IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Practice & Essential Tips

This lesson focuses on IELTS listening multiple choice questions and offers tips, practice and useful vocabulary to help you achieve your best. Multiple choice questions are the most difficult of all the questions in IELTS listening and you need to develop the right techniques to deal with them in order to do well.

On this page, you will find:

  1. Multiple Choice Tips
  2. Multiple Choice Practice Lessons
    1. Practice 1: Long List Selection
    2. Practice 2: Picture Selection
    3. Practice 3: Common IELTS MC questions.

1) IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Tips

Preparing the Questions:

  1. check for a title
  2. you might be asked to respond to a question or complete a sentence
  3. find keywords in the question
    1. the keywords will help you understand which answers are right and which are wrong
    2. paraphrase the keywords
    3. if it is a list selection multiple choice, underline the number of answers you need to find – for example, choose three letters.

Preparing the Multiple Answers Options

  1. Read through the answer options
    1. highlight similar options so you don’t get confused
    2. note the differences between those options
    3. think of paraphrases for keywords
  2. All answer options will probably be mentioned in the recording – but only one will be the right answer.
  3. The questions come in order but the answer options will not come in order in the recording, for example you might hear language about option B before you hear option A.
  4. Don’t think that the first answer you hear is the correct one – keep listening. 
  5. Watch out for answers that are given and then taken away again by the speaker. This means the speaking say “green” but later says “sorry, I meant blue”.
  6. Listen for the word “but” or “however” this can mean a negative is coming which means it might not be the right answer.
  7. If you think an answer is correct, put a tick but keep listening to make sure it is right.
  8. You can write on your question paper for the paper test so use ticks and crosses for right and wrong answers.
  9. Don’t forget, you can only listen once to the recording in your test. You can’t pause the recording.
  10. You must develop speed reading skills to be able to read all answers and spot keywords before the recording starts. This skill comes with practice.

Types of Multiple Choice Questions in IELTS Listening

There are four types of multiple choice questions that have appeared in the IELTS Listening Test over the years.  Below you can see examples of them:

IELTS Multiple Choice Listening Question- Answering a Question Three Options

IELTS Multiple Choice Listening Question - finish the sentence

Multiple Choice IELTS Listening Question - Long List

Picture Multiple Choice Sample Question IELTS Listening

In your test, you will not see the words “Type 1” – this label is just for your reference on my website. As you can see above, there are Multiple Choice Questions that ask you to: 1) answer a question  2) complete a sentence  3) select from a long list  4) choose a picture (this is the least common and rarely appears but is still worth preparing for). For each type, your answer will be a letter. I have practice lessons so you can get used to these kinds of questions. See below.

3) Practice Lessons for Multiple Choice IELTS Listening

Below you will find three types of Multiple Choice Listening Practice Lessons. Take your time to do the exercises and also make sure you spend time after to review the transcripts so that you can analyse language, keywords and review your strategies. Enjoy!

Multiple Choice Listening Practice 1

Listening Topic: Health Care Conference

Questions 1-3: Who will be lecturing at the conference today?

Choose three options from the following list (A-G) as your answers

  • A = Dr Christopher Lord
  • B = Dr David Bishop
  • C = Dr George Ripley
  • D = Dr William Benson
  • E = Dr Roger Dean
  • F = Dr Daisy Mandalay
  • G = Dr Ralph Morris

Recording: 

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ANSWERS & TRANSCRIPT

. It’s always best to check your answers reading the transcript and listening again to the recording. This is a great way to develop your listening awareness. After that, check the answer key.

Transcript

Transcript

Today’s topic under discussion is the health care system both past and present. We have a number of guests for today’s lectures, videos and debates, one of them the notable Dr David Bishop.

The morning will be kicked off by Dr Roger Dean who will be presenting his speech summarising the major changes and challenges of the health care system from the year 2000 to around 2012. Following him, will be Dr William Benson who will oversee the debate on today’s problems for hospitals. After lunch, Dr Daisy Mandalay will be showing a revealing video relating to the current trends in health problems faced by today’s society. Dr Christopher Lord will then address everyone on the problems faced by family doctors and the vital role they play in the health care system. Last, but not least, Dr David Bishop, as I mentioned earlier, will take the floor to tell you about his current research. Dr Ralph Morris will be responsible for collecting your feedback on the various parts of the conference at the end of the day. That will conclude our seminars for the day. Tomorrow’s conference details will be put up on the notice board later this afternoon but you will be all please to know that Dr George Ripley has agreed to lecture you all.

Answers

Answers

E  A  B (any order ). This question counts for answers to questions 1, 2 and 3. This means three points – one point for each correct answer. Because they are three questions from the same list, your answers (letters) can b written in any order.

  1. E
    • ‘Dr Roger Dean who will be presenting his speech…’
  2. A
    • ‘Dr Christopher Lord will address everyone…’
  3. B
    • ‘Dr David Bishop, as I mentioned earlier, will take the floor to tell you about…’

Comments: The answer is not C (Dr George Ripley) because he is talking tomorrow not today. The answer is not D (Dr William Benson) because he is running a debate. He is not giving a lecture. The answer is not F (Dr Daisy Mandalay) because she is showing a video not talking. The answer is not G (Dr Ralph Morris) because he is collecting feedback and not speaking.

The key to success in this listening practice is to identify the word “lecture” as the key word in the question. Many names are mentioned but only three people are actually lecturing today.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

give a lecture / to  lecture Synonyms:

  • give a talk about / on
  • to address people on
  • give a seminar on
  • hold a seminar on
  • to take the floor (to talk)
  • to instruct people on
  • to give a speech about / on
  • to present a speech / talk on about

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Listening Multiple Choice for IELTS Practice 2

This is an example of a picture multiple choice. You must choose the correct picture as your answer based on the description in the recording. As always, your answer will be a letter.

Listening Topic: Mammoths

Question 1: Which type of mammoth is this lecture going to focus on?

Choose the correct letter A-C

Recording: 

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ANSWER & TRANSCRIPT

Click below to reveal vocabulary, transcript and answer:

Vocabulary
mammoth = prehistoric animal now extinct similar in shape to an elephant
physiology = make-up / structure
prominent = major / outstanding
parts of an elephant and mammoth = tusks, trunk, large ears
huge / colossal = enormous / extremely large
Transcript
There is evidence of much change and development in the mammoth. We can see the Ambelodon 20 million years ago, the Stegodon 12 million years ago and finally the Stegotetrabelodon which existed somewhere between 7.5 to 4.5 million years ago. There seem to have been a number of changes in the physiology of the mammoth, the most prominent were in the height, the size of the ears and the shape of the head and tusks. Today, I’m going to be focusing, on the one most of us associate with the ‘so-called’ classic shape and size of a mammoth and which is most known for its huge curving tusks and colossal size.
Answer
B
‘Today, I’m going to be focusing on….. which is most known for its huge curving tusks and colossal size.’. This lesson is the perfect example of how you need to be patient and not get lost in long, technical words, because at the end of the day, the keywords were at the end and the rest was irrelevant information to the answer.

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Multiple Choice Questions Listening Practice 3

Listening Topic: Dashford Study Center

Questions 1-4: Choose the correct letter A, B or C.

  1. Membership at the study center is 20 pounds

A. for everyone.
B. for everyone except the elderly and students.
C. for everyone each year.

2. Members are able to take out

A. an unlimited amount of books.
B. a maximum of 3 books.
C. 3 books for 3 days.

3. Booking is unnecessary for

A. the yoga, dance and gentle exercise classes.
B. general fitness classes.
C. the walking class.

4. Arts and crafts classes are taught by

A. volunteers.
B. teachers.
C. teachers and volunteers.

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS

Below you can click to reveal the transcript and answers for this lesson.

Transcript

The study center in Dashford was opened to give free educational and recreational services to the community of Dashford. Membership is free for over 65’s as well as for students, as long as they have a student ID. For everyone else it is an annual membership of 20 pounds.

Members are able to enjoy full access to our extensive library. The library comprises of a comprehensive collection of classic literature, resource books, children’s books, history books and popular literature. As members, you are able to borrow up to 3 books at a time for up to 4 days.

