The four parts and what each one tests
The Listening test has 4 parts and 40 questions, and lasts about 30 minutes. On computer-delivered IELTS you get 2 minutes at the end to check your answers; on paper you get 10 minutes to transfer them to the answer sheet.
- Part 1: a conversation between two people in an everyday situation, such as booking a course or reporting a lost item. Expect form or note completion with names, numbers and dates.
- Part 2: one speaker on an everyday topic, such as a tour or a local facility. Maps and plans often appear here.
- Part 3: two or three speakers in an academic setting, such as students discussing a project with a tutor. Multiple choice and matching are common, and speakers change their minds.
- Part 4: a lecture by one speaker on an academic subject, with no break in the middle. Usually note or summary completion.
IELTS Learning has 88 Listening sets covering all four parts, recorded with British voices. As in the real test, the answers follow the order of the questions.
Accents, spelling and numbers
Accents
The test uses a range of English accents, and British voices appear often. If most of your listening is Indian English or American films and series, British speech can feel faster at first, with sounds dropped or linked between words. Practising regularly with British-voiced recordings is the simplest fix.
Spelling
A correct answer that is misspelt is marked wrong. Common problem words include "accommodation", "environment", "library", "February", "Wednesday" and "necessary". Keep a list of every word you misspell in practice; the Mistake Notebook saves your wrong answers automatically, so the list builds itself.
Numbers and letters
- "Thirteen" and "thirty", "fifteen" and "fifty" differ mainly in stress: thir*TEEN* vs *THIR*ty.
- Phone numbers may use "double five" or "oh" for zero.
- Spelt names test letters that are often confused: G and J, A and R, E and I, M and N.
Map and plan questions
Map questions worry many candidates, but they follow a pattern.
- Before the audio starts, find the starting point ("You are here", the entrance, the car park).
- Note the compass directions and any labelled landmarks.
- Listen for direction language: "opposite", "next to", "at the far end", "on your left as you enter", "beyond the bridge".
- Follow the speaker in your mind as they move. Answers come in order, so if you miss one, move on to the next location.
Practising with headphones in a noisy city
Pune is not a quiet city. Traffic on Karve Road or Nagar Road, construction in fast-growing areas like Wakad, Baner and Kharadi, and pressure cookers and horns at dinner time all make careful listening harder. During Ganeshotsav, evening dhol-tasha practice can be heard across whole neighbourhoods.
- Use headphones for every timed set, even at home. Closed or noise-reducing headphones help most.
- Practise at a fixed time, such as early morning before the city wakes up.
- Train in light noise too. A Part 1 set with mild background sound can build focus, but do your timed sets and mocks in quiet conditions.
- Do extra listening on the move. English podcasts or news on a metro ride towards Shivajinagar or a bus to Hinjewadi build familiarity with accents, even if you do not answer questions.
Errors that cost the most marks
- Ignoring word limits. If the instructions say ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER, a two-word answer is wrong.
- Missing plurals. "Book" instead of "books" loses the mark.
- Choosing the first option you hear. In Parts 1 and 3, speakers often correct themselves: "Tuesday... actually, no, let's make it Thursday."
- Falling behind. If you miss one answer, let it go. Staying with the speaker protects the next five.
- Writing during the check time instead of checking. On the computer test, use the 2 minutes to look at spelling and grammar.
How to build your Listening score
A practical routine for most students:
- Two or three Listening sets a week under timed conditions.
- After each set, listen again with the answers and find the exact phrase you missed.
- Review the Mistake Notebook weekly and look for patterns: numbers, spelling, Part 3 options or map directions.
- A full mock every week or ten days.
- Use the free Band Score Calculator to convert raw scores; band 7 typically needs about 30 out of 40.
When you are consistently scoring in the low thirties, move up to the Charged Listening sets, which use faster speech and trickier distractors for students aiming at 7+.
Free sample Listening sets are available as soon as you register, and Full Access (₹999 for 2 months) unlocks all of them, so your IELTS Listening practice in Pune can start this week.