IELTS listening section comprises 4 parts. Each part in this section contains a recording. Candidates are required to listen to the recording and answer the questions that follow. IELTS listening analyses the ability of the candidates to-
This assessment in IELTS is of 30 minutes. It has a total of 40 questions, with 10 questions in each part. An additional 10 minutes is given to writing down the answers in response sheets. The 4 sections are explained below:
| Section 1 | A Conversation between two people in an everyday situation. |
| Section 2 | Only one person speaks about a general everyday topic. |
| Section 3 | Two or three people have a conversation about a topic related to education and training. |
| Section 4 | One person only gives an academic lecture. |
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Below are few of the IELTS Listening tips that can help candidates excel. Candidates can account for adaptation of these IELTS Listening tips to ensure scoring good bands in IELTS listening test.
The table below provides a number of IELTS Listening Practice Test that candidates can use as part of their preparation for the exam. Candidates can take the IELTS Listening Practice Test to assess their listening skill development for the exam and improve their proficiency in English language.
For a candidate whose native language is not English and who does not have listening skills, understanding the British accent might be difficult. However, candidates familiar with the English language and having skills in listening to understand English would find this section the easiest. Preparation materials will help candidates to undertake IELTS preparation. Following are the IELTS preparation strategies for candidates.
The IELTS listening section is scored based on the number of correct answers provided by the candidates. The section comprises a total of 40 questions and answering all of them correctly can result in a band score of 9. Consistent practice with IELTS listening practice tests can improve candidates' chances of securing a good score. The table below provides a detailed breakdown of the IELTS listening score and band score. To score 8 bands in listening, candidates must answer 36 out of 40 questions correctly, which equates to an accuracy rate of 89%.
| Question | IELTS Listening Band Score |
|---|---|
| 39-40 | 9 |
| 37-38 | 8.5 |
| 35-36 | 8 |
| 32-34 | 7.5 |
| 30-32 | 7 |
| 26-29 | 6.5 |
| 23-25 | 6 |
| 18-22 | 5.5 |
| 16-17 | 5 |
| 13-15 | 4.5 |
| 11-12 | 4 |
In the IELTS listening test, candidates receive one mark for each correct answer. The total number of credits awarded out of 40 is then converted into an IELTS band score. To achieve a higher band score, candidates must meet the marking criteria outlined in the table below, which highlights the assessment standards.
| Band Scores | Criteria for Marking |
|---|---|
| 0 | No accessible information provided. |
| 1 | Lack of ability to use the language. |
| 2 | Use of most basic information, using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Difficulty in understanding spoken English. |
| 3 | Understanding of general meaning in very familiar situations. Difficulty in communicating. |
| 4 | Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Frequent problems in understanding and expression. Lack of use of complex language. |
| 5 | Has partial command of the language. Understanding of overall meaning of situations. Ability to handle basic communication. |
| 6 | Presence of effective command of the language despite. Ability to use and understand fairly complex language. |
| 7 | Presence of operational command of the language. Ability to handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. |
| 8 | Presence of fully operational command of the language. Ability to handle complex detailed argumentation well. |
| 9 | Presence of fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding. |
Provided below are some samples of IELTS listening test. It contains answers along with appropriate explanations.
In the IELTS listening test, candidates listen to four different audio clips. Based on the audio clips, candidates answer a series of 40 questions in this assessment. Correct responses are awarded with good IELTS listening band scores. IELTS general listening score and IELTS academic listening are evaluated based on:
Candidates in the IELTS academic listening test are assessed based on evidence of the candidate's ability to understand the ideas and detailed factual information. Moreover, the IELTS listening score is credited based on the opinions and attitudes of speakers. IELTS band scores is credited based on purpose of utterance and evidence of candidate’s ability to follow development of ideas.
Above mentioned IELTS listening test recordings are heard only once. These IELTS listening test recordings include accents from British, Australian, New Zealand, American and Canadian. The questions types in this test include multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram/ labeling, form/note/table/flow-chart/summary and sentence completion. Each question in the IELTS listening test carries 1 mark each.
