IELTS Listening Test - Test Format with Preparation Tips
IE:LTS Listening Test: Aspirants can get a comprehensive overview of IELTS Listening here. Stay on this page you will find details about IELTS Listening for academic and general training.
Supriya Shrivastava30 Mar, 2025
Share
IELTS Listening Exam: The IELTS Academic and General exams have the same Listening section. Read the following content to ensure students are prepared for the Listening Section of the IELTS exam. It includes exam day processes, the kinds of questions students will be asked, and strategies for achieving better results.
The four parts that make up the IELTS listening exam are progressively more challenging. Each section is heard just once. All the necessary details about the IELTS Listening exam, including how it is reviewed, are provided on this site. Students can also view helpful practice exams, advice, and techniques to help them get better at listening.IELTS Listening Test Overview
An important part of the IELTS exam is the Listening section, which tests your comprehension of spoken English. Achieving a high band score on the IELTS Listening Test 2025 requires preparation for the exam's format, marking guidelines, and common subjects. The exam consists of 40 questions divided into four sections that examine a variety of listening abilities using various kinds of recordings. The performance on exam day will improve if students are proficient in the IELTS Listening Test.| IELTS Exam Important Links | ||
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Syllabus | IELTS Band Score | IELTS Exam Dates |
| IELTS Exam Fees | IELTS Exam Pattern | IELTS Score Validity |
IELTS Listening Test for Academic
The 30-minute Academic Listening exam is divided into four sections. It tests your comprehension of the key concepts, specific details, viewpoints, objectives, and attitudes of the speakers with the ability to track how ideas evolve. The Academic Listening exam consists of four recordings that students will listen to, and they will answer forty questions based on the audio. The first two recordings cover examples that students may come across daily. The scenarios that might occur in an educational or training environment are the subject of the last two recordings. Students may hear a discussion between two or more people in recordings 1 and 3, but a single speaker in recordings 2 and 4. Students will be required to answer questions about the recordings. These questions may include multiple choice, matching facts, headers, features, and sentence ends with the creation of sentences, summaries, notes, tables, diagrams, and flow charts.IELTS Listening Test for General Training
Knowledge of the major concepts, specific details, viewpoints, purpose, and attitudes of the speakers, as well as your ability to follow the progression of ideas, will all be tested during the General Training Listening exam. The General Training Listening exam consists of four recordings that students will listen to and then will answer forty questions based on these recordings. The first two recordings cover scenarios that may come in daily. The scenarios covered in the last of the two sessions could happen in a training or educational environment. Students may hear a discussion between two or more people in recordings 1 and 3, but a single speaker in recordings 2 and 4. Students will be required to answer questions about the recordings. These questions may include multiple-choice, matching facts, headers, features, and sentence ends in addition to the creation of sentences, summaries, notes, tables, diagrams, and flow charts.| IELTS Exam Important Links | |
|---|---|
| IELTS Reading Band Score | IELTS Listening Band Score |
| IELTS Speaking Band Score | IELTS Writing Band Score |
IELTS Listening Test Format
IELTS Listening Test Format: Social requirements are the focus of the test's first two sections. The final two parts deal with scenarios that are more closely related to training or educational environments. It does not matter the fields students aim to study or what kind of work they hope to do all of the IELTS listening subjects are of universal interest. The recordings include a variety of English accents and dialects, reflecting the fact that IELTS is used worldwide.| IELTS Listening Format | |||
| Section | Context | Number of Speakers | Description |
| 1 | Social Needs | Conversation between two speakers | The first section features a chat between two speakers. For example, a chat regarding trip preparations, hotel reservations, or nightlife options. |
| 2 | Social Needs | Speech by one speaker | The second section is a monologue (speech spoken by one person). It will be situated in a typical social context. For example, a lecture on student services on a university campus or lunch planning at a conference. |
| 3 | Educational or Training | Conversation between up to four speakers | Section three includes a discussion between up to four persons. For example, a talk between a tutor and a student regarding an assignment, or three students discussing a research project. |
| 4 | Academic Subject | Speech by one speaker | The final part is another monologue. It is a lecture or discussion of broad intellectual interest, such as a university lecture. |
How to Improve IELTS Listening Score
IELTS Listening Test Preparation Tips
IELTS listening practice questions and real materials are a great way to improve listening abilities. Students should also concentrate on different English dialects and learn efficient note-taking strategies to help them remember important information. Here are several tips to score in IELTS Listening.- An IELTS Listening result of 33 out of 40 shows an excellent performance, showing a high level of understanding and proficiency in listening to spoken English in a variety of situations.
