IELTS Listening Practice Test - Check IELTS Listening Question Types, Samples and Preparation Tips

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Samarpita Goswami
Updated on Mar 29, 2023 4:47 PM IST

The IELTS exam is designed as a way to judge your proficiency in all forms of communication such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. The IELTS listening practice test is conceived to get a detailed understanding of your capacity to understand different accents of the English language and if you can differentiate between common English words or not.

On this page, we will share the details of the Listening Practice Tests of IELTS and discuss the benefits of practising with them. Keep reading to find out the details of the same. 

IELTS Listening Practice Test for Academic and General Training

Before we analyse the IELTS listening practice test, it is crucial to know whether there are any differences in the  practice test for General and Academic Training. 

The listening test of both types of IELTS follows the same course and there is practically no difference between the two. The four recordings played and the follow-up questions asked are similar even though both tests have different purposes. 

While IELTS Academic is specifically designed for international students aspiring to study in a foreign academic institution, IELTS General Training intends to assess the English language proficiency of people who wish to live or work abroad.

The IELTS listening practice test follows similar lines to the IELTS listening test. It is conducted for over 30 minutes. The four recordings are presented in the form of four web pages followed by ten questions. Students have to move from one page to the next to complete the answering process. The practice test is presented in a realistic way to mimic the real test. The answers have to be given based on whatever one can make out from the recordings. 

Two recordings are set in a daily context and the remaining are set in academic contexts. It is necessary to concentrate and be attentive while answering the questions.

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IELTS Listening Practice Test

With the brief highlight that has been given about the IELTS listening test, let us now deep delve into the fundamentals of the IELTS listening practice test for Academic and General Training. Let us check out the highlights:

  • The duration of this section is 30 minutes and 10 minutes is provided to transfer the answers from the sheet to the computer.

  • The four recordings that will be played will be spoken at a moderate speed and will have a variety of native accents.

  • The recording will be played only once.

  • Each recording will be of six to eight minutes.  

  • The conversation can be a monologue or spoken between two to four people. 

  • The audio will contain day-to-day or academic topics. This enables the assessment of candidates’ responses in a variety of settings abroad.

  • The word limit of the answers must be followed. 

  • The answers to the questions are available both online and offline for students to understand and practice.

IELTS Listening Test Samples

Here are some of the IELTS listening test practice 2023 for you to practice from:

ielts listening practice test 1

IELTS listening practice test 2

IELTS Listening Practice Test Question Types

To take the IELTS listening test, it is necessary to practice genuine questions that are of the highest quality. Students can access various PDFs online and there are other best books for IELTS listening on bookstores and e-commerce websites that can be utilised for preparation.

As already mentioned, there are 40 questions in the IELTS listening practice test for both academic and general training tests. The types of questions that are asked are given below:

  • Multiple Choice Questions and Answers: The multiple choice questions have three formats in the IELTS listening section. A statement will be provided and you will get options to choose from. The second type is the completion of sentences using any one of the options given. There is also a third type of multiple-choice question where you will get a few pictures to match a sentence with. 

  • Form/ Note/Table/Flowchart: Answers to these questions will have to be given in one or two words and factual information has to be put such as date, time and address.

  • Summary Completion: For summary completion, you will get a few lines paraphrased from a part of the recording which has the same meaning but different words. Further, you will have to identify the most appropriate line to fit in the sentence.

  • Map/Plan/Diagram Labeling: You have to identify different parts of the plan or map by hearing a direction or description from the audio. You will be provided with a list of answers and make choices accordingly. 

How to Improve your IELTS Listening Skills?

As you are now aware of the types of questions asked in the IELTS listening practice test, there are several strategies to improve your listening skills that will enable you to score well in the exam. Here we discuss the approaches you should take to improve listening practice test:

  • Do not listen to long speeches, audio or recording in the beginning. Instead, listen to audio with a shorter duration. Engage your active listening skills and this will help to retain the information deeply and efficiently. 

  • While listening to the audio, pay attention to pronunciation, structure, grammar and vocabulary. Start focusing on areas where you are weak.

  • Instead of making the listening task uninteresting by listening to IELTS listening practice test paper PDF from the beginning, listen to audio that you enjoy. You can watch English cartoons, youtube videos, ted talks, audiobooks and podcasts.  This will help you to accustom to the listening habit and then you can shift to real IELTS listening practice tests. 

