IELTS Listening: Complete Guide, Tips, and Question Types Explained

Master IELTS Listening with this complete guide. Learn about test format, question types, scoring, and expert tips to boost your band score.

5/27/20255 min read

Listening to a language is extremely essential in order to respond and communicate well. You can speak nicely only when you will listen carefully.
That is the reason why listening skill is also included in IELTS.
This is the skill that is tested before any other, in order to assess whether you comprehend English language well or not.
The listening session is different in a way that the other skills are also required in it. For instance, you have to “read” the questions, “listen” to the audios and “write” the answers.
So basically, you have to have a strong grip on every skill in order to score higher in the listening test.

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🔹 SOME OF THE BASICS OF IELTS LISTENING
• The timing for the test is 40 minutes. (The audio will be played for 30 minutes and you will have time of 10 minutes to write your answers in the answer sheet).
• The audio will be played only ONCE. You cannot replay it not pause it. (So you better have strong listening)
• The number of questions will be 40, and each question will carry 1 mark. (the band you receive will be only the basis of how many questions you answer correctly)
• You will hear different kinds of accents (Such as British, Australian, and American)
• You will have different question types, just like in Reading.
• There will be 4 sections in the entire Listening session.
(Section 1 = 2 people talking generally about everyday life.)
(Section 2= One person speaking about something generally)
(Section 3= A few people talking on academics e.g. students discussing the essence of some lecture or assignment)
(Section 4= One person speaking on an educational topic)

👉 Question Types for IELTS Listening
Understanding the question types is significant in order to answer the question correctly and score higher.
There are many variations of questions types asked in IELTS Listening.

1. Multiple choice

2. Sentence completion

3. Short answer

4. Summary completion

5. Form completion

6. Note completion

7. Flowchart completion

8. Diagram completion

9. Table completion

🚀 TIPS AND TRICKS TO SCORE HIGHER IN IELTS LISTENING…

For those of you who find it difficult to focus on what the other person is saying, you might stumble in IELTS Listening as well. Yet, we have a good news.
There are some useful strategies which you guys can adopt in order to achieve a higher band in the listening section. All you need to do is to follow some tips below as much as you can, so that on the test day, you don’t get nervous and ace it with flying colors.

🔹 TIP 01: UNDERSTAND THE FORMAT
The first rule before taking IELTS Listening is to understand the format clearly. As an IELTS candidate, you should be familiar with the patterns, the timings and the types of questions that would be asked in the Listening session.
(See the link of the basics)
Also, you should know that the difficulty level of each section keeps getting a bit higher. They would make you listen to different situations such as casual and everyday conversations, discussions between people, some tours or guidance related topics and academic lectures. This way, the test will assess your ability to answer the questions about these variety of situations that you listen to.
Thus, if you understand the format carefully, you can give your entire attention to scoring higher.

🌟 TIP 02: PRACTICE LIKE YOU ARE GIVING REAL TEST
You would know that you cannot achieve your desired score without practice. Also, listening session requires a lot of practice and careful attention to details. If you have a problem of getting distracted while someone speaks, you might score low in the IELTS Listening.
Therefore, it is important that you practice listening to the native English speakers on the regular basis.
Plus, the recording in the listening test would be played only ONCE. That is why, I would suggest you to practice as if you are giving the real exam.
I can tell you about my experience of learning. I used to listen to the English speakers via video lectures or movies. Then I used to repeat what they said or paraphrase the whole scene according to my understanding. This not only helped me listen to the English language but also speak it. YOU GUYS CAN TRY THE SAME. Trust me, it helps.
Also, now is the world of technology and social media. For more effective learning and listening practice, you can listen to any 1 or 2 minute audios, then try to remember relevant details about them. This can also assist you in enhancing your listening skills.

🔹 TIP 03: READ QUESTIONS BEFORE THE AUDIO STARTS
It is highly recommended to you that you read the questions before the audio starts.
As you know that there are 4 sections in the IELTS Listening Test with 10 questions in each section. You can read those questions as it can help you predict what kind of information would be asked from you in the answers.
For instance, if the questions are in the form of table with missing information, you can focus on the facts related details which will be asked from you. Similarly, if the question type is short answer, you can stay focused on the content which is relevant to the question. In this way, you can provide correct answers and earn your desired score.

🌐 TIP 04: MAKE YOURSELF FAMILIAR WITH ACCENTS
You would know that IELTS tests your ability to listen, read, write and speak English. Therefore, the audios (that are played in the listening session) are of the native speakers.
Hence, it is crucial for you guys to be familiar with the accents of the native English speakers. In order to score higher, you have to make yourself comfortable with the everyday spoken English language. And by regularly listening to them, you can make it happen.
There are numerous things you can watch and listen to such as the British news (like BBC), American documentaries (such as National Geographic), different podcasts, interviews, or TV shows. Actually, today is the time of Netflix where you can watch substantial number of English shows and movies.
These can help your mind be comfortable around the English sounds which you can recognize easily in some time. Therefore, by continuously being around the language can help you understand common English words and phrases.
Overtime, such practice can limit your confusions about sounds and can assist you in improving your IELTS score.

😊 TIP 05: DON’T PANIC
This is the most important yet least addressed concern for the candidates. During the IELTS test, some of the people start panicking that affects their score because they are unable to focus. This way, the chances of their getting wrong answers gets higher.
Anxiety reduces concentration, you guys, and so, you should not panic while taking the listening test because you can miss important and relevant details that are asked from you in the questions.
Practice has also much to do with it. The more you practice, the lesser you will feel anxious about your IELTS score because you will be more confident then.
Still, if you feel any pressure, you can take a few deep breaths before the test begins and train your mind to stay calm and focused. You can tell yourself that skipping one question is not reducing your worth.
Remember! Staying mentally active can do wonders and you to a very good score.