Our recreational services extend for both members and non-members. We offer social and leisure activities for all age groups. Our yoga, dance and gentle exercise classes are extremely popular and booking ahead is required to ensure your place on one of these courses. However, our walking group, who meet once a week, offer unlimited places but you do have to have a good level of general fitness. We also have IT classes at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. But for those of you who are more creative, there are arts and crafts classes which are run by a qualified teacher with volunteer support. Before checking everything why don’t you take a look around and see what you might be interested in.

Answers
  1. B
    • Common trap – Always be careful of words that you hear in the recording and see in the answer options – always look out for extra words such as “everyone else“.
  2. B
    • A maximum of 3 = up to 3. This is a direct paraphrase.
  3. C
    • unlimited places = no need to book
      The trap in this question is that the word ‘booking’ was used with the information about yoga, dance and exercise – IELTS often give the same word with the wrong answer.
  4. B
    • The classes are run by teachers = the classes are taught by teachers. The volunteers only support, they do not teach.

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IELTS Multiple Choice Listening Video

A useful video to review Multiple Choice Techniques.

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Comments

  1. Hi Liz
    Can you confirm if ALL IELTS Listening Tests – ALL sections questions are ALWAYS in the same order as the information in the recording?
    Because that’s what I used to know, but when I was practicing I found this practice test to be confusing
    *******
    Specifically 21:53 – 22:33, if you listen during these 40 seconds you will find that questions answered are in the order 38, 36, 37 , 39 , 40 which I found confusing.
    So can such thing occasionally happen? or IELTS listening rules have changed recently? or it’s just a mistake in this test and questions are still always in the same order as the information in the recording ?

    • If you are using materials for IELTS that you find on Youtube, then it’s a mistake. Use authentic IELTS tests published by IELTS and nothing else. Don’t use other materials because they are not real IELTS tests. My lessons on this website have been created to learn from, but they are not tests. So, please use only authentic IELTS tests. or you will get confused.

  2. Ahmed Amar says

    Hello Liz,
    Can you provide us with more tests ?
    I appreciate it Liz.

    • Did you go to the main listening section of my website? This page has a collection of practice materials: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening/. Your aim is not just to complete them. Your aim is to do the practice, analyse each answer after you complete it, analyse the language, paraphrases, keywords and also review techniques. Take your time. The more you analyse, the more you will improve. For further practice, use the IELTS Cambridge test books. My lessons are designed to create awareness and build IELTS skills, they are not practice tests.

  3. Liz, you are such a caring and wonderful woman. I truly admire how you take the time to respond to each comment individually. It’s rare to find someone online who shows such dedication and care for their students. May God bless you with a healthy and prosperous life, dear.

  4. Thank you so much Liz for your wonderful free website, I took one month to study with this website, and got band 7.5 overall, speaking 7, writing 7, listening 7.5, reading 8.5. Your resources really helped me a lot!!
    Wish you the best!

    Xinyi

  5. Ahmad Islam says

    Hey Liz, many thanks for this awesome stuff on your website. I practiced listening from there and got 8 bands.

  6. Harshavardhan says

    I felt blanks are much easier than multiple choices in the listening part, how many sections of multiple choices do we get in the exam?

    • It is not possible to predict which types of questions you will get in your listening test. This is the reason you need to prepare for all of them.

  7. Rumeshani says

    Dear Liz,
    If the recording says “can’t” , What is the answer we need to write on the answer sheet?
    can’t or cannot

    • I’ve never come across such an answer in an IELTS listening test. Regardless, the rules remain the same – write the precise word you hear – don’t change the word at all.

  8. Kiran Sajjad says

    Hi Liz,
    Can I use namely for giving examples in IELTS writing task 2?
    Or namely is for speaking test?
    Thank you!

  9. well, I will take IELTS for the coming weeks.
    you’re an amazing teacher, I watched your videos in you tube speaking and listening sections made by you in this website too
    that helped me tremendously and I hope I will pass the test. pray for me. 🤲🤲🤲!!! thanks Liz

  10. Hello Liz! Is it possible for there to be more than one answer when it comes to the question ‘Choose the correct letter – A, B or C’ in part 3 of the listening section? I know it doesn’t logically make sense, but I just practiced a listening test online and the solution mentioned both A and B, so I’m a bit confused about that.

    • For multiple choice, there will always be only one possible answer. This doesn’t mean you won’t hear information that relates to all options through. You will mostly likely hear information relating to two or all answer options, but only one will be right. Are you using the free test on the IELTS website? Or are you using an online materials website? Online IELTS materials which claim to be real tests are not reliable. Never use them. Use the IELTS Cambridge test books published by IELTS, use their free test or use my materials which have been professionally created to learn from (but my materials are not tests, they are lessons for IELTS). Always be careful how you prepare for your test.

      Also, at the end of every lesson/test you do, read the transcript to check your answers. The transcripts are useful learning tools to learn technique and paraphrases.

  11. Srinath says

    Hi Liz,

    “pool,court” – is this considered as single word in listening for one word question type.

    • In your example, you have written two separate words and you’ve also written a comma. Let me explain:
      – You don’t need any punctuation for your listening answers.
      – when you write “pool court”, you can see there are two words. If you put those words into a Word Document, they would be counted as two words – this is the same in IELTS.
      – there are various kinds of compound nouns which are single nouns made of two words written as one, two words written separately and two words which are together with a hyphen. If the words are separate, they are two words. If the words are written as one or connected by a hyphen, they are one word.

      As I said, this isn’t an IELTS special way of counting words – it is how a Word Document counts words and IELTS does the same.

  12. 1. D
    2. B
    3. B
    *
    4. B

  13. Speed says

    Hi Liz

    Through practice I noticed that I have a huge problem with spelling, how can I overcome this problem?

    • I understand your concern. Firstly, I want to point out that most answers in the listening test are everyday words with simple spelling so that should make things easier for you. And for the reading test, if you are taking the computer based test, you can copy and paste words from the passage into the answer box so you won’t ever have spelling issues. For writing, you can choose which words you use so always aim for familiarity and accuracy.

      About improving spelling, some people improve their spelling indirectly through reading. By exposing their brain to words in context, their spelling improves. However, I find that never worked for me and I have to sit down and actually memorise spelling and practice writing the words. So, for memorising spelling, you can learn topic based vocabulary and then test yourself. For practicing the words, practice writing them in sentences rather than individually – this can help drive the spelling further into your memory.

      Another option is to use apps that are designed for spelling. You’ll probably find quite a few of them online.

      Lastly, there are books which focus on English spelling rules, for example we write “ie” in a word unless it comes after the letter “C” when we change it to “ei”. The phrase we learn for this is “I before E, except after C” – it’s a phrase we memorise at school to remember spelling. One illustration is this rule is writing “receive” (the “ei” come after the letter “C”) but we write “brief” because the letters “ie” come after B, not C.

      I hope this advice helps.

  14. Humda says

    Hi Liz
    1. I want to know how we write the correct answer on the answer sheet. For example, if we have a correct answer is A and D but D comes first in audio before A. Do we write first A or D on the answer sheet?
    2. If we have to select two options in a given list (in one question) how do we write it? For example Questions 13-14: 13 have the correct letter ‘A’ and ‘D’, next 14 has ‘E’ The correct letter how do we write it?
    I am confused about writing the coorect answer on the sheet can you please provide me a link or some sort of help .

    • If you are asked to choose two letters for one question, then you write both letters in the answer box and the order doesn’t matter. You simply write “A D”.
      If you are asked to choose two letters from the same list for two questions (one letter per question), then you write A for one question and D for the other. The order won’t matter. This information and much much more is explained on my IELTS FAQ page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/. Please go to that page to learn more about the IELTS test.

  15. zeeshan ahmed says

    Hi, dear Liz.
    I have got one question. I write the answers in upper case, this is something you also recommend. But there are answers for some questions given in roman numerical, i.e. i, ii etc. I needed to know will it be ok if we don’t change them in capital letters, for example, ‘I’ instead of ‘i’. I hope I got my question across.
    Regards

    • Roman numerals are numbers, not letters or words. It doesn’t really matter how you write them, but I always recommend to write them as shown in the question.

  16. Sheharyar says

    Thankyou Liz, got 9 bands in listening.
    Your lectures helped alot.

  17. Violet says

    Hi Liz,
    Thanks your lesson. Please tell me if multiple choice answers are in order according to multiple questions. I checked an exam and the multiple anwers are not in order to match with order of answers. Thanks.

