How the Listening test works
The test has four parts and 40 questions, and lasts about 30 minutes. You hear each recording once only. In 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. For band 7 you need roughly 30 correct answers out of 40.
- Part 1: a conversation between two people in an everyday situation, such as booking a course or reporting a lost item. Often a form or notes to complete.
- Part 2: one speaker in an everyday context, like a guide describing a museum or a facilities talk. Often includes a map or plan.
- Part 3: a discussion between two or three speakers in an education setting, such as students planning a project with a tutor.
- Part 4: a single speaker giving a lecture on an academic topic. Usually note or summary completion, and the hardest part for most students.
Answers come in the same order as the questions, which matters a great deal: if you miss one, let it go and listen for the next.
Accents and why they catch Delhi students out
Most people in Delhi hear English every day, but mainly Indian English, with American English from films and series. The test uses a range of native-speaker accents, and British voices are common. The differences are not huge, but they are enough to make you miss a word at speed: the long "a" in "bath" and "class", the dropped r in "water" or "car", and the "t" that almost disappears in "better" or "butter".
Our 88 practice sets are recorded with British voices so your ear tunes in before test day. The real test can also include Australian, North American and other accents, so do not rely on one voice: English-language podcasts and radio from several countries are useful extra listening during the week.
Spelling and numbers: free marks you can lose
An answer that is spelled wrongly is marked wrong. Common problems include:
- Double letters: "accommodation", "committee", "address".
- British spellings: "colour", "centre", "programme". These are standard in the test.
- Plurals: if the speaker says "boxes" and you write "box", it is wrong.
- Numbers: "fourteen" and "forty" sound close. Listen for the stress: four-TEEN, FOR-ty.
- Dates and codes: postcodes, phone numbers and dates said with "double" ("double seven") or "oh" for zero.
- Word limits: if the instruction says "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS", three words is wrong even if the meaning is right.
Map and plan questions
Map questions in Part 2 trip up many students. Before the recording starts:
- Find where the speaker begins, usually the entrance or "you are here".
- Note compass points and words like "opposite", "next to", "at the end of", "on your left".
- Follow the speaker with your pen or cursor, moving as they move.
If you have learned the city by the metro map, you already understand route-following. The trick is to do it in English, at speaking speed. In the computer-delivered test you usually click an option for each place rather than writing a letter by hand, which our practice screens let you try.
IELTS Listening practice with headphones in a busy home
Delhi homes are often lively, with family, neighbours, traffic and the odd wedding band in season. For Listening practice, that background noise matters.
- Use headphones for every set. Computer-delivered tests use headphones too.
- Practise at a quiet time of day, even if it means an early start.
- Do at least some practice at a slightly lower volume than comfortable, so you learn to concentrate hard.
- Avoid doing timed sets on a crowded metro. Use that time for vocabulary instead, and keep Listening for home.
Common errors and how to fix them
- Writing the first thing you hear. Speakers often correct themselves: "Tuesday... oh no, sorry, Wednesday." Wait for the final answer.
- Reading questions too late. Use the time before each part to read ahead and predict the type of answer: a number, a name, a noun.
- Leaving blanks. There is no negative marking, so always write a sensible guess.
- Panicking after a missed answer. Move on; the next answer is coming.
- Ignoring the Mistake Notebook. Every wrong answer is saved automatically, so review the pattern: is it spelling, plurals or Part 4 speed?
When you score above 30 regularly, move on to our Charged Listening sets, which use faster speech and trickier distractors.
Free sample Listening sets need no card. Try one now or sign up to track your scores.