Most marks lost in IELTS Listening are not lost to hard vocabulary. They go to seven traps: a detail the speaker corrects, a name spelt out letter by letter, numbers that sound alike, a time in the wrong form, a missing plural, an answer over the word limit, and an answer said in other words. Each one costs a mark out of 40, and each can be heard coming.
40
questions, one mark each
4
recordings, ten questions in each part
1
hearing of each recording
2
minutes at the end to check, on computer
What does the IELTS Listening paper look like?
IELTS Listening is four recordings and 40 questions, heard once, in about 30 minutes. The first two recordings are everyday situations and the last two are about education or training, and in each pair a conversation comes before a single speaker:
| Part | What you hear | Situation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A conversation between two people | Everyday, social |
| 2 | One main speaker | Everyday, social |
| 3 | A conversation between two main speakers | Education and training |
| 4 | One person speaking on an academic subject | Education and training |
Before each part you get time to read its questions, and after it some time to look over your answers. On computer you type every answer straight into the screen, so the ten minutes paper candidates used to have for copying answers onto an answer sheet no longer exists. Instead, the test ends with two minutes to check everything.
To scale
The Listening paper on computer
- Four recordings, heard once · 30 minAbout 30 minutes in all, with time to read each part's questions before it starts and to look over them after it ends.
- Final check · 2 minTwo minutes at the end to check every answer on screen.
The question formats vary: forms, notes, tables and flow charts to complete, sentences, multiple choice, matching, a plan or map to label, and short answers. The traps below run through all of them.
How is each answer marked?
Each correct answer earns one mark, and an answer only counts if it is the right word, spelt correctly and inside the word limit. Forty marks are then converted to a band, and IELTS's own approximate figures put Band 6 at about 23 correct answers and Band 7 at about 30.
Raw score to band
Listening: correct answers out of 40 and the band they usually give
9.0
39–40 correct
8.5
37–38 correct
8.0
35–36 correct
7.5
32–34 correct
7.0
30–31 correct
6.5
26–29 correct
6.0
23–25 correct
5.5
18–22 correct
5.0
16–17 correct
4.5
13–15 correct
IELTS publishes these as approximate: the exact number of marks for each band varies slightly from one version of the test to another.
Three marking rules decide most of the traps:
- Spelling. A misspelt answer is marked wrong. So is a name that does not match the letters you heard.
- The word limit. Each question tells you how many words you may write, and an answer that goes over loses the mark. A hyphenated word such as check-in counts as one word.
- Numbers. A number counts as a number however you write it, so "320" and "three hundred and twenty" are treated alike. Digits are faster and cannot be misspelt.
When you try the recordings on this page, your answer is marked by the same grader as SpeakMetry's Listening tests. If it is wrong for a reason it can name, it tells you which one: a spelling slip, too many words, or the answer the speaker mentioned first and then changed.
Why is the first answer you hear often wrong?
The first answer you hear is often wrong because Listening recordings are written so that a detail is offered and then replaced: a time that does not suit, a place that is closed this week, a price that went up. The replaced detail is called a distractor, and it fits the gap perfectly, which is the point.
The replacement is nearly always signalled. Words like but, actually, sorry, instead, this week and used to tell you that what came before is about to change. Write nothing until the speaker has finished the thought.
Listen and answer
You will hear someone phoning to ask about a guided walk.
Write ONE WORD.
Transcript
- Caller: Hello, I'm calling about the guided walk on Saturday morning. Where does it start?
- Receptionist: Most weeks we start from the car park by the bridge.
- Receptionist: But the bridge is closed for repairs this month, so on Saturday we're meeting outside the old mill instead.
- Caller: Right. And how long does the walk take?
- Receptionist: About two hours.
The rule that protects you: an answer is only final when the speaker moves on to the next point. In the recording, "the car park by the bridge" is the normal arrangement, and the next sentence cancels it. A candidate who writes as soon as a place is named writes "bridge".
How should you write names, numbers and times?
You should write them exactly as the speaker gives them: a name letter for letter, a number in digits, and a time or date in a standard written form. These are the Part 1 answers that look easy and still cost marks, because one wrong letter or digit is a wrong answer.
Names spelt out letter by letter
When a speaker spells a name, the spelling is the answer. Listen for "double", which means the letter is written twice, and for the letters that are easy to confuse when spoken quickly: A and E, G and J, B, P and V, M and N.
Listen and answer
You will hear someone giving their details to a receptionist.
Write ONE WORD.
Transcript
- Receptionist: Can I have your surname, please?
- Caller: Yes, it's Kendrell. That's K-E-N-D-R-E-double L.
- Receptionist: Thank you. And a phone number we can reach you on?
Write the letters as you hear them, not the version of the name you know. If a surname sounds familiar but is spelt in an unusual way, the unusual spelling is the one that scores.
Numbers that sound alike
Thirteen and thirty, fourteen and forty, fifteen and fifty differ mainly in where the stress falls. The teen numbers are stressed at the end, thirTEEN, and the tens at the start, THIRty. The teen numbers also end in a clear "n".
Listen and answer
You will hear a student asking a tutor about a field trip.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.
Transcript
- Student: How many students can go on the field trip?
- Tutor: It's a small group this year: thirteen at most.
- Student: Sorry, did you say thirty?
- Tutor: No, thirteen. One three. The minibus only seats that many.
Recordings often test this on purpose, as this one does: someone mishears, and the correction comes digit by digit. Any time a number is repeated or questioned, the version that comes last is the one to write.
Times and dates
Speakers rarely say "seven forty-five". They say "a quarter to eight", "half past six" or "ten to nine", and you write the time in figures. Dates come as "the twenty-first of March"; write them with the month as a word, such as 21 March, which keeps the date clear whichever order you were taught.
Listen and answer
You will hear a tour guide talking to a group about a trip.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.
Transcript
- Guide: A quick word about Friday's trip to the coast.
- Guide: The coach leaves at a quarter to eight, so please be at the hotel entrance ten minutes before that.
- Guide: We'll be back by about six in the evening.
This clip adds a second test: a time that has to be worked out. The group meets ten minutes before the coach leaves, so 7.35 is in the recording's logic but not in the question. Read what the gap is asking for: here, when the coach leaves.
Why do plurals and word limits cost so many marks?
They cost marks because the answer can be the right idea in the wrong form: "photograph" for "photographs", or "a waterproof jacket" for a two-word limit. Neither is a listening mistake. Both are fixed by reading the question properly before the recording starts.
Plurals and word forms
The words around a gap usually tell you the form the answer takes. "Two" or "several" before a gap calls for a plural; "a" or "an" calls for a singular noun; "is" or "was" after it calls for something singular. Check the grammar of the whole line before you move on.
Listen and answer
You will hear someone asking how to collect a library card.
Write ONE WORD.
Transcript
- Caller: What do I need to bring to collect my library card?
- Receptionist: Just some proof of address, like a recent bill, and two passport photographs.
- Caller: Do the photographs need to be recent too?
- Receptionist: Taken in the last six months, please.
Our grader names a missing s as a spelling slip, because one letter is wrong. The real test does not explain itself: the answer is simply marked wrong.
The word limit
IELTS states plainly that you lose the mark for writing more than the word limit. The limit is in the instructions above each group of questions, and it applies to every answer in that group. Articles count as words, so "the bus" breaks a one-word limit even when "bus" is right.
Listen and answer
You will hear a guide answering questions about a walk.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
Transcript
- Guide: The forecast for Saturday isn't great, so everyone needs to bring a waterproof jacket.
- Caller: What about walking boots?
- Guide: Trainers are fine. The paths are mostly dry.
What each common instruction allows:
| Instruction | Fits | Breaks the limit |
|---|---|---|
| ONE WORD ONLY | jacket | a jacket |
| ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER | 7.45, 21 March | the 21st of March |
| NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS | waterproof jacket, check-in desk | a waterproof jacket |
| NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER | 15 Hill Road | 15 Hill Road West |
The gap is designed so that the right answer fits the limit. If your answer does not fit, the problem is usually an extra word you heard around it, not the limit.
How do you recognise an answer said in other words?
You recognise it by listening for the meaning of the question rather than its words, because the recording almost never uses the same wording as the question. If the notes say "less rough grassland", the speaker may say "the loss of rough grassland"; if they say "next to the café", the speaker may say "just beside the café".
The other help is the signpost: the phrase that tells you the answer is coming. In lectures and talks, listen for what the figures pointed to instead, the main reason, however, turning now to and in fact. They often mark the moment an earlier idea is set aside for the answer.
Listen and answer
You will hear part of a lecture about barn owls.
Write ONE WORD.
Transcript
- Lecturer: For years, people assumed the barn owls in this valley were disappearing because the winters had become colder.
- Lecturer: But when we studied the long-term records, winter temperatures explained very little.
- Lecturer: What the figures pointed to instead was the loss of rough grassland, which is where the owls do most of their hunting.
The lecture first gives the explanation people used to believe, colder winters, and then rejects it. The question asks for the reason the study found, so the answer comes after "instead".
