IELTS Listening Tips | Top 10 Useful Tips For IELTS Listening Exam Success

About these IELTS Listening Tips:These listening tips are designed to help IELTSstudents get a better understanding of theIELTS listening exam. This guide includesuseful tips that are essential for IELTS listeningexam success.

1. Learn to concentrate for 45 minutes

During the listening exam students need to focus and concentrate
for up to 45 minutes. For many students, this is difficult to do
because they are not used to concentrating for so long.
When you do practice listening tests make sure you do tasks that
take up to 45 minutes so that you improve your ability to focus for
long periods of time.

2. Improve your active vocabulary

All parts of the IELTS exam test the vocabulary levels of students
and the listening exam is no exception. Increase your chances of
getting answers correct by having a wide range of vocabulary.
Knowing the meaning of a word is not good enough for IELTS,
you need to know the different forms of the word as well as the
correct spelling. Find useful IELTS vocabulary from practice IELTS reading exams.

3. Identify keywords in the questions

It is possible to know what you need to listen for before you
actually listen. Use words in the questions to know what type of
word the answer will be.
You should also use keywords to follow along with the audio.
When there are names or numbers given in the question then
when you hear those things you know you should get ready to
hear the answer to that particular question.

4. Have fun with your preparation

Try to enjoy the experience of preparing for the
IELTS exam. If you are always serious and
stressed out you are less likely to find time to
study.
Try to make the experience enjoyable by
studying with friends and including study games
as part of your preparation.

5. Practice under real exam conditions

Many students do practice tests at home or in class and perform

quite well compared with when they do the real IELTS exam. The
reason for this is usually down to how they feel during the exam.
It is advisable to practice under real exam conditions so that you
get used to the strict exam environment. Do practice tests with
other students, without distractions, with real time limits and with
answer sheets.

6. Develop a clear step by step strategy

Entering the exam room can be a very stressful experience for

some students. If you go into the room and you know exactly
what to do you are more likely to be relaxed and make less
mistakes.
Knowing what you will do when you get the question booklet and
when you will transfer your answers, will help you manage your
stress levels and your time.

7. Learn from your common mistakes

In order to improve your listening test scores, you need to know
what you are doing well and what you are not doing so well.
Whenever you do practice listening tasks always try to identify
the type of mistakes that you make.
Common error types in the listening exam include spelling or
grammar errors, poor transferring skills and the inability to follow
along with the audio.

8. Practice transferring your answers

It is quite common for students to do practice

listening tests without transferring answers to an answer sheet.
Managing your time when you transfer and checking for errors as you transfer are two skills that you need to practice before exam day.

9. Read and listen at the same time

It is common for students to understand more when they read

than when they listen. By reading and listening at the same time
you can increase your listening comprehension.
Use audio tracks and tape scripts to read as you listen. Most of
the articles on TheIELTSCoach website also have audio tracks that
you can listen to.

10.Never give up on your goal

A lot of students fail to get the IELTS score they desire simply

because they stop trying. Yes, the IELTS exam will be difficult but
if you keep trying you will eventually get the score you need.
It is important to stay motivated on your goal and remember what
it will feel like once you achieve your target score. Think of what
you will be able to do once you have the IELTS band score that
you are striving for. Never give up!