IELTS Listening
The same Listening test is taken by Academic and General Training candidates: four recordings, 40 questions, around 30 minutes.
You listen to four recordings and answer 40 questions. Each recording is played once. On computer-delivered IELTS the audio plays through headphones and you answer on screen, with about two minutes at the end to check your answers.
The recordings move from everyday to academic contexts, and the questions get harder as you go.
At a glance
- Duration: about 30 minutes (plus 2 minutes to review on computer).
- Questions: 40, one mark each.
- Recordings: 4, each played once.
- Part 1: a conversation between two people in an everyday social context.
- Part 2: a monologue in an everyday context, for example a speech about local facilities.
- Part 3: a conversation between up to four people in an educational or training context.
- Part 4: a monologue on an academic subject, such as a university lecture.
Question types
You will meet a mix of these across the four parts:
- Multiple choice.
- Matching.
- Plan, map or diagram labelling.
- Form, note, table, flow-chart or summary completion.
- Sentence completion.
- Short-answer questions.
Worked example: a Part 1 form-completion item might play "My surname is Patel — that's P-A-T-E-L," and you type Patel. Spelling and number formats are marked, so write exactly what you hear.
How Listening is scored
Each of the 40 questions is worth one mark. Your raw score out of 40 is converted to a band from 0 to 9. As a rough guide, about 16 correct is a band 5, around 23 a band 6, about 30 a band 7 and roughly 35 a band 8 — the exact conversion can vary slightly by test version.
Tips to raise your band
- Read the questions before each recording starts and predict the kind of answer (a date, a name, a number).
- Write as you listen — there is no second play.
- Watch the word limit ("no more than two words"); going over loses the mark.
- Keep moving; if you miss one, let it go and focus on the next.
- Practise with a range of accents — British, Australian, North American and more all appear.
Listening FAQs
Is the Listening test the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Listening (and Speaking) are identical for both; only Reading and Writing differ.
Do I get time to transfer answers on computer?
On computer-delivered IELTS you answer on screen as you listen and get about two minutes at the end to review — there is no separate 10-minute transfer time as on paper.