The four parts of IELTS Listening
The test takes about 30 minutes and has 40 questions in four parts. You hear each recording once.
- Part 1: a conversation between two people about an everyday situation, often a booking, an enquiry or a form being filled in.
- Part 2: one speaker on a general topic, such as a tour, a facility or a local event. Map and plan questions often appear here.
- Part 3: two or three speakers in an educational setting, for example students discussing an assignment with a tutor.
- Part 4: a lecture or talk on an academic subject, with no break in the middle.
On the computer-delivered test you have 2 minutes at the end to check your answers. On paper you get 10 minutes to transfer them to the answer sheet. Band 7 typically needs about 30 out of 40 correct.
Answers come in question order
This is the single most useful fact about IELTS Listening. The answers to questions 11, 12 and 13 come in that order in the recording. If you hear the answer to 13, you have missed 12, so let it go and stay with the speaker. Our 88 practice sets follow the same rule, so you build the habit before test day.
Accents and British voices
The test uses a range of English accents, with British English very common. Many Noida candidates are used to Indian English at work and American English in films and series, so British vowels and connected speech can be a surprise.
- "Can't" and "car" have a long vowel in standard British English.
- Final R is often dropped: "water" sounds like "wo-tuh".
- Words run together: "a cup of tea" can sound like "a cuppa tea".
Our sets are recorded with British voices across all four parts, including forms, maps and plans, multiple choice, two- and three-speaker discussions and lectures, so your ear has time to adjust.
Spelling and numbers
Simple errors here cost more marks than difficult questions.
- Spelling counts. "Accommodation", "necessary", "environment" and "Wednesday" are classic losses. Your Mistake Notebook will show which words you repeatedly get wrong.
- Letters spelled aloud. Speakers spell names and street names letter by letter. Practise hearing "double L" and telling A, E and I apart, or G and J.
- Numbers. "Fifteen" and "fifty" differ mainly in stress. Phone numbers may use "oh" for zero. Prices, dates and times must be written exactly.
- Plurals and word limits. If the answer is "tickets", "ticket" is wrong. If the instruction says ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER, "the 15th of May" breaks the limit.
Map and plan questions, the Noida way
Noida is a city where people navigate by sector numbers, block letters and landmarks: "near the metro pillar", "opposite the mall", "the second tower after the gate". IELTS map questions work the same way. You need to follow a speaker who says "go past the reception, turn left, and it's the room at the end of the corridor".
- Before the audio starts, find the starting point and mark north if it is shown.
- Learn the language of position: opposite, adjacent to, beyond, in the far corner, at the junction.
- Follow the speaker with your finger or cursor as they "walk" you round the plan.
If you struggle with these, practise them on their own before mixing them into full tests.
Practising with headphones in a busy city
The computer-delivered test uses headphones, and quiet is rare in Noida. A Knowledge Park PG during exams, a family flat with a television on, the Blue Line at rush hour: none of these are ideal.
- Use closed headphones for full sets, at a comfortable volume.
- Use the metro or a cab ride only for review: re-listening to sections you already did and checking why you got answers wrong.
- Do at least one full Listening section each week at a desk, in silence, in one go, just like the real thing.
Common Listening errors to watch
- Reading ahead too far and losing your place.
- Writing an answer the speaker mentions and then rejects.
- Missing the switch from one question set to the next.
- Leaving blanks. There is no negative marking, so always guess.
Charged Listening and your next step
When you are scoring 30 or more regularly, move on to our Charged Listening sets: faster speech, denser lectures and closer distractors for students aiming at 7.5 and 8. For IELTS Listening practice from anywhere in Noida, start with the free sample sets on the practice tests page, then create an account for the full collection.