mcginniss matt cudmore matt ielts listening strategies for s

IELTS Listening Strategies for Success IELTS Series, Volume Matt McGinniss and Matt Cudmore Published by Englishtec, 2021 IELTS Listening Strategies for Success Academic & General by Matt McGinniss & Matt Cudmore Published by Englishtec Pty Ltd All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without written consent from the authors Copying any part of this book for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of International Copyright Laws Any unauthorised reprint or use of this material is prohibited Disclaimer The authors and publishers of this book shall in no event be held liable for any loss or damages that may occur due to information contained in this book Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Introduction Strategy # - Know the Structure of the Listening Test Strategy # - Question Types, Tasks and Instructions Strategy # - Know Who is Talking in Each Section Strategy # - Become Familiar with the Spoken Instructions Strategy # - Look for Clues Like a Police Detective Strategy # - Get Clues from the Questions Strategy # - Ask Yourself Questions about the Listening Strategy # - Underline Keywords in the Questions Strategy # - Listen for Clues in the Introduction to Each Section Strategy # 10 - Listen for Specific Details Strategy # 11 - Practice Numbers, Names and Letters Strategy # 12 - Listen for Information Changes Strategy # 13 - Listen for Synonyms Strategy # 14 - Eliminate Incorrect Answers in MultipleChoice Questions Strategy # 15 - Preview and Predict Gap-Fill Questions Strategy # 16 - Check Meaning and Grammar in Sentence Completion Strategy # 17 - Learn Common Spelling Rules Strategy # 18 - Practice Methods to Improve Spelling Strategy # 19 - Know When to Use Capital Letters Strategy # 20 - Stay with the Speaker Strategy # 21 - Forget the Missed Question Strategy # 22 - Know the Instructions Types Strategy # 23 - Make Intelligent Guesses Strategy # 24 - Use your 10 Minutes Transfer Time Effectively Strategy # 25 - Practice Your Listening Skills Further Reading: IELTS Speaking Strategies for Success Introduction Welcome to IELTS Listening Strategies for Success – Academic & General It’s great that you have taken a positive step towards success in IELTS by using this book Our goal is to help you get the IELTS score you need We genuinely believe you can it by following our strategies and language structures We start with the first strategy that involves understanding the exact structure of the listening test for both the computer-based test and the paper-based test The book then moves through a series of strategies that will prepare you for the questions you will hear on the listening test and build your confidence for test day Are you ready to build your IELTS listening strategies? Let’s get started! Strategy # - Know the Structure of the Listening Test The listening test is in four sections, with the first section being the easiest and the fourth part being the most difficult The test is the same for both Academic and General versions of the test Each section lasts for about eight minutes and includes ten questions The total amount of listening time for the test lasts for about thirty minutes Remember! You will only hear the information one time, so you need to concentrate carefully Computer-Based Test If you are doing the computerbased test, you will enter the answers as you listen so the total time will be 30 minutes Paper-Based Test After the thirty minutes of listening, you have an extra ten minutes for transfer time During this extra time, all forty answers must be transferred onto the final paper answer sheet Listening Question Types You can expect the following question types on all four sections of the listening test (more information on this in Strategy # 2) Multiple choice Matching Selecting pictures Short answer questions Sentence completion Form completion Chart / Table completion Gap-fill Labelling diagrams Skills Required You will need to listen with carefully using the following language skills (more information on this in strategy #: Listening for context Listening for details Understanding opinions Spelling Listening Test Section Format: Giver of information & receiver of information (eg buyer & seller) Speakers: Questions: 10 Section Break: break Listening Test Section Format: Information talk – general topic (eg tour guide gives information) Speakers: Questions: 10 Section Break: break Listening Test Section Format: Giver of information & receiver of information (eg buyer & seller) Speakers: - Questions: 10 Section Break: break Listening Test Section Format: Information talk – general topic (eg tour guide gives information) Speakers: Questions: 10 Section Break: No breaks The best way to get to know the structure of the IELTS test is to complete as many practice tests as you can before your test date When you know the structure of the test you can fully concentrate on the English skills, rather than having to wonder what will happen next Strategy # - Question Types, Tasks and Instructions The best thing about the IELTS listening exam is that you will always have the same question types This makes the test predictable Before the test, make sure you know what the question types look like, what the instructions will be for that question type and what you will be expected to for each question type You will receive the following types of questions, tasks and instructions on the test Multiple Choice Task: Read the question and pick the best answer from the 3/4/5 choices based on what you hear on the recording Instructions: Choose the