Simple Tips to Score Better in IELTS Listening test

Before we teach you these tips, you might be wondering: "What's the IELTS listening module?", one part of the IELTS test is listening. So, in the listening section, you're going to have 40 questions where you're going to listen to some conversations for about 30 minutes, and then you'll have 10 minutes to transfer your answers over to another sheet.
So, in total,
Total Time: 40 minutes

If it is paper-based, then 30 minutes for listening, 10 minutes for writing down your answers.

If it is computer-based, then no extra time will be given, and you must complete the test in those 40
minutes.

Okay, now listening part of the IELTS is easy to get a high mark, especially if you follow our tips.

1. Write no more than three words. On the IELTS, you will have to read the instruction on what to do. The instruction would say exactly how many words the answer should. Example: Write no more than three words. One mistake a lot of students make during the IELTS is they don't read instructions properly.

2. Get used to British English. A large part of the IELTS, you will be listening to British accents.

   Sometimes you might hear Australian accents or Canadian, you might hear a range, but a lot

   of the accents will be British. So, it's very important to get used to listening to British

   accents. And, listen to other accents like Canadian, Australian. This can also come in handy

   sometimes. Where can you find British accents to listen to? I recommend the BBC. They

   have a lot of great videos there and most of them with British accents, so you can practice

   listening. The more you practice listening with British accents, the easier it will be to

   understand British speakers. Example:

   American English: Truck

   British English: Lorry

   So it’s good to know some of these British expressions, some British words. Please keep in

   mind the spelling. If your spelling is wrong but the answer is correct you would still lose your

   mark.

3. Plural versus Singular: You have to listen carefully on whether you're writing down the plural with an "s" or the singular. If the question wants you to write down: "cat", someone's talking about their cat and I write down: "cats", it's incorrect.

4. Keep practicing. The more you do, the better the mark probably will be. For some of you it may be difficult in the beginning but please keep in mind that once you practice it will be a cakewalk for you. The reason why we say that practice will make it easy is that the pattern and the structure never change.

5. Prediction. It's very important on the IELTS. During the listening, at the end of each section, you have some time to check your answers and to read the questions that are coming up. This will give you an idea about the upcoming audio. For example, you see the word: "travel", "travel on", so maybe she's traveling on a bus, or maybe a plane. You can just write quickly what your prediction is. When you listen to the audio, you'll have a good chance of getting the answer right. Please keep in mind that the listening goes very quickly so it's very well to do this prediction so you can prepare yourself.

6. Multitasking. This is one of the challenging things about the IELTS, you're listening and writing at the same time and you must practice these skills together. To improve this quality, you can maybe go on the BBC, listen to what they're saying, take notes. Get used to writing quickly while you're listening. This is one of the most important skills you can learn.

7. Keen Observations. Recently the question involves a lot of phone conversations in the listening. For example, the audio will say “The last four digit of my phone number is 2078” and now you will write the answer as “2078”. After a couple of seconds, the audio continues as “Oh! Sorry, it's 2344” It's this number instead." Also, make sure to listen if they spell out the name. For example, the audio may follow like, “Hi, my name is Sean (pronounced as Shawn) and then they spell it out as S-E-A-N”. Make sure you listen to the audio.

8. Handwriting: When it comes to computer-based you don’t have to worry about this. But when it is paper-based this is important to be clear on what you write. Be clear and possibly choose separate letters.

So, all the best! Listen better! Score Higher!