    • I think you have misunderstood the meaning of “answers come in order”. This means the answer to number 1 comes before the answer to number 2. This is not related to the options of “a,b or c” which might be given within one question. When it comes to multiple choice options, words relating to option a, b or c might appear in any order in the recording and you need to listen out for which option provides the correct answer. But the answers which you choose for each question will come in order, such as question 1, then question 2, then question 3, then question 4 etc.

  18. VINOTHA P says

    Hi Liz

    Thank you so much for the lessons!

    1. Can we use all lowercase in listening test?
    2. For ex: if the answer is London, do I have to write london or London?

    • You can use lower case or upper case or a combination. As long as the word is written correctly, it is marked right.

  19. Hi Liz
    Thanks for your teachings. My question is on not using the bracket, what if the instruction says A Word and a number and the Answer to a question there is Stone bridge and I wrote (stone)bridge. Am i wrong please.

  20. Projecta Sikder says

    Does all the options given to a multiple choice question come consecutively?

    • Question numbers come in order which means number 1 is first and question 2 is second. This does not include the options on the multiple choice which could be mentioned on the recording in any order.

  21. Sebin Babu says

    Hi Liz,
    How to do listening, by closing eyes or looking at the options? when I looks options, I cant concentrate on listening. Please advise me.

    • I understand you completely. Multitasking isn’t one of my strong points either. When you read through the questions before the recording starts, make sure to underline keywords. Then when the recording starts, you can focus on those keywords. Keywords are also works that help you see the difference between options in multiple choice. So, when you listen, don’t try to listen and read the full sentences, but listen and only look at those keywords – that might help you. This is also one reason why people prefer the listening test to be on paper as it’s easier to make notes which can help you decide the answer after. Anyway, try just looking at keywords rather than whole sentences for multiple choice. IELTS is often a case of finding which method of approach works best for you – we are all different.

      • Thiri Htoon says

        Hi Liz,

        For the computer based test, is it possible to tick or mark the answer and remove later. Is it possible to underline the key words in computer test. Please instruct me.

        • You have 2 mins at the end of the listening test to check your answers which means yes you can alter your answer. You can alter them while you are listening and during the 2 mins checking time. It would not be a fair test is you were unable to alter answers. For the listening test, underlining words doesn’t seem to be an option. But in the reading test, there is a highlight option if you right click on the mouse.

  22. Hi Liz, I just received my IELTS scores.
    L:8, R:8, S:7, W:6.5
    Overall band score- 7.5

    Thank you so much. Extremely grateful for your teaching lessons!

  23. Shiza javed says

    During listening hand based test. Are we allowed to see questions at the time of listening recording. so that we can answer the questions accordingly.
    R we only allow to see questions before starting of recording?
    Thanks in advance.

    • Whether the test is on the computer or on paper, the questions are there in front of you to answer. This is not a memory test.

  24. Fahad says

    Hey Liz, I need to make sure of one thing. Can we use synonyms in the answers to the listening test? I was practicing, and one of the audio had the answer “fine,” but I wrote “penalty” as they were talking about offenders. Kindly help me with this query, thanks!

  25. Prativa Poudel says

    Hi Liz,
    I am from Nepal ( Continent – Asia ).I have watched your listening tips video which was shoot some 6 years ago. I would like to know if all these tips sill work or there are some changes in todays IELTS testing.

    • Sure my video are still valid. That is why they are still on my channel and still available here on my website.

  26. Sarah says

    Hi Liz, I’m Sarah from Nigeria. I’m really grateful for all your lessons and guidance and tips. I watched all your videos, did most of the practice exercise and followed the tips you provided for a successful test preparation. I wrote my test on the 22nd and 23rd of April 2022 and I got an overall band score of 8.0.
    Thank you so much. God bless you

  27. Hi Liz,
    First of all, I want to thank you so much for your effort and your amazing videos.
    Secondly, I would like to ask about something you said in the listening tips video. You said that I should decide whether to write all my answers in uppercase or lowercase and I should stick to that. I’m going for the computerized exam and I don’t know how different it’s from the paper-based one, so my question is, if I choose to write in uppercase to avoid any punctuation mistakes should I stick to that throughout the whole exam in all sections? Or just the listening section? Or the both the listening and reading section excluding the writing section? And in that case if the question is mcq should I write the letters in uppercase as well ? Or should I write them just as they’re in the question itself ? I mean if they’re written a,b,c then I should write them in lowercase even if I wrote all my other answers in uppercase? This question goes for listening and reading sections; and does that uppercase rule applies for reading section also or just the listening one ?
    Thank you so much

    • The computer based test is the same test as the paper based test, except you type your answers directly onto the screen. The test isn’t a different test. You can use lower or upper case letters for listening or reading. You can choose one for listening and one for reading if you want. However, for the computer based test this isn’t really an issue. The reason teachers advice using capital letters for writing answers in listening and reading is to make the handwriting clearer and easier to read. This isn’t a problem for the computer based test. So, don’t worry. Just do as you want. For the writing test, you must use capital letters only when necessary to have correct grammar.

      • I just want to use uppercase to avoid punctuation mistakes. That means that writing a,b,c in lowercase or A,B,C in uppercase does not matter right? or do I have to write them exactly as they’re indicated in the question? Also thank you so much for your reply.

  28. Bone Jovie says

    Hi Liz, I’m glad that I found your website by watching your videos in your YT channel. I’m still in the first part of the listening and by the time I’d finished I will continue the reading and so on. I hope that I will pass the IELTS exam.

    Btw, your such a good English Teacher.

  29. Hie ma’am, you are a great trainer,even an fluencer for ielts . I watch your all vedio ,which helps me a lot.

  30. Dear Liz, you teach excellent, I really appreciate your English knowledge.

  31. Umair Javaid says

    Your videos are very useful and full of learning.

  32. Ayantubo modupe Oluwayemisi says

    Thanks dear Liz, your lecture is very helpful.

  33. Hi Liz

    How are you ? Thanks for the wonderful work you are doing. Is it true that we should practice with recent Cambridge books(6-14 only) and not with Cambridge (1-5) as some pattern has changed.

    • The test is still the same. However, I would always advise using more recent versions if you have a choice. But if you just need extra practice, use the older tests – it is all good practice.

  34. tugce says

    Hi Liz,

    Firstly, thank you so much for your courses and documents. I want to ask you about the dates of the listening part. I mean sometimes the right answer is “17th of November”, sometimes “17 November” even if the speaker says “the 17th of November”. Therefore I cannot make a decision and write the wrong answer. How should I write the dates in the listening section?

  35. Wafaa Elsawah says

    Dear Liz,
    Many thanks for your great efforts, it is very clear and helps a lot.

    Stay Safe 🙂

  36. Blixa says

    Hello Liz,

    I hope this message finds you well 🙂

    Multiple choice answers are super hard when the sentences are long. As a general tip, is it advisable to read first the answers super fast?

    Thanks,
    Blixa

    • You should be reading all questions and answer options before you listen – for all types of questions. You should underline keywords as well – for all types of questions. Get the IELTS Cambridge test books which contain real IELTS tests published by IELTS. You will get used to the length of time you have to read the questions before the audio starts. You need to build your speed reading skills for this aspect of IELTS Listening.

  37. Jocaph says

    Hello Liz
    hope this message finds you well. you clarified everything’s that would bevrelated to IELTs test, I want just to sat THANKS
    Hope you are Healthy
    Good luck

  38. Priya says

    If the audio says’ lets meet on the 25th of december’.
    What is the correct answer.. 25th December or 25 december.

  39. Thank you dear Liz, your advice is very useful and I appreciate your efforts.

  40. Agnes Arokiasamy says

    Hi Liz,

    Thank you so much. The listening tips and explanation was very helpful.

    Agnes

  41. Good

  42. Marie Chrisse says

    Hello! I’m about to take my IELTS test on the 29th of October which is next week and I’m wondering if we’ll be able to listen to the recording again? I mean, for example you weren’t able to grasp what was asked about so you decided to skip the number and proceeded to the next set of questions or recording. Then, after everything you’ll be able to review your answers at the end. While reviewing for the answers, will the audio or recording play again so you could double check your answers or no? I did try the practice test online and it did play once. But, there was a certain part of the practice test where I wasn’t able to grasp like the location of the store and the like, so I decided to skip, but once I was able to answer most of the questions and went back to that certain set of questions, the recording played again. So, I was wondering if it happens on a computer based test.

