The four parts
The Listening test takes about 30 minutes and has 40 questions. You hear each recording once only.
- Part 1: a conversation between two people in an everyday situation, such as booking a course or reporting a lost item. Usually form or note completion with names, numbers and dates.
- Part 2: one speaker on an everyday topic, such as a tour guide or a radio announcement. Often includes a map or plan.
- Part 3: two or three speakers in an academic setting, such as students discussing an assignment with a tutor.
- Part 4: a lecture on an academic subject, with no break in the middle. Usually note completion.
On the computer-delivered test you get 2 minutes at the end to check your answers. On paper you get 10 minutes to transfer them to the answer sheet. Band 7 needs roughly 30 correct answers out of 40.
Accents and voices
Students in Colombo hear plenty of English, but mostly Sri Lankan English, along with American voices from films and series. IELTS recordings use a range of accents, and British and Australian voices are common. The speed of natural British speech, with its linking and weak forms, is what catches people out.
Our 88 practice sets are recorded with British voices, so you get used to features such as dropped sounds ("next week" sounding like "nex week") and weak forms ("for" sounding like "fuh"). Watching British news or podcasts in your free time adds variety.
Spelling and numbers
Spelling mistakes cost marks, even when you heard the answer correctly. Watch for:
- Double letters: accommodation, committee, address.
- British spellings: centre, programme, colour, organise.
- Spelled-out names: speakers often spell a surname or street name letter by letter. Practise the alphabet aloud, especially letters that sound close, such as A, E and I, or G and J.
- Numbers: "double five", "oh" for zero, and the difference between fifteen and fifty. Many Colombo students are used to local phone formats and say numbers in different groupings, so listen carefully to how British speakers group digits.
- Dates: "the third of March" and "March the third" are both common.
Map and plan questions
Map questions in Part 2 worry many students. Before the audio starts:
- Find where the speaker is standing, usually marked "You are here" or at an entrance.
- Note north, compass directions and key landmarks.
- Learn the language of direction: "opposite", "next to", "at the far end", "just past", "on your left as you go in".
Then follow the speaker with your finger or cursor. If you have walked around Viharamahadevi Park or found your way through Fort station, you already use these skills in real life; the test just asks you to do it in English, at speed.
IELTS Listening practice in Colombo, with headphones
IELTS Listening practice in Colombo has one obvious challenge: noise. Horns on Galle Road, a bus conductor calling stops, a three-wheeler engine, rain on the roof in monsoon season. Real test rooms are quiet, but your practice room probably is not.
- Use closed or noise-reducing headphones, not earphones that fall out or a phone speaker.
- Short sets on the move are fine for building your ear, but do not treat a score from a noisy train carriage as accurate.
- Full timed tests at home, in the quietest room you have, at the quietest time of day.
- Test your headphones first. Play a short clip and check both sides work and the volume is comfortable before you start the timer.
If you will sit the computer-delivered test, you will wear headphones on the day, so practising with them is good preparation. If you are taking the paper test, the recording may be played through speakers in the room, so occasionally practise with a speaker too.
Common errors, and how to fix them
- Losing your place. Answers follow the order of the questions, so if you miss one, move on immediately. Do not let one gap cost you three answers.
- Distractors. Speakers often change their minds: "Tuesday, no, actually Thursday would be better". The second answer is the one that counts.
- Plurals and grammar. Check that your answer fits the sentence: "two ___" usually needs a plural.
- Reading ahead too little. Use every pause to read the next questions and predict the type of answer.
Every wrong answer goes into your Mistake Notebook. After a few sets you will see whether your problem is spelling, distractors or concentration in Part 4. Try the free Listening sets on the practice tests page, then create an account for full access to the rest.