Pocket 3 IELTS listening tips and materials for the best preparation

IELTS Listening always plays an important role in the IELTS exam. And if you don't have the right study materials and methods, it can be a very difficult skill to master. Additionally, Listening is a foundational skill that helps you communicate easily in life, work, or educational environments. Therefore, as long as you find the right method and suitable study materials, you can easily conquer the IELTS listening exam. You can refer to an article sharing IELTS listening tips and materials from a student at PREP.

I. Important information about the IELTS listening exam that you need to know 

1. Exam format 

The IELTS Listening exam consists of 4 sections, with each section corresponding to 10 questions. The questions are designed based on the progression of the listening passage.

2. Exam Characteristics

The IELTS Listening exam has the following characteristics 

• Sections 1 and 2 of the listening exam are set in social contexts (non-academic).
• The accents you will hear include British, Australian, New Zealand, American, and Canadian (native English speakers).
• The listening audio recording is played only once.
• The questions are designed and arranged in the order of the audio recording (carefully arranged to ensure that you can answer the questions after hearing the information only once).

For more information, please refer to the following article:

• IELTS Listening Test Format & Tips to Achieve Maximum Score

3. Types of questions

The questions in the IELTS Listening section can be divided into 2 types:

• Multiple-choice questions.
• Fill in the blanks. 

4. What does this listening exam assess in you? 

The IELTS Listening exam assesses your listening comprehension skills through:

• Paraphrasing the answer information.
• Being quick in identifying key words.
• Analyzing the question intelligently.

II. Some IELTS listening tips and materials 

Upon gaining a deeper understanding of the exam, including its format and features, I began to practice with a clear objective. Prior to this, my study sessions seemed inefficient due to a lack of insight into the exam's specifics. This strategic shift led to my achievement of a score of 8.5 in the IELTS listening test. I encourage you to apply a similar approach. Below, you will find several IELTS listening tips and materials.

1. Tip 1: Practice IELTS listening daily 

It may sound simple, but daily IELTS listening practice is crucial. Pay attention to the following points while listening:

• What to listen to
• How to listen 

For free IELTS listening materials, I recommend the following sources:

• Cambridge books from 10 to 16. These are the most up-to-date materials that closely resemble the real exam, so stick to them to assess your proficiency level.
• Effective YouTube channels for IELTS listening:
• Key & Peele (3.2 million subscribers)
• How It Should Have Ended (10.1 million subscribers)
• WatchMojo.com (23.8 million subscribers)
• TED-Ed (14.2 million subscribers)

The channels I selected meet all the criteria for "high-quality" content, including native-like pronunciation, diverse topics relevant to IELTS Listening, and subtitles in English and your native language.

To avoid getting bored, I simply listen without taking note of vocabulary. I personally study vocabulary based on the topics in my own books. I don't pause the videos to write down words because it can be demotivating.

My listening process is as follows: Listen with English subtitles, then with subtitles in my native language, and finally listen without any subtitles.

I select videos that are approximately 10 minutes or longer for this method to prevent prolonged focus on a single video, which can become tedious. Over time, I progressively phase out the use of videos with subtitles in my native language and eventually cease depending on English subtitles altogether.

Repeating the daily listening practice helps you become familiar with English, internalize the meanings of new words, and allows you to listen without relying on subtitles when encountering those new words in subsequent videos.

2. Tip 2: Practice IELTS listening with various accents

Don't focus solely on listening to pure British accents. In the listening exam, you will encounter various accents. To familiarize yourself with different accents, watch pronunciation practice videos by YouTubers from different English-speaking countries. Additionally, listen to the responses of speaking test takers from different countries. Aim for listening to band 8 or higher responses.

3. Tip 3: Actively paraphrase the answers during practice 

When practicing listening using the free IELTS listening materials I shared above, you will often come across speakers using different words and phrases to refer to the same topic, in order to avoid repetition. Learn from them and use your own vocabulary. Try to paraphrase the questions so that it becomes easier for you to understand when the audio is played.

Initially, this may take some time, but trust me, after a short period, you will be able to do this quickly because you will have grasped how the test setters usually paraphrase.

This article has provided insights into the IELTS listening tips and materials from a PREP candidate. Preppies, refer to this article to extract study tips that suit you. Also, make sure to practice with the free IELTS listening materials mentioned above!