Listening

How to prepare for IELTS – Listening
Contents
Page
Details of the listening test 2

The Question Types
1. Multiple choice 4
2. Short answer questions 6
3. Sentence completion questions 8
4. Notes/ table/ form/ summary/ flow chart/diagram

completion questions 10
5. Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts 13
6. Classification questions 15
General Tips for the listening test 18
Make sure you have a copy of the How to prepare for IELTS – FAQs booklet in
addition to this booklet.
1
Details of the Listening Test
Procedure of the test

The listening module is the first test you do on the test day.
The tape is only played once.
You are given a question paper and an answer sheet. While you listen
you write your answers on the question paper.
When the tape stops you are given 10 minutes to transfer your
answers to the answer sheet.
The test takes about 30 minutes.
Structure of the test

The first two sections are concerned with social needs.
Section 1
In this section you will hear an informal or semi-informal conversation
between two people. For example, you might hear a discussion about
what’s on television; or you might hear someone making a complaint
about their rented flat or a faulty product, or someone asking for
information or making a booking.
Section 2
In this section you will hear a monologue in a similar context to section
1. For example you could hear someone talking about the restaurants
in a town or describing the rules or regulations in a hostel or the
procedure you need to follow in order to make a complaint.
The last two sections are concerned with situations related to

educational or training contexts.
Section 3
In this section you will hear a conversation with up to four speakers.
It will be more formal than Section 1. The speakers could be students
discussing a lecture or planning something for class or talking to
someone in authority at a college or university.
Section 4
In this section you will hear a monologue in the form of a lecture or
talk. It will also be more formal.
All the topics will be of general interest and not biased towards students
of particular disciplines.
2
Test instructions
At the beginning of each section the speaker will give a brief
introduction to the situation. For example,
You are now going to listen to a conversation in a language school. Paulo is

registering for a course and talking to a lady at the student services counter.
You will then be given instructions:
Read questions 1 to 6. As you listen to the tape, write the correct answer in the
spaces provided.
You are then told to look at the questions:
First you have some time to look at the questions 1 to 6.
The tape will be silent for about 30 seconds. Then the speaker will
repeat which questions you have to answer:
Now listen and answer questions 1 to 6.
Question types*
The types of tasks are:
1. Multiple Choice
2. Short-answer questions
3. Sentence completion
4. Notes/table/summary flow-chart/diagram completion
5. Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts
6.Classification
There are 40 questions in total and about 10 questions in each

section and at least two types of questions in each section. Both the
texts and the tasks increase in difficulty as the test progresses.
Marking
You are given a mark for each of the 40 questions and your result is
converted into a score which corresponds to one of the bands from 1-9
which you will see on your result sheet. You can be awarded a whole or
a half band in the listening section. (See IELTS Handbook: p.20 or Focus
on IELTS: p.7 for details.)
3
The Question Types
1. Multiple Choice
The questions
There are three types of multiple choice questions in the IELTS
listening exam.
1. Where there is one possible answer. (These are sometimes picture
multiple choice.)
2. Where there are multiple answers for only one mark.
3. Where there are multiple answers and one mark for each.
For these questions you may be given the start of a sentence which
you have to complete with one out of four or more choices. Or you
may be presented with a question and asked to find two, three or four
items in a list of answers.
Look at the examples below.

Type 1
Questions 1 and 2
Circle the correct letters A-C.
1 When did John finish the book? 2 What did John think about the book?
A on the way to Japan A He thought it was funny.
B in Japan B He couldn’t understand it.
C on his way back from Japan. C He didn’t enjoy it.
Type 2
Questions 3 and 4
Choose TWO letters A-E.
3 John likes to read novels… 4 John would like the library…

A on his way to work.. A to open on Sundays.
B during his lunch break.. B to have more magazines and
C on his way home from work. journals.
D after dinner. C to employ more staff.
E when he goes to bed. D to have exhibitions.
E to do some renovations.
4
Type 3
Questions 5-7
Circle THREE letters A-F.
What types of books does John like to read?