IELTS Listening Tips and Tricks for Band 9

Scoring a band 9 in the listening test can increase your chances greatly to enter the top universities abroad and therefore you have to follow certain strategies that can help your score to reach from intermediate to advanced. Here we will discuss some of the IELTS Listening practice paper tips and tricks that will help you in getting a perfect band 9.0:

  • You should plan your IELTS listening practice as it comes in the real test. It means that you should hear multiple ranges of accents and topics (both everyday and academic topics) involving one person, two persons and multiple persons.

  • Practice listening for at least 30 minutes a day. It is an extremely impactful and consistent technique that makes you gradually confident on the IELTS exam date.

  • Keep a check on spelling. Write down the unfamiliar words you have heard and check them in the dictionary.

  • The listening task not only includes listening to various recordings but you should also team it up with reading and thinking about the questions before the recording plays. 

  • There are different types of questions asked in the listening practice test so you need different strategies to answer them. Highlight the keywords given, predict the answer, eliminate the wrong answers and do not spend more time on the questions than necessary.

It is essential to practice the IELTS listening practice test 2023 with answers at home regularly following the strategies highlighted by us. Your confidence will be boosted and you can score a perfect band 9 on the IELTS exam which can improve your chances of attending top universities abroad.

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FAQs on IELTS Listening Practice Test

What are IELTS listening practice tests?

IELTS listening practice tests are question papers from which you can practice for the IELTS listening section and prepare yourself to get a good score. They are available on the official websites of the organising body of IELTS and there are also many unofficial websites that provide IELTS listening practice tests.

Why are IELTS listening practice tests hard?

IELTS listening practice tests are generally considered hard by students who lack knowledge of the format of the IELTS exam. It can also appear difficult due to a lack of multitasking skills and focus. All these problems can be overcome by solving  IELTS listening practice tests and analysing the weaknesses.

What are the best listening resources for IELTS practice tests?

The best listening resources for IELTS practice tests are BBC documentaries, British radios, podcasts and Ted talks. Additionally, you can listen to various discourses, every day speeches and conversations. Also, there are YouTube videos on different academic discourses and IELTS listening test materials to prepare you for the IELTS listening section.

Where can I listen to podcasts in the IELTS listening practice test?

You can listen to podcasts in the IELTS listening practice test online from your phone or your laptop. If you have Apple devices, then podcasts are pre-installed on the devices. There are other websites and applications from which you can download podcasts to listen to and practice. YouTube is another way to get a variety of podcasts.

From where can I get an authentic IELTS listening practice test?

You can access authentic IELTS listening practice tests from the official website of the British Council, IDP and IELTS website. We recommend you to trust the official sources for preparation as other websites may not know exactly the IELTS exam pattern and can frame questions that might not be a replica of the ones that come in the real test.

How can I review my IELTS listening practice test?

  You can review your IELTS listening practice test in some of the easy steps given below:

  • You must complete the IELTS listening test in exam conditions.

  • Analyse the questions that caused difficulty.

  • Check for your mistakes and think about them.

  • Work on your weak areas.

Are IELTS Academic listening practice test and the IELTS General listening practice test different?

No, IELTS Academic listening practice test and IELTS General listening practice are not different. Both contain four recordings on General and Academic topics which test takers have to answer within a stipulated time. The types of questions asked in the IELTS Listening practice test are also the same for both types of IELTS exams.

How should I go about the IELTS listening practice test?

In the IELTS listening practice test, you must first read the questions that are provided in the question paper. This will help you to pick up the right answers while the audio plays. You can write down the keywords and transfer them to the sheet later.

Will the audio play twice during the IELTS listening practice test?

As the IELTS listening practice test emulates the real IELTS exam pattern, the audios are played only once. Therefore, you do not have the scope to revisit the audio for the second time to find out the answers. Hence, be very careful while listening to the recordings and answer the questions accordingly.

Are TOEFL and IELTS listening practice tests different?

The TOEFL listening practice test has more recordings that the IELTS listening practice test. This is the basic difference between the listening practice test of both exams. Apart from that, both IELTS and TOEFL focus on day-to-day conversational recordings and academic lectures or topics.

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