IELTS Listening Module Test Format
- This module has 4 parts, each with 10 questions. Parts get increasingly difficult.
- A total of 40 questions are given. Each question carries 1 mark.
- This section takes 40 minutes, 30 minutes for testing and last 10 minutes for transferring the answers to the answers sheet.
- In the first part, there is a conversation between two people on everyday situations such as making arrangements, booking a flight or a hotel and journey planning etc. You should focus only on the facts to best answer the questions. The key information is usually repeated. Speaker talks quite slowly and make pauses and it becomes easier for you to grasp the words.
- In the second part, you listen to the monologue based on everyday social context such as advertisements, radio interviews, description of local facilities etc.
- The third part is harder than the previous two. You must carefully listen to a conversation between 2, 3 or 4 speakers. The conversation is based on academic or training situations that involves advanced vocabulary. You can give correct answers if you focus on given facts and speakers’ opinions and attitudes.
- The last part is the most difficult one. There is a monologue on an academic topic such as a university lecture. The speaker speaks quickly without breaks and use a wide range of vocabulary. You can clear this section by focusing on key ideas and speakers’ attitudes and opinions.
- In this module, a variety of question types are used such as matching, multiple choice, plan/map/diagram labelling, short answer questions, sentence completions and notes, summary, diagram, plan, table or chart completion.

Marking Scheme:
You receive 1 mark or point for each correct answer. The following 0-9 band scale is used to evaluate your score in this section:
Raw Score (out of 40) | Band Score (0-9 band scale) |
39-40 | 9 |
37-38 | 8.5 |
35-36 | 8 |
32-34 | 7.5 |
30-31 | 7 |
26-29 | 6.5 |
23-25 | 6 |
18-22 | 5.5 |
16-17 | 5 |
13-15 | 4.5 |
10-12 | 4 |
8-10 | 3.5 |
6-7 | 3 |
4-5 | 2.5 |
Listening Hacks:
- Work on your listening skills, practice regularly, devise your own techniques for solving the questions
- Improve your vocabulary
- Familiarize yourself with different accents i.e. listen to native speaker from different regions
- Solve practice tests within allotted time
- Stay calm during the test and focus on keywords
- Watch your favorite programs in English, listen to the podcasts and radio conversation