A Science fiction
B Thrillers
C Adventure
D Romance
E War
F Biographies
Also note that you may be asked to circle ONE, TWO, THREE or FOUR letters.
How to do the multiple choice questions

• Read the instructions carefully and check how many letters you
need to circle.
• Skim the questions and the answer choices quickly before the
recording starts and during the 30 seconds given. As you do this,
underline the key words – the words that give you the most
information, such as the ‘wh-’ words and nouns.
try to work out what you are going to hear from the vocabulary
of the questions and/or pictures.
translate any pictures into words and look for details that are
different in the options.
decide what kind of information you need to listen out for.
• Listen to the introduction given carefully.
• Answer the questions as you listen. Circle the letters. The
information will be given in the same order as the questions, although
it might be expressed differently. Be prepared not to hear the first or
even second answer choices mentioned.
• Remember to make notes beside the question if you are not sure of
the answer, so you can go back later.
• Don’t leave any questions unanswered.
Remember
to listen for people correcting themselves when speaking. They may
discuss one of the answer choices and then reject it.
to eliminate unlikely answers.
5
Practice
Books in the SAC
Do as many of the following multiple choice questions as you can:
Insight into IELTS: p.15, pp.17-18, p.21, p.27

Focus on IELTS: p.19, p.65, pp.115-116, p.163, p.170, p.171
IELTS Preparation & Practice (Listening & Speaking): pp.3-4, pp.15-21
Cambridge IELTS: 1: pp.12-13, p.16, pp.18-19, p.36, p.38, pp.75-76
Cambridge IELTS: 2: pp.9-10, pp.54-56, pp.60-61, p.79, p.81
Cambridge IELTS: 3: p.10, p.12, p.34, p.59, p.79
Focusing on IELTS: pp.5-7
Helpful Hints for IELTS: pp.86-88, pp.91-92, pp.107-108
Websites
Holmesglen Institute of TAFE
http://www.international.holmesglen.vic.edu.au/ie.cfm
From homepage, go to listening & download the booklet.
See p.6 for multiple choice.
2. Short answer questions

The questions
These questions require general information or specific details which
you will find by listening to the text.
There are two types of short answer questions in the IELTS listening
exam.
Type 1. Questions
Type 2. Lists
These questions will always tell you to write your answers in NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS. So you can answer with one word, two words
or three words but no more.
Also note that the answers should not require a hyphenated word (e.g.
non-smoker) or a contraction (e.g. They’ve).
If the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6)

or a word (e.g. six) or a combination of a numeral and a word (e.g. 6
million).
6
Type 1
Questions 1 and 2
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or A NUMBER for each answer.
1 On which day of the week is the museum closed?

……………………………………………………
2 How old is the museum?

…………………………………………………….
Type 2
Questions 3 - 5
List THREE things which the museum has recently bought.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
3 ……………………………………………….
4 ……………………………………………….
5 ………………………………………………..
How to do short answer questions

• Read the instructions carefully.
• Skim the questions quickly before the recording starts and during
the 30 seconds given. As you do this,
underline the key words.
try to work out what you are going to hear.
decide what you need to listen out for.
look out for question words like ‘where’ and ‘who’ which indicate
you should listen for specific things like places and people.
• Answer the questions as you listen. The answers will be given in
the same order as the questions although they may be expressed
differently.
• You may use your own words.
• Make notes beside the question if you are not sure of the answer.
7
Remember
if you don’t know the meaning of any of the words in the questions
look at the other questions. They might have some associated
vocabulary in them to help you guess the meaning.
the answer could be one word, two words or three words but not four
or more.
if you think you need more than three words your answer is probably
incorrect.
Practice
Books in the SAC
Do as many of the following short answer questions as you can:
Focus on IELTS: p.36, p.66, p.114, p.169

IELTS Preparation & Practice (L&S): p.17, p.46, p.50
Cambridge IELTS 2: p.8, p.11, p.32, p.78
Cambridge IELTS 3: p.9, p.81
* Helpful Hints for IELTS: p.90, p.111
Websites
From homepage, go to listening & download booklet.
See p.9 for short answer questions.
* recommended
3. Sentence completion questions

