IELTS Listening Tips and Tricks | How I got a band 9

Summary

In this video, Asiya shares her top tips for acing the IELTS Listening section, having achieved a perfect band 9. She covers the test format, time management, and strategies for both paper-based and computer-based exams. Asiya emphasizes the importance of pre-reading questions, focusing on key words, and effective use of the answer transfer time. She also provides insights on dealing with different types of tasks, including gap fills, multiple-choice, and map questions, ensuring viewers are well-prepared for the challenges of the IELTS Listening test.

Takeaways

• 😀 Asiya shares her experience of achieving a band 9 in IELTS Listening and plans to create videos for each section of the exam.
• 🕒 The IELTS Listening test lasts for 30 minutes with 40 questions, increasing in difficulty, and requires 30 correct answers for a band 7 or 35 for an 8.
• ⏱ Time management is crucial in the Listening test, with different strategies for paper-based and computer-based exams due to the time provided for answer transfer.
• 🎧 A significant advantage of computer-based tests is the use of earphones, ensuring clearer audio compared to loudspeakers in paper-based tests.
• 🔍 Asiya emphasizes the importance of pre-reading questions to improve the chances of finding answers during the test.
• 👀 It's recommended to keep an eye on two questions at a time to manage concentration and time effectively.
• ✍️ Spelling is important for scoring, and British or American spellings are both acceptable, but the word must be spelled correctly.
• 📝 For gap-fill tasks, predicting the type of word needed can help in recognizing the correct answer when it is spoken.
• 📞 Understanding the pronunciation of numbers and letters, especially in telephone numbers and addresses, is vital for accurate note-taking.
• 🗺️ For map tasks, knowing directions and finding the starting point before the recording begins is key to following the locations mentioned.
• ✅ In multiple-choice questions, identifying keywords in options before the recording helps in quickly locating the correct answers during the test.
• 🤔 Making an educated guess for unknown answers is encouraged as there is no penalty for incorrect answers in the IELTS exam.

Q & A

What is the duration of the IELTS Listening test?

The IELTS Listening test lasts for 30 minutes.

How many questions are there in the IELTS Listening test?

There are 40 questions in the IELTS Listening test.

What is the minimum number of correct answers required to achieve a band 7 in the Listening test?

To achieve a band 7, one needs to answer at least 30 questions correctly.

What is the main difficulty Asiya mentions about the IELTS Listening test?

Asiya mentions that the main difficulty of the IELTS Listening test is the lack of time.

What is the advantage of taking the computer-based IELTS Listening test according to Asiya?

The advantage of the computer-based test is that you always get earphones, which allows for clearer audio.

How much time is given to transfer answers in a paper-based IELTS Listening test?

In a paper-based IELTS Listening test, you are given an extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers.

What should you do during the few seconds before the IELTS Listening test starts?

You should use that time to read all the questions in the section and then come back to focus on the first and second questions.

Why is it recommended to read questions before listening to the recording in the IELTS Listening test?

Reading questions beforehand helps you to be prepared and know what to expect, increasing the chances of finding the answers while listening.

What should you do when you hear that an option is incorrect during the Listening test?

If you hear that an option is incorrect, you should cross it out immediately to help narrow down the correct answer.

How does Asiya suggest dealing with multiple-choice questions in the IELTS Listening test?

Asiya suggests reading everything before the recording starts, identifying key words in each option, and being prepared to cross out incorrect options during the paper-based test.

What is the significance of paying attention to directions when answering map-related questions in the Listening test?

Paying attention to directions helps you understand where to go based on the instructions given in the recording, as you need to identify the starting point and follow the directions to locate objects.

How should you approach the two minutes of checking time in a computer-based IELTS Listening test?

You should use the two minutes to check that all words are spelled correctly and read whole sentences to ensure they are grammatically correct.

What is Asiya's advice on leaving questions unanswered in the IELTS Listening test?

Asiya advises not to leave any questions unanswered; if you don't know the answer, make a guess as there is no penalty for incorrect answers.

