Listening moves between everyday and study-related situations. A conversation about a visit requires you to distinguish a final booking from an earlier…
English narration · English + 中文 subtitles burned in
2.1
The four parts, and what changes between them
Listening is 40 questions in about 30 minutes, and the recording is played once only. The
four parts get harder in a predictable way, so know which one you are in.
Part
Voices
Situation
What makes it hard
1
two, in conversation
everyday: booking, enrolling, enquiring
names and numbers spelled out
2
one speaker
everyday: a talk, a tour, an announcement
a lot of detail in one voice
3
two to four, in discussion
study: students and a tutor
speakers disagree and change their minds
4
one speaker
academic: a lecture
long stretches with no pause, and abstract vocabulary
The register 语域 moves from everyday to academic across the four parts, and the
vocabulary follows it.
Parts 1 and 2 are usually the most accessible marks. A candidate aiming high cannot afford to
give many of them away, because Parts 3 and 4 are harder to bank.
Part 3 is where a distractor 干扰项 does most damage, because one speaker says something,
another corrects it, and the answer is the correction.
Part 4 has no second speaker to signal a change of topic, so the signposting 路标词 in the
language is all you get: firstly, turning now to, the key point here.
You are given time to read each section's questions before it plays. This preparation time 审题时间 is part of the test, not a courtesy. Use every second
of it: it is the only time in the test when you can think before you hear.
Predict the word class 词性. The tour leaves at ______ needs a time. Bring a ______
needs a noun. The museum is ______ on Mondays needs an adjective. Knowing what kind of word
you are waiting for is most of the work.
Underline the word limit in the instruction. NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER means
a three-word answer is wrong even if it is true. This rule is enforced exactly.
Underline the words that cannot change. A name, a number or a date will be said as it is
written. Everything else will be paraphrased 同义改写 — the recording almost never uses the
question's own words, and a candidate listening for them hears nothing.
Move your eye to the next question as soon as you have written an answer. The recording does
not wait, and dwelling on one lost question can cost you the next one too.
Understanding comes first: you cannot spell an answer you did not catch. But these are where
answers you did understand still get marked wrong, and every one of them is avoidable.
Spelling must be correct. A correct answer spelled wrong scores zero. British and American
spellings are both accepted (organise / organize, centre / center).
Plurals are marked strictly. If the recording says two tickets, then ticket is wrong.
Listen for the final -s; Mandarin has no final consonant there, so it is easy to miss.
Copy the grammar of the gap. If the sentence reads the museum has three ______, the
answer must be plural whether you heard the -s or not.
Numbers: thirteen and thirty are the classic pair — the stress moves to the second
syllable in thirteen. Dates may be written 21 March or March 21; both are accepted.
Letters: names are spelled out at normal speed. Practise the pairs Chinese candidates
confuse — G and J, M and N, S and F, and the vowel letters E, I and A.
Write the answer exactly as you hear it. Do not "improve" it into a full sentence.
Worked example: a form, from prediction to answer
The form, with the instruction Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer:
Customer name: Anna 1 ______ Date of move: 2 ______ July Number of boxes needed: 3 ______
Before the audio. 1 a family name, spelled out letter by letter; 2 a number of a day; 3 a number. One word or one number each.
The recording (an invented script):
"And your surname? — It's Greaves: G-R-E-A-V-E-S. — And you're moving on the thirtieth? — No, the thirteenth: the thirtieth is a Sunday. — Right, the thirteenth. How many boxes? — Well, I thought twenty, but my sister says it'll need at least twenty-five."
Answers. 1 Greaves — copied letter by letter; Graves scores zero. 2 13 — the first date was corrected, and thirTEEN has its stress at the end. 3 25 — I thought twenty, but… signals the change; the final figure is the answer.
2.4
Map, plan and diagram labelling
Before it starts, find north and fix your orientation. The speaker will describe the route
as somebody walking it.
Learn the small set of position words and use them actively: opposite, adjacent to, at the
far end of, on your left as you come in, beyond, between … and …, a short way past.
The speaker moves in order, so the labels come in order too. If you lose one, skip to the next
landmark rather than re-reading the map.
On a diagram of a machine or a process, the description almost always runs in the direction the
material moves.
Worked example. Look at the plan for ten seconds before you read the script: north is up, and
you walk in from the south.
Find north and the entrance first; the example room shows how answers are written
As you come in through the main entrance, the café is on your left. You'll smell it before you
see it. The ticket office is opposite the café, on your right. Walk straight ahead, across the
corridor, and the cinema is the room in front of you. The lockers are in the corner to the left of the
cinema, and the toilets are beyond the ticket office, in the back corner on the right.
