Welcome
to our first blog on the IELTS Listening Test!
Here, we
will:
- learn
some general principles of IELTS Listening AND
- learn how to answer the questions in
Part One successfully.
The
Listening test is usually boring, and it’s always difficult. However, it is
effective: it tests your general English ability and there is a way to
succeed.
This is true, especially, for Part One.
In Part One, you will almost always listen to a dialogue (two people talking to
each other). The dialogue is usually about a boring task, such as making an
appointment, buying insurance or opening a bank account.
THE SCIENCE OF ANSWERING PART ONE
The first
piece of advice we should remember for Part One is: read the instructions
and study the example.
At the
start of Part One, you will have time to look at the questions and understand
the instructions. You’ll be given an example first, to help you understand the exercise…
IELTS LISTENING TEST – PART ONE
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each question.
APPOINTMENT DETAILS
TIME OF APPOINTMENT: (0) 12.30
(This
example comes from our text. You'll see the full test soon, so be ready!)
This example
says a lot about the exam you’re going to do. It tells you that, to answer each
question, you’ll need to fill any gap (________) with
- a
word
- words
- a
number
- a
word and a number OR
- words and a number
The instructions will tell you exactly what to do. You need to keep the
instructions in your mind while you’re doing the test: if you break the rules,
you won’t get the scores.
The instructions are almost always written in this confusing language:
WRITE NO MORE THAN TWO
WORDS
In this
example, for each answer you…
- …may write one word;
- …may write two words;
- …may not write
more than two words;
- … may not
write a number;
Gapfill
You can predict some of the answers by using your knowledge of the
English language. For example, if you see a question like this…
PRICE: $_________
…then you
can be sure that you’ll have to write a number in the gap. (PRICE: $500)
Most of
the time, however, you need to write a word, or even two-three words. Here’s
another example:
NEW JOB: begins in_________
Most
students will (hopefully) see that some expression
of time is needed here. Some clever students will see the preposition in and they might realise that the
correct answer will be either
- the
name of a month (NEW JOB: begins in May.) OR
- an
amount of time (NEW JOB: begins in 2 weeks.)
We can offer some more advice which will help you in almost every IELTS Listening test, especially Part One. Are you ready?
Same
order
In all 4 Parts of the listening test, you hear the answers in the same order
as the questions on the paper. In other words, you’ll hear the answer to
Question 1 first, then the answer to Question 2, and so on.
This is a simple thing to remember – but very important.
ALSO, if you miss the answer to a question, don’t worry about it during the
test – move onto the next question
immediately. If you don’t, the chances are you’ll miss that answer too!
Synonyms
Sometimes, the words on the paper in front of you will appear in the listening
text. For example, if you see a question like this…
MEETING BEGINS at_________
…there’s
a chance you’ll hear the speaker say something like,
“The meeting begins at 4 o’clock,
so be there on time.”
However, it’s
equally possible that you’ll hear the words on the paper expressed in a
different way. For example…
“The
meeting is going to take place at 4 o’clock.”
Here, the
speaker has done two things:
- They
have used a synonym for the verb “to begin” (=to take place) AND
- They have used a different
future-tense form instead of the present simple (=is going to)
To answer
most of the questions on the IELTS listening (and reading!) exam, you need to
know your synonyms!
Self-correction
Every IELTS listening exam plays a “dirty trick” (our term) on the students who
take it. You’ll hear the speaker give an answer, and you’ll write down the
answer – but then suddenly the speaker will correct themselves. They’ll say
something like:
“My aunt
lived in Canada for three years…..
[students write "three years" as the answer]
“…Oh no wait! I’m wrong – she actually lived there for four years.”
You need
to expect this to happen – and you can usually expect it to happen in Part One
of the listening test.
Spelling
& numbers
You will almost always need to listen to the speaker spelling a word or calling
out a long number.
The word is usually a person’s name or
an address. Here, your knowledge of the alphabet is essential. For example, do
you know the difference between saying the letters “e” (ee) and “i” (eye)? Or the difference between "g" (jee) and "j" (jay)? Make
sure you do!
The number is usually a phone number or
the number of a house. To answer this question, you need to quickly understand
and write a list of numbers, usually between 1 and 10. (Can you understand
someone’s phone number in English?)
BE CONFIDENT, BE SUCCESSFUL - AND PRACTICE
That’s a
lot of information to remember! But don’t worry: thousands of people have done
the IELTS test, and they have passed. They were able to remember these rules and
you can too!
Of course, these successful students also practiced a lot.
So, if you’re feeling brave and ready, let’s do just that: practice. Are you ready to do our exclusive IELTS Part One test? Let's go!
NOTE: In the IELTS exam you will hear
the text only 1 time. We advise that you just play this audio file once,
without stopping: it will be difficult, but you’ll get a true idea of your
ability.
Here are
the questions. You can hear the text below them, and the answers are at the
very bottom of this page.
IELTS LISTENING TEST – PART ONE
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for
each question.
APPOINTMENT DETAILS
TIME OF APPOINTMENT: (0) 12.30
APPLYING TO OPEN: (1)_______________account.
REASON FOR ACCOUNT: pay taxes, (2)____________,
_____________.
NAME OF CUSTOMER: (3)_______________
BUSINESS DETAILS
TYPE OF BUSINESS: (4) _______________
BUSINESS NAME: Sabre
BUSINESS TELEPHONE: (5) _______________
Managing
the business as a (6) _______________
Business registered last Friday.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
BUSINESS REGISTRATION
PAPERS:
- will arrive in (7) _______________
TYPES OF
IDENTIFICATION: necessary to confirm
identification of business owner
- (8) _______________,
- passport
DATE OF NEXT
APPOINTMENT: (9) _______________
TAX ALLOWANCES
Begin after a
bank account has been set up
Applies to income less than (10) _______________
End after (11)_______________
Amount paid after allowance: 15%
ANSWER KEY
IELTS LISTENING TEST – PART ONE
APPOINTMENT DETAILS
TIME OF APPOINTMENT: (0) 12.30
APPLYING TO OPEN: (1) a corporate
account.
REASON FOR ACCOUNT: pay taxes, (2)
suppliers’ bills,
wages.
NAME OF CUSTOMER: (3) Jon Krasinski (or
John Krasinski)
BUSINESS DETAILS
TYPE OF BUSINESS: (4) paper supply (or
paper supply company)
BUSINESS NAME: Sabre
BUSINESS TELEPHONE: (5) 0 2 0 5 5 4 9 3 9 5
Managing
the business as a (6) sole trader
Business registered last Friday.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
BUSINESS REGISTRATION
PAPERS:
- will arrive in (7) a
few days
TYPES OF
IDENTIFICATION: necessary to confirm
identification of business owner
- (8) driver’s license,
- passport
DATE OF NEXT
APPOINTMENT: (9) 27
March (or 27th
of March or March 27 or
March 27th)
TAX ALLOWANCES
Begin after a
bank account has been set up
Applies to income less than (10) £75,000
End after (11)3 years
Amount paid after allowance: 15%
