15 IELTS Listening Tips by Examiners

  1. “Write no more than 3 words”

This basically means to follow the instructions carefully. If the instructions say, “Write no more than 3 words”, then write one, two or three but not more than three words. So it’s advisable to read the instructions carefully.

 

  1. Get used to British English

Since most of the IELTS Listening Tests are in British Accent and Dialect, so students are advised to get used to British Accents. This can be done by regularly following the BBC on Youtube.

 

  1. British Vocabulary (Lorry vs. Truck)

Certain British words are different from American English and hence students are advised to get accustomed to British words

  1. Spelling counts

A huge mistake that students make is writing wrong spellings in the Listening Test. So it is advisable to keep a dictionary handy and go through as many words as possible. Also you may check my previous post on The Common Spelling Mistakes done by students in the Listening Module.

 

  1. Cats Vs Cat/ Store Vs Stores

Keeping track of singular and plural is really very important in an IELTS Listening test. Try to focus on the “Zzzz” part to identify that it is a plural word said by the speaker.

 

  1. Prediction

(The woman will travel on _____)

Predicting or guessing what the answer is going to be is a great benefit in the Listening Module. In the above sentence, it is clear that “The woman will travel on ___bus/lorry/____ “or “The woman will travel on___ 17th May/ 21st June/ or maybe Valentine’s Day___” This can particularly be done when you read the questions carefully and try to find the meaning of the question.

 

  1. Fill in the blanks: predict, noun adjective adverb or verb

She has three ______

Predicting whether the answer is going to be a Noun, Verb, Adverb or Adjective will improve your chances to get a higher mark on the IELTS Test. In the above example, “The woman has three_____” indicating a countable plural noun,  maybe Cats, Dogs or hats.

  1. Listen & write at the same time

The toughest part of listening is to listen and write at the same time. This can be mastered with daily practice. You can also try making notes while listening to BBC or an English News Channel. Remember, it’s not just a listening test. But asks you to read the question, then listen the conversation, and write the correct answer.

 

  1. Be aware of changes:

“It’s 2078. No, I’m sorry. It’s 4078.” Minor changes during a conversation may distract you and make you lose band scores. Its advised to be prepared for changes and listen till the end.

 

  1. Listen to group of numbers

Phone numbers, for instance in IELTS are not said as “9….9…0…3…5….5….2…9…..4…..5” but rather as a bundle or group like “double 99 O3 double 55 2945”

 

  1. 13 vs. 30 & 17 vs. 70

Listen to these words carefully 13, 16,17,18,19, … All the stress is laid on “teen” rather than thir(13), six(16), seven(17) or nine(19).

 

  1. Handwriting must be clear

It’s advised to students to write their answers in capital or block letters to make handwriting more clear. Writing can also be done in small cursive form but must be readable.

 

  1. Double Spellings

Practice writing double spellings. For example, my name is Harjeet, and in the IELTS listening, I might spwll my name as “H-A-R-J-Double EE-T”

 

  1. Learn Phonetics

This helps in spelling names if the speaker is using British Phonetics over a telephone line.

  1. And Lastly, Practice a lot of tests

Initially you might not do well in the listening tests, but practicing from IELTS Books will guarantee you a great chance to increase your band scores.

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I hope this post would help you achieve your band scores. For any Suggestions or Input, fell free leave your comments below or you may also contact me personally via mail at harjeet316@gmail.com or by Phone@ +91 99035-52945. Also follow me on Facebook and share/like this post. Stay tuned for further updates on IELTS365.

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