The Listening module consists of four recorded sections, each containing ten questions, and takes 30 minutes to complete. You will only hear each recording once so you must be prepared to know what to listen for. You are not expected to have any specialist knowledge, but you should be able to deal with a range of topics and a number of different voices and accents.

Each of the four sections in a Listening module may have up to three types of questions. Before each section, you will hear a short introduction about the speaker(s) and the situation. This introduction is not printed on the test paper. You are then given 30 seconds to look over the questions before the recording continues. You will have another short break (30 seconds) each time there is a new set of questions within

the section, so you can look over the next set of questions before the recording continues.

Each section is played only once, and the questions always follow the order of the information presented in

the recording. After each section, you are given 30 seconds to check your answers.

In any Listening module, there are always the same four section types, which always appear in the same

order. The first two sections are from everyday contexts and the last two from educational contexts.

• Section 1: A conversation between two people in a real-life context, often involving customer

service, in which information is exchanged.

• Section 2: A monologue in a real-life context, often involving directions, a description of a place,

event, organisation or process.

• Section 3: A conversation, usually between two students, sometimes being guided by a tutor.

• Section 4: An extract from a lecture.

There are six main question types in the Listening module; you may see any or all of them in any given

test paper. The fourth type combines several similar formats into a single question type; in this Kaplan

IELTS book, we will consider examples and strategies for these individual formats. The table describes the

different question types, and whether you are expected to write a letter, word(s) or a number.

Read the instructions before the start of each recording, so you know how many words you

should write. The word limit includes all articles and prepositions. Do not go above the word

limit or your answer will be marked incorrect.

Underline the keywords in the questions and options before you listen. Underlining the

keywords around each blank can help you listen more effectively.

Before each recording starts read the questions and information carefully to get the gist of the

recording.

Ask yourself who is talking and what they are talking about.

Analyse the questions and decide what type of information is required for each blank. This

may include information such as a price, name or time.

Eliminate options in multiple choice questions by putting a mark (such as a cross) next to them

when you are sure they are wrong.

Try to re-phrase the notes and questions in your own words. This could help you to identify the

moment when the speaker is about to give the correct answer.

Listen for any synonyms or paraphrases that have the same meaning as the information you

expect to hear; sometimes you will hear the correct answer said in a different way.

Listen for any clue that the speaker is about to answer the questions. They will probably use

different words than those in the question.

Do not write more than the maximum number of words you are asked for. Write only the

words you hear, without changing them.

If you miss an answer, do not worry - keep listening. Otherwise, you will miss the next

question, too!

Make sure you include an answer for every question. You will not lose marks for wrong

answers.

As you copy your answers, check that the words you have written make sense in the context,

are grammatically correct and are correctly spelt.

Do not copy anything printed on the test paper when transferring your answers to the answer

sheet. You should copy only what you yourself have written.

You will have plenty of time during the Listening test to read the questions and check your

answers, so don't panic.
Predict key points based on the main idea. Using your prediction skills makes listening

easier. Once you have identified the topic it will help you to find out certain details. For

example, a student who wants to talk about his term paper might have problems with his topic,

organisation, due date, length, bibliography or a partner. Similarly, a professor who gives a

lecture on bees might discuss their appearance, abilities, evolution, migration, reproduction,

diet, the reasons for studying them, and so on. Knowing the possibilities makes it easier to

understand what a speaker says.

Do not try to record everything in notes. If you decide to take notes during the exam, make

sure they are effective and efficient. That means you need to determine the topic of the talk,

study the questions and decide what type of information and what types of words are missing.

Focus on noting down only those words. You can either leave out less important words or

record them using symbols and abbreviations.

Be familiar with number conventions, such as:

Telephone numbers:

• These are usually spoken as individual numbers. For example, 273458 would be

spoken as 'two seven three four five eight.'

• Sometimes, British or Australian speakers may say double or triple or treble when a

digit is repeated in a phone number. For example, a British person might say the phone

number 020 7766 3444 as 'oh two oh ... double seven, double six ... three, treble four.'

• When a group of a numbers is given, the intonation rises before the pause to indicate an

unfinished group. At the end of the _last group, the intonation of the speaker falls.

Decimal numbers:

• These are indicated with the word point, and then each decimal number is spoken

individually. For example, the number 12.75 would be spoken as 'twelve point

seven five.'

Prices:

• When talking about prices, the word point is not usually used. Instead, the decimal

numbers are usually combined and indicated with and. For example, £15.99 would be

spoken as 'fifteen pounds ninety-nine ' or 'fifteen pounds and ninety-nine pence.'

• Sometimes, the currency is also left out. For example, £15.99 could be spoken as

'fifteen ninety-nine.'

Fractions:

• With the exception of 'a half,' 'a quarter' and 'a third,' fractions are expressed with

-th(s) at the end. For example, the fraction 5/6 would be spoken as 'five-sixths' and

9/10 would be spoken as 'nine-tenths.'

Thousands:

• It is possible to express thousands as the equivalent number of hundreds. For example,

1,700 could be spoken as 'seventeen hundred,' 2,700 could be spoken as 'twenty-seven

hundred' and 1,123 could be spoken as 'eleven hundred twenty-three.'

Dates:

There are several correct ways to write dates.

• In British English, the day comes before the month, and periods are often used to

separate elements. For example, the date May 16, 1976 could be written as 16.05.76 or

16.5.1976.

• In American English, the month comes first, and slashes are often used to separate

elements. For example, May 16, 1976 could be written as 05/16/76 or 5/16/1976.

• For IELTS Listening, We recommends writing dates as 4 July or 4 July 1776 (when it is necessary to include the year).

By the end of this chapter, you wil1 be able to:

• Listen for details, including numbers and spelling of names.

• Understand the context and speakers in a listening section.

• Recognise synonyms and paraphrases.

• Practise strategies for answering Short Answer, Form Completion and Multiple Choice questions.

The first Listening recording you will hear will be a conversation between two people in a real-life context,

often involving customer service, in which information is exchanged.

It is quite likely that you will have been in one of these situations so you will be familiar with the context

and the type of language used.

The main types of question forms for this section are Short Answer, Form Completion and Multiple Choice

questions.

To get a final IELTS band score of 5 .5 or above, you should be aiming to get all the questions in this section

correct.