IELTS Exam Tips Listening • • • • Read the instructions and questions carefully before you listen Try to get an idea of the situation Who are the speakers? Where are they? Why are they speaking? Remember, you will only hear the audio once You will need to read, write and listen all at the same time Listen for 'signpost words' such as however, although and finally They help you to anticipate what the speaker will say Reading • • • • Skim through each text to try to get a basic understanding of what it is about What is the text about? Who was it written for? Carefully read the title and any sub-heading What is the main point of each paragraph? Each paragraph contains a single main idea The questions will focus on these main ideas Remember questions appear in the same order as the answers in the text