Workshop Ielts Tips

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IELTS listening 10 tips

1. Read before you listen predict the answer

One difficulty in the exam is that you are not just listening,but reading the question and writing the answer all at thesame time. One simple tip is to read the questions before youlisten so that you know what you are listening for. It is adifficult skill to master, but it can sometimes help to try andpredict the type of answer you are looking for: is it a name for

instance or a number?

2. Read as you listen focus on the wholequestionA huge proportion of mistakes are made not because youhavent listened well, but because you you do not focus onthe question. As you are listening focus on the precisewording of the question. See this video tutorial for more onthis.


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3. Look at 2 questions at onceOne difficulty is that the answers to 2 questions often comequickly one after the other. Can you get both answers?Maybe, maybe not: but the only way you can is if you areready for the next question.Id add that its no problem getting one question wrong, thereal problem is if you lose track of where you are in thelistening and you are still listening for question 13 when thecassette has moved onto question 15.

4. Dont leave the writing to the endSometimes candidates leave the writing part to the end,thinking that they will remember what they heard. In myexperience, this almost never works: theres a lot of

information, youre under stress and, most importantly, aftereach listening you should be moving onto the next set ofquestions to read them.


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5. Practice your shorthandYou do not have to write everything that you down: you have10 minutes at the end to copy your answers onto the answer

sheet. So what you need to do is to learn how to write downenough for you to recognise as you are listening so that youcan write it out in full later. The one exception to this is in part1 with numbers and names where you have to writeeverything out in full as you are listening that is thechallenge.

Dont write the answer too quickly6.

Sometimes you hear what you think is the answer, but thespeaker goes on to correct themselves or give slightlydifferent information:

So Ill see you on Wednesday afternoonSorry, Im busy then. How about Thursday evening?Fine, Thursday at 7 0clock


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7.Numbers and names check your spellingIn part 1, you are almost invariably required to spell names and/or writedown numbers. This looks easy, but in my experience can often go wrong

and the problem is that if you get any spelling wrong, you lose the mark Ofcourse you know the alphabet, but some letters can cause problems evenfor advanced learners, in particular:

J & G Y A & E & IMy tip is to make an association that you can remember: these are mine,but I suggest you make your own:

J is for Jesus, but G is for GodHow do you spell why? W-H-Y

A is for appleE is for elephant

I is for I

8. Dont leave any blank answersThere are 2 reasons for this. Firstly, your guess may well becorrect, particularly if it is a multiple choice style question.Secondly, there is a danger if you leave a blank that you writethe answers in the wrong boxes on the answer sheet and thatcan be a disaster.


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9. Listen for repeated informationThis doesnt always work, but sometimes the words that arethe answer are repeated: if you need to make a guess choose

the words you hear repeated, they could well the be answer.

10. Look for clues in the questionA frequent question type is completing a table; in this type of

question you will often find clues to the answer by looking atthe other information in the table. In particular, look at theheadings of the rows and columns: if, for example, the headingsays equipment and some of the completed boxes saypaperclips and cardboard you have a good clue as to what

you should be listening for.


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Listening test advice

Follow this Listening test advice, and make sure youunderstand how to respond to 'completion' type questions.

You will be given time to read through the questions beforeyou listen. You will hear each recording of the Listening testonly once.

As you listen, write your answers on the question paper. Atthe end of the test, you will have 10 minutes to transfer youranswers to the answer sheet in pencil. You may write youranswers in lower case or capital letters.

It is essential that you transfer your answers to the answersheet. Nothing you write on the question paper will bemarked.


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Make the most of your Listening test:

if you cannot hear the audio clearly,let a member of staff know

straightaway

follow the instructions carefully; theymay be different to practice orprevious tests

listen for the specific information you want

try and anticipatewhat the speaker willsay; this will requireconcentration

do not worry if there is a word you donot understand; you may not need to

use it

if you do not know theanswer to a question,attempt it but do not

waste time; move quicklyonto the next one

be careful with your spelling and grammarcheck your answers


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do not panic if you think the topic is too difficultor the speaker is too fast; relax and tune in

read, write and listen at the same time

focus precisely on what you areasked to do in completion typequestions

pay attention to the word limit; forexample, if you are asked tocomplete a sentence using no morethan two words, if the correct answer

