Listening Exam Pattern 

The IELTS listening test is the same for all IELTS test applicants, whether they are doing IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. As a result, any IELTS listening practise exam will work. The IELTS hearing exam lasts around 30 minutes, with an extra 10 minutes to convert your responses to an answer sheet. When transferring your answers, make sure they are worded correctly and have capital letters in the correct positions. For example, if the answer is 'London,' you score will be zero for writing 'LONDON,' 'london,' or 'lonndon' 

For each section, you will only hear the audio ONCE. There are several different voices and accents used.
  

The following types of questions are used in the listening test:

  • Multiple choice
  • Matching questions
  • Form completion
  • Note completion (this could also be a diagram or a flow chart)
  • Sentence completion
  • Short-answer questions
  • Summary completion


There are four parts to the listening test:


Part 1: Two people talking (a typical everyday conversation, e.g., two friends arranging to meet).

Part 2: One person talking (a talk or speech in a social situation, e.g., explaining membership at a local gym).

Part 3: Multiple people talking (minimum 2, maximum 4) in a training or educational situation (e.g., a training workshop/seminar).

Part 4: One person giving a talk/presentation in an academic setting (e.g., a university professor).

Each part has 10 questions so there are 40 questions in total. You will get time to work through the answers and also some time to check your answers.


Always keep this in mind! You must keep your cool. Patience is essential for success in the exam, so don't rush into anything because you will only hear the audio once. It has been observed that students do not attempt all of the answers simply because they do not understand properly; it is preferable to jot something down or guess by sound or context.