The four parts of IELTS Listening
The test takes about 30 minutes and has 40 questions in four parts. You hear each recording once.
- Part 1: a conversation between two people in an everyday situation, such as booking a hotel room or joining a gym. Often a form or table to complete.
- Part 2: one speaker on an everyday topic, such as a guide describing a park or a manager explaining a new facility. Often includes a map or plan.
- Part 3: a discussion between two or three speakers in an educational setting, such as students planning a project with a tutor.
- Part 4: a lecture on an academic subject, with no break in the middle.
On the computer-delivered test you get 2 minutes at the end to check your answers. On paper, you get 10 minutes to transfer them to the answer sheet. For band 7, you typically need about 30 correct answers out of 40.
Accents you will hear
IELTS uses a range of English accents, including British, Australian, North American and others. Many Karachi students are used to American English from films and online content, and to Pakistani English from university and work, so British and Australian voices can feel unfamiliar at first, especially in fast conversation.
Our 88 Listening sets are recorded with British voices, which builds your ear for the accent many students find hardest. Add variety by listening to podcasts and radio from the UK and Australia for 15 minutes a day.
Spelling and numbers: where easy marks disappear
A correct answer spelt wrongly is a wrong answer. Common slips include:
- Double letters: "accommodation", "address", "committee", "necessary".
- British spellings: "centre", "colour", "programme". American spellings are generally accepted, but be consistent and careful.
- Letters that sound alike when spelt aloud: A/E/I, G/J, B/V and M/N. Karachi speakers often say "zed" or "zee" interchangeably, so listen for both.
- Numbers: "fifteen" and "fifty", "thirteen" and "thirty". British speakers say "double five" for 55 and "oh" for zero in phone numbers.
- Dates and times: "the twenty-first of March" or "half past six" may need writing as numbers.
- Postcodes: British postcodes mix letters and numbers, quite unlike Karachi's block-and-sector addresses such as "Block 13-D". Practise them deliberately.
Map and plan questions
Map questions in Part 2 cause more lost marks than almost anything else. Before the recording starts:
- Find "you are here" or the entrance and orient yourself.
- Note words like north, opposite, beside, at the far end and on the corner.
- Follow the speaker's route with your pencil or mouse pointer.
On our computer-style screens, many map and labelling questions use drag-and-drop or selection, just as they do in the computer-delivered test.
Answers come in question order
In IELTS Listening, answers almost always come in the same order as the questions. This is a lifeline. If you hear the answer to question 14 and realise you missed 13, leave it and keep going. Getting stuck on one missed answer is how students lose the next three. Our recordings follow question order exactly like the real test.
IELTS Listening practice in Karachi: dealing with noise
The real test room is quiet. Many Karachi homes are not. Construction, traffic on main roads, generators during load-shedding and rain hammering on rooftops in the monsoon can all drown out a speaker.
- Use headphones for every practice set. In-ear or over-ear both work; a cheap pair is better than laptop speakers.
- Practise at different times so you learn when your home is quietest, then take full timed sets in that window.
- Do one set in mild noise a week. It trains your concentration, as the test room will have small noises too.
- Keep your device charged before starting a set, so a power cut does not stop you halfway through Part 3.
Common errors and how to stop them
- Writing more words than the instructions allow ("NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER").
- Writing the first answer you hear when the speaker then corrects it ("on Tuesday... no, sorry, Wednesday").
- Forgetting plurals: "students" not "student" if that is what you hear.
- Losing focus in Part 4. Practise full lectures without pausing.
Every wrong answer goes into your Mistake Notebook automatically, so after two weeks you will know exactly which of these is costing you marks. When you are reliably above 30, move on to our harder Charged Listening sets.