    • You don’t have any control over the recording. It is played, the time to read questions is built into the recording. Haven’t you done real IELTS tests at home yet? You must practice full IELTS tests at home under exam conditions before your test day. The British Council IELTS website has a full test for free which you can use or you can purchase the IELTS Cambridge test books from 1 to 14 (14 is the most recent).

  43. Hi Liz,
    I am a Nigerian living in the US. when I took the academic IELTS back home I had 9 in Listening. Ive taken general IELTS twice since being in the US and I got 7.5 both times. I’m pissed because I need at least 8.5. I’ve maintained a consistent 8.5 in speaking and 7.5 in writing.
    I started to think that maybe my British spellings in the listening section is affecting me eg ‘Honor (US) and Honour (UK)”. Since IELTS is largely a UK body, I stick to my British spellings also because that’s what i’m used to.
    Is my test marked by British or Americans? If the latter, do they take cognisance of UK and US spellings? the audio is always in British accent.

    • IELTS is an international English language test – both UK and US spelling is accepted – but don’t mix them together.

  44. Chinwe says

    The Labeling of the Map is the most confusing.

    • The key is getting to know the language and the different layouts.

    • Hi Liz,

      Hope you are doing well.

      For answers that are in two words, is it necessary to use “comma” or/and “and” ?

      Thank you.

      Stay safe and healthy

      • Do you mean that you would write two words and then add a third word “and”. In that case, your answer would be three words and probably wrong unless the word “and” was actually needed in the sentence for completion. It is also not necessary to use a comma either. Just write two words so that they are easy to read 🙂

  45. Hi Liz,
    Your lessons are truly helpful ,I must say. One thing I’d love to receive clarification on is about symbols and numbers. Let’s say, the dollar sign precedes a blank space in a particular question. Is there still a need for the dollar sign? I hope you do understand.Thank you in advance.

  46. Mohamed Kamal Ali says

    Dear Liz,
    Thank you very much for all your efforts since starting this website. You are doing great job.
    Greetings

  47. chamila says

    What does it mean BC website and send the link here

  48. Hi Liz
    I am confused ,weather we have to listen and write alternatively or we have to read questions first and then listen and answer

    • You read a number of questions, then you listen to the recording, writing the answers at the same time. Please go to the BC website and download their free full IELTS test to get used to the format.

    • Parminder says

      Please suggest me for what is best to choose for IELTS exam-IDP or BC?

  49. Mam..I expecting you to continue your Liz IELTS videos….pls….

  50. Iskled says

    Hey Liz,

    Trust me its such a fantastic effort you are putting out here, if i may ask how do you even get paid?.

    Thanks for impacting the world!.

    • I don’t get paid for this site at all or for answering questions etc. But some people choose to buy my Advanced lessons which helps me.

  51. Thanks for let us pay attention for more and more tricky modules in the era.p …unfortunately I have your blog since long time but I didn’t take care of it until now ..I’m seriously considering your lessons to go ahead and achieve a good mark

    One important question I’m following BBC website is it useful to strengthen my vocab and reading skills hope to got your recommendation

    • The BBC website will help with language, but it will not teach you IELTS exam skills. Choose carefully how you use your time.

  52. I have signed up for IELTS and as usual, they have sent me a workbook. While practising, I found that, a couple of book-back answers in the listening test, didn’t match even the audio.
    You might think it as sentence completion, but it’s not. It’s filling in the blanks sort of. So in that case, will the answer key be right or will my answer be right? I listened the audio back and again, still I find no such word as mentioned in the key. So what would be done? I’d be marked wrong? Please, help me out with this. Thanks in advance!

    • Check the transcript. Also make sure you get the IELTS Cambridge test books and practice with them – they definitely have the transcript so you can read through the listening audio to check your answers.

  53. Comfort says

    Pls get well Soon Liz, so Many people out there need you to move forward in life 🤗

  54. Joseph Orji says

    Hi Liz,
    with deep sense of gratitude, I appreciate your work on this platform, I just checked my IELTS result [which was taken on September 29, 2018] online, I got 7.0 in Speaking, Listening, and Reading respectively and Writing was 6.5, a total of 7.0

    Honestly I don’t think I could have come this close without the help of your blog.
    I used the free resources to get this, I imagine what it would have been if I had subscribed to the premium materials.

    Once more, I say thank you from the depth of my heart and may God reward and strengthen you.
    If there is a link to upload a video, I wouldn’t mind doing a video to upload in order to tell other prospective IELTS candidate the essence to visit and study this knowledge rich blog
    Joseph from Nigeria.

    • I’m really pleased to hear your score ! You’ve done well 🙂 I’m not doing video testimonials at present because I’m not well and avoiding over work. But hopefully in the future it will be something that I will encourage – it’s great for people to share their experiences in video form.

  55. Hello Liz,
    First of all, thanks a lot for your videos. It is indeed the best IELTS study material available.

    Needed your help in solving one set of questions. In particular, if I am asked to write 2 words for 1 Question (for 2 blanks in the reading section), should I add a comma in between. A similar question was asked in the comment section. But it dealt with letters and not words.

    For example : Is “Thermodynamics, Physics ” right or “Thermodynamics Physics”?
    Thanks for the help.
    Regards,
    Anirudh

    • The comma is unnecessary. You do not need punctuation for listening answers. Just make sure the two words are distinct and easy to read.

  56. Hanan Shenouda says

    Thank you, Liz, for all your efforts, you are so great

  57. Ehab Ekladious says

    Thank you, Liz, for all your efforts, you are so great

  58. Hello Liz
    First of all, I can’t thank you enough for all the tips you’ve shared, they have been very useful! I had very limited time to prepare but your lessons helped me to stay motivated and keep going.

    I had my IELTS test today, and I think it went well. But I have a question. While we were given instructions we were told to fill in the answers in the middle of the box on the listening answer sheet. Unfortunately, I happened to miss out on this particular instruction and happened to fill in my answers to the left hand corner of the boxes provided on the answer sheet. I got to know later after the time was up and they gave out the instructions for the reading section and said that ‘similar to the listening section fill your answers in the centre of the boxes provided’.

    Will this reduce my band score? Will my listening section go unchecked? I am really worried.

    Regards
    Avz

    • As long as your answers were in the boxes provided and were written very clearly, it should be fine. Contact your test centre if you are worried.

  59. Vasanthakumar Karumannan says

    Hello Liz!

    Before purchasing your advanced lessons, I was in the middle of nowhere. But, now the path is crystal clear. Thanks a lot for that.

    So, my query is,
    In the listening, if the audio plays as ‘STUDENTS’, but mistakenly i wrote as ‘STUDENT’.
    Will it be considered as wrong?
    ( 😅listening can be either right or wrong, there is no minimal penalty)

    Thanks in advance.
    Regards,
    Vasanth.

    • Glad my Advanced Lessons were useful. For listening, you must get the answer 100% right. This is a language test. The listening test is checking your ability to hear plurals. If you get it wrong, you will not gain a point. There are no minus points awarded.

  60. Gulistan says

    Hello Liz
    First I have to thank you for your selfless advices. I appreciate it.
    My problem in listening test is only MCQ questions. I don’t know, it is hard for me to do 3 things at same time, read and understand and spot key words of questions statments while listening the voice and writing the a answers at same time and beside all in short time ☹
    Most of the times I don’t have time for analysing the MSQ options…
    My question is: can I solve this problem just by practising more and more Listening MSQ questions or is there any particularly strategy that helps me about this ?

    • You have time to read the questions and underline keywords before the audio starts. It is a skill you need to develop to be able to use that time and quickly spot keywords – you must practise again and again to build up your speed.

  61. Kan Roger says

    Hi Liz,
    First of all, thank you very much for your selfless service.
    I have the same doubt as someone asked above. But the link given by you for that question is dead now. Could you please answer me here ?

    Question 11 – 12
    Choose TWO letters A-E.
    Which TWO facilities at the leisure club have recently been improved ?
    A. the gym
    B. the tracks
    C. the indoor pool
    D. the outdoor pool
    E. the sports training for children

    In answer sheet we will have
    11.
    12.