The Questions
These questions require you to complete the end of a sentence or
insert a word or phrase in the middle of a sentence or one sentence
may require a word in the middle and a word at the end. The sentences
may be in a table.
They are similar to the short answer questions in that they will always
tell you to write your answers in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. So
you can answer with one word, two words or three words but no more.
As with short answer questions:
8
Also note that the answers should not require a hyphenated word (e.g.
non-smoking) or a contraction (e.g. They’ve).
If the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6)

or a word (e.g. six) or a combination of a numeral and a word (e.g. 6
million).
Look at the example below.
Questions 1 - 3
Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1 Both Hong Kong and Japan have …………………… .
2 There are more ………. ………….. visiting Japan.
3 Tourists are interested in ………………….

and ………………………. .
How to do sentence completion questions

• Read the sentences carefully before the recording starts and during
the 30 seconds given. As you do this,
underline the key words.
anticipate grammatical form as well as vocabulary.
if the sentences are part of a table, check whether they are
horizontal or vertical.
• Answer the questions as you listen. The information will be given
in the same order as the questions, although it may be expressed
differently. You may use your own words.
• Make sure your sentences are grammatically correct.
9
Remember
the answer could be one word, two words or three words but not four or more.
if you think you need more than three words your answer is probably incorrect.
Practice
Books in the SAC
Do the following sentence completion questions:
Focus on IELTS: p.66, p.98, p.171

Cambridge 2 p.36, p.76
* Hints p.110
Websites
See p.8 for sentence completion questions.
* recommended
4. Notes/table/form/summary/flow chart/diagram
completion questions
The Questions
These questions ask for specific information.
There are two types of these completion questions in the IELTS exam.
Type 1. With a selection of possible answers.
Type 2. Without a choice of possible answers.
These questions require you to:

¾ insert a word or phrase in the middle of a sentence.
¾ insert a word in the middle and another word at the end of a
sentence.
¾ write words or phrases that are not in sentences.
¾ write a letter that represents a word or phrase.
Type 2 questions are similar to the short answer questions in that they
will tell you to write your answers in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
So you can answer with one word, two words or three words but no
more.
10
As with short answer questions also note that the answers should not
require a hyphenated word (e.g. non-smoker ) or a contraction (e.g.
They’ve). If the answer requires a number, you can write it as a
numeral (e.g. 6) or a word (e.g. six) or a combination (e.g. 6 million).

Type 1
Questions 1 -5
Complete the table below using the words from the box.
Write the appropriate letters A-G against Questions 1-5.
Breed Facts
Pug (1) ………..
Scottish Terrier (2) ………..
Shih Tzu (3) ………..
Great Dane (4) ………..
Greyhound (5) ………..
A watchdog in Chinese imperial courts

B bred to chase foxes
C status symbol
D police dog
E bred to guard sheep
F appealed to Victorians
G came from the Middle East
Type 2
Questions 6 -8
Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or A NUMBER for
each answer.
SOUTH DOWNS DOG SHOW
Date: (6) …………………………….
Time: (7) …………… to ……………
Place: (8) ……………………………
11
How to do these completion questions
• Look at the table or form etc carefully before the recording starts
and during the 30 seconds given. As you do this,
examine any headings or subheadings.
anticipate grammatical form as well as vocabulary.
if a box of answers is given, see if you can guess any of the
matches & eliminate unlikely answers.
• Answer the questions as you listen.
Remember
if there is a box of answers, there will be at least two you don’t need.
if there is no box, the answer could be one word, two words or three words
but not four or more.
if you think you need more than three words your answer is probably
incorrect.
there may be alternative rubrics for these completion questions e.g. ‘complete
the notice’ or ‘complete the explanation’ or ‘complete the news report’.
Practice
Books in the SAC
Do the following completion questions, examining the differences
between them as you do them:
Focus on IELTS: p.66, p.98

notes: p.20, p.50, p52, p.82, p97, p.98, p.130, p.169, p.172
table: p.36, p.38, p.133, p.146, p.161, p.163, p.172
form: p.65, p.114
flow chart: p.146, p.163
diagram: p.170
Cambridge IELTS 2:
form: p.7, p. 31,
notes: p.9, p.36, p.58,
table: p.11, p.12, p.13, p.30, p.34, p.37, p.58
12
Insight into IELTS:
table: p.11, p.27
form: p.12
notes: p.18, p.24, p.26
IELTS Preparation & Practice (L&S):

summary: p.16, p.25, p.44, p.50
table: p17, p.46, p.48
table: p.22, p.42
form: p.37, p.41
notes: p.40, p.51
Helpful Hints for IELTS:

*summary: p.89, p.110
table: p.90
Websites
See p.5 for summary completion & p.7 for form completion.
* recommended
5. Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts

The questions
You will be given a diagram and asked to label it with labels given in
the listening text. You will usually be given a box of words or phrases
from which to select the labels.
Look at the example on the next page.
13
Questions 1 - 6
Label the booths at the exhibition.

Choose your answers from the box and write them next to questions 1-6.
Entrance Coffee/tea Exit

Booth 1 Booth 12
Oriental Holidays Holidays Asia
Booth 2 _____1 Booth 11
6_____
Booth 3 Booth 10
Indonesian Tourist Board 5_____
Malaysian Tourist Board
4_____
Booth 6 Booth 7
Postal Service Asian Art Magazine
Oriental vases
Korean cabinets
Indian rugs
Chinese furniture
Thai silk
Malaysian batik
Tibetan prayer rugs
Balinese woodwork
Oriental art
How to do labelling the diagram questions

• Read the instructions carefully. They will state how many words
you should use if there is not a box of labels provided. You could be
asked to write one word only.
• Study the diagram. You may be able to predict one or two answers
or associated vocabulary that you may hear connected to a particular
label.
• Check whether the labels are numbered in a clockwise or anti-
clockwise direction. The information will be given in the same order
as the numbers on the diagram.
• Write down or select the labels as you listen. Use the words you
hear, not your own.
14
• Remember to listen carefully when words are spelt out. Write
them down even if you don’t know where they go.
• Use the information given on the diagram to help you if you get
lost.
Practice
Books in the SAC
Do the following labeling the diagram questions:
Cambridge IELTS 1: p.59

Cambridge IELTS 3: p.31, p.56
Insight into IELTS: p.24
Focus on IELTS: p.36, p.66, p.81*, p.82, p.149
6. Classification questions
The Questions
These questions ask you to classify information given in the listening
text. Classifications are often according to the speaker’s opinion or
according to a period of time or place.
You will either be asked to write a letter which represents one of the
classifications beside each item in a list of statements. Or you could be
asked to circle a letter in a table or tick a column in a table.
Look at the examples on the next page.
15
Questions 1 -4
Write the appropriate letters A-C against questions 1-4.
Where are the following facilities?
A in Portsmede
B in Smalltown
C in Farmton
Example
hairdressers ……C….
1 ice rink ……………

2 cinema ………..
3 French restaurant …………….
4 clinic ……………
OR
Questions 1 -4
Choose the correct letters A-C .
In In In Farnton
Portsmede Smalltown C
A B
Example
A B C
hairdressers
1 ice rink A B C
2 cinema A B C
3 French A B C
restaurant
4 clinic A B C
16
How to do these classification questions
• Make sure you know how many classifications there are and what
letters you have to use.
• Read the classifications carefully and make sure you know which
letter represents each one.
• Read the statements/phrases or words beside the question
numbers and make yourself as familiar with them as possible. You
will hear them all mentioned but they may be expressed differently in
the text.
• Underline the key words in both the classifications and the
question statements.
• Listen out for the words you have underlined.
• Don’t leave any statements without a letter.
Practice
Books in the SAC
Do the following classification questions.
Focus on IELTS: p.149

Cambridge IELTS 2: p.35, p.57, p.59, p.82
Cambridge IELTS 3: p.13, p.79, p.82
IELTS Preparation & Practice (L&S): p.38
* Helpful Hints for IELTS: p.112
17
General Tips for the listening test
Before the exam