Outlines

00:00

📚 IELTS Listening Test Overview and Tips

Asiya introduces her experience with the IELTS exam and shares her high-scoring tips for the listening section. She explains the test format, which is the same for both academic and general training, and emphasizes the importance of time management. Asiya also discusses the differences between computer-based and paper-based exams, including the advantage of using earphones for clarity in the computer-based version. She advises on pre-listening strategies, such as reading questions beforehand and focusing on two questions at a time to improve concentration and accuracy.

05:01

🎧 Strategies for Navigating IELTS Listening Tasks

This paragraph delves into specific strategies for tackling various IELTS listening tasks. Asiya suggests pre-listening to identify keywords and predicts the type of information needed, such as nouns or verbs. She also highlights the importance of singular and plural forms and grammatical correctness in answers. Asiya provides an example to illustrate the point and mentions the flexibility in British or American spelling. Additionally, she addresses the challenges of writing down telephone numbers and addresses, emphasizing the need to be prepared for unusual spellings and pronunciations.

10:01

🗺️ Dealing with IELTS Listening Maps and Multiple Choice Questions

Asiya continues with advice on handling map-based and multiple-choice questions in the IELTS listening test. She advises understanding directions and finding the starting point before the recording begins. For multiple-choice questions, she recommends reading and identifying keywords in all options beforehand. Asiya explains the advantage of being able to cross out incorrect options in a paper-based exam and the need for closer attention to keywords in a computer-based exam. She concludes with tips on what to do in the final minutes of the test, such as checking answers for spelling and grammatical correctness, and encourages making educated guesses for unknown answers.

Keywords

💡IELTS

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is a globally recognized test that assesses the English language proficiency of non-native speakers. In the video, the speaker discusses her experience and tips for the IELTS Listening section, which is a critical part of the overall IELTS exam.

💡Listening Section

The Listening Section is one of the four main components of the IELTS exam, which tests the ability to understand spoken English in various contexts. The speaker emphasizes the importance of this section and provides tips on how to approach it effectively, including managing time and understanding the format.

💡Band Score

A band score in IELTS is a measure of a test taker's performance in each section of the test, with 9 being the highest possible score. The speaker mentions achieving a band 9 in the Listening section in a previous paper-based exam, indicating a high level of proficiency.

💡Academic and General Training

IELTS is offered in two versions: Academic and General Training. The speaker notes that the Listening section is the same for both versions, which is important for understanding the consistency of the test format across different purposes.

💡Time Management

Time Management is a crucial skill for the IELTS Listening test, as the test is timed and includes 40 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. The speaker discusses strategies for managing time effectively, such as reading questions before listening to the recording.

💡Computer-based Exam

A computer-based exam is an IELTS test format where candidates answer questions directly on a computer screen. The speaker contrasts this with the paper-based exam, highlighting the advantage of using earphones for clearer audio and the difference in time allowed for answer transfer.

💡Paper-based Exam

A paper-based exam is the traditional format of the IELTS test where candidates mark answers on a question sheet and then transfer them to an answer sheet. The speaker mentions the potential disadvantage of loudspeakers in some centers, affecting audio clarity.

💡Concentration

Concentration is the ability to focus one's attention and mental effort on a particular object or activity. In the context of the IELTS Listening test, the speaker stresses the importance of concentration to manage time and understand the recording while reading and writing simultaneously.

💡Key Words

Key words are significant words or phrases that help in understanding and locating information in a text or recording. The speaker advises paying attention to key words in questions and options to easily locate the answers in the listening recording.

💡Spelling

Spelling refers to the correct arrangement of letters to form a word. The speaker points out that correct spelling is necessary to score points in IELTS, and provides examples of how spelling can affect the interpretation of answers, such as in writing down telephone numbers or addresses.

💡Multiple-choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions are a type of question where the test taker has to select the correct answer from several options provided. The speaker describes strategies for dealing with these questions in the Listening section, such as identifying key words and options before the recording starts.

💡Map Questions

Map questions are a type of task in the IELTS Listening section where candidates must identify locations on a map based on the information provided in the recording. The speaker mentions the importance of understanding directions and finding the starting point on the map before the recording begins.

Highlights

Asiya shares her experience of taking the computer-based IELTS exam in London and her previous paper-based exam.

She plans to release videos about each section of the IELTS exam with tips in the coming weeks.

IELTS listening lasts for 30 minutes with 40 questions divided into four sections, increasing in difficulty.