is leather coat, the answer coatmade of leather would be incorrect

if the question asks you to complete the note in the and thecorrect answer is morning, note that in the morning would be

incorrect; the correct answer is 'morning'

attempt all questions;there are no penaltiesfor incorrect answers


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IELTS speaking 10 top tips1. In the exam listen to and answer the questionThe best advice for IELTS speaking is very simply to listen to the

question and answer it. The reason for this is that it is the onetime you are face to face with the examiner and nerves are asigificant problem. If you are trying to remember complex advice,you are likely to become more nervous and not perform to yourbest. Keep it simple.One example here is in part 1. If you hear a question in the past

tense:Eg What sports did you play as a child?A good answer will use the past tense the examiner will belistening for this.

2. Before the exam practiceFollowing on from the previous advice, you need to practicebefore the exam to make sure that the appropriate skills areautomatic. This will only happen if you practice sufficiently.However, you also need to practise the right skills each partof the speaking paper tests a different skill.


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3. Immediately before the exam speak EnglishThe problem for many people is not speaking English, rather itis moving from their own language into English. The advicehere is plain: make certain that you are already speaking

English before you go into the exam.

4. Key advice extend your answer appropriatelyIf there is one key piece of advice, it is to extend your answerappropriately.

For example, this is inappropriate:

Question: How many languages do you speak?Answer: Two. Chinese and English.

Better would be:Answer: I speak two languages. My first language is Chineseand I speak English too. Ive been learning English since I was10. I started learning it when I was in primary school.

Be aware, however, that very long answers are not always agood idea. It is possible that you will go off topic and losecoherence.


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5. Make eye contactA large part of communication is non-verbal. You are markedby the examiner in the room and you should do everything

you can to show that person that you are a goodcommunicator. If you do not make eye contact with theexaminer, s/he is probably going to be less impressed withyour performance.

6. Do not learn answers

One temptation is to learn answers before the exam. Do not.The examiner will notice and your score will be badlyaffected.

7. If you dont understand the question askThis is a speaking test and not a listening test. If you dont

understand the question, ask the examiner to repeat orexplain it you should not be penalised for this. If you try toanswer a question you do not understand, you will almostcertainly become incoherent.


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8. Give yourself time to think repeat/reformulate the questionIn parts 1 and 3 you are not given any thinking time: you are

supposed to start speaking immediately. This does not mean,however, that you need to start answering the question straight away.What you can do is start by repeating/reformulating or commentingon the question:What did I enjoy doing as a child? Let me seeThats not something Ive thought about before. Its an interestingquestion.

This has several benefits. It is good communication. It allows you alittle time to think. It should also make you answer the question andnot the general topic.

9. Correct yourself if you can do it immediatelyIf you make a mistake and you can correct it immediately, doso. This will show the examiner that you have control over the

language. If, however, you are unsure how to correct yourself,move on: the examiner may not have noticed the mistake inthe first place and if you try unsuccessfully to correct it, asmall mistake may become a much bigger one.


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10. Do not relax too much its not a conversationThis is an exam and you need to show the best side of yourspoken English. If you relax too much and become tooconversational, your English may suffer. You need to recognisethat this is not a true dialogue between two people: it is more of

an interview with one person speaking and the other listening.In a conversation the speaking conventions are quite different:you expect the other person to share 50% of the talk time and toreact to your comments, typically one person will not speak forany length of time.


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Speaking test advice

Follow this Speaking test advice and try to talk fluently.

The Speaking test is a face-to-face conversation with acertified examiner. It is as close to a real-life situationas a test can get.

The examiner will ask you about familiar topics such ashome, work or studies in part 1. This should help youfeel comfortable when speaking. Try and relax so thatyou can speak as naturally as possible.

Take time before the test to practise speaking with apartner, friend or teacher.


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the examiners questions tend to befairly predictable; practise at homeand record yourself

Make the most of your Speaking test:

try to talk as much as you can

talk as fluently as possible and bespontaneous

relax, be confident and enjoyusing your English

develop your answers

speak more than the examiner

ask for clarification if necessary

do not learn prepared answers; theexaminer is trained to spot this andwill change the question

express youropinions; youwill be assessedon your ability tocommunicate


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Workshop Ielts Tips