Compilation of 6 basic and advanced IELTS Listening books

If you are unsure about choosing the right IELTS Listening book for yourself, PREP will now introduce you to the best book for IELTS Listening according to each level. You can read Prep's reviews to choose the most suitable book for yourself.

I. IELTS Listening books - Basic level

It is important to note for beginners that you need to find books that are suitable for your own level. Avoid jumping ahead or choosing advanced books, as they may be less effective and demotivating for learning. Below, PREP will introduce you to some simple IELTS Listening books suitable for beginners.

1. Basic IELTS Listening

• Suitable target audience for Basic IELTS Listening: This book is designed with a level from easy to difficult. It is suitable for those with low IELTS Band scores or beginners.
• Content of Basic IELTS Listening book: IELTS Basic Listening provides you with the most general information about the structure of the IELTS Listening test. The book provides simple tips to make your practice more effective. It consists of 5 units covering common IELTS topics such as Name and Places, Number, Survival English, Popular Science, and Academic English. Each lesson has 5-15 accompanying exercises for you to practice listening directly.

2. Get ready for IELTS Listening

• Suitable target audience for Get Ready for IELTS Listening: This is a relatively easy IELTS Listening practice book suitable for beginners. However, the book is entirely written in English, so a Band 3.0 IELTS level is the most appropriate for studying this book.
• Content of Get Ready for IELTS Listening book: The Get Ready for IELTS Listening book consists of 4 main parts:
  • Part 1: Vocabulary
  • Part 2: Developing Listening Skills
  • Part 3: Detailed Practice
  • Part 4: Reviewing the learned knowledge

3. Tactic for Listening - Basic

• Suitable target audience for Tactics for Listening - Basic: Designed for A1, A2, or 1.0 - 3.0 IELTS levels.
• Content of Tactics for Listening - Basic book: This IELTS Listening book has 24 units covering common topics in IELTS exams. With the Basic level, the topics are quite familiar and related to daily life. The speed is slow, and the vocabulary used is simple. Additionally, you will practice skills such as identifying keywords, making inferences, guessing the speaker's attitude, note-taking, and identifying information.

II. IELTS Listening books - Intermediate Level

At the Intermediate level, you will need IELTS Listening books with a higher level of difficulty. At this level, PREP also provides you with some recommended books for reference:

1. Intensive IELTS Listening

• Suitable for Intensive IELTS Listening book: Unlike other IELTS Listening preparation books mentioned above, Intensive IELTS Listening is suitable for those with a band score ranging from 3.5 to 5.0 in IELTS. This book is not suitable for beginners or those who have just started learning IELTS.
• Content of Intensive IELTS Listening book:
  • This book is part of the Cambridge IELTS Intensive Training series. It provides you with 5 common types of questions in the IELTS Listening test, including Map Labeling, Map Labeling Ticking and Table Filling, Short Answer, Matching, and Multiple Choice. Each type of question is designed for practice.
  • In addition, the book includes realistic test exercises for you to assess your own skills. The audio script at the end of the book is very useful for those who practice shadowing to improve their speaking skills.

2. Collins - Listening for IELTS

• Suitable for Collins - Listening for IELTS book: This book is most suitable for those with an IELTS band score ranging from 4.5 to 5.0. The target score when using this book is Band 6.5 in IELTS.
• Content of Collins - Listening for IELTS book: The book consists of 12 units, with 11 units covering familiar topics in IELTS. The remaining unit, Unit 12, is a practice test to help candidates evaluate their own learning outcomes. Each unit includes three main parts:
  • Part 1: Vocabulary related to the topic
  • Part 2: Exercise types and instructions for typical question types
  • Part 3: Exercise bank

Like other IELTS Listening practice books, this book also includes an answer key for self-assessment.

3. Tactic for Listening - Developing

• Suitable for Tactic for Listening - Developing book: This book belongs to the Tactic for Listening series. Tactic for Listening - Developing is designed for those at the B1 or 3.0 to 4.0 IELTS level.
• Content of Tactic for Listening - Developing book: This IELTS Listening book consists of 24 units covering common topics in IELTS exams. With the book, you will encounter topics related to the experiences of both adults and teenagers. The book includes longer and more complex sentences and more challenging grammar compared to Book 1.

III. IELTS Listening books - Advanced Level

For advanced level, it is not recommended to choose IELTS Listening books that are too easy. At this level, if you want to improve your own band score, it is necessary to use books with a certain level of difficulty. Below are some recommended Advanced level IELTS Listening books that PREP introduces for your reference:

1. 15 Days Practice for IELTS Listening

• Suitable audience for "15-Day Practice for IELTS Listening" book: This book is suitable for those who have a specific foundation, specifically at the IELTS 5.0 level or higher. The book provides you with a specific 15-day study plan for IELTS Listening.
• Content of "15-Day Practice for IELTS Listening" book: This book provides you with a specific 15-day study plan for IELTS Listening. You can refer to the following topics:
  • Day 1: Overview of the IELTS Listening test
  • Day 2: Familiarizing yourself with question types in IELTS Listening
  • Day 3 - Day 4: Vocabulary classification
  • Day 5: Multiple-choice questions
  • Day 6 - Day 8: Gap-fill exercises with different question formats
  • Day 9: Matching words, phrases, and sentences
  • Day 10: Matching pictures
  • Day 11: Short answer questions
  • Day 12: True/False question format
  • Day 13: Review
  • Day 14: Practice
  • Day 15: Practice

2. Tactic for Listening - Expanding

• Suitable audience for "Tactics for Listening - Expanding" book: This book is for B2 level or IELTS 4.0 to 6.0.
• Content of "Tactics for Listening - Expanding" book: Each IELTS Listening book has 24 units with common topics in IELTS exams. "Expanding Tactics for Listening" contains dialogues and conversations with a lot of information. You need to be careful to avoid traps that may occur in the passages.

IV. Effective strategies for learning IELTS Listening

You should note that doing a lot of Listening practice tests doesn't necessarily lead to progress. When studying Listening with books, you need to carefully read the instructions provided by the books for the most effective practice. Below, prepedu.com will share some experiences to help you practice Listening effectively. For Listening, you need to make use of the transcripts provided by the books for effective learning. The specific steps are as follows:

• Step 1 - Vocabulary learning with transcripts: Read the entire transcript, and for any unfamiliar words, learn the pronunciation and meaning in the context of the passage. The recommended dictionaries for reference are Cambridge and Oxford, among others.
• Step 2 - Listening while looking at the transcripts: This helps you become familiar with the pronunciation of new words and vocabulary.
• Step 3 - Take practice tests: Listen and focus on taking practice tests.
• Step 4 - Check and compare the results: In this step, you need to carefully check and analyze the reasons for any incorrect answers. Pay special attention to how they paraphrase words from the transcript in the questions. For example, you may notice that they paraphrased "set up" from the transcript as "book" in the question. Both "book" and "set up" have the meaning of "arrange," and in the passage, it refers to making an appointment.

VI. Conclusion

PREP has just reviewed six effective IELTS Listening books for each level: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. PREP has provided essential information about each book to help you choose the most suitable one for yourself. PREP hopes you will study for the IELTS diligently and achieve the score you desire.