Answers. 1 B (opposite the café) · 2 D (straight ahead, across the corridor) · 3 C (in
the corner to the left of the cinema) · 4 E (beyond the ticket office). Each answer came
from one position phrase, and the phrases came in the order you walked.
2.5
Matching and multiple choice
Expect more than one option to be mentioned. In Parts 3 and 4 the recording often names two
or even all three options, but only one fits the question once everything has been said. Do not
tick the first option you hear; wait for the speakers to finish: I thought about doing the
survey first, but actually the reading has to come first.
Listen for the correction signals: actually, in fact, although, I'd say rather,
on second thoughts, mind you. They show that an earlier idea is being changed or limited, so
check what the speaker finally commits to — sometimes that is the corrected idea, sometimes the
original one survives.
A synonym 同义词 in the recording is the normal case, not the exception.
In a matching task, read all the options first and group the ones that mean nearly the same
thing — those are the pair the item is testing.
An option that simply echoes a word you heard is not automatically right. Options are usually
paraphrased, so match the meaning, not the sound.
Worked example.Which part of the project will the students do first? A the survey B the reading C the interviews
"Shall we start with the survey? — We could, but we need the reading first to know what questions to ask. — Fair enough. And the interviews come last, after the survey."
All three options are mentioned. The survey is suggested first, then pushed back by but we need the reading first, and the other speaker agrees (fair enough). The answer is B. The option you heard first is the one the item is testing you on.
Never stop to fix a missed answer. You will lose the next one too. Leave it blank, keep up,
and come back in the checking time.
Guess every blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so an empty space is a mark you
have chosen to give away.
On paper, use the 10 minutes of transfer time to check spellings and plurals, not to
re-think answers. On computer you have 2 minutes and the same advice.
Practise with the recording played once, with no pause and no rewind. Practising any other
way trains a skill the test does not measure.
distractor: A wrong option or a heard detail that looks tempting.
signposting: Words that show where a talk is going, such as next or however.
paraphrase: The same meaning written in different words.
preparation time: The seconds before a recording plays in which you read its questions.
You hear three possible days for a visit. Which one is the answer?
The answer depends on the actual question and the speaker's meaning.
The first day mentioned might be accepted, rejected or simply compared with another day.
A word such as actually can help you follow a change. It cannot choose the answer alone.
These additional notes keep the original Listening handout beside new worked practice.
The passages, places and people below are invented classroom examples. They are not official IELTS questions.
Read the question before using the passage. In listening practice, let a teacher read each passage once.
Keep the passage hidden until you check your answers. Reading it yourself practises analysis, not listening.
The official format includes four parts and 40 questions. Recordings are heard once, with different accents.
Everyday situations come before study-related material. Question order follows information order in the recording.
That does not mean a map route must always travel clockwise or from north to south.
Prepare for the booked delivery. The separate overview update explains why old paper-transfer descriptions need checking.
Prepare the answer before the recording starts
Read the instruction, the question and any answer choices.
A word limit 字数限制 controls the permitted answer length. A correct idea can still exceed that limit.
Check whether you need one letter, two letters, words, numbers or a combination.
Do not write a whole sentence when the task asks for a short answer.
For a gap, predict a possible answer type. This is preparation, not an answer you may invent.
Gap
Likely answer type
The visit starts at ___
Time
Bring two ___
Plural noun
The entrance is beside the ___
Place or object
The speaker chose it because it was ___
Description
Use meaning and grammar together. A place can contain more than one word.
Words such as two can help you notice a plural, but the recording must support the answer.
Follow the next question when one answer is missed. Return to it in the available checking time.
Do not let a long search for one lost answer prevent you hearing three new ones.
Complete a form with names, dates and corrected facts
For this invented booking form, use no more than two words and/or a number for each answer.
Family name: ___
Visit day: ___
Group size: ___
Item to bring: ___
Classroom passage.
“Good morning. I am booking the school garden visit. My family name is Vale: V-A-L-E.
I first asked about Tuesday, but our bus is available on Thursday, so please book Thursday.
There are 18 students. Two teachers will come too, making 20 people in all.
Every student should bring a water bottle. We provide gloves at the garden.”
Worked answers.
Vale. Use the spelled family name, not an invented spelling.
Thursday. Tuesday was the earlier request. The final booking is Thursday.
20. The question asks for the group, including the two teachers.
water bottle. This is the required item. A water bottle has three words and exceeds this task's limit.
If the question instead asked for the number of students, its answer would be 18.
The same recording can support different answers to different questions.
A correction is useful evidence only when it concerns the detail the question asks about.