Map and plan questions run on the same idea, with direction language in place of synonyms. These are the phrases to have ready:
| You might hear | It means |
|---|---|
| opposite, across from, facing | on the other side, looking at it |
| beside, alongside, next to | at its side |
| beyond, past, further along | after it, as you keep going |
| on the far side of | the side away from you |
| at the junction, where the paths meet | at the meeting point of two routes |
| in the corner | where two walls or edges meet |
How do you hear the answers coming?
You hear them coming by predicting each answer before the recording starts: what kind of word it is, what form it takes, and what will be said just before it. The reading time before each part is for this, and it is the most valuable time in the paper.
Read the gap, not just the heading
Decide what kind of answer fits: a name, a number, a time, a place, a plural noun. "Arrive by ____ am" wants a time; "two ____" wants a plural.
Mark the words on either side
On computer, highlight them. They are the words the speaker will paraphrase just before the answer.
Listen for the change words
But, actually, instead, sorry. Hold your answer until the speaker has finished the point.
Write the answer in the gap's form
Digits for numbers, the month as a word for dates, the plural if the line needs it, nothing beyond the word limit.
Use the checking time for spelling and limits
After each part, and in the two minutes at the end, reread every answer against the instruction above it.
Then test your marking. Each of these is a real rule the examiner applies:
Check yourselfRight or wrong? Mark these the way the examiner would
5 questions1The instruction says ONE WORD ONLY. The answer is “library”. You wrote “the library”.
The answer is Wrong. “The library” is two words, so it breaks a one-word limit and scores nothing, even though “library” is correct.
2The instruction says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. The answer is “check-in desk”. You wrote “check-in desk”.
The answer is Right. A hyphenated word counts as one word, so “check-in desk” is two words and within the limit.
3The speaker spells a surname: K-E-N-D-R-E-double L. You wrote “Kendrel”.
The answer is Wrong. “Double L” means two Ls. A misspelt answer is marked wrong, and a name has to match the letters you heard.
4The notes say “Bring: two ____”. The speaker says “two passport photographs”. You wrote “photograph”.
The answer is Wrong. “Two” calls for a plural. “Photograph” is a different word form from the one heard, so it is wrong.
5The instruction says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. The answer is “waterproof jacket”. You wrote “a waterproof jacket”.
The answer is Wrong. Articles count. “A waterproof jacket” is three words, one over the limit, so the whole answer scores nothing.
Which question types do these traps appear in?
The traps follow the question types, so knowing the type tells you which ones to expect. Each type below links to its page, with real questions from our Listening tests:
| Question type | Traps to expect |
|---|---|
| Form completion | Corrections, spelled names, numbers, times and dates |
| Note completion | Plurals, word limits, answers in other words |
| Table completion | Numbers and word forms that must fit the column |
| Sentence completion | Grammar that has to fit the sentence, paraphrase |
| Multiple choice | Options that are mentioned and then ruled out |
| Map labelling | Direction language, the speaker's starting point |
| Short answer | The word limit, extra words heard around the answer |
Try it on a full paper
Listening · About 35 minutes
Your band, every answer marked, and the line you needed to hear.
The quickest way to find which trap costs you the most is to sit a full paper and read the reasons beside every wrong answer. SpeakMetry's Listening tests are marked with the grader used on this page, and the Listening band calculator turns any practice score into a band. For how that band joins the other three, see how IELTS band scores are calculated, and for the screen you will sit it on, IELTS on computer.
Where to check this
Every rule in this guide comes from these official pages. Test centres can differ on dates and arrangements, so check yours too.
Questions people ask next
Is spelling marked in IELTS Listening?
Yes. An answer with the right word spelt wrongly is marked wrong, and so is a name that does not match the letters the speaker spells out. Practise the words that come up often, such as environment, accommodation and library, until you can type them without thinking.
What happens if you write more than the word limit in IELTS Listening?
You lose the mark, even if the right word is in your answer. Articles count, so “the bus” breaks a one-word limit. A hyphenated word such as check-in counts as one word, and the limit for each question is printed in its instructions.
How many times do you hear the IELTS Listening recording?
Once. Each of the four recordings is played once only, so the time before each part, when you can read the questions and predict the answers, matters as much as the listening itself.
Can you write numbers as words in IELTS Listening?
Yes. A number written in words counts as a number, so it does not use up a word in a limit such as ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER. Digits are quicker to type, though, and remove the risk of a spelling mistake.
Is there time to check answers in IELTS Listening on computer?
Yes. On computer you type each answer straight into the screen, get some time after each part to look over your answers, and have two minutes at the end of the test to check them. There is no separate time to transfer answers, because there is no answer sheet.
Written by SpeakMetry Team
The team that builds SpeakMetry's mock tests writes these guides. Every rule is checked against the official IELTS, British Council and IDP pages listed in the guide, and every example question, passage and sample answer was written for the guide it appears in.
