Commonly Asked Words in Listening

 Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, weekdays, weekend

 Months of the year: January, February, March, April, May,

June, July August, September, October, November,
December
 Hobbies: gardening, stamp collection, orienteering,
caving, spelunking, scuba-diving, snorkeling, skateboarding,
bowls, archery, ice skating, darts, golf, billiards,
photography, painting, embroidery, climbing, chess,
parachute, pottery, woodcarving.
 Subjects: science, politics, architecture, law, geography,
history, biology, archaeology, literature, statistics,
mathematics, performing arts, visual arts, logic, physics,
psychology, anthropology, economics, philosophy,
chemistry, humanities, business management, agriculture.
 Marketing: catalogue, interview, research method,
entertainment industry, TV program, strategies, leadership,
management, customer, special offer, collecting data,
display, products, questionnaire, survey, mass media, poll,
business card, training, trainee, statistic, profit
margin, newsletter, competition, merchandise, manufacture,
recruitment.

 Studying at college/university: course outline, group

discussion, handout, research, Proofreading, experiment,
written work, report writing, experience, reference,
textbook, student advisor, teamwork, module, topic,
dictionary, laptop, printer, assessment, library, department,
computer centre, classroom, attendance, deadline, give a
talk, speech, lecture, tutor, main hall, computer laboratory,
certificate, diploma, placement test, facilities, college, dining
room, specialist, knowledge, international, accommodation,
overseas students, full-time, home stay, primary, secondary,
intermediate, media room, commencement, dissertation,
leaflet, school reunion, feedback, tasks, outcomes,
advanced, introductory, extra background, resources room,
Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar
Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 staff, higher education, guidelines, post-secondary, faculty,
pupils, pencil, supervisor, bachelor’s degree, compound,
foreign students, schedule, vocabulary, student support
services, student retention, publication, registrar’s office,
stationery.
 Works and jobs: designer, occupation, profession,
decorator, architect, engineer, waiter, teacher, vacancy,
professor, specialist, manager, waitress, psychologist،
volunteer, craftsman ,work experience, curriculum vitae,
freelance, secretary, mail address, receptionist, pilot,
lecturer, office assistant, clerk, accountant, guard, flight
attendant, cashier, captain

 Health: yoga, tai-chi, keep-fit, salad bar, vegetarian, outdoor

activities, leisure time, disease, meal, protein, balanced diet,
food pyramid, vitamin, carbohydrates, rice, pasta, potatoes,
pizza, tomatoes, bread, cereals, minerals, zinc, meat,
seafood, eggs, beans, milk, cheese, yoghurt, fruit,
vegetables, citrus fruits, green pepper, blackcurrant, nuts,
egg yolk, liver, medicine، treatment, remedy, nursing care,
nursery, regular exercise.

 Nature: field, footbridge, river, mountain, forest, village,

environment, waterfall, coast, reef, lake, valley, peninsula,
earthquake, avalanche, tornado, typhoon, hill, cliff, island,
desertification, volcano, disaster, landslides, storm, flood,
hurricane, pond, catastrophe, erosion, jungle, oasis, dam,
canyon

 The environment: coal, fossil fuels, acid rain, global

warming, carbon dioxide, greenhouse effect, burning fossil,
exhaust fumes, smog, climate, pollution, temperature, power
plants, deforestation, nitrogen oxide, landfill, cattle, wind
turbine, renewable, source of energy, reliable, solar panels,
solar power, hydroelectric power, environmentally friendly,
oxygen, chemical-free, vegetation, sea level, ocean currents,
soil conditioner, firewood, desert, degradation, drought,
contaminated.

 Continents: Australia, Africa, South America, North

America, Asia, Europe, Antarctica
Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar
Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 Countries: Switzerland, Turkey, England, Egypt, Mexico,
Germany, Greece, Brazil, India, North Korea, the dominican
republic, tFrance, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand,
United Kingdom, China, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore,
the Philippines, Denmark.

 Languages: Japanese, German, linguistics, bilingual,

trilingual, polyglot, Portuguese, Mandarin, Bengali, Chinese,
Hindi, Russian, Punjabi, Thai, Persian, Filipino, French,
Italian, Greek, French

 Architecture and buildings: dome, palace, fort, castle,

glasshouse, pyramid, log cabin, lighthouse, hut, skyscraper,
sculpture

 Homes: chimney, bedroom, semi-detached house, duplex,

town house, row house, bungalow, thatched cottage, mobile
home, houseboat, block of flats, apartment building,
condominium,basement, landlord, terraced house, tenant,
rent, lease, neighborhood, suburb,dormitory, storey, kitchen,
refrigerator, microwave, sofa, coffee table, ground floor,
oven, hallway, insurance

 In the city: central station, cities, street, lane, city

centre,car park, department store, bridge, temple, hospital,
garden, avenue, embassy, road system
 Transportations: boat, lifeboat, cargo plane, shipment,
container ship, ferry, liner, canal boat, narrowboat, dinghy
sailing, hovercraft, hydrofoil, sailboat, paddle steamer, cabin
cruiser, kayak, canoe, punt, gondola, aircraft, rowing boat,
rowboat, helicopter, seaplane, airship, hot- air balloon,
airport, platform, hire a car, automobile, ,crew, passenger.

