IELTS Listening: How Long Is It and How Many Questions?

Who should make Listening a priority?

• Candidates whose general English is good but who can't keep up with the recording in the test
• Candidates who struggle with different accents (British, Australian, North American)
• Candidates who lose marks to spelling and format errors when transferring their answers
• Candidates who are close to their target band in the other three skills but behind in Listening

How is IELTS Listening structured?

Listening is divided into four parts, and each one is a little harder than the one before. Knowing this structure in advance helps you predict what kind of conversation you will hear in each part and put your attention in the right place. The first two parts are set in everyday situations and the last two in an academic context; as the difficulty rises, so do the speed of speech and the density of vocabulary.

• Part 1: a conversation between two people on an everyday topic (the easiest part)
• Part 2: one person speaking on an everyday topic (a monologue), for example an introductory talk
• Part 3: a discussion between two or more speakers in an academic setting (the part that needs the closest attention)
• Part 4: an uninterrupted lecture or talk on an academic subject (a monologue)

How do you prepare for different accents?

IELTS recordings mix British, Australian, New Zealand and North American accents. If you get used to just one, the test can catch you out, so while you prepare you need to listen to a range of accents on purpose. In lessons we play each recording first under test conditions, then again with the transcript, and pick out, one by one, the sounds that trip you up.

How do you recover when you miss an answer?

In Listening, the biggest loss of marks rarely comes from a single missed question. It comes from dwelling on that question and missing the next two or three as well. Because the recording is played only once, the right reflex when you don't catch an answer is to switch straight to the next question and fill in the gap at the end of the test. We build that reflex in lessons by working deliberately with demanding recordings.

How do we work on Listening in lessons?

A Listening lesson with us is more than playing a recording and checking the answers. After each practice test we go through the transcript together: we pinpoint the exact moment you lost an answer, the word that misled you and the question type where you keep making the same mistake. Then we use dictation drills with numbers, dates, letters and names to cut down transfer errors.