- A few IELTS listening recommendations are provided here to help students get high marks on the exam.
- Please review the questions completely before the recording to become familiar with the material.
- Take notes as students listen to the audio, then use the allowed ten minutes to carefully transfer the answers and check them.
- IELTS listening questions use keywords as a guide for multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
- Make sure to double-check your answers before writing them in the answer booklet.
- The greatest IELTS online coaching is provided by Physics Wallah to students. The experienced teachers of this course created it to help students prepare for the IELTS exam.
- There are two versions of the IELTS exam, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. IELTS preparation classes for both the Academic and General training examinations are available from Physics Wallah.
| IELTS Exam Other Related Links | |
| IELTS Exam 2025 | IELTS Academic Vs General |
| IELTS Registration | IELTS Eligibility Criteria |
| IELTS Mock Tests | IDP IELTS Test Centers |
| IELTS Cut Off | IDP IELTS Slot Booking |
Talk to a counsellorHave doubts? Our support team will be happy to assist you!
IELTS Listening FAQs
Q1- What kinds of accents can be heard in the Listening test?
Ans- A variety of natural English speaker accents are used because the IELTS is an international exam.
Q2- How can I prepare for the IELTS Listening test online?
Ans- We recommend students be ready with PW by enrolling in one of our online IELTS preparation courses, which feature interactive self-access lessons and practice exams in each of the four IELTS sections with individual coaching from a qualified IELTS trainer.
Q3- Is there any difference between the Academic IELTS Listening test and the General Training Listening test?
Ans- No, the two exams are similar.
Q4- What is the format of the IELTS Listening test?
Ans- The four sections of the IELTS listening exam, each calculating a particular listening skill, include a variety of question patterns.
Q5- How is the IELTS Listening test scored?
Ans- Each right answer scores toward the final score on the 0–9 band scale used to analyze the IELTS listening exam.
Q6- What types of questions can I expect in the IELTS Listening test?
Ans- The IELTS Listening exam can involve form completion, sentence completion, matching, multiple choice, gap-fill, and short answer questions.
Q7- How can I improve my listening skills for the IELTS test?
Ans- Active listening, taking notes while listening, and practising with English audio resources regularly can all help students get better at listening.
Q8- Are there specific strategies for managing time during the IELTS Listening test?
Ans- Yes, practice answering questions in the time allotted for each part, give priority to the simpler questions first, and skip the harder ones to finish later.
Check out these Related Articles
Join 15 Million students on the app today!
Live & recorded classes available at easeDashboard for progress trackingMillions of practice questions at your fingertips
Free Learning Resources
PW Books
Notes (Class 10-12)
PW Study Materials
Notes (Class 6-9)
Ncert Solutions
Govt Exams
Class 6th to 12th Online Courses
Govt Job Exams Courses
UPSC Coaching
Defence Exam Coaching
Gate Exam Coaching
Other Exams
Know about Physics Wallah
Physics Wallah is an Indian edtech platform that provides accessible & comprehensive learning experiences to students from Class 6th to postgraduate level. We also provide extensive NCERT solutions, sample paper, NEET, JEE Mains, BITSAT previous year papers & more such resources to students. Physics Wallah also caters to over 3.5 million registered students and over 78 lakh+ Youtube subscribers with 4.8 rating on its app.
We Stand Out because
We provide students with intensive courses with India’s qualified & experienced faculties & mentors. PW strives to make the learning experience comprehensive and accessible for students of all sections of society. We believe in empowering every single student who couldn't dream of a good career in engineering and medical field earlier.
Our Key Focus Areas
Physics Wallah's main focus is to make the learning experience as economical as possible for all students. With our affordable courses like Lakshya, Udaan and Arjuna and many others, we have been able to provide a platform for lakhs of aspirants. From providing Chemistry, Maths, Physics formula to giving e-books of eminent authors like RD Sharma, RS Aggarwal and Lakhmir Singh, PW focuses on every single student's need for preparation.
What Makes Us Different
Physics Wallah strives to develop a comprehensive pedagogical structure for students, where they get a state-of-the-art learning experience with study material and resources. Apart from catering students preparing for JEE Mains and NEET, PW also provides study material for each state board like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and others
Copyright © 2025 Physicswallah Limited All rights reserved.