The Listening test is the same for Academic and General Training. You are required to answer 40 questions in response to four recordings. You will listen to four recordings which will be a mix of monologues and conversations. You will hear each recording only once.
There will be 10 questions for each part of the Listening test. The questions will test your ability to understand the following:
- Main ideas and detailed information.
- Opinions and attitudes of the speakers.
- Purpose of an utterance.
- Ability to follow development of ideas.
Listening Part Details:
Recording 1: A conversation between two people in an everyday context.
Recording 2: A monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g., a speech on local facilities.
Recording 3: A conversation between up to four people set in an educational background, e.g., a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
Recording 4: A monologue on any academic subject, e.g., a university lecture.
Multiple Choice Questions
MCQs can be answered with one correct answer or more than one right answer. Read the question carefully and check how many answers are needed.
In MCQs, you are required to choose one correct answer among options given from the following:
- Question followed by three possible answers.
- The sentence’s beginning is followed by three possible ways to complete it.
In MCQs, where you are required to choose more than one correct answer, you will be given a long list of possible answers. Multiple choice questions test a wide range of skills. You may be required to have a detailed understanding of specific points or a deep understanding of the main points of the listening text.
Matching
You are required to match a list of items that are numbered. The set of options may be a criterion of some sort. Matching assesses the skill of listening in detail. Also, it looks into the fact whether you can understand the information given in a conversation on an everyday topic, like identifying different types of hotels or guest house accommodation. It also assesses your ability to follow conversation between two people. It is also used to assess your ability to recognize relationships, connections between the facts in the listening text.
Plan, Map, Diagram Labelling
You will be required to complete labels on a plan (e.g., of a building), map (e.g., of part of a town) or diagram (e.g., of a piece of equipment). You can also select your answers from a list on the question paper.
The matching task assesses your ability to understand, for example, a description of a place, and to relate this to a visual representation. This may include being able to follow language expressing directions such as straight on, turn left, behind and the opposite.
Form, Note, Table, Flow-Chart and Summary Completion
In this task, you are required to fill in the gaps in an outline of a part or of all of the listening text. The outline will focus on the main facts /ideas. It may be:
- A Form: Used to record factual details like names, addresses and telephone numbers.
- A Set of Notes: Used to summarize information using the layout to showcase different items relating to one another.
- A Table: Used to summarize information that relates to categories for e.g., place, time and price.
- A Flow-Chart: Used to summarize a process which has stages, with the direction of the process shown by arrows.
You will have to select the missing words in either way:
- From a list given in the question paper.
- From the recording itself.
You must keep up to the word limit stated in the instructions and use the same words that you hear from the recording.You should read the instructions carefully as the number of words or numbers you should use will vary. A word limit will be given, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. If you use more than the word limit, your answer will be marked incorrect so check the word limit carefully for every question. Contracted words will not be tested, for e.g., ‘don’t’. Hyphenated words count as single words, for e.g., ‘police-man’.
Sentence Completion
In this task, you are required to read a set of sentences that summarize the key information from either of the following:
- Listening text.
- From one part of the test.
You will be required to fill up a gap in each sentence using information from the listening text. You should read the instructions carefully as the number of words or numbers you should use will differ.
If you use more than the word limit, your answer will be marked incorrect so check the word limit carefully for each question. Contracted words will not be tested, for e.g., ‘don’t’. Hyphenated words count as single words, for e.g., ‘police-man’. Sentence completion accesses your ability to identify the key information in a listening text. You must understand functional relationships of cause and effect.
Short-Answer Questions
In this type of question, you are required to read a question and then write a short answer using the information from the listening text. Sometimes the students are given a question that asks them to list two or three points.
For this question type too, a word limit is given, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. In this case as well, if you use more than the word limit, your answer will be marked incorrect so check the word limit carefully for every question. Contracted words will not be tested, for e.g., ‘don’t’. Hyphenated words count as single words, for e.g., ‘police-man’. Short-answer questions assess your ability to listen for solid facts like prices, places, times within the listening text. If you are aspiring to take IELTS, then come over to the best IELTS Centre in Amritsar.
