Top 11 tips for IELTS Listening

I suppose you might have already done a practice Listening paper and, for one reason or another, made up your mind to explore the ways of improving your score. So, how do you go about making your results better?

Firstly, let me shatter one of the popular myths – there is actually no point in doing as many practice tests as you can get your hands on. Yes, you could score more correct answers after you’ve done a few Listening practice tests and understood the format, logic, and what you’re supposed to do. But after you’ve learned those, taking any additional practice tests is not going to help; you’ll most probably be getting about the same results. Why? Simple, if you do something several times, but in a similar way, there’s no reason you should see a different outcome; thus, to rise to a new level, you’ve got to do things differently, and there are techniques that should help.

Here are some tips for the whole Listening paper:

1.    Always – ALWAYS – read the task before the group of questions you’ll be answering. Frequently, when students see the things they’ve done a gazillion times, say, multiple choice or fill-the-gap tasks, they don’t read the task carefully, and it’s a HUGE mistake. ALWAYS READ THE TASK, because you need to know how many answers you should mark in a multiple choice and how many words to write in a fill-the-gap question. Otherwise, you could make a silly mistake, like put down three words instead of two, thinking that more is better than less, in which case your answer will be marked wrong.

2.    Identify the key words. You’ll be given a little time to look through each group of questions before listening to the respective recording. Use it to single out the words that carry the most importance in each question. When you listen to the recording, they’ll help you follow it and recognize answers to the question.

3.    Learn to use the preparation time to predict answers. This is especially useful for Section 1, where answers are often based on common sense and thus are quite predictable, but it can work just as well in any other part. In some instances you’ll be able to guess the exact answer, sometimes you’ll understand if you need to provide a number, a name, an address, etc., and it’ll all help as you listen. I advise my students to jot down the possible answers in the test booklet. When you’re listening to the tape, you’ll know what to wait for, and in the best case scenario, you’ll have a correct answer written down already, so you’ll have more time to look through the following questions.

4.    Practise spelling out words like names and addresses (mostly required for Section 1). Most students are exposed to such tasks when they begin learning English, and after that it’s kind of taken for granted that they should be able to do it. However, when you’re feeling a bit edgy and pressed for time (and it’s usually the way things are on the day of the exam), you might trip on it. Have someone test you on this skill until you’ve perfected it.

5.    Practise writing down numbers you hear. Another thing that is usually extensively practised by only elementary English learners, and another potential hazard for test takers. Ask someone to read out different numbers for you to put down, but don’t stop there. I commonly ask my students to write down numbers while listening to a recording containing a variety of numbers. For instance, there’s a wealth of those in the Economist podcasts.

6.    Learn to keep track of at least two questions – the one to do now and the next one. Anyone can miss the answer for the current question; in this case, when you hear the answer for the following one, you will realize what’s just happened. Deal with it quickly, don’t let your emotions run away with you, put down the answer you’ve heard and carry on.

7.    Train your concentration ability. Lack of it is a common scourge for advanced students. At some point they lose track of the recording and move on to thinking about something else, for example, the questions they’ve already done, their fears of not being able to do well on the test, their pride on having done quite well so far, the conversation with a neighbour the day before… Even if it takes just a few seconds, that’s enough to miss one question, get upset, miss the following question, and by the time they pull themselves together it’s the end of the section. One of the things you can do to practise your concentration ability is make notes while listening to some recordings. At first you’ll most probably find it difficult to follow the audio at all times but as they say, practice makes perfect!

8.    If you can’t answer the question as you listen, let it go and move onto the next one! You’ll have a little time to think some more and put down an answer at the end of the current section. But when the recording is on, don’t waste precious time pondering over the possible answers. You’ll lose track of the recording and fail to hear the answer to the next question, and then… Well, I hope you’ve got it.

9.    Don’t let the recording mislead you. At any point, especially for a multiple choice, the speakers might say a few different numbers or ideas related to a certain question. Based on what they say, it should be clear which you need, but be careful and don’t jump at the first one in this case. The reasoning behind this type of questioning is not actually to misguide you, but to give you another opportunity to show how well you’ve processed what you’ve heard.

10.  Answer all the questions. It’s a common tip, but some test takers forget or don’t know about it. You won’t lose marks for incorrect answers, so if you didn’t hear something, try to make your best guess. You have nothing to lose, so give yourself a chance.

11.  Listen to English speech as much as you can. Devote as much time as you can to listening to native English speech, using both educational recordings and authentic materials. You can download them into your iPod, smart phone or any other mobile device, and listen when going to school/work, doing house chores, killing time when waiting for something or someone. One of my students didn’t have much time for practice at home because he was driving all day as part of his job, so he found a reasonable solution – he listened to recordings in English all the time while at the wheel. With a bit of imagination, you can always find a way to fit your listening into your daily routine.

These ideas will help you score as high as you can on the IELTS Listening test, but you need to be aware of the fact that they have little or nothing to do with learning English (except for the last tip). In most cases, preparation for IELTS is directed at helping test takers to show their existing level of English to the best of their ability. However, if none of these tips help you score higher or if the use of these techniques doesn’t bring you the required band, it might mean that you should work on your English more, which includes learning and practising new vocabulary, developing listening skills, reading some books in English, etc.