best answer A, B, C or D Selecting Pictures Task: Choose a picture that best describes what you hear Instructions: Choose the correct letter Short Answer Questions Task: Answer using 1, or words Instructions: Complete the table/notes Use NO MORE THAN WORDS for each answer Sentence Completion Task: Make the sentence complete by adding information Strategy # 18 - Practice Methods to Improve Spelling Practice your spelling as follows: Read – say – cover – write – check For example, if you are having difficulties spelling the word ‘receive’, you should follow the above process: Step – Read the word ‘receive’ Step – Say the word ‘receive’ Step – Cover the word ‘receive with your hand or piece of paper Step – Write the word ‘receive’ while you can’t see it Step – Remove the paper and check you have written ‘receive’ correctly Keep a list of words you often misspell You should keep this in an area where you can access them regularly, eg in a notebook, a webpage or an online portfolio that you keep for your IELTS preparation Strategy # 19 - Know When to Use Capital Letters In IELTS listening, making a mistake with a capital letter is like making a mistake with spelling Therefore, you need to know that capital letters are used in the following ways: The first letters of personal names: Jack Thompson, Leonie Hughes The first letters of qualifications: Certificate IV in Social Services Bachelor of Sports Science Master of Civil Engineering The first letters of titles: The Institute of International Relations The Future of Mobile Technology The first letters of individual titles: Ms, Mrs, Mr, Dr, Professor Prime Minister, President The first letters of a company: Apple Corporation Englishtec The first letter of a town, city, country, region, state, province or territory: Brighton, Vermont, Victoria, the United Kingdom, East Asia The first letter of a day of the week or month: Tuesday, Sunday, May, October The letters of abbreviations for names: EU, UCLA Capitals are NOT used for institutions when the name is not mentioned: She is studying at college She is studying at Maine College He went to the bank He went to the National Bank Bonus Tip! It is acceptable to write all capitals on the IELTS answer sheet (eg SUSAN JONES instead of Susan Jones, which will help you avoid problems with capitals However, some people find this slows them down if it is not their normal mode of writing Strategy # 20 - Stay with the Speaker Successful IELTS candidates are patient on the listening test In other words, they not rush to write down their answers or get anxious when they are waiting for an answer to appear Instead, the patient candidates will carefully stay with the speaker and confidently mark the answers as they appear Therefore, you need to know where you are on the question sheet as you listen to the speakers If you are not in the right spot, you cannot answer the questions A good way to know where you are on the listening is to look at two questions at the same time (for example, look at question six and question seven at the same time) If you only look at one question you may get lost, because if you don’t hear the information you are expecting, you will still be waiting and you will miss the next answer Therefore, always make sure you quickly look over the page, at two or more questions, so you always stay with the speaker Once again, remember, the IELTS listening is full of tricks, and the correct answer is often given after the trick has happened Therefore, you should not be in a hurry to answer your questions too early, because the second piece of information may be more accurate than the first piece of information Strategy # 21 - Forget the Missed Question Many IELTS candidates have missed two or three listening answers in a row, simply because they are still thinking about the answer that they just missed Do not this while the speaker is still speaking It sometimes happens that you know you’ve missed an answer Maybe you weren’t concentrating for just a second, and now you can see that the speaker is up to the next question on the question sheet Forget about the fish that got away! Worry about it when the speaker has finished and you have a few seconds to guess the answer Do not lose focus during the listening itself, because it will affect your ability to focus on the remaining questions It’s better to get one answer wrong and then refocus than miss the next three in a row because you are still thinking about the past Strategy # 22 - Know the Instructions Types The instructions must be carefully followed during the test This is because often the instructions will vary from question to question The following points are important to keep in mind: Quickly review the instructions that tell you how many words you can write for each answer If the instruction is ‘No more than three words’, you can write one, two or three words or numbers If the instruction is ‘No more than two words and/or a number’, you can write words + number, but not three words Some candidates who take the Paper-Based Test choose to underline keywords in instructions However, this strategy may depend on your personal preference Some common instructions include: Choose the best answer A, B, C or D Choose the correct letter Complete the table/notes Use NO MORE THAN WORDS for each answer Complete the sentences Use NO MORE THAN WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer Complete the form Use NO MORE THAN WORDS for each answer Complete the diagram / label the diagram Use NO MORE THAN WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer Remember! IELTS loves using the trick of making