IELTS Listening

Listen up! It's time to study for the first part of the IELTS exam

To start preparing for the IELTS test it's important to start at the beginning, so you can feel confident throughout the exam. Let's take a look at what the Listening is made up of.

• 1st) The listening portion of the IELTS lasts for 40 minutes in total. 30 minutes to listen, and 10 minutes to write your answers on the answer paper.

• 2nd) Each audio is only played one time. It is essential that you focus 100% while the conversations are playing. Unlike in a classroom, there are no 2nd or 3rd listenings during the IELTS!

• 3rd) The conversations will get progressively more difficult. This means that the first listening is the easiest, and the last one will likely be the most challenging.

• 4th) There are four different sections you will listen to, each with a different type of conversation. The 1st section will have 2-speakers discussing everyday situations and familiar topics. The 2nd section will have 1-speaker talking about a similar, everyday topic. The 3rd section can be between 2-4 speakers talking about training or an academic situation. E.g., a tutor explaining something to a student. The 4th section will also be academic, but only have 1-speaker giving a university lecture on a scientific topic.

To improve your band score and become familiar with the listening exercises, check out these videos from E2 Languages and IELTS Liz.