
There is always academic information involved in this section. Section 4 A lecture given by one speaker who has a great deal of knowledge about a topic. Most of the time this involves a professor at a university or some other higher education institution talking about an academic topic such as biology, history or economics. Remember! The listening section is the same for both Academic IELTS and General IELTS.
This means that even if you take the General IELTS test, you will still need to be ready to listen to academic type of information in sections 3 and 4 of the listening test. Strategy # 4 - Become Familiar with the Spoken Instructions At the start of the listening test, you will always hear some opening instructions, as follows: “You will hear a number of different recordings and you will have to answer questions on what you hear. There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work. All the recordings will be played once only.
The test is in four sections. Write all your answers in the listening question booklet (or questions area for the Computer-Based Test.) At the end of the test, you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet (You will not hear this in instruction for the Computer-Based Test). Now turn to section one on page two. A student wants to register for an event.
Listen to the conversation between the student and the woman and answer the questions. First you have some time to look at questions one to five. (Thirty seconds time will pass) You will see that there is an example which has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played twice.
B: Good afternoon, can I help you? A: Yes, is this where I can register for the Student Innovations event? B: It is. Tell me your name and I can provide you with an entry pass. The student says he wants to register for the Student Innovations event. So, you write the words ‘Student Innovations’.
Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Look at the registration form, listen carefully, and answer the questions one to five. Bonus Tip! Notice the section that says 30 seconds time will pass.
This is the perfect chance for you to predict what type of information will be in the answers. More on this in Strategy # 5. Strategy # 5 - Look for Clues Like a Police Detective When take the IELTS listening test, you need to be like a police detective. In other words, you need to search for clues.
You need all the clues you can get when you listen if you want to score highly. What do we mean by clues? Quite simply, clues are any pieces of information that tell you the following: Who is speaking? Who is the person speaking to? How many people are speaking? What are they speaking about? Where are they speaking? Why are they speaking? What are they trying to achieve? The good news is that clues are everywhere. The whole test is full of clues that you need to pick up quickly. Clues can be found in the following places: The questions on the question sheet The introduction to each section Background sound at the start of each part (eg.
phone ringing, restaurant sounds) The tone and emotion of the voices In the following strategy sections, always consider how you can get clues that will help you find out more about the listening. Strategy # 6 - Get Clues from the Questions In all four sections of the listening test, you need to use the questions to help you understand the main idea of the topic.