Hey there! The other day I talked to you about the most important thing for your preparation which is beyond any kind of tips and strategies and you can read this post here. Today, however, I will focus on Listening Tips. All the things you can do to help you along with your preparation and language learning: The Top 10 tips you will ever need to improve yourself in the listening section! If you follow them consistently, you will definitely see your score raised. So, are you ready? Here we go!
1.) ALWAYS check out the word limit in the instructions
If you don’t stick to the word limit given to you in the instructions you will lose marks even if your answer is correct.
2.) Underlining is your friend!
Time management: Take advantage of the pauses in the recording in order to skim through the questions. Underline key-words before the Listening starts, especially words that cannot be paraphrased. These key words are going to be your guide during the recording and they will help you find the answer.
3.) Try to predict!
Try to predict what is missing in each gap before the recording starts. Are you waiting to listen to a number? A noun? A date? If you know what you expect to hear, you will stay focused and chances are you will find the correct answer.
4.) Don’t lose concentration!
You are going to hear everything only ONCE, so be focused. Try to keep up with the recording as much as you can. Never lose focus: they may talk endlessly for some time without giving an answer and you may think that you missed the correct answer and you stop listening but this is exactly when they give you the correct answer! So, work on your concentration skills. Do not insist on questions you had already missed. If you do, you will most probably miss the next question, too.
5.) Beware of paraphrasing!
The questions will not be phrased in your paper in the same way you will hear them. So, train yourself to recognise same words instead of same meanings.
6.) Spelling!
Be careful of your spelling! Correct spelling is absolutely vital in IELTS. If your spelling is wrong, you are going to lose marks even if your answer is the correct one.
7.) Write down what you hear!
In your answers, always write down the exact words you hear. Do not practice paraphrasing yourself in listening, just try to recognise it.
8.) Multiple Choice
Read the instructions carefully because sometimes you may have to choose two correct answers instead of only one answer. Also, the questions of multiple choice tasks will follow the order of the recording but the options may not.
9.) Order and Questions
Usually in all tasks the numbered questions follow the order of the listening. However,, don’t get confused with diagram labelling tasks and similar ones with the letters. (eg. A – G). The recording always follows the order of the numbered questions (eg. 1 – 10) not the order of the letters in the picture.
10.) More Than Just Practice
Do not restrict yourself to IELTS practice tests. Listen to the language in real life situations: movies and series without subtitles, songs, videos on things that you love; it can be anything! Get used to listening to the English language on everyday basis.
Tell me what has helped with your listening preparation the most in the comments below!
Dear Dori ,
I would highly appreciate if I could get a definite answer about using synonyms as an answer in the IELTS Listening test .
In sentence or note completion questions such as :
( word limit only one word )
– Findings :
– songs learned by birds exposed to mercury are less _________________ .
In the answer key it says : complex / complicated
In the recording , students hear the word ” Complex ” but not the word ” Complicated ”
Is the answer ” complicated ” accepted as true in the real ielts listening test or it is not accepted as true ?
I’ve a bad habit of getting distracted. Do you have some tips regarding this matter I mean just some ways which helps in focusing? Many times I skip the listener and that effects the preparation too.
Hey there! This is a very common problem among test takers don’t worry. Unfortunately, this bad habit cannot be improved in one day. It requires some practice. The power of our mind is unbelievable so first things first you have to decide and state that this time you’re going to be concentrated 100%. Believe it or not, even by declaring so, you will be more focused. Secondly, you should always underline key words before the recording starts. Follow your underlining and try to keep up with the listener this way. If you see it like a game and not as a problem, your concentration levels will improve even more. Thirdly, try to keep up with the speaker as much as you can as if s/he’s talking to you. If you try these 3 tips consistently, your focus will improve for sure. At first it may be exhausting, but gradually you’ll get used to it. Good luck!
PS. All links in your message are extracted and deleted for spam reasons but you get an answer in case you really needed one and for other readers as well.
Thank you very much for your lessons.
I am glad they help! Good luck with your exam!
thank you for sharing such a informative tips :))
Hey there! I am really glad you find them helpful! Good luck!
Hello
Thank you for these tips .
Would you please clarify how we can know the words which cannot be paraphrased!
Regarding the subtitles, do you mean without (english subtitles)!
Many thanks
Hey there! I actually mean without the subtitles of your mother language. At first, you may find it helpful to read the English subtitles and listen to the speakers at the same time. Gradually when you get better, you can forget about the English subtitles, too, and just watch the movie like a native speaker would.
Words that cannot be easily paraphrased are usually words that describe terminology and they have no synonyms. For example, words like “gynecologist”, “information technology”, “environment”, “ecological” etc. are words that cannot be easily paraphrased and if they are, you can easily understand it. These are just quick overall tips. In the listening lessons, I have explained thoroughly with examples which words can help you either because they are key-words or because they cannot be paraphrased. I hope this helps! Good luck with your exam!