Complete notes, a table and a sequence
A note or table has fewer words than the recording. Find which detail each gap needs.
The heading and row labels can help you separate time, place, purpose and equipment.
For these gaps, use no more than two words and/or a number for each answer.
Workshop information
Answer
Starting time
1 ___
Room
2 ___
Equipment provided
3 ___
Classroom passage.
“The recording workshop begins at 9:30 in Room 4. We supply headphones, so leave yours at home.
First, choose a short text. Next, record it in a quiet room. Then replay the recording.
Finally, write one note about a word that needs clearer pronunciation.”
The table answers are 9:30, 4 and headphones.
The room number belongs in the row that already says Room.
Do not replace the provided equipment with a different item that seems useful.
The same passage supports this teaching sequence:
Choose a short text → record it → replay it → write a note.
For a flow-chart gap between record it and write a note, replay it is the supported step.
A flow chart 流程图 shows order. It does not give permission to add a step absent from the recording.
The words first, next, then and finally organise this passage.
Other passages may show order without using exactly these words.
Complete a sentence and answer a short question
For these invented tasks, use no more than two words for each answer.
The museum's display cases must stay away from ___ .
Why was the new room chosen?
Classroom passage.
“Direct sunlight can damage some objects, so we place the display cases away from it.
The old room was large, but visitors found it noisy. The new room was chosen for its quiet location.”
The first answer is direct sunlight. It names the thing from which the cases must stay away.
The second answer is quiet location. It gives the stated reason, within the two-word limit.
Writing because it is quiet would exceed the limit and change the required answer form.
A sentence-completion answer must fit the gap's meaning and grammar.
A short-answer task asks you to supply the requested information directly.
Use the recording's words when the task requires words from the recording.
Do not replace a supported phrase with an attractive synonym 同义词 of your own.
Some questions require more than one answer. Read how many are requested and where to enter them.
Count words in the completed answer, not in the surrounding printed sentence.
Official instructions treat a hyphenated word such as check-in as one word.
This is a word-count rule, not a reason to join separate words with invented hyphens.
Choose one answer or the requested number of answers
A distractor 干扰项 is an option that may seem suitable but is not supported for this question.
An option can be mentioned without being accepted. It can also be accepted when mentioned first.
For the first question, choose one letter.
Why does Mei choose the morning workshop?
A. It costs less.
B. It fits her timetable.
C. Her friend attends it.
Classroom passage.
“The morning workshop costs the same as the afternoon one. My friend chose the afternoon session.
I have science class then, so the morning session is the one I can attend.”
The answer is B. Mei's timetable explains her choice.
A is rejected by costs the same. C refers to her friend's different session.
The right answer need not copy the option's exact words. Link the meaning to evidence.
For the next question, choose two letters.
Which two items are included in the workshop fee?
A. lunch
B. headphones
C. printed notes
D. a bus ticket
E. a notebook
Classroom passage.
“Headphones and printed notes are included. Bring your own notebook.
Lunch and the bus journey are paid for separately.”
The answers are B and C. Both included items have direct support.
Choosing only B leaves one requested answer missing. Adding E includes an item you must bring yourself.
This classroom answer allows B/C in either order. Follow the actual test's answer-entry instructions.
Match each item to the correct information
Matching connects each named item with an option. Keep track of whose information you are hearing.
Read whether options may be reused; do not invent a reuse rule.
For this classroom task, each option may be used once.
A. outdoor work
B. handling digital files
C. welcoming visitors
D. repairing tools
Match each student to the activity they chose:
Rui ___
Sam ___
Hana ___
Classroom passage.
“Rui considered helping at reception, but chose to organise the photo files instead.
Sam enjoys fixing things, yet this week he will work with the garden team outside.
Hana will greet people when they arrive. The tool repair role is still empty.”
The answers are 1 B, 2 A, 3 C.
Rui's choice concerns files, despite the earlier reception idea.
Sam's hobby is not his chosen role this week. Hana's greeting role matches welcoming visitors.
D is not used. An unused option is possible because there are more options than students here.
Write a small evidence note during review: photo files, garden team outside, greet people.
The note helps you explain why a match is supported. Do not write this extra note in an answer box.
Use a plan without losing your direction
A landmark 地标 is a named feature that helps you locate another place.
Before listening, find the starting point and the direction from which the person enters.
North on a plan and your left while walking are different ideas.
Start at the south entrance facing north; lettered rooms are the answer choices.
For this classroom plan, choose one room letter for each answer.
Reading room ___
Workshop ___
Office ___
Classroom passage.
“Enter from the south and walk north along the main corridor.
The reading room is the first room on your left. Continue north to the next pair of rooms.
