Listening Multichoice : Multiple Choice Questions

In multiple choice questions, you are required to choose the correct answer from a list of options. There are two main types of question:

1) Single questions with a choice of 3 answers (A, B or C).
Occasionally, there may be 4 options.
2) List questions. These have a longer list of possible answers
and you must select more than one as specified in the question.

The Strategy

1) Read the question
You will have a short time to prepare before the speaker or speakers begin talking. First, read the question very carefully to ensure that you know exactly what you have to do.
Particularly note the type of question – single with 3 options or list selection with 2 or more answers to identify. For our sample question, we must choose 3 answers. Underline or circle the 3 to remind you.

2) Look for a title
Not every question will have a title but if there is one, it will tell you the context of the question. This will help you to understand the answers listed and give you a big clue as to what sort of information will be contained in the recording.

3) Underline the key word in the question
Next, underline or highlight the key word in the question. In this question, it is ‘recommended’.

What 3 items are you recommended to take with you to the spa?

4) Predict the answer
Now look at the list of answers. You may be able to predict which ones are correct or at least one or two of them, and a couple that are probably wrong.

5) Think of synonyms
Expect to hear all the answer options in the recording, not just the correct answers. You will have to listen very carefully to determine if each item is or is not recommended.

6) Identify the difference
In single questions with a choice of 3 or 4 answers, the answers may be similar in some way to try and catch you out.

7) Watch out for distractors
We already know that all the answers in the list will probably be included in the text, so you need to listen carefully to identify the correct ones. Particularly listen out for distractors as the examiners love to try and trick you into picking the wrong answers.

8) Writing the answer
In IELTS Listening multiple choice questions, your answer will almost always be the letter of the answer, not the words. This will be stated in the instructions, for example:

9) Guess if necessary
Never leave a blank space on the answer sheet. If you miss an answer, take an educated guess. This gives you at least some chance of getting it right. Don’t stress about a missed answer or it will affect your ability to answer the next set of questions. Just make your choice and move on.

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note:

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note:

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

Listening Multichoice : Multiple Choice Questions

In multiple choice questions, you are required to choose the correct answer from a list of options. There are two main types of question:

1) Single questions with a choice of 3 answers (A, B or C).
Occasionally, there may be 4 options.
2) List questions. These have a longer list of possible answers
and you must select more than one as specified in the question.

The Strategy

1) Read the question
You will have a short time to prepare before the speaker or speakers begin talking. First, read the question very carefully to ensure that you know exactly what you have to do.
Particularly note the type of question – single with 3 options or list selection with 2 or more answers to identify. For our sample question, we must choose 3 answers. Underline or circle the 3 to remind you.

2) Look for a title
Not every question will have a title but if there is one, it will tell you the context of the question. This will help you to understand the answers listed and give you a big clue as to what sort of information will be contained in the recording.

3) Underline the key word in the question
Next, underline or highlight the key word in the question. In this question, it is ‘recommended’.

What 3 items are you recommended to take with you to the spa?

4) Predict the answer
Now look at the list of answers. You may be able to predict which ones are correct or at least one or two of them, and a couple that are probably wrong.

5) Think of synonyms
Expect to hear all the answer options in the recording, not just the correct answers. You will have to listen very carefully to determine if each item is or is not recommended.

6) Identify the difference
In single questions with a choice of 3 or 4 answers, the answers may be similar in some way to try and catch you out.

7) Watch out for distractors
We already know that all the answers in the list will probably be included in the text, so you need to listen carefully to identify the correct ones. Particularly listen out for distractors as the examiners love to try and trick you into picking the wrong answers.

8) Writing the answer
In IELTS Listening multiple choice questions, your answer will almost always be the letter of the answer, not the words. This will be stated in the instructions, for example:

9) Guess if necessary
Never leave a blank space on the answer sheet. If you miss an answer, take an educated guess. This gives you at least some chance of getting it right. Don’t stress about a missed answer or it will affect your ability to answer the next set of questions. Just make your choice and move on.

Listening Matching:

Matching questions are very common in the IELTS Listening exam. This type of question usually appears in sections 1 or 3 in which the recording is a conversation between two or more people. The question will contain two sets of information and you have to match them.
You need to have a good strategy to answer matching questions successfully and that’s what you’ll learn in this lesson.

Strategy & Tips

You will have a short time to prepare before the speakers begin talking. Use this time to familiarise yourself with the question and focus your mind on what you need to listen out for.

1) Analyse the question
One of the biggest challenges with matching questions in the IELTS listening test is that they can be confusing when you first see them, so start by analysing the question to make sure you fully understand what you have to do.

2) Answer order
In matching questions, the questions will be mentioned in order in the recording but the answer options will appear randomly.

3) Synonyms and paraphrasing
Synonyms and paraphrasing will be used extensively in the recording and another good use of your preparation time is to quickly think of some words and phrases that might be used to express the information in the question.

4) Watch out for distractors
The examiners will try and catch you out with distractors.
A distractor is a word or a phrase that changes or corrects the original piece of information given. So, you may be given an answer and then have it taken away again.

5) Writing the answer
Read the question carefully.
Write the correct letter, A, B or C next to questions 21- 25. You may choose any letter more than once.
For matching questions in the IELTS Listening test, you must write a letter for the answer, not a word or phrase.

6) Predict the answer
In some questions, you may be able to predict some likely matches of information. This will help to quickly eliminate some of the possible answers.
This isn’t possible in this question but do bear it in mind as you practice with other sample questions.

7) Guess if necessary
My final tip is to never leave a blank space on the answer sheet. If you miss an answer, take an educated guess. This gives you at least some chance of getting it right. Don’t stress about a missed answer or it will affect your ability to answer the next set of questions. Just make your choice and move on.

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note:

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note:

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note:

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note:

The IELTS Listening Test

Find all the key information you need to know about the IELTS listening test.

On this page you’ll discover:

IELTS Listening Test Format

The Listening test is the same for both the Academic and General exams.

     Timing – 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer the answers to your answer sheet)

     Number of questions – 40

Each correct answer is awarded 1 mark. Your score out of 40 (raw score) is converted to the corresponding IELTS band scale level using this conversion table:

IELTS Listening Test Conversion Table

The Listening test is made up of four sections. In each section, you will listen to a recorded text and then answer a series of question on it.

The text will be played only once.

Over the course of the test, you will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents such as British English, Australian, American and Canadian. You may also hear a range of different regional British accents.

The Four Sections

These are the 4 parts or sections of the IELTS Listening test.

A monologue is where just one person is speaking.

As you can see, the first two sections of the test relate to social situations, while sections three and four relate to educational and training situations.

Although parts three and four have an academic context, you are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. It is your listening skills that are being assessed, not your understanding or knowledge of the subject.

2 points to note: