8 Tips to Ace the IELTS Exam Listening Paper

In addition to writing, speaking, and reading, listening is one of the four skills assessed in the IELTS Academic exam. In this portion of the exam, you will be tested on your ability to understand spoken English in a variety of different contexts, including casual conversations between a group of people, asking about transportation or other daily-life topics, as well as one academic topic, generally given as a lecture. During the exam, you will listen to four different recordings, each one only played once, and be asked to answer a series of questions. You may be asked to provide missing information, fill in the blanks, label diagrams and more. There are a total of 40 questions, and you will have 30 minutes to complete the paper. We know how daunting this may seem, so here are a few tips to help you succeed on your IELTS Listening paper. 

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1. Practise active listening 

Train yourself to be an active listener by focusing on key details as well as the main idea of the audio. While it can be challenging, try not to get too distracted while listening, and make an effort to engage with the audio. Listening to podcasts or other English language programmes and making notes while listening can help you build this skill. 

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2. Familiarise yourself with different accents 

IELTS is run by the British Council, so expect to hear a variety of accents during the listening portion of the exam. Whether you are being taught British, American, Canadian, or Australian English, it is good practice to familiarise yourself with a range of accents and speaking styles. 

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3. Take notes effectively 

To help speed up your note taking, try to develop a shorthand system that focuses on the key details and main ideas of the recording. Try not to write down whole sentences that may distract you from listening to the audio. You can practise this while strengthening your active listening skills by taking notes during English language programmes. 

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4. Anticipate answers 

Thankfully, IELTS questions are in chronological order, meaning you won’t have to jump back and forth between questions while listening to the recording. Before listening to each recording, have a quick read over the questions so you can anticipate what exactly you are looking for. This will not only help you stay focused, but ensure you don’t lose your place in the recording while answering questions. 

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5. Use contextual clues 

Contextual clues can be incredibly useful if you aren't sure of the meaning of a word or section. Closely listen to the tone of voice, emphasis, and intonation used to better understand the meaning behind words. Sometimes, these clues will help you guess the answer to a question, even if you aren’t totally sure, or if you didn’t hear every word. 

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6. Manage your time wisely 

We might sound like a broken record, but having good time management is crucial for the listening paper, as you only have one opportunity to listen to each recording. Don’t spend too long on questions you’re unsure of, and make sure you give yourself enough time to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet at the end of the exam. 

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7. Practice, practice, practice!

Like all exams, practice is the key to success. Either on your own or with the help of one of our tutors, practice familiarising yourself with the types and format of questions on the exam and listen to sample papers provided by the British Council. This will help you become comfortable with the structure of the exam, and make your test day a little less frightening.  Reach out to us here for more information on individual tuition.

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8. Answer every question  

Thankfully, you don’t lose marks for any incorrect answers on the IELTS exam. So, if there is an answer you're not entirely sure of as you come to the end of your paper, especially on multiple choice questions, have a guess! It is better to have a wrong answer than to leave a question blank. 

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