IELTS listening summary completion essential tips and practice. These questions are quite common in the listening test and can appear in any section. You are required to listen and select the correct words or numbers to fill in the gaps.
IELTS LISTENING SUMMARY COMPLETION TIPS
Essential tips and techniques to tackle summary questions in IELTS Listening:
- Task: You will be given a paragraph with missing words.
- Your task is to fill in the gaps with words or numbers from the recording to complete the paragraph.
- A Summary: The paragraph is a summary. This means you are not going to hear each sentence the same as in the recording. The information in the paragraph is summarised which means it focuses on key information rather than all details.
- Title: The summary completion questions will have a title. This will tell you what the paragraph focuses on.
- Answer Order: The answers will come in order in the recording. So, you will hear the answer to question 1 and after that the answer to question 2.
- Word Count: You will be told how many words or number you can have in your answer. Pay attention to this information.
- Similar: A summary completion contains the same questions as a Sentence Completion because you are completing sentence within the summary paragraph. You can use the same techniques for these questions. For example:
- Predict the type of answer from the sentence given: noun, verb etc.
- Grammar is important. The sentence must be grammatically correct when you complete it.
- Keywords in the question are critical to keeping your place and spotting the correct answer.
- See all tips on this page: SENTENCE COMPLETION TIPS
- Paraphrasing: Some of the words in the summary paragraph will be paraphrased and others will not. You can’t predict which words will be the same or not. but be ready for synonyms and re-phrasing.
- Precise Words: Your answer must be the precise word from the recording. You can’t alter the word.
- Spelling counts. Check your spelling because words incorrectly spelled are marked wrong.
IELTS LISTENING SUMMARY COMPLETION PRACTICE
Listening Practice Lesson 1
Buckingham Palace
Questions 1-7: Complete the summary using no more than one word or a number.
Buckingham Palace is where the Queen officially resides when she is in London and is well known for its famous 1 …………….., which was used for the first time by a royal during an official appearance in 2……………….. There were 3 ………… bomb hits to the palace in World War II which struck the palace with absolute precision. There are a range of services available to the royal residents in the palace, which has a total of 4 ………. rooms. There are 1,514 doors in the palace and 5 …………………. windows, which are cleaned once every six weeks. The Queen hosts more than 6 ……………… people each year for occasions such as banquets, various meals, receptions and 7 ………………..parties.
RECORDING:
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Transcript and Answers
Click below to reveal the answers and transcript for this lesson:
TranscriptBuckingham Palace is The Queen’s official London residence. The balcony of Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous in the world. The first recorded Royal balcony appearance took place in 1851, when Queen Victoria stepped onto it during celebrations for the opening of the Great Exhibition. During the Second World War, Buckingham Palace suffered nine direct bomb hits.
Buckingham Palace has its own chapel, post office, swimming pool, staff cafeteria, doctor’s surgery and cinema. There are 775 rooms in the palace. Some rooms at Buckingham Palace have a Chinese theme. There are 1,514 doors and 760 windows in Buckingham Palace. All windows are cleaned every six weeks. More than 50,000 people visit the Palace annually as The Queen’s guests at banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties.
- balcony
- 1851
- 9 / nine
- 775
- 760
- 50,000
- garden
Adapted from royal.gov.uk
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Listening Practice Lesson 2
The Terracotta Army
Questions 1-5: Complete the summary using no more than three words and /or a number.
The terracotta army was made in order to 1…………………… the emperor after this death in his afterlife. This funerary art has been estimated to be from the 2………………. and was discovered in 1974 by the 3…………………… The majority of the sculptures were 4.…………. and 5………….. sculptures of cavalry horses were also found.
RECORDING:
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TRANSCRIPT, ANSWERS & VOCABULARY
Click below:
TranscriptThe figures, dating from approximately the late third century BC, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in, Xi’an. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. (from wiki)
- protect
- third century BC / 3rd century BC
- local farmers
- soldiers
- 150
- sculpture = three-dimensional work of art (for example a statue)
- to depict =show, illustrate, represent
- funerary art = art which for funerals, when someone dies
- purpose = aim / function
- afterlife = some cultures (past and present) believe in life after death
- figures = a person’s bodily shape, a copy of a person, such as a statue
- vary = differ
- warrior = soldier
- chariot = a horse-drawn vehicle (particularly common in later periods of Ancient Egypt and also Ancient Rome)
- majority = greater part
- a pit = a hole in the ground
- acrobat = an entertain who is excellent in gymnastic, daring achievements
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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Click below:
- Sentence Completion Listening Practice & Tips
- Table Completion Listening Practice & Tips
- ALL IELTS LISTENING FREE LESSONS & TIPS
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Hey Liz,
Hope you are well !
