Contents
Listening is one of the most misunderstood skills. You need to practise tests of course, but you also need to work on your listening skills. So I suggest you check out not just the tests you will find linked below, but also some of the exercises that are designed to improve your listening skills.
IELTS listening practice tests
A selection of the best free IELTS listening practice tests on the internet. I try to update this section regularly. One problem is tests appear and then they “disappear”. if you find a link below that doesn’t work, let me know. Again, if you know of another test that isn’t here. Let me know, so I can share it.
Practice tests – a collection of practice tests in IELTS format
IELTS listening – exam tips
Advice on preparing for the listening test
10 top listening tips - what to do and what not to in the exam and in preparing for the test
How to avoid mistakes: video advice on avoiding mistakes by reading the whole question
How to listen for numbers: video advice on listening for numbers
More practice in listening for numbers: part 1 listening with a focus on the technique for listening for numbers and addresses.
Read the question: rule number 1
IELTS listening exercises – improve your listening skills
This is an important section that I am now updating on a weekly basis. The idea is that it helps to work on improving your skills by doing exercises that focus on one particular aspect of listening.
I have divided the lessons into parts 1,2,3 and 4. You may find though that the skills you learn apply in other sections of the test as well.
Part 1
How to listen for key words: interactive exercise
Part 2
Listening to directions: one task that many people find confusing is when you need to follow directions on a map or plan. This lesson gives you some basic advice on how to do this.
Listening to compass points on a map: a common task is when you need to fill in details on a map. This lesson is meant to help you do this when the directions are given in the form of compass points.
More listening for directions: in this lesson the skill is to learn to make notes as you listen – all the answers are quite long, so that means you don’t want to waste time writing as you are listening
Multiple choice questions: this type of question can appear in all four parts of the test. It is one of the trickier question types as if you don’t listen very carefully and read the question properly, you may choose the distractor answer. That’s an answer written by the examiner that almost answers the question but doesn’t. If you only listen to key words, you will go wrong. Do this listening to understand how this works.
Part 3
Listening for key words: in part 3 you hear tow people talking. In this lesson you get two chances to listen – each time the answers are different. The idea is to train you to listen to the words that tell you when the answers are coming.
Part 4
Using signpost language to understand lectures in part 4: one problem with part 4 is that the listenings go on much longer. This exercise should help you follow the lecture and know when the answer is coming.