Scoring 30 questions correctly yields a band 7, and 35 for a band 8.

The main difficulty of IELTS listening is managing time effectively.

In a paper-based exam, extra time is given to transfer answers, unlike the computer-based exam.

Computer-based exams provide earphones for clearer audio, unlike paper-based exams with loudspeakers.

Asiya has a separate video discussing the differences between paper-based and computer-based exams.

IELTS listening tests concentration and time management while listening, reading, and writing simultaneously.

Reading questions before the recording starts is crucial for finding answers.

Focus on two questions at a time to improve concentration and answer accuracy.

Crossing out incorrect options as they are mentioned can help in narrowing down the correct answer.

In a paper-based exam, writing down the correct format (e.g., letter B instead of 'film') is important.

Guessing an answer when unsure does not result in loss of points in IELTS.

Predicting the type of word needed for gap fill tasks can make it easier to recognize the correct word.

Pay attention to singular and plural forms when filling gaps in sentences.

Spelling is crucial for scoring points, and British or American spellings are both acceptable.

Be prepared for unusual spellings of names or words as they might be pronounced and spelled differently.

Understanding the pronunciation of telephone numbers and flat numbers is important.

Multiple-choice questions require thorough reading and identification of keywords before the recording starts.

Maps in the exam require understanding of directions and locating starting points.

In a computer-based exam, use the two minutes to check answers and spelling, ensuring grammatical correctness.

Do not leave any questions unanswered; make a guess if unsure of the answer.

Asiya will publish more videos with tips for each section of the IELTS exam in the coming weeks.

Transcripts

Hi there! It's Asiya. I've just taken my computer-based IELTS exam in London.

Here is my result. Last year I also took a paper-based exam and I got a band 9

score in IELTS Listening. So in this video I want to share my tips with you.

I'm going to make similar videos about each section of the IELTS exam and publish

them in the coming weeks. Now let's get started!

let me quickly tell you about the test format and then we dive into tips so

IELTS listening is the same in both academic and general training exams it

lasts for 30 minutes and includes 40 questions which are split into four

sections and questions get harder as you progress through the test you need to

answer 30 questions correctly to get a 7 or 35 questions to get an 8 and I would

say the main difficulty of IELTS listening is the lack of time so I'm

gonna talk about how you can manage your time more effectively during this test

in order to answer more questions if you take a paper-based exam you're gonna get

question sheets and an answer sheet so while you're listening to the recording

you mark your answers on question sheets and then at the end you're gonna get extra

ten minutes to transfer your answers that's more than enough time if you take

a computer-based exam you answer directly on the screen so you don't need

those ten minutes and they're only gonna give you two

basically that's enough to check your answers you may only need to check those

where you write down type words and check your spelling you may need to

think about how to spell a certain word so that's it two minutes was enough for

me a big advantage of a computer-based test is that you always get earphones

and you can hear everything clearly in a paper-based exam you may get earphones

in some of the centers but quite often you're just in a room full of people

with loud speakers and it's not as clear at all I actually have a separate video

where I talk about all the differences between a paper-based and computer-based

exam and you can watch it to decide which format is better for you I'm gonna

link it here ielts listening is a hard test because it's difficult to understand

what they're saying in there recording but because you need

to listen read and write almost at the same time it's a test of your

concentration and ability to manage your time your seconds in a very precise way

basically I know that if I put myself in a situation where I read the question

for the first time while listening to the recording I'm unlikely to find the answer

so I'm just gonna miss it so I need to read questions before I listen to the

recording and let the idea in the test because when it starts they give you a

few seconds to read questions and you really need to use that time to the

maximum so as soon as you see the task like don't read the task don't think

about anything try to read all the questions in this section and before the

recording starts come back and look at the first and second question to know

what you're expecting then you listen to the first recording and they tell you

you have some time to revise your answers don't do that immediately go to

coming questions and keep on reading and memorizing them that's the biggest tip I

