5 Steps to Mastering IELTS Listening Multiple Choice and Achieving a High Score

The IELTS certificate is widely recognized as a popular English proficiency test in many countries. This test assesses the level of proficiency in the English language across all four fundamental skills. Specifically for the IELTS Listening section, candidates are required to answer 40 questions of various question types. Among them, IELTS Listening Multiple Choice is a type of question that often poses challenges for candidates preparing for the listening test.
What are the characteristics of Multiple Choice questions, and how can you approach this question type to optimize your score? In this article, prepedu.com will answer these questions for candidates.

I. Overview of IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the IELTS Listening Multiple Choice?

Multiple Choice is one of the basic question types in the IELTS Listening. Candidates will be asked to select the correct answer from a list of options. There are two main types of questions:

• Single questions: With three answer options to choose from (A, B, or C). Sometimes, there may be four options.
• List questions: These answers have a longer list of possible answers, and you must select more than one answer as specified in the question.

2. Format of the IELTS Listening Multiple Choice

The first set of questions, 11 & 12, and 13 & 14 - these are list questions. You must choose two answers from options A - E for each question pair.

The second set of questions, 15, 16, and 17 - these are single questions, also known as Single questions, with three options to choose from. You must select one answer for each option A, B, or C.

II. Steps to Handle IELTS Listening Multiple Choice

1. Before listening

• Step 1: Read the questions and answers: In Part 2 of the listening section, there is usually only one speaker and the traps are already listed in the answer choices. We need to identify which information is correct and which information is meant to confuse.
• Step 2: Underline keywords: Underlining keywords helps us clearly understand what the recording is referring to. Pay attention to keywords that differentiate between the answer choices. A specific explanation of this issue will be provided in the actual section.
• Step 3: Predict information about paraphrases: Predict specific information about the paraphrases of keywords to listen more actively.

2. While listening

• Step 4: Listen, move the cursor/mouse to the mentioned answer, and take direct notes: Listen, move the cursor/mouse to the mentioned answer, and take direct notes next to it because there is only one speaker, so there will be distractors among the answer choices. Note: The answers may not follow the order of information in the recording.
• Step 5: Select an answer + Do not leave the answer sheet blank.

III. Some traps in IELTS Listening Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice IELTS Listening is considered to be the type of task that contains the most traps. Prepedu.com will list some traps that candidates may encounter below:

• In the answer choices, there will be misleading information. Therefore, candidates must listen carefully because the speaker in the audio can "manipulate the information along the way."
• The order of the answer choices A, B, and C may not be mentioned in the recording. When you hear an answer, remember to mark it with a pen or move the mouse to that answer.

Here is an example of a trap in Multiple Choice question type in IELTS Listening:

Question: “Which benefit of exercise does Debbie think is most important?”

• It helps you sleep.
• It keeps your heart healthy.
• It improves mental skills.

There are two traps in this question:

• Trap 1: “In fact, being generally active is much healthier than doing lots of exercises just occasionally. As you know, this can be as risky for your heart as being inactive”. This refers to doing lots of exercises just occasionally  Risky for your heart  We can eliminate answer choice B. Some of you may choose this answer if you hear something like "for your heart" briefly.
• Trap 2: “As long as you do at least an hour’s exercise a day, and some of you will do more than that at work, you’ll find that you don’t lie awake at night worrying about the next day, and that’s the main advantage of exercise”. When you hear the phrase “the main advantage of exercise”  you recognize that it is a paraphrase of "the most important benefit of exercise," but do you remember what information the speaker just mentioned before?

Therefore, to conquer the IELTS Listening Multiple Choice and achieve the desired band score, candidates need to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of the questions and employ appropriate strategies. Hopefully, this article will help candidates understand the relevant information about Multiple Choice questions and effectively practice at home, enabling them to confidently overcome the test in the best possible way.