• Make sure you are familiar with the instructions for the different
question types so you can quickly glance at the questions and know
what to do.
• Think about the type of situations you might come across living or
studying in an English speaking country, such as someone asking
for directions or talks on topics of general interest.
• Listen to as wide a range of material as possible – English language
television and radio, listening sites on the Internet and films and
music are all great sources.
• Do as many practice tests as you can to get used to the speed of
delivery and the task types.
• Focus on the strategies and skills you need for listening (see
Focusing on IELTS pp.8-37). For example:
‘listening for specific information’ (p.8-12);
‘guessing meaning of words’, (p.23)
‘recognising signposts’ (p.26)
‘understanding lectures & talks’ (p.111-113.
Practise these strategies and skills with as much listening material as
you can.
During the exam

Before listening
• Make sure you use the 30 seconds given at the beginning of each
section to read the questions before listening.
• Make sure you look at all the questions in each section.
• Make sure you read the instructions carefully.
• Make sure you know what form your answer should take e.g. a word,
a letter, a tick, a phrase, a circle around the correct letter etc
• Make sure you use the time given to analyse the questions.
• Decide what you are listening for. Are you listening for specific
information, for the main idea or for the speaker’s attitude?
• Use the outline given of the topic, who is talking and the situation to
predict possible answers.
• When you look at the questions, think about synonyms. You may
not hear the exact words that are in the answer choices.
18
While listening
• Listen carefully to the instructions.
• Listen out for key words and common signpost words like – ‘on the
other hand’, ‘in contrast’ etc
• Remember the questions usually follow the same sequence as the
conversation or talk but the information may be expressed
differently from the questions.
• Write down something even if you haven’t got the answer before
moving on to the next question.
• Make sure you continue to listen while you are writing as you only
hear the tape once.
• Don’t get stuck on a question you can’t answer. Just move on.
• Remember there may be sections of irrelevant information. Just
keep listening for the information you need.
• Write notes in the question booklet as you listen. This may help you
go back to a difficult question later.
After listening
• Make sure you transfer your answers correctly.
• Make sure you use the time given to check your answers.
• If you can’t remember an answer, guess.
19

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How to prepare for IELTS – Listening

Details of the listening test 2

2. Short answer questions 6

3. Sentence completion questions 8

4. Notes/ table/ form/ summary/ flow chart/diagram

5. Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts 13

General Tips for the listening test 18

Procedure of the test

Structure of the test

The last two sections are concerned with situations related to

You are now going to listen to a conversation in a language school. Paulo is

You will then be given instructions:

You are then told to look at the questions:

First you have some time to look at the questions 1 to 6.

Now listen and answer questions 1 to 6.

There are 40 questions in total and about 10 questions in each

Look at the examples below.

Circle the correct letters A-C.

Choose TWO letters A-E.

3 John likes to read novels… 4 John would like the library…

Circle THREE letters A-F.

What types of books does John like to read?

How to do the multiple choice questions

Insight into IELTS: p.15, pp.17-18, p.21, p.27

2. Short answer questions

If the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6)

Look at the examples below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or A NUMBER for each answer.

1 On which day of the week is the museum closed?

2 How old is the museum?

List THREE things which the museum has recently bought.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

How to do short answer questions

Focus on IELTS: p.36, p.66, p.114, p.169

3. Sentence completion questions

As with short answer questions:

If the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6)

Look at the example below.

Complete the sentences below.

1 Both Hong Kong and Japan have …………………… .

2 There are more ………. ………….. visiting Japan.

3 Tourists are interested in ………………….

How to do sentence completion questions

Focus on IELTS: p.66, p.98, p.171

These questions require you to:

Look at the examples below.

A watchdog in Chinese imperial courts

Complete the notes below.

SOUTH DOWNS DOG SHOW

Date: (6) …………………………….

Time: (7) …………… to ……………

Place: (8) ……………………………

Focus on IELTS: p.66, p.98

IELTS Preparation & Practice (L&S):

Helpful Hints for IELTS:

5. Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts

Look at the example on the next page.

Label the booths at the exhibition.

Entrance Coffee/tea Exit

How to do labelling the diagram questions