IELTS Listening Preparation Tips For 8-9

This post is suitable for those candidates who could consistently score at least 7 with Official Cambridge IELTS practice materials and would like to make their score in listening module 8 or perhaps 9. Moreover, this post identifies the areas where a 7 scorer might need to improve and provides some tips and strategies. However, I strongly advise you to not be fooled by the simplicity of the exam pattern. Although the examination may appear straightforward, you should practice and start scoring continuously the desired marks in your practice tests before you can apply for the exam. In my opinion, if you cannot continuously score 8 or 9 in official Cambridge IELTS practice tests, then it is highly unlikely that you could score the same on the examination day.

Let's get started. First thing first, get thoroughly familiar with the format of the listening test and then take 2 or 3 listening test from the official Cambridge IELTS practice materials to gauge your skill level. Be brutally honest while checking your answers. If it does not exactly match with provided answer keys, consider your answer wrong.

Description of Band 7 Scorer As Per Cambridge:

"You have an operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally you handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning."

Possible Strengths of a Candidate With Score 7:

1. A wide range of daily use vocabulary,
2. Knowledge of synonyms and paraphrasing, 
3. Can understand connected, fast, and natural speech, and 
4. Lastly, can understand different accents, namely, British, Scottish, Irish, American, Canadian, and Australian (For me, I was comfortable with all these accents except Australian and Scottish. I listened to few talks in those two accents during my commute time over mobile app Stitcher).

Probable Weak Points of a Candidate With Score 7:

1. Lose of attention,
2. Not following word/number count instructions thoroughly, 
3. Unaware of IELTS traps, such as usage of distractors (e.g; but, however), unexpected turns, and generalization, and 
4. Most importantly, the candidate might not have a strategy to manage time. Remember, for the listening test, timing is the key!

Be mindful of the fact that only doing practice test would not be enough, as it will not really improve your examination skill that much and besides this is a very boring way to prepare. You first need to figure out the reason behind your missing answers and fix those areas. So, let's move forward to identify the traps that IELTS employs to check your attention to details and address the tips and strategies for different sections.

Listening Traps:

Note down any possible answers, but be careful with the following IELTS listening traps.

1. Distractor: In IELTS examination, sometimes distractors such as "but, however, though, sorry" are used to change the answer at the last moment. For example, the recording might say, "This was the library but we decided to move it down to the end of the corridor". If the question asks you the location of the library, then the correct answer is the end of the corridor. The rule here is "The last word counts".
2. Unexpected Turn: You might hear a speaker starting to say one thing, and then suddenly, continuing to something different. This is a trap. Again, the rule here is "The last word counts". For example, if the speaker says, ""I want to visit this gallery on Monday. No wait, I have just remembered that it is closed on Monday so I will go on Thursday." Here if the question asks 'when will the speaker visit the gallery?' then the correct answer is Thursday and Monday is a trap. 
3. Generalization: You might hear a speaker first give a list of things and then say them all in one word. For example, "Well, I like to swim, hike, and camp - to be involved in outdoor activities". If the question is what kind of activities the speaker likes, then the correct answer is 'outdoor' and not 'swimming, hiking or camping.

General Tips:

1. Get familiar with questions before the speech of a section begins.
2. Listen to the beginning of the talk carefully because this will help you understand the context and help you follow the talk more easily. 
3. Predict before you listen. Use the gap time to guess the kind of word (or answer) you might hear. Focus on synonyms and paraphrase. 
4. For gap-fill or completion questions, use the questions to guide you. For example, what kind of word is missing? Should it be a noun, verb, adjective, number or something else? 
5. Focus on keywords. Think about words which carry the main meaning. Underline those keywords - perhaps at most 2 or 3 keywords for each question must be enough. Listen carefully for those keywords (or their synonyms) in the recording. 
6. Use signposting language like 'the next room we are about to see is ...' or 'if you now follow me to ...' to help you understand each stage of the talk. 
7. Look at two questions at once. 
8. Do remember, the answer will always come in the same order as on the recording. 
9. Do not leave any question unattempted. Guess if you have to, at the end of the test.

Specific Tips for Section 1 and 2:

There are no tips. These sections are the easiest section of the listening module. The only possible area which few find tricky is map or labelling. If that's the case with you then list all the ways directions could be explained. Try to score 20/20 in these two sections, so that you could afford a few wrong answers in Section 3 and 4.

