12 Tips for Effective IELTS Listening to Achieve High Score

If you are preparing for the IELTS exam and want to improve your Listening score, the following tips will help you achieve a high band score effectively. In this article, ETEST English for Study Abroad will share 12 practical strategies to help you optimize your listening skills, from understanding question types to practicing with quality listening exercises. Apply these IELTS Listening Tips This will help you feel more confident when taking the test and get closer to your desired band score.

Focus on improving Listening skills

The purpose of the IELTS Listening test is to assess the candidate's listening comprehension ability. However, if you only focus on practicing sample tests, you will not have enough knowledge to improve your listening ability.

In spite of IELTS listening practice materials will help you get acquainted with IELTS test structure but you will improve better when combined with listening from many different sources. When you approach many diverse listening sources, you will be more confident when doing IELTS Listening.

Expand vocabulary on popular topics

In Part 3 IELTS Listening you will encounter topics related to the field of education.

For example, a conversation between a student and a teacher about homework. To prepare well for this part, you need to master vocabulary related to school and homework. Once you are familiar with these vocabulary topics, you can easily grasp the content and confidently answer questions in your exam.

Pay attention to the types of words in the sentence 

Before you begin, read the question carefully and decide what type of word you need to fill in the blank. You need to decide if it is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. If it is a noun, write 'N', if it is a verb, write 'V' and so on for the other types of words. This way, you will be able to focus on finding the right type of word as you go through the test.

Understand the context and characters in the listening

As soon as you start listening, pay attention to the context and characters to grasp the main content.

Often you will hear a quote like: “Now, you will hear a dialogue between…” or “You will hear a lecture on…”. These details do not appear in the question or prompt, so it is important to remember information such as the names of the characters or what topic is being discussed or where you are.

Grasping this information from the beginning will help you easily follow the developments and understand the content of the entire listening. Additionally, pay attention to the relationships between the characters, as these details also contribute to deciding the correct answer.

Maintain concentration throughout listening

In the IELTS Listening test, you only have one chance to listen, so don't worry too much if you miss a few words or can't find the answers to some questions. Instead of pausing for too long, skip the unanswered questions and focus on the next listening section.

You will have time at the end of the session to go back and think about any questions you missed. Focusing too much on one question can cause you to miss other important information. The important thing is to stay calm, follow the flow of the listening and allocate your time wisely between reading, writing and listening at the same time.

Don't rush to write an answer when you are not sure.

Conjunctions, also known as directive words, play an important role in Writing, helping to connect sentences and clauses together, making writing more coherent and fluent.

You should focus on listening for conjunctions like “however”, “but”, “then”, “finally” in the Listening section to be able to predict more easily the next ideas that the speaker will present.

Recognizing and understanding the function of these words will help you follow the listening passage more effectively. At the same time, applying this technique will also help you prepare better for both the Writing and Listening sections.

Note the linking words (Word Indicators) 

Many candidates make the mistake of immediately assuming that the key information in the recording is the correct answer when they hear it. However, the information may be revised or clarified in the next part of the recording.

It is important to pay attention to corrections and confirmations throughout the listening passage to ensure that you choose the correct answer. Do not rush to write down the answer as soon as you hear the first piece of information, but wait until all the information has been provided and clarified.

Check your answers again

After completing each listening section in the IELTS Listening test, you will have 30 seconds to check your answers. During this time, pay attention to your spelling, the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns, and the word form you used.

This is an opportunity to make sure that all answers are mathematically correct. IELTS grammar and spelling. Only correct and correctly written answers will be scored, so it is important to check carefully during this time.

Write your answers correctly on the exam paper.

The IELTS Listening test lasts 30 minutes and if you are taking the test on paper, you will have an additional 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. One thing to note is that many candidates often confuse the question numbers. When transferring your answers, make sure you have filled in the correct number for each answer.

Make sure you don't miss any answers

When taking the IELTS Listening test, don't worry about losing points if you answer incorrectly. Instead, if you are unsure of an answer, fill in the blank instead of skipping it.

Try to predict the answer by rereading the question and looking for information that might help you. This will not only help you avoid missing out on points, but will also increase your chances of scoring points on questions you are not completely sure about.

Learn vocabulary regularly

Capital IELTS vocabulary plays an important role in helping you understand the content of the IELTS Listening test. Your ability to listen and understand the recording depends largely on how well you have mastered the vocabulary.

When you know a lot of vocabulary, you will easily recognize and understand the meaning of the information being said in the test. Therefore, constantly cultivating and expanding your vocabulary will help you significantly improve your listening skills.

Practice writing, listening, reading at the same time

Many candidates lose marks in Listening because they only have one opportunity to listen, and have to listen, read and write at the same time. It is important to focus on the main words and ideas that are mentioned repeatedly in the conversation.

These keywords and core information are often the key to help you find the right answer. Pay attention to the words that appear repeatedly to grasp the main meaning of the listening passage and answer more accurately.

Frequently asked questions about IELTS Listening tips

How to improve listening skills in IELTS?

To improve your listening skills in IELTS, you need to pay attention to the following issues:

• IELTS Listening Practice Regular exposure to different sources such as podcasts, movies, news, English speeches, etc. will help you get used to different accents and expressions.
• Always expand your vocabulary to understand the content of the listening. Especially synonyms, words indicating time or place.
• You do more IELTS Listening test to get familiar with the test structure and improve your listening skills.

Which part should I focus on when doing the Listening test to get a high score?

If you want to do IELTS Listening to get a high score you need:

• Focus on key words in the question to be able to identify the information that appears in the listening.
• Note the conjunctions like but, however, finally to help you predict what comes next.
• You should not stop at one question for too long and be uncertain because the information may be repeated.

How should I take the Listening test to manage my time effectively?

To manage time effectively in the Listening test you need to:

• Practice listening and answering questions within a certain time limit of the test to practice quick reaction ability.
• If you miss a section, continue listening to the next section and answer the other questions. Then, go back to the missed sentence to complete it.
• Once you have finished a listening section, use the remaining time to check that your answers match the order of the questions.

Above are the Tips for effective IELTS Listening that you can refer to to achieve high scores in your exam. If you are in the process of preparing for the IELTS exam, please contact ETEST Study Abroad English immediately for the fastest support and advice.

Every IELTS student wants to have effective IELTS learning method Therefore, ETEST Study Abroad English has been providing IELTS Course, group classes IELTS 1 on 1, classes IELTS crash course designed with a personalized roadmap. This helps you master the exam structure and develop important skills.

Please contact ETEST Study Abroad English immediately for detailed advice and to receive a study path that is suitable for you.