    If two correct answers are A and B , How should I answer ?
    11. A
    12. B
    or
    11. B
    12. A
    Which one is correct ? Can I write in any order ?

    Another question is if one question requires two answers , Should I use comma in between letters or just a space ?
    for example,
    11. A , B
    or
    11. A B

    • If you look at the answer key for any IELTS test published by IELTS, the answer key will state “in any order”. This means each question has one letter for an answer and you can write them in any order. If one question requires two letters, then you write two letters (the comma is not needed).

  62. Sachin says

    Hi Liz,

    While watching the essential tips for multiple choice questions and come across one question, Do I get marks if examiner asked to answer 25-26 questions but only 25th answer is write and the other one is not correct.

    Regards,
    Sachin

  63. Reshma das says

    You are da best Liz…Lov u <3

  64. Syed Ali says

    Hi Liz,
    First of all, I must appreciate the great work you are doing. Your lessons are very helpful and logical as compare to other online courses. I need to ask, if I can write my answers for listening using capital letter for the first alphabet and rest with lower case (not just for the names of person, country or months). For example. Can I write “Approach” , “Methods” “Coordination”like this? or I should write approach, method and son starting with lower case? Some one told me I can use the same pattern . In your video you mentioned either we can write GARDEN or garden, can we use Garden instead? will it be considered as wrong?
    Once again thanks for your lessons.
    Regards.

  65. osman says

    Hi. Liz i need help in multiple Choice Questions but with 3 options. you describe the list of options but i need the one with 3 options. i didnt find any.

  66. Berna says

    Hi Liz,
    Im very glad to know you.
    Im goind to prepare with you for IELTS exactly 🙂
    Kind Regards
    Berna from Turkey 🙂

  67. You are brilliant as always

  68. Jasmeen kaur says

    Hello Liz,
    Do I always have to add articles with answers in the listening test ?

  69. Kinley Chophel says

    Dear Madam,

    thank you so much for your wonderful teaching.

  70. Hi Liz,
    Although I found it in your FAQ section, I just wanted to be sure.
    After making notes on the question paper, underlining words and so on (listening or reading), do we have to erase those before handing over the question paper to the examiner? Or should we return it as it is?

  71. Prakash Patel says

    Hello mam,
    First of all thank you for everything.
    Can we used our own headphone in IELTS exam in ?

  72. Abdulelah says

    Thank you Liz for your valuable help.

    I have a question about writing the answers for the questions in the video above. the questions needed to be answered are 4 – 6. After hearing listening, the answers were found to be: b, d, f. So, in the sheet answer, what an answer should I write for each question? For example, should I write (b) for question 4, (d) for question 5 and (f) for question 6? Or should I write (d) for question 4 (since it was the first answer provided), (b) for question 5 and (f) for question 6?

    Thank you again for your amazing help.

    • You should write one letter for each question, in this case. The order of the letters doesn’t matter.

  73. Shahrukh says

    Hi Liz,
    How should I answer list type MCQs?
    Should I write BCD or B, C, D or B C D in the answer sheet?

    • It makes no difference. Make sure your letters are easy to read and don’t add the word “and”.

      • Nikhil SV says

        Hi Liz
        They had asked for the questions 25 and 26 write two letters
        So out of 5 options A, B, C, D and E
        We had to chose one for 25 and one for 26
        I’ve written it as
        25. A, D
        26. A, D

        Assuming A and D are the answers

        Is this accepted?

        • If you must choose one for 25 and one for 26, why have you written two for 25 and two for 26. Don’t do that. Follow the instructions – one letter for one number.

  74. Harshal Goyal says

    Hello mam,
    I am facing difficulty in “NO MORE THAN TWO/THREE WORD” type of question in listening test. Please give me simple and basic tips to get correct all questions of this type. How to fit a word according to grammar in 2 word question is my main problem,please solve my query.

    just tell me which things I have to keep in my mind while solving those type of questions.

  75. So, Can I write in the exam sheet, I mean as you said in the video, can I highlight some key words? is the same in the reading part? because it helps me a lot

    • You can write all over the question paper for listening, reading and writing. Only the answer sheets are marked for scoring.

  76. Juliana says

    Hi Liz,

    Thanks for your tips, it’s very useful.
    About the listening test, when section 1 begins (when time to check answers is given) are we able to skip to other sections to highlight words in advance?

    • You should always use the time to read and prepare the questions ahead. You will be told how many questions to prepare.

      • Hello beautiful Liz;

        First thanks a lot for all of your tips 🙂
        I have two questions,
        1) Do we get partial points ( Ex. 0.5) in reading and listening sessions ?
        2) In reading sessions, if ”WRITE ONE WORD” written and we write 2 words in answer sheet ( Ex, answer is ”axle” and I wrote ”central axle” ) do we loose all point ?

        • There are no half points for half answers. If the instructions say one word and you write two words, the answer would be marked wrong.

  77. Hi Liz,
    Its wonderful to have yoh always teaching us ielts from long time.

    I have written ielts 2 times and got only 6.5 in writing whereas 7 in other modules.
    Can you please tell me how to really work on writing. I need to achieve 7 in general writing as well.
    Pls do guide me. I ready to really work hard for it.
    Thanks and pls do reply.

  78. I just practised on the listening section of the third test on the IELTS 11 book and scored a 9.0 . Thank you, Liz, for the valuable help 🙂

    • Well done – brilliant !! 🙂

      • Hi Liz

        Please do I. Tackle multiple choice questions, I discovered I don’t have problem with multiple choice answers that are short like a word or two words blocked road., but when the option becomes longer eg she declined after the airport was passed in the same street,
        I immediately become confused and overwhelmed

        • Adam Ren says

          Me too. When the options are short, it is much easy to stay on the track. When they are overwhelmingly long, I get panic.

          I really hope IELTS can be more realistic with real life. I have no difficulty understanding my English-speaking colleagues, but I have difficulty getting correct answers with Multiple choices tasks.

          IF the ielts continues like this, more candidates will shift to PTE

  79. Patel sarfaraz says

    Hi liz in speaking test i had given lots of wrong answers this will effect on my bands please help

    • There are no wrong answers in speaking. The examiner will score you based on your level of English.

  80. Rajyaguru harsh says

    You are really a tremendeous person…. Who gtake opportunities for do social work for ielts students… And i am happy to say that i got 7.5 bands by your lessons of all moduels…. And espessially i enjoy my listening and get8.5 band by your tips…. Thank you for taught me…. I really follows you now…… Thanks again.

    • That’s great news!! Well done to you 🙂 And thanks for letting me know 🙂

  81. Nurkhon says

    Hello Liz,
    Thank for such a useful website. I visit your website everyday to practice for the test.
    Could you please help me with this question?

    (Transcript) Each day kicks off with a sports match, perhaps football or volleyball match, followed by an hour of drama for everyone. This may include singing or dancing, mime or other activities. In the afternoon, there’s a different art activity for each day of the week including a poster competition or model making.

    Question: Which organised activity can children do every day of the week?
    a) football
    b) drama
    c) model making

    I chose answer A) football because of the key word ‘each day’ but the correct answer is B) drama. What is the key word here? “for everyone? I am very confused.
    Thank you very much for your answer.

    • You will see the the days starts with either football OR volleyball – this means they choose. This means they don’t do football everyday – they might do volleyball.
      You will see that all students do drama (drama for everyone).

  82. rhodee says

    Hi Liz,

    I can scribble on the listening test questions? So I can underline/encircle keywords.

    • Yes, you can write all over the question paper in reading, listening and writing. Only your answer sheets are marked.

  83. JENIL PATEL says

    You are the best mentor for IELTS students. Your website provides all the information and detailed explanations to secure desirable goal. I likes your speech with very nice explanation in videos, and how i can forget your beautiful smile.

  84. saeed says

    Hi dear Liz
    you know I have some problem in learning english. first is about remembering the meaning of huge number of English new words 😱and worse than it is that you have to know which word is formal or informal😰😅
    can you give me some advice about these
    thanks a lot🙏🙏🙏

    • Don’t try learning so many new words. Just choose a small number of words and practice using them. Write the meaning in English, practice sentences and also practice using them in speaking. When you have learned them well, choose 5 more words. Every 10 days, stop learning and review all the words you have learned. Any that you forget will go on to the new list of words and you will learning them again.

