IELTS Listening

English Language Centre The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Test Format and Tasks

Format and Tasks Strategies and Examples Further Help References Questions

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Approaching the listening tasks

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

Example of 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)

Example of 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.

Example of 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

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

Further Help
CILL Core A 3/F
ITELTS Listening Tapes and CD-ROMs available More information at http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/ cill/ielts/

Further Help - CILL

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

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

Useful websites
UGC Introductory site http://www.ugccepa.com IELTS homepage http://www.ielts.org/index.htm

ELC homepage http://elc.polyu.edu.hk

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.