The internet is flooded with IELTS tips and tricks but we would advise you not to believe those who do not have an expertise.
For the right guidance, contact the best IELTS academy in Amritsar i.e., the DOSH Academy. If you want to ace IELTS, contact our experts and get their advice.
If you are someone who dreams of studying overseas in your dream university, you will have to take IELTS and score well enough to attain the required bands.
Thankfully through good preparation and the right resources, you will be able to practice your way to success, especially in the listening test.
However, preparing for IELTS listening can get difficult if you do not follow the right path. You must do away with misconceptions and follow the right tips and tricks. In this blog, we will take you through some myths that needed to be burst.
The Myths Are as Follows:
Answering Questions Without Paying Attention to Spellings or Grammar is Acceptable
You might be tempted to simply answer the question directly and write the answers as quickly as possible; you must pay attention to spelling and grammar use as well.
Especially in the case of short-answer questions, while you might be writing just a few words, your answers should have the right grammar and should be spelled correctly in order to score maximum marks.
Audio Will Be Played Randomly
Taking the IELTS Listening test means you need to pay attention to the audio. However, it is a myth that the audio will be played in random order during the test.
The audio conversation will always follow the order of questions in the test, so you do not have to worry about the sequence but pay attention to the contents of the audio.
Practicing Sample Listening Tests Is Not Important
A big misconception is that the listening tests require you to simply listen to the audio and answer the questions.
But in reality, the test has four unique tasks that you have to answer by following the audio.
From MCQ’s to diagram labelling and summary completion, each task requires the candidate to understand the contents of the audio and then fulfil a set of instructions to complete it.
Without practicing for the tests, you will be rather unfamiliar with the format resulting in scoring poorly on the test day, even though you will be listening attentively.
Every Candidate Will Be Given a Headset
In between the listening test, no candidate will be given a headset.
Some testing centers offer a sound system with speakers for the audio. It is always better to check with your specific test center if the venue provides a headset or not.
Alternatively, you can also practice your mock tests at home utilizing both your computer speakers and headsets so that you can practice with variations.
You Can Take Time to Write Answers
There is a time limit to every section of the listening test. With each section, the tasks get progressively challenging.
In total, you will have 30 minutes plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to the answer sheet.
In this respect, it is highly recommended that you time yourself during the practice and maximize it as much as possible.
The IELTS on Computer Will Be Different from Paper Test
The only difference will be in the answers where you will input them.
For the computer-based test, you will type in your answers on the computer while for the paper-based test, you will be writing answers on the paper. It is great to decide on which format you will be writing the test.
It is good to decide on which format of the test you are most comfortable with and then practice it until you can familiarize yourself with it.
The Listening Test Will Be in Your Native Accent
Even though the Listening test can be conducted in your country, the audio recordings played will be from different accents such as British, New Zealand, Australian, American and Canadian.
You should expose yourself to all the accents and practice on the sample tests
The Audio Will Pause After Every Section
Perhaps the most dangerous misconception to debunk, it is important to mark that there will be no pausing or restarting of the listening test in the middle.
The audio is played continuously without any pauses. You are required to listen to the recordings as you move ahead.
You should practice the listening test and get comfortable with this multi-tasking.
You Can Ignore Instructions as Long the Answers are Correct.
This is perhaps the most dangerous misconception to debunk, it is important to know that there is no pausing or restarting the Listening test.
For each task, there will be instructions that you must follow, especially the last task that might specifically ask you to fill in the gaps. Instructions will also be given such as no more than 3 words and/or a number.
Even if your answer is correct and you go beyond the number of words specified, you will lose the marks.
For any query related to IELTS, contact DOSH Academy, the best IELTS center in Amritsar.