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After Listening: Checking Answers

The strategies you need after you have listened to each section. I’m sure you've tried not to make mistakes while you were listening, but if you have, you still have 30 seconds after each section to check. During this time, you should ensure that you have followed the instructions, used good grammar, and spelled correctly. Let’s examine some examples of these types of mistakes. Firstly, you need to ensure that you've followed the instructions on the question paper. Let’s revisit the first example concerning 'BCD.' You can see that there is a clear word limit indicated. This means that the answer must not exceed three words, including any numbers written as figures, which are counted as one word. For question 11, answers such as 'This is one number,' 'This example is two words and/or a number,' and 'This is three words and/or a number' would fit the word limit. However, an answer like 'This would not' would exceed the word limit and be mar...

While Listening: Listening while Reading

  Another crucial strategy to employ while listening is the ability to read the questions and listen for answers simultaneously. Since you can only hear the answer once, effective listening while reading ensures you don't miss any answers. Here's how you can manage listening while reading the questions on the question paper: Firstly, continue reading ahead of the audio recording. For instance, after answering question 11, you should have already read questions 12 and 13 and be prepared to hear the answers for these questions. Additionally, don't panic if you miss an answer during the listening. If you believe you've missed an answer, mark the question you missed, continue reading ahead, and attempt to answer the question after the section has concluded. While this technique may be challenging if you're not accustomed to it, I recommend practicing it as much as possible before your test.

While Listening: Being Ready to Hear

  Let's discuss some essential strategies to employ while the listening sections are playing. Each listening extract commences after a pause, during which you should focus on reviewing the question paper while listening for answers to the questions. It's important to note some key facts about the listening questions. The answers are heard in the same sequence as the questions presented on the question paper. Therefore, if you've just heard the answer to question 11, the answer to question 12 will follow, and so on. Given this sequence and the inability to replay the recording, you must be prepared to identify each answer by listening for words and expressions that correspond to the keywords in the questions. Consider an extract from a question paper, such as this section with question numbers 11 to 20, as indicated. The question paper also provides instructions. In this section, you'll need to listen about a company named 'BCD International' and complete the not...

Before Listening: Predicting

  Alright, let's discuss how predicting can assist you during the test. Before each listening section, the speaker on the audio file will provide a brief introduction to the upcoming section. For instance, they might say, "You're going to listen to a telephone conversation about libraries," and inform you that you have some time to review the next set of questions on the question paper. For instance, they might say, "First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5." Following this, there will be a pause of about 30 seconds during which you will hear nothing. So, what should you do during this pause? We advise our students that this is a valuable opportunity to prepare for listening by considering the situation and vocabulary in the upcoming listening section. During this pause, you should ask yourself questions such as: Who will be speaking? Where are the speakers? Why are they talking? What are they talking about? Utilize all available information for...

Before Listening: Using Audio Instructions

 On test day, the IELTS Listening Test is presented on one digital audio track, which is initiated by a supervisor and plays continuously until it concludes, approximately 30 minutes later. This single audio track encompasses the 4 listening sections of the test, along with the instructions provided before, during, and after each listening section. These instructions are delivered by the same speaker throughout the test. The sample script provided below demonstrates these instructions. Keep in mind that this script is provided for reference purposes, and you will not see it during the actual test. Instead, you will hear these instructions. Review the script and hover your mouse over the highlighted text to access important advice. Read through the script and move your mouse over the highlighted text to get important advice. You’re going to  listen  to a number of different recordings. You’ll have to answer questions on what you hear. You will have time to read the instruc...

How to improve your IELTS Listening Test score:

   T he following strategies which will help you to improve your IELTS Listening Test score: Before Listening: using audio instructions predicting While Listening: being ready to hear listening while reading After Listening: checking answers transferring the answers Remember, in the IELTS Listening Test, you are allowed to listen only once. While this might pose a challenge for many candidates, there are techniques to manage this aspect of the test effectively. In this unit, titled Listening Strategies, we will explore some of these techniques and practice using them. These strategies can be categorized into three phases: before listening, while listening, and after listening. Before listening, we'll discuss how to utilize the audio instructions to predict the content you'll hear. During the listening phase, strategies include being prepared to listen attentively and being able to read while listening. After completing the listening section, it's essential to employ certain...

Understanding Speakers' Agreement

 An example of understanding speakers' agreement is when two speakers begin a conversation with divergent opinions or ideas, but as the conversation progresses, they converge towards a shared idea or meaning. This exercise will aid in preparing for Sections 1 and 3 of the IELTS Listening Test. Please proceed to listen to the recording and attempt the following exercise. Unit 1: Unit Overview | Listening | IELTS Academic Test Preparation | edX