IELTS Listening Introduction

1. IELTS
Listening
English Language Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

2. Test Format and
Tasks
Format and Tasks
Strategies and Examples
Further Help
References
Questions

3. Test Format
 Test Format (Recorded tape played
once only)
 30 minutes
 Four Sections, each with 10 questions
 Time allocated for
 Reading questions
 Writing and checking answers
 Transferring answers to an answer sheet

4. Test Format and
Tasks
Based on Conversation and Monologue
A variety of question types
 Multiple choice
 Short-answer questions
 Sentence completion
 Notes/summary/diagram/flow-chart/table completion
 Labeling a diagram which has numbered parts
 Classification
 Matching

5. Test Format
Section 1 Questions 1-10
Complete the table
Label the rooms on the map
Section 2 Question 11-20
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer
Write NUMBERS OR NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS for each answer

6. Test Format –
Listening
Section 3 Questions 21- 30
 Choose the correct letters A-C
 Write NOT MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer
Section 4 Question 31 -40
 Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer
 Write NUMBERS OR NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS for each answer

7. Test Format and Tasks: Assessment Criteria
One mark is awarded for each
correct answer in the 40 item
test
Care should be taken when
writing answers on the answer
sheet as poor spelling and
grammar are penalised.

8. Test Format
and Tasks –
Listening
Activities
Section 1: A
conversation between
two speakers in a social
and semi-official context
Section 2: A talk by a
single speaker based on
a non-academic
situation
Section 3: A
conversation with up to
4 speakers based on
academic topics or
course-related
situations
Section 4: A university-
style lecture or talk

9. Approachingthe
listeningtasks
 Before you listen, survey the questions
and try to build up an idea and reason
for listening; e.g. what is the topic?
What is the situation? How many
characters are there?
 Follow the instruction carefully, get the
information and answer the question
accurately

10. Exampleof Tasks
Complete the notes using no more than three words.
1. In the mornings the student teachers will ……..
( teach and observe)
2. student teachers could be teaching large classes
with up to …. (70 students)
3. Discussion groups are quite difficult to arrange in
Vietnamese classes but not … … … … … … ..
( impossible)

11. Exampleof Task
Tapescript
Good morning everyone.
Welcome to the second year of
your teaching degree. My name
is Simon Taylor. I'm a second
year lecturer in the education
faculty. Today I'll be giving you
an overview of the field trip to
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
that you all registered for at
the end of last year.

12. Exampleof Task
Sample task
Tick the three items which are discussed in the talk.
A. Teaching schedule for student teachers
B. Safety issues for student teachers on the field trip
C. Accommodation
D. How the field trip fits into the teaching degree
E. Vietnamese students' level of proficiency in English
F. How the work requirements for the field trip
compare with the work requirements for student
teachers who remain in Australia
G. Quality of English language teaching in
Vietnamese universities
H. Textbooks commonly used in Vietnamese English
classes

13. Strategies– Test Tips
 Your purpose of listening is to
identify what the question
requires you to
 It is not necessary to
understand every word that is
spoken
 You will hear the information
once only, so prepare yourself
by anticipating what you will
hear
 Read and analyse the question
as pre-listening task

14. FurtherHelp
CILL Core A 3/F
ITELTS Listening Tapes
and CD-ROMs available
More information at
http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/i
elts/

15. FurtherHelp - CILL
CILL – Centre for
Independent Language
Learning Core A 3/F
CILL teachers can give you
suggestions for improving your
listening skills.

16. References
You can find these books in CILL, Room
AG305:
 Cambridge Practice Tests for the
IELTS, Books 1, 2 & 3 (with CD-ROM
for listening tests)
 Insight into IELTS - an IELTS
preparation course

17. Usefulwebsites
 UGC Introductory site
http://www.ugccepa.com
 IELTS homepage
http://www.ielts.org/index.htm
 ELC homepage http://elc.polyu.edu.hk

18. Questions
 Please do not ask us (or any ELC
teacher) to predict what grade you will
get, as this is forbidden by the IELTS
organisation.