IELTS Listening Tips and Strategies
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Read the question of each section carefully before the recording begins. This will be helpful to identify the answer easily.
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There will be a 30 second time given after each section to check the answers. Check the spellings of your answers and use some of this time to move up to the next section and read the questions.
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Pay attention to the word limits and stick to the limits religiously.
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Sometimes, the list of options given in the question paper might not be in the order heard from the recording. Be mindful of this and give them a read before the audio begins.
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Look out for key words from the questions and note them down while listening. This will narrow down the possible answer.
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Listen carefully for words that are spelled out – usually names of places and people are spelled out. Write them down immediately as the recording will be played only once.
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Try adopting elimination method i.e., cross out options that do not fit the description.
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Don’t waste time on a single question if you think you have missed the audio. Move on and come back to it later to make a guess.
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For paper based IELTS, there will be a 10-minute time to transfer the answers to the answer sheet. During this time, you can double check your answers. Remember, transfer them only during this time, if you do it in between the sections, there will be time wasted.
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Pay attention to repeated information. Sometimes, usually in a conversation, one speaker corrects the other when they misspell something.
