Effective IELTS Listening tips for improving Listening Skills Quickly

If you don't know how to quickly improve your listening skills and raise your Listening band score, then refer to this article. Below are some effective IELTS Listening tips to study Listening shared by Preppies. Take a look and start practicing Listening effectively at home!

I. Effective IELTS Listening tips: Beginner Level (IELTS 4.0)

At this level, if you force yourself to listen to a long audio, you will definitely get very bored. And of course, I'm sure you won't understand everything. Therefore, an effective way to study Listening here is to listen to short audio clips.

The characteristics of these short audios are that they don't have many new words, and the content is diverse and concise. So, at a lower band, you can completely practice listening continuously without pausing to look up words.

Here are some great listening resources that are highly recommended: 

• English In A Minute (from BBC Learning English)
• English with Lucy
• Podcast Learn English by the British Council, which is an English listening app. I usually listen to this before going to sleep because it's quiet at night, and it's really engaging. This app also provides scripts for short conversations, which is convenient for checking if you didn't catch something.

If you try to do practice tests at this level, I've tried it, and it's really difficult. So, an effective way to study Listening is to start gently with the book "Get Ready for IELTS Listening" and "Basic IELTS Listening" to gradually get used to the speed of spoken English and start doing easy and absorbable tests. No one becomes excellent overnight, right?

Oh, starting from this level, you should learn new vocabulary every day and especially pay attention to learning the pronunciation of those words. The reason you can't understand words you already know is often because you're pronouncing them incorrectly, stressing the wrong syllable. Learn the rules for marking word stress right away!

"Oxford Word Skills" (Basic) and "English Pronunciation In Use" (Intermediate) are two resources that support you in learning vocabulary and pronunciation to improve your Listening skills effectively.

II. Effective IELTS Listening tips: Accelerated Level (IELTS 5.0 - 6.5)

After practicing with short conversations for a while, you will have a certain vocabulary base. You will start understanding the content of short audios, with very few specialized words that you don't know. At this point, speeding up your listening comprehension is an effective way to study Listening.

Increase the length of the audio you need to listen to. My suggestion for this is the channel "6 Minute English" from BBC Learning English. BBC is an extremely useful listening resource because it covers diverse topics and closely aligns with what IELTS requires. In longer BBC videos, you will discover interesting grammar and vocabulary.

At this stage, watching BBC programs on natural and scientific topics is an effective way to prepare for the IELTS. Additionally, entertainment and watching movies with English subtitles are also great for practicing Listening effectively and improving natural speaking.

At this stage, I started doing sections 1 and 2 of the Cambridge practice tests. Sometimes, if I feel interested, I also try sections 3 and 4 to get familiar with them. If you want more practice materials, I recommend doing "Listening for IELTS - Collins."

III. Effective IELTS Listening tips: Deep Listening Proficiency (IELTS 6.5+)

Once achieving band 6, to improve the band score to reach my desired target, I listened to TED talks every day. I passively listen and actively listen while reading the script. The length of a video is equivalent to a section, so you can practice your focus here. Speakers from different English-speaking regions will help you become familiar with various accents.

In addition, I listened to BBC radio and read English newspapers daily. Since I study economics, keeping up with the news is quite important, and I find it extremely effective for listening practice.

During this phase, I pushed myself to take tests seriously. Each time I do a test, it's like taking a complete Listening test. I checked the answers and read the script to understand why I made mistakes. I use Cambridge books from 10 to 16 for listening practice.

IV. Some Effective Passive Listening Resources

Furthermore, prepedu.com will introduce you to some effective passive English listening resources. Don't miss out on these: 

• English music - this depends on each person's preference.
• News - choose the type of news you want to listen to. However, I encourage you to listen to diverse content.
• Podcasts - you can listen to podcasts according to your interests. I usually listen to them before going to sleep.

Note: When you apply the daily vocabulary learning and grammar improvement methods, it will greatly enhance your listening skills. 

An IELTS certificate is not just a simple English certificate; it is also a ticket that helps you get closer to opportunities for a better life. Hopefully, the effective IELTS Listening tips shared here will help you achieve the desired score!