How to Prepare for IELTS Listening Test

Important tips to ace your IELTS Listening scores

Hello and welcome back dear Chai-buddies. Hope you are doing absolutely great. 

Today, I am back with another blog to help you with your preparations for your dreams to study abroad. This blog is dedicated to the IELTS test-takers. 

Hey there, fellow IELTS test-takers! Do you find that you do not feel confident about your listening skills and are worried about your scores in that section? Don't worry, you're not alone. Many non-native speakers often face this issue. With several differences in English accents globally, one might find it challenging to understand spoken dialects from one part of the world despite being fluent with English reading, writing, speaking and even listening skills, if they belong from other parts. To break it to you, even native English speakers find it hard to understand each other! (The Kerry accent is mentioned by many as being the most notorious one - Oh Naughty Kerry!). So, if you have been feeling lost and disheartened, please don't be.

Photo by Thirdman:

 Many students find the IELTS Listening section to be the most challenging part of the test. But fear not, with these top tips, you'll be on your way to acing the IELTS Listening section in no time! So, let's begin.

1. Familiarise yourself with variety of English Accents.

If you are exclusively applying for UK visa, then familiarising yourself with British English alone will suffice. Otherwise, in IELTS, one can expect American, British or Australian English accents as these are the most popular ones. 

Well, the Indian students might wish for the Indian accent to be featured as Indians make the largest student community in these countries. But, so far, that hasn't been taken into account by the test designers. In part perhaps because Indian accent gets white-washed in a few years!. 

Anyways, coming back to the point. Often the above three accents have certain nuances of pronouncing words or stating certain phrases which are just unique to them alone. For example, the lift is the elevator. The r at the end may be silent for some. The more you familiarise yourself with these the more comfortable you would be with understanding what's being said and deciphering the context. This brings us to the second point below.

2. Focus on understanding the context

One of the biggest challenges of the IELTS Listening section is understanding the context of what you're listening to. Often the audio contains a real life conversation from a scenario. And that might even include discussing issues back and forth, talking about something like out of context issues and back to context again etc. It may even range from a variety of subject matters - anything and everything in this Universe. So, the issues can be something you aren't familiar with, but have to understand the context of discussion for the test. To improve your contextual understanding, practice listening to different types of audio recordings, such as podcasts, news broadcasts, and interviews. This will help you develop your ability to pick up on contextual clues, such as tone, intonation, and background noise.

3. The questions are your guide through the puzzle

A pro tip that my teacher gave me was to understand the context really well, and to understand what information you have to look for, read and understand the questions really well. Keep an eagles eye on the questions while listening to the audio as well. This proved very handy for me while taking my test indeed. My question involved a guide through a museum with several discussions. But this tip ensured that I stayed on track to look for the right information and not be lost in the vast amount of information in the audio tape. 

4. Learn to take efficient notes

Taking effective notes is key to performing well on the IELTS Listening section. Practice taking notes while listening to different types of recordings, and focus on identifying keywords and key phrases. This will help you identify the main points of the recording and answer the questions more accurately. Practice dummy tests, where you take notes and then try to answer import points from the audio, recollecting all the vital information.

5. Get familiar with the test format

In case you have very little time for your preparations, then this should be your first step. Other wise, you should come to this step after tip one, so that you do not feel baffled by the accents. 

Before you even begin to study, make sure you know the format of the IELTS Listening section. Familiarize yourself with the types of questions you'll encounter, such as multiple choice, matching, and completion tasks. Also the types of audio played like: planning an itinerary, a guide through a park or museum or any place, enquiries at various places, news reports and discussions on it, local affairs in the neighbourhood, etc. to name a few. This will help you focus your studies on the areas where you need the most improvement.

6. Use the time wisely

Time management is crucial on the IELTS Listening section, as you only have one chance to listen to each recording. Use the time wisely by reading the questions carefully before the recording begins, and use the time given to check your answers at the end of each section.

7. Stay focused

The IELTS Listening section requires full dedicated attention as the audio will not be played more than once. So it's important to stay focused throughout the entire test. Try to eliminate any distractions both while practicing such as background noise or during the test such as movements or noises by other test-takers, and stay engaged by actively listening and taking notes.

8. Practice, practice, practice

Practice makes perfect. It's also true for IELTS. The most important tip for acing the IELTS Listening section is practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll become with the format of the test, the types of questions you'll encounter, and the skills you need to succeed.

So, there you have it – eight top tips to help you ace your IELTS Listening scores! Remember, the key is to stay focused, stay motivated, and practice, practice, practice. 

In the meanwhile, you can also help me in my preparations by gifting me an Amazon Gift Card to buy books. Use email address: aamiprabhasini@gmail.com or hellp.chaitalkies@gmail.com. 

 I will see you again in the next blog. Till then, Good luck, and happy listening!