Tips for IELTS Exam Part 2: Listening Exam Always circle the instructions regarding number of words in your answer – they change throughout the exam. • Notice the question number order on diagrams, flow charts and tables – this is the order you will hear the information. • Use all available time to read the questions before listening. In section 1, 2 and 3 the listening is divided into 2 parts. You have about 20 seconds to prepare before you listen to the first part, and another 20 seconds before you listen to the second part. You then have 30 seconds to check your answers – if you feel confident about your answers move on – get as much extra preparation time as you can. In section 4 you have to answer all 10 questions in one listening part so you really need to get ahead to prepare for this. • When you transfer your answers to the answer sheet make sure you write the answer in the correct space – too many students have made mistakes here and lost all their points. • If the answer is a letter (A, B, C etc.) make sure you write the letter not the actual word from the listening – another mistake so many students have made. • If your answer is a name make sure the first letter is a Capital letter. • When you read questions focus on the key words – underline them or circle them – this will help you concentrate on finding the right answer. • For short answer questions or gap fills try to predict the answer, or at least think about the grammar of the answer, before listening. • For multiple choice questions, and questions that require you to choose from a list, try to rephrase the ideas or think of similar meaning vocabulary that you might hear. • For multiple choice questions, if you hear something that tells you that one of the answers is wrong then put an X next to that answer – identifying wrong answers can help you find the correct answer.