unusual instructions Be careful that you quickly check instructions on the listening test because they may be different from what you expect or what you have practiced in the past Strategy # 23 - Make Intelligent Guesses You not lose marks for incorrect answers so you should attempt to answer all forty questions You only hear the information one time, so you should write down your answers or guesses quickly as you hear them This strategy may be particularly useful for section four of the listening test, when the information in the academic lecture is complicated and you may be uncertain of where you are on the answer booklet If this is the case, you should write down key words as you hear them, particularly words that are said loudly, as these words are often the answers Remember! The most important information is stressed, which means it is said loudly, with emphasis If you not know the answers you should write down stressed words, as you may be lucky and find an answer Answer all questions as you not lose marks for incorrect answers Do not wait until you transfer your answers to make intelligent guesses, it immediately after that listening has finished because you only hear the listening one time and it will still be fresh in your mind Strategy # 24 - Use your 10 Minutes Transfer Time Effectively At the end of the Paper Based listening test, you have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet Transfer your answers quickly and accurately, making sure you write neatly and inside the box It is a good idea to practice writing answers in an answer box every time you take a practice test This helps you develop the skill of being organised and transferring answers quickly and neatly enough for the examiners to read Multiple Choice Write the letter of the correct answer Sentence Completion Write the answer – not the whole sentence Gap fill Write only the word that goes in the gap True – False – Not Given Write T, F or N Dates Any order is okay January 12(th) or 12(th) January Standard Abbreviations Do not use abbreviations for words that are not normally abbreviated For example, Professor Johnson, should not be written Prof Johnson Write abbreviations such as: Street - St Avenue - Ave Kilograms - kg Kilometres per hour - km/h Mister - Mr Doctor - Dr Strategy # 25 - Practice Your Listening Skills Listening is a language skill that is vital for communication However, it is often done poorly One reason for this is that people often don’t practice listening in the way they practice the other skills of reading, writing and speaking Therefore, always remember, listening must be practiced In fact, there are opportunities to practice it wherever you are The following strategies will be useful: Listen to news radio, podcasts and academic lectures from websites Try to listen for specific information such as names, places and dates Practice speaking and listening in English as much as you can before the exam and listen very carefully for details when someone speaks to you in English While watching television or movies will give you some practice, it is not the best practice, as you are listening and viewing at the same time This is different to the listening skills you will need during your IELTS listening exam Try to take as many practice tests as possible so you are familiar with the common questions, synonyms, instructions, tricks and timing of the test Final Listening Tip! The IELTS listening exam is unlike any other type of listening you in daily life You need to listen for the main ideas as well as small details, so you must concentrate extremely hard for the full thirty minutes In particular, candidates often become tired in the last part of the exam, so it is important to keep focused and keep listening until the end of section four **** More Information You have reached the end of this eBook We thank you for taking the time to read it and we wish you all the best for your next test For more information about IELTS, including professional online courses, please visit: https://www.englishtec.com/ Matt McGinniss & Matt Cudmore Did you love IELTS Listening Strategies for Success? Then you should read IELTS Speaking Strategies for Success by Matt McGinniss! Learn how to get IELTS 7+ on the speaking test without having to remember loads of information you will never use! This book does not waste time It includes the exact IELTS strategies and language skills so you can give the examiner the best answers This book includes information for the exact speaking test marking criteria, including: Fluency and coherence (linking words & ways to extend your answers)Lexical resource (useful words & phrases)Grammatical range and accuracy (verb tenses, word forms & sentence structures)Pronunciation (sounds formation, word stress, sentence stress & tone) Are you sick of worrying about the IELTS speaking test and getting so nervous on test day that you want to run away? Well, we are here to help you In this book, you will learn the best words and phrases for IELTS You will see example speaking questions and answers for Parts 1, and and learn tips that will help you build confidence and accuracy And so much more! Achieving IELTS 7+ can be easier than you think The problem is many people simply don't know the correct steps to take, which makes them take far longer than they need to get the score they need We've done all the hard work for you, so all you need to is follow our step-by-step strategies and you'll achieve IELTS 7+ in speaking in no time Of course, you won't just save time You will save money by not having to IELTS again :) Read more at Matt McGinniss’s site