Effectively Tackle Parts 3 and 4 of the IELTS Listening Test

Here are our top 5 IELTS listening tips for Parts 3 & 4

Highlight the pertinent keywords

This is essential because it will increase the probability that you will locate answers more quickly. Many times, it is hard to remember a lot of information at once. However, you will discover answers much more quickly when you listen to the audio when you highlight the relevant information in the questions as you skim through them.

Strategically use the 30 seconds

You will have 30 seconds after completing a section to review your answers. You must make use of this time to read the questions in the section that follows. This way, you never have to look at the questions again when listening to the audio; all you must do is look up the answer through the keywords. And in this method, you are very likely to locate the answers with ease. Once you have used up those thirty seconds, you may occasionally have some more time once the recording starts, though it will only be for a very short while. This extra time will allow you to read the questions.

Next, take another look at the questions and make a mental note of what you need to search for. As soon as the audio provides the answers, you may quickly find them if you are certain of what it is that you are after. Every second matters when it comes to listening, and every second counts. Just try to get the most out of it.

Regular practice questions

The most prevalent question types in Part 3 include flowcharts, diagrams, maps, matching, table completion, and MCQs. But in Part 4, the most frequent question types are MCQs and gap-fills. Analyze your areas of weakness while practicing using past test papers, paying close attention to the question types. What would you do if you identified, for example, that you are struggling with maps? Would you skip them and focus more on your strengths? No, you must focus on your weak areas, specifically maps, to develop a firm grasp of this question type.

Perhaps as part of the primary initiative, you might learn how to discern directions and the languages used to convey them. You would need to identify directions using prepositional transitions such as next to, opposite of, above, below, and so on. You will always be able to do well with maps if you practice identifying directions. Similarly, after determining your drawbacks, you should focus on those specific question types to improve your listening score.

Guess the answers

Even though the IELTS is a language test, listening is related to prediction skills. It significantly increases your chances of obtaining the correct answers in the quickest amount of time. It is not necessary that your expectations be exactly right. If you work on increasing your anticipation power, you will have the answers without a doubt.

Whatever you do, develop the practice of using your anticipation ability to guess the answers. You would see an immediate increase in your listening score. To enhance your score, it is, in a way, extremely simple but very important to progress in this area.

Increase your vocabulary

IELTS is not a vocabulary game. However, to perform well in the reading and listening sections, you must possess a basic knowledge of vocabulary. Similar to reading, you will notice that many responses are paraphrased as you listen. In the listening, it is not likely that you would obtain a solution using the same phrases as in the questions. Therefore, it is preferable to expand your vocabulary rather than thinking about coming up with replies using the same terms that are used in the questions. You should set aside a certain amount of time to study vocabulary on its own. Make active listening a habit instead.

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