think the biggest thing you can do in order to improve your score and I would

say always try to keep an eye on two questions your question and the next

question you'll see questions where the question itself is quite low and then

you have several long options so when you're reading them before the recording

starts try to pay attention to key words in

each of them in each option then when you listen to the recording you'll be

able to locate them more easily and they may give you let's say four options and

they're gonna talk about each of them in the recording and most likely they're

gonna say something like initially I thought it would be this one but then it

turned out to be wrong but that one which we didn't expect

much from turned out to be the best something like that and they're going to

mention all of them and their opinion will be changing as soon as you hear

that a certain option is wrong just cross it out straight away it really

helps in a paper-based exam in a computer-based exam unfortunately you

don't have such an option so you have to pay even closer attention to key words

one more tip if you take a paper-based exam keep the task in your head and

always remember if you need to choose a word or a letter for example in this

task if you wrote down the word film it would be an incorrect answer

you need to write letter B and if you don't know what the answer is

make a guess you don't lose points for incorrect answers

anyway now let me talk you through some of the most difficult types of tasks in

ielts listening you always get questions when you need to feel a gap and the task

would be write down not more than one word or a number or not more than two

words and a number and what you can do here is you can read your question your

sentence and think what kind of word can go there predict the answer would it be

a noun a verb or an adjective what kind of information are you expecting would

it be a street name a flat number or maybe color try to guess what kind of

answer you might get event it will be much easier for you to recognize the

word when you hear it pay attention to singular and plural nouns it matters and

how you can sometimes check yourself just read the whole sentence and see if

it's grammatically correct once you write down those words your sentence has

to be grammatically correct and let me show you an example let's say our

sentence is and the company is looking to recruit University and then we either

need to write graduate or graduates but then graduate is singular we need an

indefinite article which should go in front of the word University a

university graduate but we don't have it right so it has to be plural the

company is looking to recruit University graduates that's how you can check

yourself sometimes and remember spelling matters you have to spell the word

correctly in order to get a point for your answer but it doesn't matter

whether you spell words using the British or American spelling in a test

you will always have to write something down it may be a surname or a name of

the street in this case usually they pronounce the word first

and then they spell it out but the spelling will be really weird for

example someone may say oh my surname is brown and you think of the word brown

but then their spelling is gonna be absolutely different like much longer

and not what you expect at all be prepared for that quite often you need

to write down a telephone number that's what I had in my exam actually when

someone gives a telephone number in English they don't say zero they say oh

oh seven oh five if you have two digits which are the same it's double you know

James Bond double oh seven and three digits which are the same is triple

triple seven seven seven seven actually I had a telephone number and I had

a number of a flat and it was something like 17A yeah in the UK a

flat can have a number and a letter 17A 6B so don't be too surprised there are

two types tasks where you need to read a lot of

the first one is multiple-choice questions

that's where you have a question and four options usually options are quite

long or you may have a question and six options and then you need to

choose two which are correct so here the main difficulty is to read

everything before the recording starts so try to put as much time as you can

into reading identify key words in each option if you take a paper-based exam

you can highlight key words for example in my exam

these were roses chocolate candles and then as soon as I hear is something

about roses I know which option they're talking about and then I can check if

what they say and what's written in this option are the same things or my option

is actually incorrect and if it's incorrect and you take a paper-based

exam then you can cross it out straight away it really helps because then you

have to choose between fewer options in a computer-based exam you can't cross

out incorrect answers and you have to concentrate on key words and just

memorize which answers are wrong so it's a bit more challenging I find that those

tasks are easier in a paper-based exam sometimes you get a map it can be a map

of a building let's say a library or a map of a town and then you need to find

where some objects things are located so always remember about directions north is

at the top south is at the bottom east west like on any map and it's important

because you will hear things like you need to go to the north or to the south

so you should know which way you need to go and always make sure you find the

starting point before the recording starts only then you can follow where

you need to go once you reach the end of the test in a paper-based exam

you'll have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet in a

computer-based exam you have two minutes to check your answers basically check

that all the words you write down are spelled correctly and also try to read

whole sentences to see if the sentence is grammatically correct that's the best

thing you can do in those two minutes and don't leave any questions unanswered

if you don't know what the answer is just make a guess these are my IELTS

listening tips and if you've already taken an IELTS exam let me know what

score did you get and if you want to learn more about the differences between

a computer-based and paper based exams then watch my video and I'm gonna

publish new videos about each section of the IELTS exam and my tips in the coming

weeks thank you for watching me today good luck with your preparation and your

exam bye