I have learnt a lot from your useful site.
Please help me with one small doubt. I was solving Listening Practice Lesson 1 of Summary Completion given on the Summary Completion page of your site and then I checked my answers. All of the answers was correct except 1 ( question number 3) . In your answers menu, answer is given as 9 / nine but my answer was 9 direct which is satisfying the instruction given ( one word and/or a number) and also in the recording, it says 9 direct bomb hits then why only 9 is the answer? Why is 9 direct wrong? Kindly help as I was very much confident that i scored 7/7 but due to this small doubt i scored 6/7.
If a bomb hits a building, it is a direct hit. This means the word “direct” isn’t actually needed. It is an extra word that is given but doesn’t really play any significant role. All IELTS answers are about find the answer without giving extra unnecessary detail. The word “direct” isn’t actually needed. The answer only required a number without additional detail. If the extra word is essential to the answer, then you must put it. But if it is additional information which isn’t required for the answer to be right, you don’t need it.
Ok. Thanks a lot liz. Lots of love from India.
the instruction says no more than one word . so ‘9 direct’ will be wrong
This listening exercise has been altered since the above comments were made. I often edit, alter and improve the exercises and pages on my website. This allows people who took their test years ago to return to my website and learn new lessons. This listening exercise now only allows one possible answer: 9 (either written as the number 9 or as the word nine).
Hello Liz,
Firstly, I would like to say thank you very much for your tireless efforts in ensuring that everyone who practice on this site becomes successful in their IELTS exams. Secondly, I have a question, and it goes: will the transcript be available during the actual IELTS exams for the listening part?
As you can see from my lessons, I give the transcript with the answers. In the real IELTS test, you won’t be given the answers or the transcript. I provide the transcript as a way for people to improve their listening skills, their IELTS skills and also their English language. You shouldn’t be looking at the transcript in my lessons until you have finished the lesson and are ready to check your answers. Transcripts are a useful learning tool, but you won’t be able to see them in the test.
Hey Liz,
Could you please tell me something? So I was doing a listening test, and the speaker said grass for an answer. When I look at the answer in the back, it is written grass(es). What does it mean? Are both grass and grasses correct?
On the main listening page of this website, you’ll find a link to information about brackets in the listening answer keys: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening/
Anyone else having trouble with the soundcloud listening recordings? They dont load up for me at all, my interet speed is good and everthing still?
Thanks for letting me know. I didn’t realise people couldn’t play them. Over time, I’ll try to replace them with different audios – but it will take me quite a bit of time because I’m not well at the moment. Anyway, I really appreciate you letting me know.
Thanks a lot! I got 5 correct answers. I’m improving. I’m currently working Lesson 18.
Glad you are finding my site useful 🙂
Thank you so much. the lessons are really helpful. Is it wrong to write Balcony instead of balcony or BALCONY?
It’s all fine. All options are possible. However, for the paper based test, using all capital letters for the answers makes it easier to mark and avoids answers being marked wrong due to poor handwriting.
Thanks a lot, I have had great improvement in listening. I’m so grateful ma.
Good to hear
Hi Liz
I would thank you for this fabulous website, it’s helpful and improved my skills with listening practice.
Glad to hear you are improving 🙂
nine or ”9” ? Six or ”6” ? what is most accurate?
Hello liz,
can we write 50 thousand instead of 50,000, is that a correct answer???
Instructions says that write 1 word or a number
Sure you can write that if you want. But remember if you make any spelling mistake with the word, the whole answer will be marked wrong.
Is it OK to write 50000 not 50,000?
It’s not wrong, but I wouldn’t recommend it. We use the comma to make the number easier to recognise. There is more room for error in marking if you present numbers without the comma.
Hi Liz，
Why 9 bomb, not 9 bombs? Bomb is countable, right?
Because the noun is not “bomb”, the noun is “hits” and that is plural. It is important that you recognise the main noun and not any noun that acts like an adjective. In this case, the word “bomb” is acting like an adjective to the noun “hits”.
Hi Liz, thanks a lot for all your efforts ans support. i have just started going through these exercises but they do not seem so obvious. my question is .. for such a task, do they allow the people sitting to listen to the audio like 2 or 3 times or its strictly one time listening and answer?
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/
I can write all the correct answer but unfortunately i have to listen to the recording 2-3 times i have just begun 3 days ago to study i really feel disappointed but i can get 3 of 5 correct from the first time.
It’s normal to start that way. Don’t be disappointed. Make notes of the answers you got wrong: – note the reason, the keywords and the paraphrases.
