In this series Greg Archer, the author of Mindset for IELTS, provides bite-size support for teachers new to preparing students for IELTS. In his fifth instalment, Greg looks at the Listening test.
What is the format of the Listening test?
The Listening test has 4 parts. Part 1 is a conversation between two speakers in an everyday social context. Part 2 is a monologue, again in an everyday social context. Part 3 involves a discussion with up to four people in an educational or training context. Part 4 is a lecture by one speaker. Part four is the most demanding as there’s no break to allow students to read through the questions.
- Listening Part 1
Greg says that this is the easiest part of the test, and for lower-level students, it’s where they can score well, as it tests basic skills such a taking down a telephone number. However, even though this is the easiest section, higher-level students still need to stay focused – or risk losing marks!
- Listening Part 2
Part 2 tests students’ ability to listen to slightly more extended speech. It’s also designed to test close listening skills, so make students aware that the answer may be paraphrased or have to be selected from distractors.
- Listening Part 3
Greg says understanding how dialogues work and develop is key to doing well in this section, so focus on areas of speech such as how people agree or disagree. The answers to questions will appear in the audio in the same order as the questions on the paper, so Greg’s advice if students don’t get the answer to a question is to just move on.
- Listening Part 4
This is a test of listening over long periods, and students need to be aware that during some parts of the recording, the speaker may not talk about subjects relevant to the answers. This is a challenging section of the test, and students need to be able to predict how the answers they are seeking might be paraphrased in the recording.
What other tips can I give my students?
Check your answers
The gap between sections is for students to check their answers, so they MUST read back what they’ve written and not rush on to the next section.
Transfer your answers carefully
Help students practise transferring their answers so they don’t rush and makes mistakes on test day. Students need to write clearly and IN CAPITALS and use the correct spelling – a correct word that’s spelled wrong will not receive a mark!
Read the questions carefully
Make sure students read the questions carefully to see what kind of answer they need to produce – and in which format. Otherwise they can lose marks needlessly. Greg’s top tip? Focus on the stressed parts of speech (as this is where the answers are most usually given) and learn to paraphrase in your head whilst listening.
For more tips and information on the Listening test, watch Greg’s full video below:
In the next instalment, Greg will share a series of tips for the IELTS classroom. In the meantime, check out Greg’s last post on the IELTS Speaking Test.