How To Prepare For IELTS - Listening Section

Improve Listening Skills - A common error which candidates often commit while preparing for the section is that they jump onto IELTS listening practice tests directly. One should remember that if one’s conceptual base or basic listening skills are weak, one would never get a firm grip over the section, irrespective of the number of mock tests attempted. Therefore, it is advised that candidates practice listening exercises and listen to audio or listening materials like radio reports, documentaries, TV shows, and programs and then move on to IELTS listening practice papers. 

Practicing Mock Tests - One cannot put enough emphasis on the importance of attempting complete and sectional mock and practice tests. Candidates are advised to practice online IELTS listening practice tests on a regular basis once they are done with their basic preparation so that they do not only get to practice different types of questions with varying difficulty levels but also habituate themselves to the pattern of the exam.

Devising Strategies as per Mock Test Performance - As candidates practice mock tests, they will also be able to assess their overall performance in the section on the basis of the score obtained. It is advised that candidates analyze their performance and take corrective measures to improve. If one’s score in the section comes below 7, one could consider joining a coaching center or getting help from seniors.

Furthermore, while practicing the IELTS listening test papers, candidates will come across questions or segments which take them longer to solve or understand. The best way is to devote more time to such areas by practicing more and trying to achieve better conceptual clarity. Additionally, they may also keep a track of how long they usually take to solve such questions and then come up with proper time management strategies to be able to address those questions well within time while also not compromising on others.

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Offline Resources - 

• The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS by Cambridge University Press
• Official IELTS Practice Materials by Cambridge ESOL
• British Council for IELTS
• Barron's IELTS Practice Exams by Lin Lougheed

Read the Instructions and Questions Carefully

The most important task you need to do before the recording starts is to read the instructions and questions carefully. Instructions are important because they tell you how to answer the questions. For example: 
If a question says, “Write no more than one word and/or a number for each answer.”
According to the instruction, you need to know that you should write just one word/number for each blank. Always remember that even the articles like “a”/ “an”/ “the” count as words.
As reading the questions while listening will divert your attention from the listening material, it is better to read them while the speaker is reading the example question.

Use Your Prior Knowledge During the Test

Use your prior knowledge from your own understanding and life experience to predict the words. Most situations in IELTS listening test are familiar to the students and are related to the events of everyday life. 

Write your Answers on the Test Paper First

For the IELTS paper-based test, it is advised to jot down the answers on the test paper first and then transfer them to the answer sheet while listening to the recordings. You will be distracted if you write the answers directly on the answer sheet because you will have to take care of other important things too such as handwriting and spelling. Also, you will be given another 10 minutes to write your answer sheet at the end of the listening section which you can utilize to write your responses on the answer sheet.

Check your Spellings and Grammar 

Before submitting your answer sheet to the invigilator, do not forget to check your spelling and grammar, especially of the plural and past forms of nouns and verbs, etc. Despite knowing these rules, candidates still commit silly errors in the test. Therefore, one should take extra care of even these minor things which play a major role in one’s score.

Focus on Listening for Answers 

The listening materials contain a lot of information to confuse the test-takers. Candidates should be only focusing on listening for answers and filtering out all the irrelevant information instead of trying to understand everything.