 Workplaces: staff selection, clinic, dentist, reception,

appointment, colleague, workshop, employer, employment,
unemployed, technical cooperation, team leaders, showroom,
information desk, stress, ability, vision,employee, internship,
confidence.
 Places: parliament, accommodation, local library, swimming

Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar

Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 pool, cafeteria, cottage, restaurant, bookshop, sports centre,
city council, canteen, cafe, dance studio, park, conversation
club, kindergarten
 Money matters: cash, debit, low-risk investment, credit
card, cheque, annual fee, monthly membership,tuition fees,
poverty, bank statement, money management, current
account, interest rate, deposit, student account, withdraw,
mortgage, grace period, in advance, budget deficit,retail
voucher, coupon، counterfeit money, debt, interest-free
credit, purchase, partial refund, annuity, public money,
taxpayers’ money, income, non-refundable, MasterCard,
VISA, duty-free store, distribution costs, finance department,
family finances.

 Rating and qualities: expensive, cheap, reasonable,

satisfactory, dangerous,poor quality, satisfied, disappointed,
efficient, luxurious, safe, strongly recommended, colored,
spotted, striped.

 Touring: souvenir, trip, tourist guided tour, ticket office,

guest, reservation, view, culture, single double bedded room,
picnic, tourist attraction, hostel, suite, memorable,
aquarium.

Part 1
Basic vocabulary that you would have studied when first learning English is
included in Part 1 of the Listening test.
Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar
Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 1. Days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday

Quick Tip: Wednesday is commonly misspelled.

2. Months of the year: January, February, March, April, May, June, July,
August, September, October, November, December

Quick Tip: The first ‘r’ in February is often forgotten.

3. Shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, cylinder

4. Transportation: automobile, truck, tractor, subway, aircraft, train

5. Colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, black, brown

Quick Tip: Colour spelled with a ‘u’ is the Canadian/British spelling. In the US, it
is spelled ‘color’ without a ‘u’. Both are correct and a matter of preference.

6. Verbs: suggest, develop, borrow, persuade, discuss, review, concentrate,

believe, crash

Quick Tip: Sometimes verbs are conjugated for gender, tense, etc. The
difference could give you an incorrect answer.

7. Adjectives: beautiful, necessary, fantastic, comfortable, convenient,

wonderful, terrible, temporary, permanent, knowledgeable, various

Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar

Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 Numbers, times, and currencies also commonly appear in Part 1 of the listening
test. Recording the corresponding number or symbol is suggested because this
will help eliminate the possibility of spelling the word incorrectly.

For example, thirty dollars is the same as $30 on the listening test. Also, six
o’clock and 6:00 are the same as well. Finally, ten thousand and 10,000 are
also both correct. Writing the number or symbol allows you to feel confident in
your answer.

Part 2
In Part 2 of the IELTS listening test, there are a variety of question types. For
example, some questions involve maps so there is vocabulary that may be
helpful to know.

1. Rooms in buildings: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, dining

room, den, library, gymnasium, cafeteria, classroom, waiting room

2. Place markers: street, road, avenue, lane, drive, court

There is some vocabulary you should be listening for, but may not have to
write down when doing a map question in Part 2, which will allow you to follow
the map more easily.

3. Directions: north, south, east, west, up, down, right, left, straight, across
from, between, beside, diagonal, corner

Part 3
Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar
Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 Being familiar with academic related vocabulary may be helpful for Part 3.

1. School terms: presentation, project, teamwork, pairs, organization,

outline, proofreading, experiment, reference, lecture, assessment, tutor,
attendance, specialist, knowledge, faculty, bachelor’s, schedule,
management, leadership, questionnaire, statistic, percentage, laboratory

Quick Tip: North Americans pronounce ‘laboratory’ in three syllables: lab-bra-

tory. British english speakers pronounce the same word using four syllables:
lab-or-a-tory.

2. Subjects in school: Mathematics, Science, English, Physical

Education, Art, Music

3. Subjects in university: Commerce, Biology, Psychology, Engineering,

Marketing, Sociology, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Architecture,
Law, Philosophy, Economics

Part 4
The vocabulary used is still words that are common knowledge even though
Part 4 is
the most difficult part. There could be a range of topics as Part 4 is also based
on academics. Here is some vocabulary that is frequently used.
1. Health: vegetarian, leisure, disease, vitamin, protein, carbohydrates,
exercise, treatment

2. Animals and their habitat: mammals, reptile, primates, predators,

Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar

Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com
 prey, mountain, jungle, forest, island, pond, river, stream

3. Continents and Countries: North America, South America, Asia, Africa,

Europe, Antarctica, Australia, Oceania, England, Canada, China, United
Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland

4. Environment: global warming, disaster, earthquake, tornado, blizzard,

hurricane, pollution, temperature, drought

5. Government: politics, senator, mayor, laws, regulations, senate,

president, society

Quick Tip: The word ‘society’ is one of the most commonly misspelled words on
the IELTS test.

6. General: appointment, cooperation, employment, government, exhibition,

occupation, aluminum, century, decade, millennium, individual, creativity,
guarantee, satellite, opportunity, license, frequently, calendar, different

Developed by: Syed Sujan Miah , AIMS Zindabazar

Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
British Council Trained Teacher.
Email: syed.sujan@aims-education.com