IELTS LISTENING TEST
The Listening test is the same for both IELTS Academic test and IELTS General Training test.

You will need to answer 40 questions in response to four recordings.

You will listen to four recordings which are a mix of monologues and conversations from a range of native speakers and you will only hear each recording once. There are 10 questions for each part of the Listening test.

These questions test your ability to understand:

  • Main ideas and detailed factual information
  • The opinions and attitudes of speakers
  • The purpose of an utterance
  • The ability to follow the development of ideas.
Sections 1 & 2
Daily Life topics
  • 10 questions each section.
  • Typically focus on daily life, such as travel arrangements, booking accommodations, ordering goods, discussing local facilities, or providing general information.
  • Recording 1 A conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
  • Recording 2 A monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
Sections 3 & 4
Education/Training
  • 10 questions each section
  • You might hear discussions about work-related topics, training courses, or general announcements and information relevant to daily life in an English-speaking environment.
  • Recording 3 A conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
  • Recording 4 A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.

IELTS Listening Question Types

Multiple Choice: Selecting the correct answer from a set of options.

Audio - Multiple Choice




Matching: Linking items from the audio to options provided in the question paper.

Audio - Matching 1



Audio - Matching 2



Plan/Map/Diagram Labelling: Completing labels on a visual representation.


Audio - Plan Map Diagram



Form/Note/Table/Flow-chart/Summary Completion: Filling in missing information in a structured format.


Audio - Form Completion



Audio - Note Completion





Sentence Completion: Finishing sentences based on what you hear.


Audio - Sentence Completion



Short Answer Questions: Providing brief written answers to specific questions.


Audio - Short Answer 1

Audio - Short Answer 2




Frequently Asked Questions
The IELTS Listening test assesses your ability to understand spoken English by evaluating several key skills. You need to grasp both the main ideas and specific details, recognize speakers' opinions and purposes, follow how ideas develop, and understand the relationships between speakers. These skills are tested through 40 questions of various types across four sections, and your performance determines your IELTS band score for listening.
The IELTS Listening sub-test is scored based on the number of correct answers you provide out of the 40 questions. Each correct answer receives one mark, contributing to your raw score. This raw score, ranging from 0 to 40, is then converted into an IELTS band score on a scale of 1 to 9.