IELTS Listening: Free Practice, Tips & Techniques

IELTS listening practice with essential tips and techniques to maximise your score. You must do more than simply practice IELTS listening, you must analyse your answers, develop awareness of question types and also build techniques. Develop your IELTS listening skills with these structured practice lessons that are designed to help you gain insight into IELTS listening and into your own areas of concern. This page has everything you need to do well in your test.

On this page, you will find:

• IELTS Listening Test Information
• Practice Materials for IELTS Listening with Essential Tips Included
• Essential Tips for IELTS Listening

IELTS Listening Test Information

There is only one listening test for all IELTS candidates. That means Academic and GT candidates will take the same listening test with the same scoring.

1. The IELTS listening test lasts for a total of 40 mins. The recording lasts for 30 mins.

2. Transfer/Checking Time. After the recording has ended, you will be given extra time to either transfer or check your answers:

   • Paper-based test = you will write your answers on the question paper. At the end of the recording, you will have 10 mins to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet. Only the answer sheet will be marked. At the end of those 10 mins, you will not be able to write one more word or letter.

   • Computer-based test = you will enter your answers directly into the computer during the test. At the end of the recording, you will have only 2 mins to check your answers. At the end of those 2 mins, your computer screen will lock preventing you from writing one more word or letter.

   • Note: The transfer/checking time is the only difference between taking the listening test on computer or on paper. It is the same test regardless of how you write/type your answers.

3. There will be 40 questions with one point for each correct answer. The total number of points is 40.

4. Check how many points you need for the band score you require. Click here: Band Scores Explained

5. You will have time to read the questions before the recording starts. However, this will require speed reading to spot the keywords in the question.

6. You can only listen to the recording once. You can’t pause the recording.

7. You will hear a variety of accents.

8. The listening test is about multi-tasking – you have to listen, read the questions and write the answers all at the same time. This is a skill you can practice and improve.

9. The biggest challenges: 1) concentration 2) losing your place in the recording 3) writing the wrong number of words for your answer 4) not spotting paraphrases 5) getting distracted by detail

10. There are many different question types and you must practice them all. You need to be familiar with and develop strategies for each type of question. This is essential even for people who have native level English.

IELTS Listening Question Types

You can find samples of these question types in my practice lessons below.

• Sentence Completion
• Summary Completion
• Form Completion
• Note Completion

• Multiple Choice
• Short Answer Questions

• Table Completion
• Diagram Labelling
• Map/Plan Completion
• Flow Chart Completion

Sections of the IELTS Listening Test

There are four parts to the listening test and each section will have 10 questions. Sections 1 and 2 are based on social situations and Sections 3 and 4 are based on educations/training and lectures.

For more information about each section, click here: IELTS LISTENING TEST SECTIONS

IELTS Listening Practice Lessons

The practice lessons for IELTS Listening below will help you develop the skills needed for IELTS listening. I have highlighted the pages that contain both practice and crucial tips and advice. The lessons vary in difficulty to reflect the real levels that appear in each section of the IELTS Listening Test. Make sure you spend time analysing your answers and techniques as well as reviewing paraphrasing and transcripts – it’s the only way to develop! I hope you enjoy the learning curve!