How the Listening test is structured
The Listening test has four parts, 40 questions and lasts about 30 minutes. 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. Often a form or notes to complete.
- Part 2: one speaker in an everyday context, for example a guide describing a facility. Map and plan questions often appear here.
- Part 3: a discussion between two or three speakers in an educational setting, such as students and a tutor talking about a project.
- Part 4: a lecture or talk on an academic subject, usually with no break in the middle.
On the computer-delivered test you get 2 minutes at the end to check your answers. On the paper test you get 10 minutes to transfer answers to the answer sheet. For a band 7 you typically need around 30 out of 40.
Accents you will hear
IELTS recordings use a range of English accents, including British, Australian, North American and others. Students in Jammu often grow up with Indian English and American English from films and online videos, so British and Australian voices can feel unfamiliar at first, especially in vowel sounds and the dropped "r" at the end of words like "car" and "water".
Our 88 Listening practice sets are recorded with British voices. Alongside them, spend some time every week listening to podcasts, radio and news from the UK and Australia, so different accents stop sounding strange.
Spelling and numbers
A correct answer with a spelling mistake is marked wrong. The most common losses:
- Numbers in words: forty (not fourty), ninety, twelfth, hundred.
- Double letters: accommodation, committee, necessary, address.
- British spelling: colour, centre, programme, organise. Both British and American spellings are usually accepted, but be consistent.
- Dates and times: listen for "the fifteenth" versus "the fiftieth", and for "a quarter to" versus "a quarter past".
- Spelt-out names: Part 1 often includes a surname or street name spelt letter by letter. Practise the English alphabet aloud, especially vowels like A, E and I, and G versus J.
- Plurals: if you hear "tickets", write "tickets".
Two habits that save marks
Map and plan questions
Map questions worry many students, but they follow a pattern:
- In the preparation time, find where "you are" on the map: the entrance, a car park or a reception.
- Notice compass directions and the words the speaker might use: "to the left of", "opposite", "beyond", "at the far end".
- Follow the speaker's route with your finger or cursor as they talk.
If you find directions hard, practise describing routes you know in English. How would you explain walking from Raghunath Bazaar to Mubarak Mandi, or from your college gate to the library? It sounds simple, but it builds exactly the language Part 2 uses.
Answers in question order
In nearly all Listening tasks, the answers come in the same order as the questions. This helps you in two ways:
- If you miss an answer, let it go and listen for the next one. Losing one answer is better than losing three while you worry about it.
- If you hear the answer to question 14, you know you have passed question 13. Make a quick guess and move on.
Our sets follow the same order as the real test, so you build this habit naturally.
IELTS Listening practice in Jammu: setting up at home
- Use headphones. Traffic noise, a neighbour's television or a temple loudspeaker can mask a key number. Over-ear or good in-ear headphones help you concentrate. If you take the computer-delivered test you will use headphones on the day too.
- Find a quiet time. Early morning or late evening is often best in busy households.
- Check your connection. If your mobile data is weak, load the set fully before you start, or use a Wi-Fi connection.
- Never replay during a timed set. Replaying is useful in review, not during practice under test conditions.
Common errors, and how to fix them
- Writing the first thing you hear. Speakers often correct themselves: "We'll meet on Tuesday; no, actually, Wednesday is better."
- Not reading ahead. Use every pause to read the next questions.
- Ignoring grammar. If the gap is "a ___ room", the answer is probably an adjective or noun.
- Losing focus in Part 4. It is long and fast. Practise full Part 4 lectures several times a week.
After each set, review your errors in the Mistake Notebook and replay only the parts you missed with the transcript.
Try it free
Take a free sample Listening set from the practice tests page, or sign up to start a full mock test. Full Access, ₹999 for 2 months, unlocks all 88 sets and the harder Charged sets.