Specific Tips for Multiple Choice

These kinds of questions usually come in Section 3. This section consists of an academic discussion between two persons. This was one section where I was losing a few marks, as in multiple-choice questions, there is a lot of information to read and I felt as if I was racing against time. 

1. Since such questions have a lot of information to read, therefore, practice underlying the keywords in the question (Please do not overdo it, 2 or 3 keywords at maximum for each question), and quickly understanding the difference between different options. Highlight keywords!
2. The question and answer will come in the form of synonyms or paraphrases. Do not just listen for exact matches; think about how the answer could be expressed using synonyms or paraphrasing. 
3. Always look for keywords in different options that allow you to tell the difference between different options. 
4. Be careful if you hear words like 'but', 'however', 'sorry', or 'although'. This often means that the speaker is going to qualify a previous statement. 
5. Do not choose the first answer you hear. The speakers will probably talk about more than one option, so wait until they have talked about them all and then answer. 
6. Sometimes, elimination is a good strategy. 
7. Some options could be "Not Given" type.
8. Choices on the paper may not be in the same order as the audio.

Specific Tips for Sentence Completion

These kinds of questions usually come in Section 4. This section consists of an academic lecture by one person only and the recording will play 10 questions without any break. Again, I felt that I was not able to go through all the questions before the recording starts. 

1. Remember that the sentence will not be exactly the same as audio - it will be most likely paraphrased. It means, the word you see in the sentence may be synonyms of the words from the audio so you may be listening out for words with similar meaning.
2. Look through the sentences before you start to get an idea of what you will be hearing. Pay particular attention to the 'words that come before and after the gap' to help you notice when the word is spoken, which in most cases will/can not be paraphrased. For example, "I would like to ..... Patna", here notice that 'to' and 'Patna' cannot possibly be paraphrased, the answer has to be a verb such as 'visit', or 'rule'.
3. Try to guess what may go in the gap - is it a place, name, number, or something else?
4. Write the exact words, phrases, or numbers that you hear in the gap on your question paper.
5. Always check the word limit.
6. Audio is in the same order as questions on the paper.

Specific Tips for Dates: Read this article
Specific Tips for Compound Nouns: Read this article.

Other Tips

1. Follow the word limit instructions thoroughly. Carefully transfer your answers at the end of the recording.
2. You can write all of your answers in capitals or in lower case or in title case - it will not affect your score. However, it is recommended using capital letters to write your answer. Keep things simple.
3. The correct spelling is very important. Keep a list of words that caused you problems while attempting practice tests.
4. Pay attention to plurals, they are very important, e.g; if the question asks you to fill the gap "There are many ______", the answer could be "reasons" but not "reason". However, on other occasions, the answer can be given as a singular or plural. For example, "Marinda has such good manner(s)" (Hint: 'manner' is uncountable).
5. Do not check a section that you have just finished, instead, read ahead.
6. Have the next question in mind. Touch your pen on any "keywords" that you hear, and keep confirming that you are in the right place. If you miss a question, move on and find your place as quickly as possible by listening for a keyword. Get into the habit of moving on as swiftly as you can.
7. When recording mentions the question numbers that are going to be played, quickly draw a line just below the last question number. It might help you to concentrate on playing questions.
8. Do not use practise tests from unofficial sites. They are either too easy or too hard. These tests will give you a false impression of your current level and will sabotage your progress.
9. Try doing practise tests under strict examination conditions.
10. That lady with dimples, sitting next to you, does not exist. The next 30 minutes is all about recording, it must be the divine voice of your lord!

Once you feel confident, make your own timing strategy (My timing strategy) because I think the only technique that you need to get used to is reading ahead, that is to use the breaks to read the next section of questions before the recording starts. Apart from that, it is only a matter of practice. Listen to as much English as you can, do as many of the Cambridge past papers as possible, and analyze your mistakes carefully.

Useful Links

- IELTS Liz - The Best Instructor - Loved The Way She Explains
- Daily Lessons with Simon, an ex-IELTS examiner (Most of my tips are adapted from here)
- Listening with IELTS Advantage
- Quora: Tips to achieve 9

Disclaimer: Many of the tips and strategies are derived and adapted from various online sources including listed above.