The listening Test is the same in nature and content; both for Academic & General IELTS test takers and follow the same marking schemes for both. The Test has a time duration of 40 minutes (in a Pen & paper-based test; in a computer-based test you get 32 minutes).

TEST CONTENT & THE FORMAT AT A GLANCE:

Four Parts to attempt

10 questions in each part

Part 1: Two speakers in a conversation on a social topic
Part 2: One speaker delivering a speech, or talks on a social topic
Part 3: Three or four speakers in a conversation: educational or training subject
Part 4: One Speaker (a Professor): a lecture on an academic Subject.

✎ Pen & Paper based test: write the answers in the question booklet whilst you are listening to the audio played. An additional 10 minutes toward the end is granted to transfer the answers to the answer sheet

✎ Internet-Based Test:  you may type your answers directly into the computer whilst you are listening to the audio. An additional 2 minutes is granted to review your answers.

✎ Audio will be played once only.

✎ It’s a simultaneous process of listening to the audio, reading question statements, and noting down the answers.

✎ Word count for each set of questions; try not to violate the word count given in instructions before each set of questions least you tend to end up losing marks and  get a penalty for a word count violation

✎ Time is granted to read the questions before the audio turns on. This follows for each set of questions. Do not read everything in detail but just skim through the questions to get an essence of what is going to be spoken in the audio. Highlight parts of speech: proper nouns, compound nouns abstract or material nouns with the supporting adjectives in the questions given.