The four parts of the Listening test
Listening lasts 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 course or reporting a problem. Often a form or notes to complete.
- Part 2: A monologue in an everyday context, such as a tour or a talk about local facilities. Map and plan labelling questions often appear here.
- Part 3: A discussion between two or three people in an educational setting, for example students and a tutor talking about a project.
- Part 4: A lecture on an academic topic, usually with note or summary completion.
On the computer-delivered test, you have two minutes at the end to check your answers. On paper, you get ten minutes to transfer them to the answer sheet. Band 7 needs roughly 30 out of 40 correct.
Accents: the adjustment many Manila candidates need
Most people in Metro Manila grow up hearing American English from films, series and music, and many BPO professionals spend whole shifts listening to US callers. IELTS recordings use a range of English accents, including British, Australian and others, and the rhythm and vowels can feel unfamiliar at first.
IELTS Learning's 88 Listening sets are recorded with British voices, which is a good way to train your ear. Notice how British speakers often drop the r at the end of words (car, water), and how can't and half sound different. After a week or two of regular practice, these differences stop being distractions.
Spelling and numbers: the easy marks people lose
A correct answer spelled wrongly is marked wrong. Common problem areas:
- Spelled-out names. Practise the alphabet in English, especially letters that sound alike: e and i, g and j, b, p and v.
- Double letters. Speakers say double s or double t. Write both letters.
- Numbers. Thirteen and thirty, fifteen and fifty: listen for the stress. Oh often means zero in phone numbers.
- Dates and times. Write them the way the question format suggests.
- Plurals. If the speaker says tickets, ticket is wrong.
- Word limits. If the instruction says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, a three-word answer scores zero.
Either British or American spelling is accepted, so color or colour are both fine, as long as the word is spelled correctly.
Map and plan questions
Map questions are where many good listeners lose three or four marks at once. Before the recording starts:
- Find the starting point, usually marked You are here or an entrance.
- Note the compass direction and any landmarks already labelled.
- Predict the language you will hear: opposite, next to, at the end of the corridor, turn left past.
Then follow the speaker with your finger or cursor as they move. If you get lost, jump to the next question rather than chasing the one you missed.
Practising Listening in Metro Manila
Listening is the module most affected by your environment. In a busy household, a noisy dormitory near Taft Avenue or a shared apartment in Sampaloc, good headphones are essential, and they also match the computer-delivered test, where headphones are provided.
For short practice, a single Part takes under ten minutes, which suits a lunch break at the office or a gap between classes at UST or De La Salle. Leave the full 30-minute tests for a quiet time at home. Listening on the MRT or a jeepney along EDSA is fine for general exposure, such as podcasts or news, but it is too noisy for scored practice.
Common errors and how to fix them
- Writing while the answer passes. Write short notes and complete spelling in the checking time.
- Being fooled by corrections. Speakers often say one thing and then change it: Tuesday, sorry, Wednesday. The second is the answer.
- Reading only one question ahead. Look at the next two or three so you are not lost if you miss one.
- Not reviewing mistakes. IELTS Learning saves every wrong answer to your Mistake Notebook automatically. Review them weekly and look for patterns, such as numbers or Part 3 multiple choice.
Charged sets and full tests
Once you regularly reach 30 or more, try the Charged Listening sets. They use faster speech, more distractors and tougher lectures, built for students aiming at band 7+. Mix them with full mock tests to keep your timing realistic.
Start with the free sample Listening sets, no card needed. For a quick estimate of your overall band, use the free Band Score Calculator.