Provided below are the question types in IELTS listening test:
| Task Type | Question Type | Question Description | Skills Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task Type 1 | Multiple choice | Candidates are required to choose from three possible answers (A, B and C) | Detailed understanding and overall understanding |
| Task Type 2 | Matching | Candidates are required to match a set of options with numbered list items. | Understanding of information, listening for detail, following conversation, recognition of relationships and understanding of facts. |
| Task Type 3 | Plan, map, diagram labeling | Candidates are required to complete labels on a plan, map or diagram. | Ability to understand. |
| Task Type 4 | Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion | Candidates are required to fill in the gaps in outline of all listening text in no more than one or two words. | Ability to acquire factual information. |
| Task Type 5 | Sentence completion | Candidates are required to summarize key information in more than one or two words. | Identifying key information, understanding of functional relationships. |
| Task Type 6 | Short-answer questions | Candidates are required to read a question and then write a short answer. | Ability to listen and summarize facts. |
All the IELTS listening topics are of general interest. This assessment has four parts and each part has a different topic. Mentioned below are the topics that candidates might come across in this assessment:
| School Life | Conversation Between a Librarian and Students IELTS Listening Answers |
| Conversation Between a Student and a Salesman IELTS Listening Answers |
| Interview | A Radio Interview About a Lakeside Resort IELTS Listening Answer |
| A Radio Presenter Interviewing a Doctor IELTS Listening Answers |
| Application | A Monologue of an Immigration Officer explaining the Visa Application Process IELTS Listening Answers |
| Conversation About A Video Library Application Form IELTS Listening Answers |
| Tourism | Monologue About The Growth Of Tourism IELTS Listening Answers |
| A Monologue On Tourism IELTS Listening Answers |
| Asking a stranger or passer-by for directions | Directions on A Map IELTS Listening Answers |
| Self-Drive Tours in the USA IELTS Listening Answers |
| Renting a room (flat) | Holiday Rentals IELTS Listening Answers |
| Conversation between an Agent of House Services and Customer IELTS Listening Answers |
| Enrolling at the international students’ office | A Monologue On International Students And Employments In The Country IELTS Listening Answers |
| Asking information at a bank or post-office | A Conversation between a Man and a Customer Service Manager of a Bank IELTS Listening Answers |
| An Interview Conversation Between a Banker and a Customer IELTS Listening Answers |
| Attending holiday and leisure activities | Travel to Distant Mountains IELTS Listening Answers |
| Camber’s Theme Park IELTS Listening Answers |
| Listening to an introduction about a scenic spot by a tour guide | Tourist Attractions at Manham IELTS Listening Answers |
| Visiting The Sheepmarket Area IELTS Listening Answers |
Candidates can develop their understanding based on IELTS pattern and syllabus by following several books. There are several websites that candidates can use to prepare for the IELTS listening test. The IELTS preparation websites are mentioned below:
Moreover, candidates can prepare from IELTS preparation apps. Below mentioned are some of the applications that students can account for in tier course of preparation for IELTS listening test: ‘
Below mentioned are some of the IELTS preparation books that candidates can undertake for IELTS listening test preparation:
Candidates can undertake preparation from above sources. This will help develop skills and concepts associated with IELTS listening test.
Below mentioned are some of the questions that have been rasised by candidates appearing for IELTS Listening:
Ques. How can I score 7.5 in IELTS listening?
Answer: In order to score a band of 7.5 in IELTS listening, candidates are required to score 7 or 7.5 in all the respective sections. Moreover, they are required to answer a toal of 34 correct questions out of 40.
Ques. What is the difference between raw scores and band scores?
Answer: The IELTS listening and IELTS reading are scored out of 40 and are further converted to band scores that range from 1 to 9. Each question carries ome mark and based on that band scores are provided that are based on raw scores.
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