Hi Liz,
I had left a comment on this page today with a question. Last I saw, it was in “awaiting moderation” state but I couldn’t find the comment anymore.I was awaiting for a reply on the same. Should I consider that the comment didn’t go live at all and was markes as “irrelevant” or “off topic”(hence removed)?
https://ieltsliz.com/comments-on-ielts-liz-2018/
Thanks Liz. I appreciate your great work for the society!
I am really very grateful to you for what you are doing to all of us, and I am not finding a word or words to thank you with, just saying God bless you.
Thanks 🙂
Hi Ms. Liz, Thank you very much. Its very kind of you to make this page. It is very helpful specially to us whose first language is not English. May God bless you always.
The instructions say that no more than one word and/or a number. I answered “9 direct” in question number 2. Is this answer wrong?
The instructions means you can have one word and one number or just one number. That is the meaning.
Hi Liz. Do all the Listening passages answers come in order in the text.
You need to follow the order of the questions.
hi Liz, thank you for all your efforts. There is one point that ı am stucked with. Shouldn’t it be ‘9 bombs hit to the palace’ instead of ‘9 bomb hits’? which one is gramatically correct and why?
“bomb hits” is the noun. The word “hit” in this case is not the verb, it is part of the noun. This means the plural noun is for the word “hits”.
Wow! 5 out 5 🙂
Thank you for your efforts
All the best for you, Liz
successfully done
balcony can also be written as Balconi
9 or nine which one supposed to be correct
You can’t write balcony as balconi. But you can change the number to a digit.
mam can i make a pause the audio to write my answers
the audio will not ne played only once but weather we can pause it?
You can’t pause it. You can’t control it. It is played once only and you can’t stop it.
Thank you for this site!
We watch videos from here almost every lesson on IELTS preparation course)
That’s great 🙂
Dear Liz,
The tips that you give for each section of IELTS is very informative & helpful. while practicing few of the listening tests, the link says no link to database. Please can you help me on that as i feel, the more i practice the better i perform
Thanks for all the guidance!
you are a great trainer.
Regards,
Haritha
I also have seen the message about the database error connection. I’ll check it this week and see what the problem is. Thanks for letting me know.
Is it okk of if I write Six instead of six…..
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
I missed the fifth answer since the number was given before the other information. Very tricky.
Hi Liz,
I see “…for it’s famous _____” in the paragraph and I think it should be “…for its famous ______”. I mean we don’t need the apostrophe here. Am i right?
All the best,
Phuoc
Very well spotted!!
Thanks
Liz
It’s my pleasure!
Hello Liz,
Here is a logically sound question. Question number 2 “There were ____ bomb hits”
The given answer is 9. Why isn’t “direct” accepted as a valid answer here? It sounds grammatically correct and also aligns with what we heard. Thank you,
Sanone
It would be accepted as an answer “9 direct”. But it isn’t necessary for the answer to be correct.
All the best
Liz
Your blog is really heaven sent Liz. I cannot afford to enroll myself in IELTS review class in our country. Your blog is helping me a lot. I am just thinking twice in the Writing Section since I dont have anyone to check on my essay. Last time I took IELTS I only got 6.5 I am aiming for 7 in all components so that I can start my application for employment in the Uk. All the best Liz!
can I write 50 thousand instead of the 50,000? would that be accepted?
Write numbers as digits to avoid complications.
Liz
hi mam greetings!
looking at your blog i feel like i am having some interactive class with many others, thank you so much for everything you share here!
Hey!!!!!!5/5.ecstasy!!.thank you Liz.
Hello mam ,,,
Instead of writing jus 9 I have written 9 direct… They have asked us to write one word and or a number so is this a correct answer …??please clarify my doubt thanqqqq….
I don’t understand your question. You wrote “9 direct”? Can you make your question clearer?
Thanks
Liz
I mean that in recording they say for second question nine direct bomb hits …
So when I heard I have written it as 9direct ….so wil that b wrong???
Thanq so much…..
I understand now. No, the answer can’t be ” 9 direct”. The answer is just a number.
All the best
Liz
HI Liz,
I have written ‘direct 9’. Is this correct or incorrect? i wrote it because it is mentioned that ‘write one word and/or a number’. Please shed some light on this query?
It would be wrong. You should have just “nine” or “9”. Please watch the 25 tips video lesson for listening.
Liz
Hello, Liz.
I could not figure out the difference of “suffer sth” and “suffer from sth”. Could you give me some instruction?
Thanks a lot.
Regards
Bernie
“to suffer something” means to tolerate something or be constantly bearing something. For example, “We constantly suffer from his angry outbursts”. Whereas, “To suffer from something” relates to illness.
All the best
Liz