Key facts you need to know about the IELTS Listening test

Students and test-takers find Listening to be a rather difficult part of IELTS. However, knowing what to expect when you get into the room on the day of your IELTS exam is your major advantage. We have collected the key information about the format of the test, question types, marking tips and scoring of the IELTS Listening test to give you more confidence about it. In this article, you will learn how much time IELTS Listening takes, number of questions and parts, what happens in each part and how listening is scored.

Fact #1

There are two modules of the IELTS test: General and Academic. Regardless of the module, the Listening test will be the same. The candidates who take either module of the IELTS exam arrive at the same venue on the same day, and sit the exam in the same room. They also listen to the same recordings and fill out the same answer sheets. Both modules differ in content only in the Writing and Reading sections of the test. That is why the assumption that IELTS General is easier is partially wrong.

Fact #2

The duration of the Listening section is 30 minutes. However, candidates who have chosen paper-based test will have 10 minutes to transfer their answers into the answer sheet. In a computer-based test, you will have 2 minutes to check your answers.

Fact #3

In IELTS Listening you have to answer 40 questions. There are 40 questions and 4 parts of the Listening test, 10 questions per each part. Before 2020, parts of Listening used to be called sections. That is why you may still see this word in practice tests. However, you don’t need to worry, the difference is only in the name.

Fact #4

You are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. Many candidates fear to fail because they do not know anything about engineering, pharmacology or paleontology, for instance. However, IELTS checks your listening skills, not your knowledge of the topic:

· your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information;

· if you can differentiate opinions and attitudes of speakers;

· if you understand the purpose of an utterance;

· your ability to follow the development of ideas.

READ ABOUT: Which IELTS should you take: general or academic?

Fact #5

Each part has a fixed format. First two parts of the test relate to social situations, while parts three and four relate to educational and training situations.

In Part 1, you will hear a conversation between two speakers on a general topic. For example, someone wants to buy a house or someone is applying for a job.

Part 2 has a monologue, again on a general situation from real life. For instance, a person is giving instructions to new company employees, or a guide is telling people about a museum.

In Part 3, there is a conversation with up to 4 people involved. They talk on an academic topic, for instance, the professor and the students discuss the project they are working on as a part of studies.

In Part 4, you will listen to a lecture. One person will be talking about a scientific or academic subject, for example, about the impact of global warming etc.

Fact #6

There are certain types of questions in IELTS Listening. Tasks you can get in each part of this section may differ. There are some common types of questions you may come across and need to know how to answer:

· Matching

· Multiple choice

· Note, form, table, diagram or flow-chart completion

· Sentence completion

· Summary completion

· Short answer questions

· Labeling a plan or a map

READ ABOUT: How to get ready for IELTS Listening

Fact #7

You have time to read the questions before listening. Once the Listening test starts you will open your test paper and read the instructions. They are short, clear and easy to follow. Read them carefully. Many of them state the number of words you have to write. For example:

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER

or

Write ONE WORD ONLY

or

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

You will also have some time to read the questions before you actually listen to the recording. This is one of the advantages of the IELTS test. However, don’t read too far ahead. You should read only the questions for the part of the audio you are about to listen to. Moreover, in the recording, you will also hear what questions you have to answer.

At the end of each part of the IELTS Listening test, you’ll hear the following instruction: ‘You now have half a minute to check your answers.’ Use this time to read the questions of the part that follows.

Fact #8

Candidates can get maximum 40 points for the Listening test. One mark is awarded for each correct answer in the 40-item test. Write your answers carefully on the answer sheet because poor spelling and grammar are penalized and are likely to reduce your score.

The table below indicates the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in Listening:

Now, you are aware of what the IELTS Listening test is like, and you are already at an advantage. To get more confidence, learn more tips and tricks, do practice tasks and get feedback from experienced tutors join our IELTS Academic Writing self-study course and get access to Listening, Speaking and Reading preparation parts as soon as the course updates are released.

Recently, we have written about mobile apps for IELTS preparation.