Know How to Prepare for the IELTS Listening Section

Every year, more than 3 million people across the world prepare for the IELTS exam to test their English skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. They aim to score well in it because it can help them unlock several global opportunities. However, most of them face several challenges in preparing for the IELTS listening section. So, they join the best IELTS coaching online. Trainers guide them through taking the IELTS listening test with audio and answers for optimal preparation. Do you want to know why? Read this article and learn all about the listening section and how a practice test with audio and answers can help them in the test preparation.

A Brief About the IELTS Listening Section

The listening section is an important part of the IELTS exam. It helps to evaluate the speaking skills of the test takers. In this section, aspirants receive four audio files. However, they have to listen to those recordings carefully and answer some questions based on what they heard. Well, it sounds easy, but it is not, because the recordings are in different accents, taken from speech, daily life conversations, or academic lectures, making this task challenging. Test takers should note that they cannot pause or replay the audio once it has been played, and they have only 60 minutes to complete this task.

There are different types of questions asked in the IELTS listening section. Let's introduce them here. It will help you understand what you will face on your exam day.

List of Question Types in IELTS Listening

The examiner may ask the test taker to answer various types of questions, as mentioned below.

• Firstly, multiple-choice questions
• Secondly, matching questions
• Thirdly, map and plan labelling
• Fourthly, diagram labelling
• Fifthly, form completion
• Sixthly, note completion
• Seventhly, table completion
• Eighthly, flow-chart completion
• Ninthly, summary completion
• Tenthly, sentence completion
• Last, short-answer questions

This was all about the listening section of the IELTS exam. Now, let's move to the next part and understand some key skills that every test taker must develop to answer all the questions asked in this task.

Skills Assessed in IELTS Listening

The IELTS listening section helps to evaluate several skills of the test takers.

• Firstly, the capability to understand the conversations.
• Secondly, the ability to note the facts and details of the conversations or speech.
• Thirdly, the ability to focus on the recording.
• At last, whether they can conclude the conversations.

Every test taker must develop the above skills to achieve their dream scores in the speaking section. But now, the question is how? Let's find out more about this in the next section of the article.

Best Preparation Method to Ace the IELTS Listening Section

The best way to prepare for the listening section is by taking the IELTS listening test with audio and answers. It benefits the aspirants in numerous ways. However, let's know some of them here. Due to this, you can follow the best way to prepare for your IELTS exam.

Understanding the Exam Pattern

Firstly, a listening practice test is an exact copy of the real exam pattern. Experts include previously asked questions and their experience to prepare them. Due to this, test takers can understand the exam pattern and difficulties. However, it helps them simulate real test conditions and create effective study plans for preparation.

Instant Feedback

Today, in the world of rapidly advancing technology, IELTS trainers utilise AI tools in their practice tests for the listening section. It helps detect mistakes made by test takers and provides them with instant feedback and expert suggestions for improvement. However, they should not ignore them and work in the weaker sections to get ready for the exam.

Improves Vocabulary

Examiners use recordings of academic lectures in different accents to prepare the audio for the IELTS listening section. Therefore, test takers must possess a strong vocabulary to comprehend the main idea and locate all the answers. However, using a practice test can help the test takers build their vocabulary and prepare them for the exam.

Build Confidence

Aspirants can track their performance and readiness for the IELTS exam by taking multiple practice tests. Due to this, they can evaluate their progress and build confidence to excel in the listening section, achieving their desired overall score for visa or University admission.

Conclusion

To sum up, IELTS aspirants work hard to achieve their desired scores in the exam. However, they struggle significantly with the listening and speaking tasks due to the exam pattern and the types of questions asked. Therefore, the best trainers in the market advise them to use the IELTS speaking practice test and listening practice test with audio and answer options. It helps them to understand the exam pattern easily and develop several skills to achieve their dream scores.