I am sure that you are all familiar with multiple choice exercises, but let’ s give it a closer look; most common multiple choice tasks will look like this:
SECTION 2 Questions 11-20
Questions 11-17
Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.
11. The speaker’s job requires
A. physical fitness
B. long-life studying
C. a great deal of commitment
12. This story is part of:
A. an interview
B. a friendly conversation
C. an audition
13. Why do actors hire agents?
A. Agents make their life easier
B. It is difficult to get a job without them
C. Actors need a friend that supports them
• This task asks you to select only one option from A, B, or C. The questions (11-13) will follow the order of the recording BUT the options (A, B, C) may not be on paper in the same order they will be heard. That’s why the underlining of key-words before the listening starts is essential: it helps you not to get lost during the task.
In a multiple choice task, you don’t have to worry about the word limit but be careful because sometimes they may ask you to choose TWO correct answers instead of only one. For example:
Choose TWO correct answers from A, B, C, D, and E.
13. Why do actors hire agents?
A. Agents make their life easier
B. It is difficult to get a job without them
C. Actors need a friend that supports them
D. They will not accept you to an audition without one
E. In order to be taken seriously
In this case above, you will have two more options (D and E) and you will have to choose two correct answers. That’s the reason that I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the instructions very carefully.
In this video flow chart, matching, and multiple choice tasks in the IELTS Listening are examined in terms of what you are going to encounter. Also, I remind you six steps that you should always keep in mind during your IELTS Listening preparation.