IELTS - Listening Strategies

IELTS Listening Strategies

1. Instructions will keep you safe

Every task in the IELTS Listening test has its instructions. It may sound stupid, but you really need to read them carefully. Why? Because they will tell you exactly what to do with the information, how many words you can use to answer, is there a table you must fill, is there a list to choose words from, how many items you must name, etc. And if the answer must be in 3 words – write exactly 3 words, because writing 4 or 5 words will get you  0 score.

2. Answer as you listen

Write the answers as you hear them, leave nothing for later. It means that when any part of the listening is over, you won’t be able to remember any of the answers. After listening the 4^th question, you won’t be able to hear the answers for 1 or 2. The reason behind ‘answer as you listen’ is that you immediately forget the sentences after you have heard them – because of stress, foreign language, constant flow of information etc.

3. Look ahead. Keep moving forward

If you miss one answer and are stuck on the same one, the chances are you’ll miss others too. To prevent missing a sequence of answers, always look one or two questions ahead. It is hard and sounds confusing at first but after a little practice it becomes natural and helps a lot. Even if you miss the answer, admit it that there is no way you can now make up to it therefore move to the next one immediately.

4. Know the clues

The answers of the listening test are usually pronounced clearer and louder. Therefore it is easier to hear and understand. If you can’t hear something clear means there is no answer there. This is something you should realize once you practice few listening tests. A good clue to an answer is when you hear a repetition of a word, a word being spelled out or a number being dictated.

5. Listen for specifics

When you are listening, look for descriptions and details, such as dates, places, telephone numbers, opening hours, years, transportation. If you hear them but don’t know where to place them yet – write them on the margins of the Listening booklet. Later you will have some time to check your answers. Going over the questions that you couldn’t answer during the Listening passage, you might see that what you’ve written on the margins fit.

6. Gap-fill strategy

Look at the words around the gap to understand what’s missing, a noun, an adjective or a verb. Once you have picked a word, write it above the gap and then read the whole sentence to be sure that it makes sense.

7. Unexpected turn

You might hear speaker starting to say one thing and then, suddenly, continuing to something completely different. This is a trap, so make sure you don’t fall for it. The rule here is ‘The last word counts’. For example, if the speaker says, ‘I want to visit that gallery on Monday. No wait, I’ve just remembered that it is closed on Monday, so I will go on Wednesday’. And the question is ‘when’-the correct answer here is Wednesday, and Monday is a trap.

8. Check the grammar

If the answer you give is grammatically incorrect – it can ‘t be the right one. Checking the grammar of your answers will give you an idea whether your answer is correct or not, especially in tasks like Gap fill and Sentence Completion.

9. Generalizations

You might hear speaker first give a list of things and then say them all in one word. For example, ’Well, I like to swim, hike, and camp – to be involved in outdoor activities’. If the question is ‘What kind of activities...’ the correct answer is ‘outdoor’ and not ‘swimming’, ‘hiking’, or ‘camping’.

10. Divide and concur

The recording divides questions into groups, so every time you are instructed to answer a group of 4-5 questions. There are 20-30 seconds of silence before each group.

First thing you should do when the tape starts playing is understand which group of questions you need to answer. For example the tape says: ‘Look at the questions 1-4’. It means that you have about 20 seconds to look at those questions. Go over the questions, read them and underline keywords. Keywords are the words that contain the main idea of the question. They will help you guess what you will hear- numbers, opening hours, names, locations etc.

Draw a line under the question 4, so you won’t look further before it’s time. This dividing technique is very efficient because every time you concentrate on limited number of questions, it makes you more focused and in control.

11. Use your time wisely

During the test, you have a little time between passages. Use it to check and complete your answers.

12. Avoid distractions

Don’t get confused or carried away by all the different background voices you are going to hear. The recording uses several different voices – of younger and older people, men and women. You may also hear different accents – Australian, British, American, Japanese, etc. The background noises also vary. It can be of airport, cafe-shop, street, University lecture hall and many more. Be ready for those kind of voices and don’t let them distract you, because that’s what they exactly want.

13. Copy answers smartly

After the listening test, you will be given 10 additional minutes. During the test, you are supposed to write all the answers in the Listening booklet. Therefore, these 10 minutes are given to you to copy your answers to the Answer Sheet, and you should use them smartly. Pay attention to the following guidelines (even though they sound simple-they are BIG time savers).

              

14. And finally, if you’ve missed some questions, the last 10 minutes is the best time to guess.

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