  85. Halona says

    Hi Liz,
    When the questions 23 and 24 are to choose TWO options among a list, I choose A & B but the answers are B & C, I will get 1 mark or get nothing in this situation?

    • Each question is one mark. This means you get one point for each answer when it covers more than one question. So, yes, you would get one point for the answer B

  86. Adil says

    Ms. Liz,
    Firstly may almighty bless you with health and happiness. Reading above comments gives me confidence and hope it boost me to focus as per your teaching.

    I have few questions like :
    1. In recording it says 04th of November but in answer it is written 4 November so which one is correct, when the question says write no more than 3 words.- I write 04th of November.
    2. In recording it says 16. I wrote Sixteen but in answer it is given 16.
    3. In recording it says home sickness. I wrote home sickness. But in answer it is a combined word homesickness. Will i get right.

    And i would really appreciate if you could send me a link of multiple choice listening practice test only.

    Thanks a lot teacher. GOD bless you….

    • Question 1) when the instructions say no more than three words, it means you can’t have four word. But you can have one word or two words or three words. Not all answers will be three words – some will be less.
      Question 2) it is ok to write the word not the number
      Question 3) homesickness should be one word
      I only have some practice lessons on my main listening page for MC. You should get the IELTS Cambridge test books which contain real tests and practice from those.

  87. Ramanjeet Singh says

    Hi liz
    Can you please help me out in case there are lengthy options for a multiple type questions and when we have no time to read all the options.
    Example what did the student say about the lecture?
    A. it was boring
    B. he could not understand the lecture because it was difficult.
    c. he had heard it before.
    D.he disagreed with the lecture.

    • The key will be quickly underlining key words:
      boring / not understand / heard before / disagree
      Then you listen out for these words or paraphrases of these words. For example, the word “boring” could also be “tedious”.

      • Zeshan Ali says

        Hi Liz,
        I am practicing for IELTS Listening from Cambridge Books and always get confuse in long MCQ’s. Most of time I make mistakes only in this section, can you please guide me so that I can secure higher bands in Listening.
        By the way I have secured 7.5 in Listening part of IELTS and want to go for 9 band score but this section of Listening always confuses me.

        • The key to MC with long options is to identify key words. Go back to one of the MC listening questions in the IELTS Cambridge test books and check what the key words were in the options by looking through the transcript. I hope you are reviewing all the transcripts???? That is essential. You do just do test after test. You review, assess, consider, investigate and review the transcripts and language.

          • Johnny says

            Liz you are a genius. U give great answers, i have been looking for an answer like this for a while. Thank you and may God bless you.

  88. suchitra says

    Hi Liz,

    Thanks for sharing such useful information in such easy-to-understand explanation!

    I have a question. I am preparing for IELTS General testing. Do you have specific video for that, or can I refer the same videos for preparing General testing Reading exam also?
    Kindly suggest.
    Regards,

    • The question types for GT reading as the same as Academic reading. So, you will use the same techniques. The only difference is GT reading has easier topics. This means you can use all my reading materials to help you prepare. But you must also make sure you practise a few full GT reading tests as well.

  89. sanya says

    Hi Liz,

    I am confused if its written “no more than 3 words” so is it ok to write 1 word only? it would be consider as correct or wrong?

    i was praticing a listening test online they said the correct answer is “about 4 months” but i have written “4 months” it would be consider right or wrong?

    • Of course you can write one word. The instructions are saying that you can write MORE THAN…

  90. Gavin says

    Hi Liz,
    One of my ear is removed after surgery,so what you recomend me.Is there any extra rules for me type of people?

    • You need to contact your IELTS test center with a medical note. You must discuss this with them directly.

  91. Majid says

    Thanks Liz, very helpfull,
    my problem is with multichoice that time isnt enough to read complete question with choice, especialy when the choice sentences are long, would you advice how can solve this problem???

    • Firstly, more practice. Secondly, start learning to focus on key words – being able to identify them and paraphrasing them instantly.

  92. Asabi says

    Hi liz, in the listening test are earphones allowed?

    • Each center has a different policy of using headphones or loud speakers. You need to contact your test center and ask them which ones they use.

  93. saeed says

    Dear liz
    thank you very much for all your supports.
    Your face and voice is full of posetive energy .
    I hope you be more successful in your life.

    • That’s very kind of you 🙂 Thanks so much for your support. Good luck in your test!! 🙂

      • SK JIAUL HAQUE says

        Hi Liz ,

        I am very thankful to you for IELTS tips and traps in your video lecture.It is very useful and gave me a clear picture about my preparation .I must say that you are doing a wonderful job which is benefited immensely many IELTS aspirant .
        Regards
        Jia

    • Claudia says

      Soon true, Liz is quite positive, an embodiment of confidence!

  94. Michelle says

    There’s no more for practice multiple choice? just two exercises? Sorry! Thank you for your support!

  95. Ahmed Seif says

    Hello,
    Thank you so much for your distinguished website.
    My exam will be in 7 Jan 2017 , so I hope to get your urgent reply.
    while practicing online exams on ieltsonlinetests.com the automatic checker usually shocks me , here are some examples from : IELTS Practice test Plus 3 , test 1 , listening
    the following are checked as wrong
    part of the question model answer/ my answer
    1. Age Group over 50/ above 50
    2. because reluctant to pay extra/ extra payment
    3. Install air conditioning/conditioners
    4. open the restaurant/restaurant
    All these points in a table, and so on.
    My question is :
    Does the real exam checking is such regorous?
    which of the previous points may be correct?
    Thank you

    • Without seeing the questions and transcript I can’t really comment. If you are filling in a table, you usually fill in simple words, not phrases. There are usually sample answers given in the table which show you how to fill it in. It is exceedingly rare that IELTS ask for a 5 word answer, such as “because reluctant to pay extra”. Are you checking the word count for answers? Start paying attention to instructions and sample answers. WAtch the full video on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening/

  96. Gurwinder singh says

    Mam i started Ielts yesterday,, i want practice,, please help me..

    • Go to the red bar at the top of this website and click on the part of the test you want to practice.

  97. Odunjo Abimbola says

    Liz!!! Thanks soo much. You were really helpful. Here is my score:
    Listening- 9
    Reading- 9
    Writing- 7.5
    Speaking- 7.5
    Total- 8.5
    Couldn’t have done it without you. Really appreciate your help.
    God bless u Liz…

    • I’m really pleased for you. Band 8.5 overall is excellent!! I love hearing such good news. Well done to you !! 🙂

    • Ozioma njoku says

      Please how did you do it. My exam is coming up on the 21st of Jan 2017.

      • Ozioma njoku says

        Also, I am doing general and not academic. Somebody said I do not need to write on charts or tables on task 2. Is it correct?

    • Sureshkrishna says

      how was the exam..please tell me your experience..how long you prepared for exam

    • Claudia says

      Hi a big congratulations to you, pls how did you make it?

  98. Do we have time to read the questions and then listen to the recordings? or we need to read the questions during the recording has started?

    • You will be given time to read the questions. Use this time to skim read them and underline key words.

      • you clear my doubt thanks lot you mean we do not read when they give sheet

        • I don’t understand. Before each section of listening, you read the questions on the question sheet. I suggest you do a full IELTS practice test to get used to this.

  99. esfandiar says

    hi liz
    firstlr I should appreciate about your very goog tips.
    I have a question : how I can have your all video?

    • You can watch them all on my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ieltsliz

      • Hi Liz,
        Good day, it’s me again Lynn, I’m feeling anxious because I’ll take my test next week.

        I have clarifications in Listening Test.
        There are some example recording test that I’ve tried which says during after each sections” you have time to check and review your answer”.Is that included in ten minutes transfering of answer, or the ten minutes counting will start after the 40th question?

        Also, if I will answer in all capital letters in Listening test, do I also need to write capital letters in multiple choice (a,b,c,d)?
        Looking forward for your very helpful answers.

        Sincerely,
        Lynn

  100. HI
    DIS IS BASANTH I HAVE ONE DOUBT CAN WE LISTEN FOR 2 TIMES WHY BCOZ IF MIS ANY WORD WHILE RECORDING I S GNG ON

  101. Arasi achu says

    hi liz god bless you
    thank you very much for your great lessons
    I will have plan to do my first ielts exam on next month .I need minimum 6.5 bandscore but now i take 20/40 on my practice exams, how long time i need to practice ? just last month i had started to study ple give some advise thankyou

    • Each student develops at a different rate. You must identify your weaknesses and then plan a strategy for your studies.

