The simplest way to find keywords in IELTS Listening!

When it comes to Listening skills, finding keywords in IELTS listening is extremely important. Keywords play a crucial role in helping you select the correct answers to the questions. So, how can you find keywords in IELTS listening most simply and accurately to achieve a high band score in listening? Understanding your concerns, in this article, PREP will introduce the easiest way to find keywords in IELTS listening that you can apply. Let's read the article below!

I. What are keywords?

Keywords are the important words in a sentence that contain all the essential information of that sentence. Keywords usually come in three main forms:

• Nouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives

Note: Keywords in IELTS listening are not adjectives such as "to," "from," "at," or articles such as "a," "an." Keywords help test-takers determine the exact content of the question and the entire passage.

II. How to find keywords in IELTS Listening 

1. Finding keywords in the question

PREP will guide you on how to find keywords in IELTS listening in the simplest way. Let's refer to the following example:

Question: What (question word) did Robin (subject/ noun) like (verb) about his favorite place (adjective + noun)?

A. The wildlife (noun)

B. The views (noun)

C. The peace (noun)

2. Finding keywords in the answers

The keyword of a question in the IELTS listening test is present in both the question and the answer choices. Therefore, the most accurate way to find keywords in IELTS listening is to identify keywords in both the question and the answer choices of that question. Let's identify the keyword in the following question together:

Question: What did Robin like about his favorite place?

A. The wildlife (noun)

B. The views (noun)

C. The peace (noun)

3. Additional example of finding keywords in IELTS Listening

Here is another example of how to find keywords in IELTS listening. Let's refer to the example below.

On Robin’s last trip (noun phrase) to Argentina (noun), the weather (noun) was (verb):

A. colder (adjective) than he (noun) expected (verb).

B. suitable (adjective) for what (noun) he (noun) planned (verb).

C. different (adjective) from the forecasts (noun) he (noun) heard (verb). 

Through the examples above, you can easily identify the keywords in the question as well as in the answer choices of an IELTS listening passage, right?

III. Quick skills for finding keywords in IELTS Listening

1. Skimming Skills

Skimming is the ability to read quickly to understand the overall content or read from top to bottom. Skimming helps test-takers answer general questions in various question types such as matching headings, summary completion, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), etc., quickly and effectively.

2. Scanning Skills

Instead of finding main ideas like Skimming, Scanning is also crucial in helping us find details - specific information. Scanning is a skill of quickly reading from left to right. Scanning helps you locate specific information and narrow down the search area to read carefully and in detail. For example, in the matching headings task, you need to match each paragraph with the corresponding heading. If you don't use Skimming, you will have to read the entire passage, but with Skimming, you only need to read the main ideas or topic sentences.

IV. Exercise: finding keywords in IELTS Listening

One of the most effective ways to master the skill of finding keywords in IELTS listening quickly is through regular practice. Only by doing enough exercises can you grasp this method to achieve a high band score in listening.

Test Practice on PREP is the space where you can practice IELTS listening tests online in general and practice finding keywords in IELTS listening in particular. Here, the listening tests are compiled from reputable sources such as Cambridge, Road to IELTS, etc. Moreover, you can practice the tests COMPLETELY FREE at Test Practice on PREP.

Above is all the knowledge about how to find keywords in IELTS Listening. Hopefully, the knowledge shared by PREP will help you effectively prepare for the English exam at home and achieve a high band score in IELTS Listening. Additionally, if you want to learn more about Listening skills in the IELTS exam, feel free to check out the IELTS Listening course in the IELTS Basic Plus package. If you have any further questions, please leave a comment below or contact PREP directly for the most detailed advice. Remember to practice regularly and apply these strategies during your preparation to improve your listening skills and achieve a high band score in the IELTS exam. Good luck!