IELTS Listening tips for all four parts

The short answer

IELTS Listening takes approximately 30 minutes and has four parts with 10 questions each, 40 in total. The test is the same whether you take Academic or General Training. The most useful habits are simple: know what kind of recording each part contains, read the questions before the audio reaches them, predict the type of answer you need, follow each instruction exactly and write your answers carefully.

Explanation, step by step

The four parts move from everyday situations to academic ones. Knowing what to expect in each part helps you guess the topic, the speakers and the kind of words you are likely to hear.

Part 1: an everyday conversation

• Picture the situation. Two people talking about something practical usually means you will hear names, numbers, dates, times, places and prices.
• Before the audio starts, label each gap with what it needs: a number, a name, a day or a noun. This tells you what to listen for.
• Listen out for corrections. In everyday conversations people often change their minds or correct a detail, so wait for the final version before you write.
• Be ready for spelled-out names and addresses, and practise writing letters quickly as you hear them.

Part 2: one speaker in an everyday setting

• With only one voice, there is no change of speaker to help you notice that one point has finished and the next has begun. Follow signposting language such as 'next', 'after that' and 'finally'.
• If there is a map, plan or diagram, find your starting point and note the direction words around it before the audio begins.
• With multiple-choice options, underline what makes each option different. Expect the speaker to mention more than one option, and only one of them will be the answer.
• Paraphrase is common. The words on your question paper may not be the words you hear, so listen for meaning rather than an exact match.

Part 3: a discussion in an educational or training context

• Work out who the two main speakers are, for example two students or a student and a tutor. Questions often depend on who holds which opinion.
• Listen for agreement and disagreement. Phrases such as 'I'm not sure about that' or 'That's a good point, but…' often decide the answer.
• Do not choose an option just because you hear its words. One speaker may suggest something that the other then rejects.
• Keep your place. If you miss an answer, move on to the next question rather than staying stuck on the one you missed.

Part 4: a talk on an academic subject

• Read the headings in the notes or summary first. They show the structure of the talk and the order of ideas.
• Predict the grammar of each gap. If a gap follows 'the' or 'a', you probably need a noun. If it follows 'very', you probably need an adjective.
• Academic talks use topic vocabulary. Building vocabulary across common academic subjects makes the words easier to recognise and spell.
• Stay with the speaker. The answers usually follow the order of the questions, so if the speaker has clearly moved past a heading, move with them.

Follow every instruction

Each set of questions comes with its own instruction. Read it every time, even if the previous set looked similar. If the instruction limits how many words or numbers you can write, keep to that limit. A correct idea written in too many words is a risk you do not need to take. Check whether you are asked for a letter, a word or a number, and answer in that form.

Treat spelling as part of the answer

Hearing the right word is only half the job. You also need to write it so that it is clearly correct. Make a personal list of words you often misspell, especially everyday nouns, days, months and topic vocabulary, and test yourself on them regularly. When you review a practice test, count spelling slips as wrong answers so you take them seriously.

Worked example

The short example below was written by Stride as a study model. It is not official IELTS material and is not taken from a real test. It shows a Part 1-style form completion task.

1. Gap 1 follows a first name, so it needs a surname. Expect the speaker to spell it out.
2. Gap 2 needs a day of the week.
3. Gap 3 follows a pound sign, so it needs a number.

1. Gap 1: Hartley. Write each letter as it is spelled.
2. Gap 2: Wednesday. Monday is a distractor because the caller corrects himself.
3. Gap 3: 28. The first price mentioned is replaced by the discounted one, and the student rate is the one that applies to this caller.

Notice the pattern. Your prediction tells you what kind of answer to listen for, and waiting for the final version protects you from distractors.

Common mistakes

• Writing the first answer you hear instead of waiting for a correction or a final decision.
• Choosing a multiple-choice option because it repeats words from the recording, rather than because it matches the meaning.
• Ignoring the instruction for a question set, for example writing more words than the instruction allows.
• Losing your place after missing one answer, and then missing several more.
• Careless spelling of words you actually heard correctly.
• Not reading ahead, so the first question arrives before you know what you are listening for.

How to practise this

• Practise by part. Spend separate sessions on everyday conversations, single-speaker talks, academic discussions and lectures, so each kind of recording feels familiar.
• Write predictions beside every gap before you press play, then check how often they were right.
• After each practice test, sort your mistakes into groups: prediction, distractor, instruction, spelling or lost place. Then work on the group with the most mistakes.
• Keep a spelling notebook of words you got wrong and test yourself on it weekly.
• Track your raw score out of 40 and compare it with the published conversion (for example, 30 correct corresponds to band 7) to see how close you are to your target.

Stride does not offer Listening practice at the moment. Once you have a Listening band from your own practice, you can enter it with your other section bands into Stride's free band score calculator to see your estimated overall band using the official rounding.

Frequently asked questions

How long is IELTS Listening and how many questions are there?

It takes approximately 30 minutes and has four parts with 10 questions each, 40 questions in total.

Is Listening different for Academic and General Training?

No. Listening and Speaking are the same in both versions. Only Reading and Writing differ.

How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in Listening?

IELTS publishes these examples: 16 correct corresponds to band 5, 23 to band 6, 30 to band 7 and 35 to band 8.

Which part is the hardest?

It depends on the candidate. The parts move from everyday social situations (Parts 1 and 2) to educational and academic contexts (Parts 3 and 4), so many candidates find the later parts more demanding. Use your own practice results to decide where to focus.

How is my Listening band reported?

On the 1–9 band scale, in whole or half bands. Your overall IELTS band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band.

Related guides

• IELTS vocabulary by topic
• IELTS grammar lessons for Writing and Speaking
• IELTS Writing sample answers: Task 1 and Task 2 model answers
• IELTS Speaking tips for Parts 1, 2 and 3