  102. Velmurugan D says

    Hi Liz,
    Thanks for all your tips and techniques. Much useful and hats-off.
    I would like to check if you have any tips or better way to handle multiple choice questions , especially for the ” answer options with more word counts – horizontally”, I am finding very tough to handle that type as more reading effort required while listening.

    Your suggestion is much appreciated.

    Regards,
    Vel

    • It’s tough for everyone. When there is so much information given in the multiple choice options the only thing you can do is to focus on key words and differences between options. Also make sure you delete options as you listen. When you skim read options before listening, put a mark near the option you think most likely.

  103. Harjot Singh says

    Hi Liz,
    I have gone through every lesson of your ielts. I am having my exam tomorrow.
    Thanks a lot for helping tips you are doing great job mam.

    • Good luck! Keep calm. Sleep well, eat and drink before the test. Keep your eye on the clock for reading and writing.

  104. How much difficult real test is compared to Cambridge ielts listening tests? Sometimes i find youtube tests those are quite difficult than Cambridge.. i get good marks on Cambridge. 32-34/40 is my regular score. How much difficult questions im going to find in the actual listening test? Help me ,

    • The IELTS Cambridge tests from the official test books are real tests from the past – so they are the same level. However, each test has different topics, different vocabulary which is why you might feel some may be harder than others.

  105. Hi Lizard,
    I have my ielts this month on 27th
    My concern is that in listening or in reading passage we have questions like choose 2 letters which are correct.sometimes I get both letters correct and sometimes I get one answer as correct and one as wrong.for example
    If the answer is
    1.B
    2.C
    And if my answer is
    1.C
    2.A
    will the whole answer is considered wrong..
    Or will I get one score for the correct answer..
    Thanks in advance,
    Palsi

    • Sorry it was Liz..my cell took auto dictionary mode and I didn’t realize that..sorry for my mistake..

  106. Anil pothula says

    I have taken ielts on may 28th
    In listening section i was asked to choose 2 correct options from 5 given options.
    While listening the audio i have noticed that E and B are my answers
    Do i need to present them in my answer sheet in same order as
    1)E
    2)B

  107. Suci Bedia says

    hy

    Liz.. i’m wonder why my score doesnt improve well while i have learned ielts about 2 years. my average score is 5.5 and 6.0. sometimes it’s too difficult to get 6.0. i dont know what happen 🙁
    i’m planning to take ielts exam in July

    • Learning IELTS is not enough. This is an English language test. If your level of English doesn’t improve, then your score is unlikely to improve either. Getting band 6 means reducing the number of errors you make and having a wider more accurate range of English. I suggest you work on English language as well as your IELTS skills.

  108. Hi Liz,

    You are a very Good teacher. I have scored 7.5. I listen to your videos, tips and lesson. Thank you very much. I am very thankful to God.

    SS

  109. Vinay says

    Hi Liz,
    I qill be taking my IELTS in couple of days and writing in capitals has got me confused. Can you please advise me on the below? If the options in reading are i, ii, iii, iv and if I am writing all in caps should I write I, II, III, IV?

    Thanks.
    Vinay

    • You can write then as you wish.

      • Vinay says

        Thanks Liz for your response on this. I think I will go ahead with all capitals where I can write roman numbers/letters as I, II, III, IV

        Thanks for helping me out.

  110. wawooooo its away some

  111. Botan says

    Dear Liz
    I am pleased to thank you for your advices and nice explanation.

    Best

  112. hi Liz,
    I have a question regards to multi choose (specifically, choose more than one letter)
    my question is (does the order of the letters matter?)
    sometimes while I am practicing these types of question, I will get one or two of the answers wrong, so the order of the letter will change.
    for example, the right order
    1- B
    2-C
    3-F
    4-G
    5-H
    and my answer will be:
    1-C
    2-F
    3-G
    4-H
    5-I
    I got C,F,G, and H right, but not in the same order.
    does the IELTS examiner will count them or not?
    Thanks in advance,
    Arwa

  113. Dear Liz,
    Thank you so much for the lesson. I am wondering if you could give us more advice about multiple choices with longer answer choices (such as the ones in section 3 or 4). I personally can hardly manage to go through the answer choices in that 1 min. given. Is there any way to tackle this problem?

  114. Hi Liz
    Hi Liz
    Thanks for your wonderful job !

    I actually read all your comments first to make sure I don’t ask you something what you have already answered.
    I’m blessed that I’ve found your blog. Hopefully, I’ll get my desired band score now which is 8.

  115. Qurat-ul-ain says

    Hi,
    You have done a great job, I am feeling bit difficulty in listening mcqs because its quite difficult for me to listen and also reading the options at the same time , and we don’t have enough time to underline all keywords from questions and options too.

    Please let me know any simple step by step process. should I go for questions and listening only and then later on find the right answers ? I am confused
    Thanks in advance!

  116. Sivathanupillai says

    Dear Liz,

    Thank you so much for a detailed session. This session is a real eye-opener. I have a small doubt on the evaluation of answers. If I get any of the answers correct but not all the three, will I get any marks? Kindly throw some light on this aspect. Thanks in anticipation.

  117. kuljeet kaur says

    Hi liz .
    Can you give some tips or way to solve yes no not given qustion .
    I can’t understand how to solve .i have problem with these type qustion .

  118. Dear LIZ
    I really have a great benefit from you I have to meet you one day to thank you for that effort
    I have a question that I have practiced for listening for 2 months but not all the time and now I have a deadline of December to have my score test so my exam in 12/12/2015 so I have only about a month. I have practiced English for one year, but my level is only intermediate because the problem of vocab. so I will practice everyday. Do you think I can get at least 6.5 or it’s difficult to my level to have.

  119. Shabbir Ali says

    Hello Liz! you are doing well,i want to give IELTS exams and being preparing for last 3 months but i don’t know either i am prepared or not so how someone can take test himself either he is ready for exam or still he need to practice more?

  120. Sorry for the inconvenience Liz. I just saw the answer in your video above! Let me just give you the feedback that I really like both your homepage and the videos you are providing to prepare for the IELTS exam! It definitly makes a big difference to my preparation.

  121. Hi dear Liz
    I can not open videos.

    • All videos are from youtube. See my youtube channel (IELTS Liz) for direct viewing.
      All the best
      Liz

  122. Dear Liz. You are the best in every thing, your face , your language, your attitude. your are very clear and very beautiful as well . I like to hear to your voice and your face is relaxing me.

  123. It is really useful strategies and tactics , thanks so much for your nice advice. It’s helpful

    Qusay

  124. Diane D says

    Hi Liz,

    This is very useful video. I just want to ask something, if I choose to write my answers in upper case but the option is in a lower case does it matter? or do I need to follow whats the option is given?

    Thank you so much!

    Diane

  125. Dr. Syed Iqtidar Ali Raza says

    Dear Liz
    Would you recommend using capital letters in listening and reading section which will enable us to avoid problems of using capital letters at the start or in between wherever required?????
    Kindly reply

    • It is your choice entirely. Certainly it is one way to avoid such problems.
      All the best
      Liz

  126. hello ma’m,
    I watched your videos, they are really helpful.
    Can you please help me with date and time format for listening in respect to ‘word count”;
    like:
    12-02-2011(it counts as one number or three numbers) and moreover is the format right?
    04:30(it counts as two numbers or one number??)
    04:30 PM (it accounts for 2 or 3..?)
    Thank you,

  127. Mam, may I lose marks in ielts listening if i have made mistakes in upper and lower case? Please reply..for ex..’rubber’ is the answer and I have written Rubber..

    • Hi, Kartik, i have passed recently the same listening because i had the same answer and problem with “rubber”. Please can you share answers with me?!
      my email address: mr.abilkhaiyr@mailru or mr.abilkhaiyr@gmail.com
      Thank you!

