5 Myths about IELTS Listening

The IELTS Listening is the first module of the IELTS exam. The duration of the IELTS listening module is fixed to 30 minutes and is made up of 40 questions based on 4 recordings. The IELTS Listening exam basically tests one’s ability to understand the attitude and main opinion of the speaker & detailed factual information followed by the development of ideas. Nowadays, lot of advice and suggestions are available by the so-called unqualified ‘Expert’ to ace the Listening module of IELTS exam. The trick here is to ignore them all.

Want to know about the myths that are floating around about the IELTS listening test. Let us have a look at some of the myths of the IELTS listening test debunked by the Abroad Gateway.

1. Spelling or Grammar doesn’t matter.

This can be completely regarded as a myth as one has to pay attention while answering the questions. Grammar and spelling are often overlooked because of the temptation to write answers fastly. If grammar and spelling are wrong, then no marks will be awarded for that question, even if the answer seemed right.

2. Practicing listening test won’t make any difference.

The biggest misapprehension is that IELTS Listening is simple because one just has to listen to the audio clips and answer the questions. But it requires listening power to understand the attitudes and opinions of the speakers. The IELTS listening test contains four types of questions which can be tough if one has not practiced enough. Furthermore, practicing different types of tasks will make one familiar with the questions and hence will not be surprised in the real IELTS listening test.

3. IELTS Listening is conducted in native accent.

The IELTS listening test is conducted from a wide range of accents. The audio recordings may include Australian, British, New Zealand, Canadian, and American accents. Practicing the listening test will help one to have a clear understanding of all the accents. One can also refer to radio stations, serials or songs of different accents of English, providing one both the entertainment and learning. Hence, one will be comfortable and understand better while taking the IELTS listening exam.

4. Audio pauses after each section.

Actually, there is no pausing or restarting of the IELTS listening test. One has to follow the instructions for each task such as the word limit if answers. If the word limit is crossed, there are no marks for the answer, even if the answer is correct.

5. Recording is played twice.

The audio recordings are played only once. One will not get to listen the recordings again even if they got distracted at some point. One has only 30 minutes plus 10 minutes of transfer to complete the IELTS listening test. Except this, no extra time is given to complete the listening test. That is why, it is recommended to practice the listening before taking the IELTS exam so as to have familiarity with the duration of the listening test in addition to the pattern.

These were some of the myths busted by the Abroad Gateway to clear the misconceptions that students are dealing with and giving them a clear path for the preparation of IELTS exam. Beware of the misconceptions about the IELTS exam as being unaware about the facts of IELTS exam can hamper one’s performance in actual reality. At last, keep in mind that practice is the key to ace the IELTS Listening test.

To know more about the strategies to clear the IELTS exam- Click here

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