The workshop is on your right there. The office is opposite the workshop.”
The answers are 1 A, 2 D, 3 C.
At the lower pair, your left is west, so the first room on the left is A.
At the upper pair, the right room is D. The room across the corridor from D is C.
Do not mark the room nearest the word north just because north was mentioned.
Follow the starting point, movement and relationship together.
If you miss one location, use the next named landmark and question to recover.
This plan is a classroom example, not a rule that every map uses the same route.
Label a diagram by following the described process
A diagram can show a process instead of a walking route.
Identify its arrows and the positions of the blank labels before listening.
The arrows show water moving through three stages; choose a label for each blank.
For this classroom diagram, choose one letter for each blank. Each option may be used once.
A. tank
B. screen
C. bottle
D. pump
Classroom passage.
“In this small classroom model, water first passes through a screen that holds back large pieces.
It then collects in a tank. Finally, we collect a sample in a bottle for observation.”
The answers are 1 B, 2 A, 3 C. The three described stages match the left-to-right arrows.
D is unused because no pump is named in the passage.
This is a language exercise, not a claim that this process makes water safe to drink.
Do not add a plausible machine part simply because you know it from science.
Use the spoken description and the visual together.
Review errors and practise listening honestly
Record the answer, evidence and cause of an error before choosing more practice.
Error
Next focused action
Chose an earlier rejected detail
Follow the final relevant meaning
Wrote too many words
Check the limit and practise answer form
Matched the wrong speaker
Track the person and the chosen action
Turned the wrong way on a plan
Fix start, facing direction and landmarks
Missed spelling or a plural
Review the sound and the gap's grammar
For learning, replay a difficult part after the first attempt and compare it with the transcript.
A transcript 录音文字稿 is the written record of the spoken passage.
Slow or repeated study can help you find a problem. It is different from a once-only timed attempt.
For a test-style practice attempt, use fresh audio once without pausing or reading its transcript.
Try suitable materials with different accents. Do not judge a speaker's ability from their accent.
Check whether the same error reduces on new material. A remembered answer does not prove improved listening.
Keep the raw score as a result on that practice set. Do not invent an official band from it.
The tiny passages in this supplement cannot establish readiness for a full 40-question test.
Practice and explained answers
Attempt these decisions before checking the answers. Use the earlier passages as evidence.
In the garden booking, why is 18 wrong for group size but right for number of students?
Does water bottle meet a two-word limit? Does a water bottle meet it?
In the workshop table, why should 4 be enough when the printed row already says Room?
Which step belongs after recording and before writing a note in the workshop sequence?
Explain why large room does not answer the question about choosing the new museum room.
A candidate chooses B only when asked for two included workshop items. What is missing?
Why does Sam match outdoor work rather than repairing tools?
On the centre plan, where does a visitor face when entering from the south and walking north?
If the workshop is D, why is the opposite office C rather than B?
Why is pump not a supported label in the water-study diagram?
A candidate says every first-mentioned option is wrong. Give a reason this is an unsafe rule.
How can replaying help learning without making a replayed result a once-only test-style score?
Explained answers
Answer 1. The 18 counts students only. Two teachers make the complete group 20.
Read which group the question asks you to count.
Answer 2.Water bottle has two words and fits. A water bottle has three and exceeds the stated limit.
The required item is unchanged, but the answer form affects validity.
Answer 3. The printed label supplies Room. The number 4 supplies the missing information.
Do not add a new room number or unrelated location.
Answer 4. Replay the recording. The passage gives this step before writing the pronunciation note.
A flow chart follows the stated order rather than your preferred order.
Answer 5.Large describes the old room. The new room was chosen for its quiet location.
The requested reason and the relevant room must both match.
Answer 6. C, printed notes, is also required. B and C are the two stated included items.
Check the number of answers requested as well as each option's meaning.
Answer 7. Sam's interest in fixing things is background information.
His choice this week is working outside with the garden team, so A is the supported match.
Answer 8. North. Facing north, the visitor's left is west and right is east.
Changing the starting direction could change those relationships.
Answer 9. C is across the corridor from D at the same upper position.
B is lower on the same side as D, so it is not opposite D.
Answer 10. The passage names a screen, tank and bottle in order. It does not name a pump.
A possible real-world component is not automatically the answer to this language question.
Answer 11. An early option may be accepted, compared or rejected. Position alone does not establish its meaning.
Use the question and the relevant evidence, including any actual change of decision.
Answer 12. Replay after the attempt to locate a sound, word or meaning you missed.
Label that work as review. Use fresh audio once for a new test-style attempt.
Interactive lessons on this topic
Work through it step by step, with instant-check exercises.
