The essential information below will help you with your IELTS Listening test preparation. Below is information about the organization of the IELTS Listening test.
What is the IELTS Listening test?
The IELTS Listening test is an evaluation of your ability to understand conversations and presentations in both social and academic settings.
There are 40 questions in the IELTS Listening test, divided into 4 sections with 10 questions each.
|
SECTION #1 (2 speakers) |
This is a conversation, where one speaker is usually requesting a service or information from the other person. Common situations are making travel arrangements, purchasing items, or asking for information regarding a service. |
|
SECTION #2 (1 or 2 speakers) |
This is a public presentation, where one speaker is providing information to the public or to a small group. Common situations are a tour guide or radio broadcast. There might be another person asking the main speaker questions. |
|
SECTION #3 (2 or 3 speakers) |
This is a conversation between 1) two students, 2) two students and a professor, or 3) a student and a professor. Common topics are reviewing a class assignment or planning a future class activity. |
|
SECTION #4 (1 speaker) |
This is an academic presentation, where one speaker (a professor or specialist) is providing information on an academic topic to a class. |
How long is the IELTS Listening test?
The IELTS Listening test lasts a total of 30 minutes.
If you take the paper IELTS test, you have an extra 10 minutes at the end of the test to transfer your answers to a paper answer sheet.
If you take the computer (CD) IELTS test, you have to type your answers while you are listening. You only have 2 minutes at the end of the test to double-check your answers.
How is the IELTS Listening test scored?
After your IELTS test, your IELTS Listening and Reading tests will be either
- marked by a staff person at the test center you took your tests at, or
- sent to a central IELTS test where someone will mark your tests there.
Below is a table which gives the approximate number of correct answers you need to get a certain IELTS Band Score in the Listening test. However, it is important to understand that IELTS tests can vary in difficulty!
Therefore, in some test, you may need a few less correct answers to get a certain IELTS Band score. So, if you feel like your test is harder than expected, that might mean you don’t need as many correct answers to get a good score.
| IELTS Band score |
APPROXIMATE number of CORRECT answers needed in Listening test |
| 2.0 | 2 to 3 correct answers |
| 2.5 | 4 to 5 correct answers |
| 3.0 | 6 to 7 correct answers |
| 3.5 | 8 to 9 correct answers |
| 4.0 | 10 to 12 correct answers |
| 4.5 | 13 to 15 correct answers |
| 5.0 | 16 to 17 correct answers |
| 5.5 | 18 to 22 correct answers |
| 6.0 | 23 to 25 correct answers |
| 6.5 | 26 to 29 correct answers |
| 7.0 | 30 to 31 correct answers |
| 7.5 | 32 to 34 correct answers |
| 8.0 | 35 to 36 correct answers |
| 8.5 | 37 to 38 correct answers |
| 9.0 | 39 to 40 correct answers |
What if I think the IELTS Listening band score I received is too low?
If you feel that you did not get the IELTS Listening score you deserved, you can request a ‘re-evaluation’ of your test. However, it is very unlikely that your Listening score will be changed. There is a slightly better chance of improving your band scores in IELTS Writing and Speaking tests because their evaluation is more subjective.
Outline of the IELTS Listening test
For paper IELTS test:
- You will be handed an IELTS Answer Sheet and Listening Test Booklet. One side of the Answer Sheet is for writing your answers to the Listening test. The other side of the Answer Sheet is for writing down your answers to the Reading test.
- DO NOT open the Test Booklet until the IELTS staff person tells you.
- The IELTS staff person will give you directions on filling out the top part of your IELTS Listening Answer Sheet.
- Then, the staff person will begin the IELTS Listening CD, ask you to open the Test Booklet and begin the Listening test.
The Narrator’s Introduction (2.5 minutes long)
On the CD, you will hear the Test Narrator welcome you to the test and give instructions on how to answer questions. At this point, the narrator will tell you that you have some time to look at the Section 1 questions. You will then hear about 15-30 seconds of conversation from the beginning of the Section 1 conversation. They play this part of the conversation to explain to you how to answer fill-in-the-blank questions. Lastly, the test narrator will tell you the test will now begin.
This introduction is about 2.5 minutes long.
Once the Listening test has begun, CD will not be paused for any reason. Also, you will hear the conversations and presentations only one time.
‘Silent Breaks’ in the Listening Test
However, there will be silent breaks throughout the Listening test to give you time to look at questions and answer choices.
| SECTION #1 | Halfway through the conversation, there is 30-second silent break so you can prepare for the next set of questions. At the end of the section, there will be a 60-second silent break for you to either review questions in Section #1 or preview questions in Section #2. |
| SECTION #2 | Halfway through the presentation, there is 30-second silent break so you can prepare for the next set of questions. At the end of the section, there is a 60-second silent break for you to either review questions in Section #2 or preview questions in Section #3. |
| SECTION #3 | Halfway through the conversation, there is 30-second silent break so you can prepare for the next set of questions. At the end of the section, there will be a 90-second silent break for you to either review questions in Section #3 or preview questions in Section #4. |
| SECTION #4 | There are no silent breaks in Section #4. |
If you take the paper IELTS test, you have an extra 10 minutes at the end of the test to transfer your answers to a paper answer sheet.
If you take the computer (CD) IELTS test, you have to type your answers while you are listening. You only have 2 minutes at the end of the test to double-check your answers.
IMPORTANT: If you accidentally write your answers on the wrong side, don’t worry! Just tell the IELTS staff person and they will give you an extra answer sheet (you will hand in both answer sheets). DO NOT erase your answers and transfer them to the other side!
Summary
So, as part of your preparation for the IELTS, it is very important to understand the organization of the IELTS Listening test. You need to understand when having time to preview questions and answer choices, as well as what kind of conversations or presentations you might hear. Look at sample question sets for different Listening sections, both for conversations and presentations, and become familiar with different types of Listening questions. The more you understand the outline of the test, the better prepared you will be for IELTS test day!
More IELTS exam tips!
- Tips to help you with IELTS Listening map questions
- Use the “3×3 Method” to improve your English listening ability
- Tips for IELTS Cloze (Fill-in-the-blank) Questions
Want to know how to start IELTS preparation at home? Learn the best way to prepare IELTS Listening questions with the Portland English Language Academy. You can learn many IELTS preparation tips for how to improve your IELTS score with PELA Online’s Academic IELTS Preparation course, with Modules to help you with listening, reading, writing, and speaking test questions.
Learn more IELTS Listening skills by watching Lesson 1, Module 1 for IELTS Listening for FREE!
Want to learn more IELTS Listening tips? Learn what to listen for with IELTS map questions!
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