There are four separate sections in the IELTS listening test. Each section has 10 questions, there are 40 questions altogether and every question carries one mark. The sections become progressively harder. The answers to the questions come in the same order as the information on the recording. The IELTS listening test will take about 30 minutes including the instructions, your reading and listening time, and you will have an extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Listen to the following recording which shows a university lecturer (Professor Karen Wigen from Stanford University) talking about a series of classes. Multiple Choice about Maps Your browser doesn’t support audio element. Now try answering A, B or C for the questions below: 1. What subject does Professor Wigen usually teach? … more →
Difficulty level: Easy Listen to the following recording and try the quick gap-fill exercise below it: New Year’s Resolutions Your browser doesn’t support audio element. Fill the gaps in the following summary. The speaker ______ the lives of 5000 people as they attempted to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. 10% of the people were successful, … more →
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Listen to the following excerpt from a lecture about effective teachers. Effective Teachers Your browser doesn’t support audio element. Choose three characteristics of effective teachers from the list below: A) They use the largest number of exercises B) They know how to choose examples C) They pick the right technique at … more →
The people who do well in the IELTS listening test are those who have a “good ear” for English. In other words, they are able to follow fast speech and distinguish individual words easily. How did they develop a good ear? They listened to a lot of English. If you are trying to improve your … more →
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Listen to the recording about microplastics and fill the gaps in the sentences below: Microplastics Your browser doesn’t support audio element. The first problem is that micro-plastics act like a ______, attracting other ______ in the water, such as pesticides and ______ retardants. The second problem is that micro-plastics are complex … more →
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Previously I wrote a post on “How to answer multiple choice questions in IELTS listening“. But the most important tip is this: do lots of practice. Here is a quick exercise. Listen to the following short talk about cave paintings: Cave Paintings Your browser doesn’t support audio element. 1. In which … more →
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Listen to the following excerpt from a recording of a university professor who is speaking about the importance of learning to write well. Fill the gaps to complete the summary below: Importance of learning to write well Your browser doesn’t support audio element. Teaching people to write is extremely _____ _____. … more →
Difficulty level: Easy Listen to the recording and fill each gap with a maximum of three words. Libraries of the future Your browser doesn’t support audio element. The libraries of the future are still about equitable __________ for our communities and our customers. However, what we do know is that we now have a 10% … more →
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Listen to two students talking about lectures and seminars at university, and fill the gaps in the summaries below.: Note: Don’t worry if you have to listen several times to get the answers. This is an exercise that I made myself, not a real IELTS question. Lectures and Seminars Your browser … more →
Difficulty level: Semi Hard Listen to the following tips about how to write a cover letter when applying for a job. Fill the gaps in the summary using no more than THREE words: Cover letter Your browser doesn’t support audio element. Tip 1 Address the cover letter to a ______ person, generally the person in … more →