IELTS Listening Test Tips

I Orientating yourself to the text

Who are the speakers? Where are they? Why are they speaking?

In order to understand what people are saying, it helps to know what their relationship is to each other and why they are speaking. The language they use will depend on this relationship and the situation. Knowing these helps us to anticipate what the speakers are going to talk about.

 

Skills and strategies

• Predicting the situation

Form-filling

 

Form-filling is a common IELTS Listening task, particularly in Section 1. You often have to provide factual information, including numbers. Use the words on the form as a guide to the information you need to listen for.

 

Test tips:

• All questions like form/notes/summary/diagram/flowchart and sentence completion muse be answered using three words or less. The instructions tell you the MAXIMUM NUMBER OF WORDS to use.

 

II Listening for specific information

III Identifying detail

IV Following a description: diagrams, maps and plans

VI Identifying main ideas

VII Seeing beyond the surface meaning

VIII Following signpost words

IX Following a talk