IELTS Listening Practice: Sentence Completion

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Sentence Completion questions for IELTS Listening: Practice & Essential Tips

IELTS listening sentence completion questions are basically gap fill questions that require you to fill a gap in the sentence with either words or numbers or a combination of words and numbers. Use the tips below to learn the right techniques for this type of listening question. Then challenge yourself with the practice lessons below. 

IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Tips

Below is an example set of sentence completion questions as you would see them in the IELTS Listening Test. Read the tips below to learn how you should approach them with the right right techniques and understanding.

IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Questions Examples

Useful Tips:

  1. Prepare Sentences: You will have time to read through the sentences before the recording starts.
  2. Predict Answers: You can predict what type of word the answer will be, such as a verb or noun. For example:
    • Question 1 above shows that you will probably be listening for a verb because it has the preposition to before the gap. Of course, the preposition to can also be in front of other kinds of words as well, but when we say “useful to …..” it usually requires a verb to follow.
    • Question 2 shows that you will need to listen for a noun because before the gap are the words a cultural. 
    • So, grammar will help you to predict answers.
  3. Grammar Will Help: The sentence must be grammatically correct when you put the missing word into the sentence. This means you need to think about articles a/the . They might or might not be needed.
  4. Answers in Order: The answers to the questions will come in order in the recording. This means the answer to question 1 will come first and then the answer to question 2 will follow. This will help you keep track of which question you are on and where you are in the recording.
  5. Answer Word Count: The instructions will always tell you how many words or numbers you can have for the answer. If it says No More Than Two Words – it means you can have two words, one word, but you can’t have three words (you can’t have more but you can have fewer).
  6. Keywords: The question will have useful keywords in it to help you locate the answer. For example, in question 1 above the keywords are traditions and countries.
  7. Paraphrasing: Many keywords will be paraphrased so you might not hear the keywords precisely as they are shown in the question. For example, traditions could be paraphrased as heritage. However, some words might not be paraphrased and you will hear them in the recording. For example, “neuro-typical”, it is unlikely this kind of word will be altered, in which case you can listen carefully to hear it.
  8. Speed:  You do not have a lot of time to prepare question by reading them, spotting keywords and also paraphrasing. But with practice you can build these skills so that you can do them faster and faster. This should be part of your IELTS preparation.
  9. Before or After Keywords: One mistake people make is that they think the answer will come after you hear the keywords (or their equivalent paraphrase). This is wrong. You might hear the answer before or after you hear the keyword. This is why you must pay close attention to the recording.
  10. Guess: If you don’t know the answer, just guess. Never leave an answer empty.
  11. Spelling counts. If your answer is spelled incorrectly, it will be marked wrong. Every word and every letter must be precise.
  12. Listen Only Once: remember, you will hear the recording only once and you won’t be able to pause it. You won’t be given the transcript. But in books and on my website, transcripts are provided with the answers so that you can analyse your answers and also learn useful paraphrasing and review techniques.

Now it’s time for some practice listening lessons for sentence completion questions.

IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Practice

Below you will find two useful listening practice lessons.

Listening Practice Lesson 1

Read through the questions below to prepare. Then listen to the recording below.

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT AND ANSWERS

Click below to show the transcript and answers. Review the transcript first to review paraphrasing, language and your techniques. 

TRANSCRIPT

There are 700,000 autistic people in the UK. Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how a person communicates and responds to people and how they experience the world around them. Although most of the public have heard of autism, few actually understand what it is like to live with it and how to support someone with autism. Autism Hour is when businesses agree to dim their lights and reduce background noise, such as music, to create an environment that is more suitable for autistic people. Autistic people have difficulty processing sensory information leading to sensory overload which can cause great stress and even physical pain. In a world geared towards neuro-typical people, this problem can leave autistic people restricted in where they can go and what they can enjoy. Autism Hour not only opens doors to autistic shoppers and their families, it also provides an opportunity for staff members to learn more about autism which is essential if autistic people are to get the support and respect they need from society. Autism Hour is also important in bringing to light the general affect that sensory information can have on people who are not neuro-typical or who have an illness affecting their ability to cope with light or noise or any other type of sensory information.

ANSWERS
  1. COMMUNICATES
    • Communication is not possible. 
    • Your answer must have “s” at the end – communicates
  2. DIM
  3. OVERLOAD
    • This is one word.
  4. GEARED
  5. SENSORY

Tip: Always remember that the listening test is testing your understanding of English grammar and English vocabulary.

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Listening Practice 2

Here is another listening practice lesson for filling in the gaps in a sentence. 

IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Practice 2 Questions 1-4

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers:

Transcript

A festival is an event which is celebrated collectively. Festivals are mostly celebrated to propagate the cultural heritage of nations. Most festivals have their origins in a cultural belief which has been passed down through the generations. Festivals help to promote solidarity and the patriotic spirit in society by bring people closer together in harmony as they celebrate the festival. During this time, differences are forgotten and the national cultural identity predominates. By celebrating international festivals, it helps to promote tolerance, reduce racial conflict and encourages the acceptance of cultural diversity in a country. While there are marked differences in the way festivals are celebrated all over the world, there is a similarity in the purpose that the festival serves.

Answers
  1. propagate
  2. belief
  3. differences (the answer must be plural)
  4. purpose

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Vocabulary for Accurate Data in Writing Task 1

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Using the right vocabulary to present data in IELTS writing task 1 is essential if you are aiming for a high score. The video tutorial below explains why it is important to give accurate data when describing a chart in and provides a range of flexible vocabulary to help you achieve a better score.

Writing Task 1 Vocabulary for Data

Make sure you describe data accurately using a range of vocabulary. Lack of accuracy will lower your score for IELTS writing task 1. This video will help you understand more about this.

Summary

It’s very important that all the information you give is accurate the examiner will check and any mistakes will lower your band score.

Looking at the video, you will see this sentence is possible: In the age group 20 to 30, 28% of men smoked compared to 30% of women.  What is the problem? Can you see any mistake? The problem  is that the data for women is correct 30% but for men we can see it is under 30. We cannot see that it is 28%, but we can write it is about 30% or just under 30% or slightly less than 30%. We need to do is we need to use flexible language to give the accurate information let’s have a look.

Below I have listed useful language to help you present data more accurately and flexibly to avoid repeated words.

Under

  • under
  • below
  • less than
  • just under
  • slightly under
  • nearly
  • almost
  • close to
  • well under
  •  considerably less than

About

  • about
  • approximately
  • around

Over

  • over
  • above
  • more than
  • just over
  • slightly over
  • marginally above
  • well over
  • considerably more than

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Sample Answers for Speaking Topic: Health

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Below are some sample answers for the topic of health in IELTS speaking part 3. When you answer in speaking part 3, remember to extend you answers with lots of examples and explanation. Also remember to give a direct answer the question asked  and then develop your answer.

1. Do you think people pay enough attention to their health these days?

No, definitely not. The average person nowadays has a sedentary lifestyle and pays very little attention to their diet and also does hardly any exercise. If you take a typical English person, they eat a quick breakfast, such as a sugary cereal, they have a quick bite at lunch, like a sandwich, and for dinner they are either too tired to cook something healthy and nutritious or simply don’t have enough time. It’s pretty much the same with exercise. Few people these days have time to fit it into their daily routine.

2. Do you think the government is responsible for public health?

Well, to be honest, I think it the responsibility of both governments and individuals. Governments certainly could do more to educate people about ways to improve their health and I suppose it would be useful if they could some how have more controlled over the fast food industry. However, much of the responsibility falls on individual people to take exercise, eat well and have a balanced life style.

3. Do you think there are more unhealthy people these days than there were decades ago?

Yes, without a doubt. Generations ago, there was no fast food or convenience food so people generally ate healthy fresh produce instead of the junk food they eat today. Furthermore, people were also more active in the past as they either cycled or walked to get around and also had a healthier life style. Compared to now, they were much healthier.

4. How could parents encourage their children to be healthier?

I guess the best way would be to set an example. I always think that if adults lead by example, then children will  follow suit. What I mean is if parents need to get involved with sports and out-door activities, it will show children that exercise is fun. Another way would be for parents to get children involved in cooking healthy meals to encourage them to change their eating habits. Both methods, I’m sure will have a positive effect.

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IELTS Conclusion Paragraph for Opinion Essay

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This lesson looks at how to write an IELTS conclusion paragraph for an opinion essay given below. Before you practice the conclusion, make sure you have completed the other lessons for this topic:

Every one of us should become a vegetarian because eating meat can cause serious health problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

An IELTS conclusion paragraph should summarise the main opinion that you gave in your opinion essay – both in the introduction and the body paragraphs. The conclusion repeats the main points in brief and maintains your position.

This is the introduction for this essay: Eating meat is considered by some to damage our health and for that reason they believe all people should adopt a vegetarian diet. In my opinion, although a vegetarian diet is certainly a healthy option, having a balanced diet, which contains vegetables and some healthy meat, is the key.

The above introduction explains the main points and the position of this essay. Now you must restate the main points again for your conclusion paragraph. Use the tips below to help you.

Tips for an IELTS Conclusion Paragraph
  1. Paraphrase the main points introduced in your introduction
  2. Don’t put new main points in your conclusion
  3. Don’t change your opinion in the conclusion
  4. Don’t write over 40 words
  5. You can write either one or two sentences
  6. Can you have a concluding statement which is a predicting if you wish

Write your conclusion before you check the model. Model Conclusion

In conclusion, by balancing both vegetables and healthy meats, for instance fish and chicken, people will be able to adapt their diet more easily in order to benefit their health.

OR

To conclude, by balancing mainly vegetables with fish or chicken, people will be able to adapt to a healthier diet more easily rather than become vegetarian. If people are educated about eating healthily, there will be less health problems in the future.

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IELTS Video Lesson: IELTS Conclusion Linkers
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A High Score Bar Chart Exercise

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Fill in the gaps to complete the high score bar chart for  IELTS writing task 1. Use the completed bar chart report to model your own writing as it gives the right structure to use and a good range of sentence structures and language.

Below are useful sentence structures which are commonly used for bar charts for each paragraph (the introduction, overview and body paragraphs) to make up a complete task 1 writing model.

You will see a full report for the bar chart below and you must fill in the gaps to complete it by using the correct verb in their appropriate form.

The bar chart below shows the number of research students studying different subject in 2005.

IELTS bar chart

Source: The above chart was not created by IELTS Liz.

Model IELTS Bar Chart Report

Fill in the report below using the following verbs. You must put the verbs in the correct form and tense. Each verb can be used more than once.

to be   /   to see  / to study   /  to  illustrate  /  to show  /  to choose  / to learn  /  to prefer

The bar chart (1).  ………………… how many male and female research students (2). ……………….. six different subjects (linguistics, psychology, natural sciences, engineering, programming and mathematics) in 2005.

Overall, there (3). …………. more male research students than females in 2005. Although the most popular subject for both genders 4. …………..natural sciences, men least (5). …………….. linguistics and women (6). …………. little interest in mathematics. Linguistics was the only subject that 7. ………… favoured by women more than men.

There was a similar number of men and women in three subjects. There were equal numbers in research students (200) (8). ……………….. natural sciences. There was a difference between the genders of about 25 in both psychology and linguistic with more women (9). …………….. linguistics (around 110) and more men taking psychology (200).

A difference of about half (10)………… evident in engineering and programming where 150 men chose both subjects. By contrast, 200 men selected mathematics which was approximately five fold that of women (about 40).

Answers

  1. illustrates
  2. studied
  3. were
  4. was
  5. preferred
  6. showed
  7. was
  8. studying / learning
  9. studying / learning / choosing
  10. was

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Matching Sentence Endings: IELTS Reading Practice & Tips

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IEILTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings Questions can seem challenging when you first see them. However, there are easy techniques to conquer them which are listed below with a great practice reading lesson. In this type of question you need to choose the correct ending for each sentence by selecting the ending from a list given.

IELTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings – Tips

Read this list of tips and the tackle the reading practice lesson below.

  1. You will be given a list of sentences that are incomplete.
  2. You will also be given a list of possible endings for those sentences.
  3. Your task is to match the beginning of the sentence with the right ending.
  4. There will often be more endings than you need.
  5. The endings will be listed as letters, for example A-F.
    • This means your answer will be a letter.
  6. Start with the sentence (the incomplete sentence)
    • Notice keywords that will help you find that information in the passage.
    • Keywords are often paraphrased.
    • Paraphrasing might be in the form of a synonyms (which means one word is similar to the other) or the paraphrasing might be a complete re-writing that appears in a different way.
    • Paraphrased information might be found in more than one sentence. This is the common mistake people make with IELTS reading – they think one sentence in the question might be one sentence in the passage – this is not always the case in IELTS reading.
  7. When you have located the information for the incomplete sentence given in the question, it is time to look at the possible endings.
  8. The passage will tell you which ending is right.
  9. Luckily the answers come in order in the passage. This means that the incomplete sentence that is given as a question will come in order in the passage. This will help you save time and also guide you to the right answer.
  10. Also note that when you match the incomplete sentence to the right ending, the whole sentence must be grammatically correct. This is a useful tip to remember.

IELTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings Practice Lesson

Reading Passage: NASA’s Orion ‘Mars Ship’ set for test flight

IELTS Space Topic

A US space capsule that could help get humans to Mars is about to make its maiden flight. Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies. The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems. Given that this is a first outing, there will be no people aboard.

Nonetheless, the US space agency describes the demonstration as a major event. Nasa has a window in which to launch Orion of about two-and-a-half hours, which began at 07:05 local time (12:05 GMT). The launch preparations had to be stopped shortly before the opening of the window because a boat strayed into the eastern part of the launch range. After that, the countdown had to be held because of strong winds and a technical issue.

Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in the near future. Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send humans beyond the International Space Station to destinations such as the Red Planet. For Thursday’s flight, the Delta IV-Heavy rocket – currently the beefiest launcher in the world – is being used as a stand-in. It will send Orion twice around the globe, throwing the ship up to an altitude of almost 6,000km (3,600 miles). This will set up a fast fall back to Earth, with a re-entry speed into the atmosphere close to 30,000km/h (20,000mph) – near what would be expected of a capsule coming back from the Moon. It should give engineers the opportunity to check the performance of Orion’s critical heat shield, which is likely to experience temperatures in excess of 2,000C (4,000F). They will also watch how the parachutes deploy as they gently lower the capsule into Pacific waters off Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.

(Passage from BBC News)

Questions 1-5

Complete the sentences by selecting the correct ending, A-G (not all letters will be used).

  1.  The first ever flight of Orion is aimed to ……
  2. Although the shape of Orion is similar to previous ships, it ………..
  3. A new rocket is also being developed whose …………
  4. The rocket which will be used as a replacement will ………….
  5. As temperatures reach extreme levels on re-entry, this maiden flight will ……….
  • a. send Orion twice around the world.
  • b. has state of the art technology.
  • c. test the critical heat shield.
  • d. check Orion’s performance.
  • e. test the most important technology.
  • f. first voyage is within sight.
  • g. help humans get to Mars

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers

  1. e
    • ……..its maiden flight.Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies.
  2. b
    • The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems.
  3. f
    • Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in the near future.
  4. a
    • ……….the Delta IV-Heavy rocket – currently the beefiest launcher in the world – is being used as a stand-in. It will send Orion twice around the globe
  5. c
    • It [the maiden voyage] should give engineers the opportunity to check the performance of Orion’s critical heat shield, [this is about the performance of the shield, not about Orion itself with all its features] which is likely to experience temperatures in excess of 2,000C (4,000F).

Vocab Builder

  • reminiscent = similar to / reminding you of (something / someone)
  • maiden flight / maiden voyage = first ever flight / first journey
  • conical = shaped narrowing to a point
  • similar to something in the past
  • cutting-edge = front-line / pioneering / brand-new
  • strayed = drifted
  • debut = first appearance
  • in excess of = more than
  • (parachute) deploys = opens
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Map Completion for IELTS Listening

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IELTS Listening Map questions can include a floor plan of a building. Below you will find an practice lesson for this type of question. This is similar to section 2 of the IELTS listening test where you have only one speaker talking about something familiar in life. You must label the parts of the building to complete the floor plan map.

IELTS Listening Map Floor Plan Tips

  1. Notice the title which gives you an idea of the type of building it is.
  2. Notice the entrance to the building.
    • Most listening recordings for buildings will start at the entrance.
  3. Your answer will be a word or words from the recording. You can’t alter the words.
  4. Pay attention to the number of words you can have for your answer.
  5. Answers will come in order.

Always prepare the map by looking at the locations of each number and predicting what language you might hear to find the answers.

IELTS Listening Floor Plan: Map Completion

Questions 1-6: Complete the map below using no more than three words for each question.

IELTS Listening Map Building Floor Plan

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers:

Transcript

Welcome to the Bedford Doctor’s Surgery. As you are a new patient, please listen to the information about our practice to learn about our surgery and the facilities available. To enter our surgery you will need to go up the stairs to the first floor so if you are disabled and need wheelchair access, you will need to call us to organize this. Once you enter the surgery, please go straight to the reception room on the left and sign in with our receptionist. Then take a seat and wait for your name to be called. If you need the toilets, you’ll have to go back down to the ground floor which belongs to the company renting that floor. Downstairs, you’ll also see a small vending machine at the end of the hallway if you get peckish. Back upstairs in the surgery, if you have a large bag or a coat, you may want to leave them in the cloakroom which is located at the other end of the building. It’s the small room at the end of the corridor.

The two doctor’s consulting rooms are situated just to the right of the stairs both with a lovely view over the town, one of them used to be the old waiting room. The first one is consultation room A used by Dr Driver and consultation room B, next to it,  is used on rotation by Dr Smith and Dr Philips. At the end of the hall, next to the cloakroom is a small waiting area for people who are waiting for the nurse. The practice nurse room is right next the waiting area.  For patients who will be traveling by bus, there’s a bus stop just a few doors away from the surgery and for those of you coming by car, please park outside our main doors.

  • Note: the word “peckish” is an informal word meaning “hungry”
Answers
  1. reception (room)
  2. cloakroom
    • one word
  3. consultation room A
  4. consultation room B
  5. (small) waiting area
  6. practice nurse room

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Grammar for IELTS Writing: Adding a Clause Video Tutorial

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This video tutorial will teach you how to improve your grammar for IELTS writing task 2 by adding a clause to a sentence to form a complex sentence structure. To get a good score, you must be able to demonstrate a range of grammar including the ability to use clauses.

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