There are four parts to the IELTS listening test. Each part is about a different topic and gets increasingly more difficult.
The first audio is usually an informal dialogue in a social or everyday situation. For example, a conversation about opening a bank account, or someone inquiring about accommodation or a training course.
The second audio is usually a non-academic monologue. This could be one person giving information on something such as a guided museum tour, information about a conference or tourist information.
The third audio is usually a discussion (between 3-4 people) related to education/training. This may be a discussion between 2 students and a tutor about a group assignment, or among a group of students talking about a project.
The fourth and final audio is usually a university style lecture. This could be related to any academic topic.
- Part 1 – Social context (2 speakers)
- Part 2 – Social context (1 speaker)
- Part 3 – Education/training (2-4 speakers)
- Part 4 – Academic context (1 speaker)
No specialist subject knowledge is necessary. All the answers you need will be provided in the recordings.
The total test time is 40 minutes: 30 minutes of listening, and 10 minutes to transfer your answers from the test sheet onto the answer sheet. There will be 40 questions in total.