  128. Hi LIZ,
    iam having problem with multiple choice in listening in section 4 because the questions and the answers ARE TOO LONG and i get confused of how to solve it, could you please give me any easy way to deal with these questions
    thanks in advance 🙂

    • There is no easy system. You just need to practice identifying key words in the answer options and spotting paraphrases in the listening recording.
      All the best
      Liz

  129. promax says

    Hi Liz,

    For Listening –> multiple choice –> eg: answer 10-12, A-F if the answer comes in the order F A D, then we should write 10 = F, 11 = A and 12 = D OR it should be in alphabetical (i.e 10=A,11=D,12=F) or any other order

    • It can be in any order. You can see this in the answer key in the IELTS Cambridge practice tests.
      All the best
      Liz

  130. Hi Liz!

    I have been reading your posts on website and I must say, it’s very useful! It has boosted my confidence already!

    I have a couple of questions!
    1. Is listening answers checked manualy or electonically?
    2. I have taken coaching from one of the institutes in india and instructer told us to write capital only for those which are spelled out, rest must be in small. here in above comments you have repeatedly replied that it’s okay to write all answers in capial. Please advise me on this. I would like to write all my answers in capital only. this was I wont have to worry about getting wrong answer where capital is required.

    I would really appreciate the help!

    Thank you,
    Palak

  131. Dear Liz,
    For listening test, Questions 16-18, circle THREE letters A-F, in case I only choose one correcly among three, may I have the score for that one correct item?
    Regards

    • Because this is for questions 16 – 18 and each question is worth one point in IELTS listening, you would get one point for one letter.
      Liz

  132. Dear Liz,
    In listening test, if I fill in the blank the word which is correct but lacks of the plural form ‘s’, can I have the score with it?
    Thanks for your answer!

  133. Hi Liz,
    Thanks for your invaluable advice. I need your help regarding band calculation for listening section. As per IELTS 37-38 right answers are equal to 8.5 and 39-40 are equivalent to 9 band.
    My question is, if on a particular exam day there was a question which not even a single exam taker could manage to answer it. In that situation will the IELTS adjust band allocation criterion? I mean will it grant 9 to someone who got 38 right answers.?

    Regards

    • The band scores are never adjusted for one test. The tests are checked and accepted before being used by IELTS so they will never do that.
      All the best
      Liz

  134. If I wish to write all answer in capital letter in listening and reading sections, does it applies for letters as well like in multiple choices and heading match? A or a, I or i.

  135. Hello, Liz. I watched your multiple choice video and I was confused by your pronunciation of ‘rucksack’. It’s a key word to get a correct answer and I always pronounce it like /r^k/, not like /ruk/. Macmillan offers the same pronunciation. But I know a real English differs considerably from a textbook one. So are there two altenatives for this word? Thank you.

  136. Moumita says

    Madam@ I have faced some problems in listening section.
    1. The speakers told that they had all without exception come up against enormous bureaucratic obstacles.
    a) Enormous problems
    b) few problems
    c) Many obstacles

    Madam Would you tell me why answer A instead of answer C

  137. Hi Liza,

    Please help me.
    How i can overcome my spelling mistake .

    • Only you can learn correct spelling. Try to google some websites for spelling practice.
      Liz

      • Hi mam
        Please if you know any links share me please.Its very useful to me because i am going taking my ielts test on Sep12th.

        • Go to the IELTS Extra Section and see the useful website page.
          Liz

          • hy mam, this website are very usefull for me.

          • sandeep says

            Hi Liz hope u doing well ….I watched your few videos that helped me lot to over with my score as practice. I am taking my IELTS Exam General Test in Dec just started preparing can u please help me out with all modules of exams and links to practice online. If possible please send me daily topics to my mail. I am week on reading and writing any advice that will be great thank full to you ….
            anyhow you are doing good job…GOD BLESS you thanks for everthing ..sunny

  138. Listrom says

    Hi, I would like to ask you a question.
    I decided to write all answers in capital.but ,what about Roman number? Should I put them in lower case? And can I answer all the questions in capital and this with Roman numbers in lower case?

    • Write the roman numerals as they are written on the question paper – don’t change them.
      Liz

  139. harpinder singh says

    How improve my grammer in task 2

  140. Mam
    why u help us restlessly? u r really great, i don’t find anybody like u…

  141. hi.. i want to ask can i write all the answers in listening test with capital letters..like the full answer in capital.. to avoid the risk of wrong answers?
    i am practicing but i reading i dont know what is wrong i cannot get a good score dont know why but beacuse the time is too less and the pasaages are difficult..i dont know weather to read the questions first or the passage? in listening i have one issue i do alot of umm .. i ve recorded many lessons but dont know how to reduce?

    • Yes, as explained above, all answers can be written in capitals. For reading, skim read the passage which means don’t read to understand, read to know the topic and layout only (2 mins max). Then review questions and spend time with the questions before looking for the answers.
      Liz

  142. farzana says

    hello maam i want to give IELTS test for the first time.plz help me in preparing. im in pakistan and youtube is not opening here. thats why i can’t watch your videos here on this site . plz help me what to do…..

    • There are many many pages which do not contain videos. Read all pages, particularly the information pages and model answers.
      Liz

    • Engr Muhammad Abdurrehman says

      Assalam o alaikom
      sister don’t worry it is easy to access to youtube in Pakistan.
      Just go and Install hotspot shield and then run it after running then check the youtube.
      hope so it will start work
      other wise you can also use youtube proxy. but first you should check hotspot.

      • Thanks for sharing that information. There are a lot of students in Pakistan that can’t access youtube.
        Liz

  143. Hi Liz ,i have question?!when we do multiple choice academic in Ielts tests how can we find key word in questions and options in break before listen to record???!!!plzz help

  144. Hi Liz,

    In reference to the listening of multiple choice in which there was a session about rainforest excursion and we need to choose which recommendation of things to bring. I somehow alittle confused of the words “recommendation”. Usually author’s recommendation will be the right answer while the article’s recommendation such as “some people recommend to bring etc”.. should not accepted to be the answer ?

  145. shahbaaz says

    if in multipe choice they are given using no more then two words but if i write only one word means is it correct answer or should i write in two words

    • Multiple choice questions require you to write a letter as an answer, not words.
      Liz

  146. Hi Ma’am,
    I took the exam last week.
    Your videos were very helpful. Thanks a ton for it.

    I am a bit worried now. I have a doubt if a word in listening can be written by using the first letter in upper case and the rest in lower case (not a proper noun and not first word of the sentence).
    Eg: Sam is busy in the _____________. The answer for this is “morning”(will i lose a mark if I write it as Morning?).

  147. kishu says

    i am going to held my ielts exam on august 8 so liz help me how to writing task 1 and 2 please help me how to write these task.

    • All my lessons, model answers and tips for writing task 1 and 2 can be found on the main pages.
      All the best
      Liz

  148. Hi Liz!
    while practicing for my IELTS listening part, I found some answers in the answer key like (seat) reservations or yoga (classes). I wanna know that why did they write those words within the bracket? what does that mean? will I loose mark if i don’t write the words which have been mentioned within the bracket on the main answer sheet during the exam?

    • It means that you can use one word or both words as your answer. So, yoga is right and also yoga classes is right.
      Liz

  149. Hi liz,
    Are we allowed to answer in all capital letters in the listening exam?
    Your response will be appreciated 🙂
    Thank you.

  150. hi liz, thank you for all lessons but could you please tell me how to transfer my answer to answer sheet? for example in this lesson should I write;

    4)d 5)b 6)f or 4)b 5)d 6)f

    • Yes, for multiple choice you usually transfer the letters not the words. Here’s a video which will explain most things about writing answers for IELTS listening: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening-25-essential-top-tips/
      All the best
      Liz

      • I think you misunderstood, it can be about my english, sorry about that but I’m not asking for letters or words, I’m talking about which answer shoud I write first? Is it should be based on your list or your recording? I mean, Should I write firstly d)walking boots for question 4 or should I write b)food and drink for question 4? Which one is correct?
        4)d 5)b
        or
        4)b 5)d

        • If you look in the answer key of the IELTS Cambridge books (these are real IELTS test papers), you will see that the answers are in any order. That means d then b or b then d.
          All the best
          Liz

          • I’m happy to it doesn’t matter, Thank you Liz you’re the best teacher 🙂

  151. angela shakya says

    can you mail me all practice tips daily.plz…

    • Please subscribe to get all lessons by email. If you haven’t received any yet, look in your spam folder.
      All the best
      Liz

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