IELTS Listening Summary Completion: Practice & Tips

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IELTS listening summary completion essential tips and practice. These questions are quite common in the listening test and can appear in any section. You are required to listen and select the correct words or numbers to fill in the gaps. 

IELTS LISTENING SUMMARY COMPLETION TIPS

Essential tips and techniques to tackle summary questions in IELTS Listening:

  1. Task: You will be given a paragraph with missing words.
    1. Your task is to fill in the gaps with words or numbers from the recording to complete the paragraph.
  2. A Summary: The paragraph is a summary. This means you are not going to hear each sentence the same as in the recording. The information in the paragraph is summarised which means it focuses on key information rather than all details.
  3. Title: The summary completion questions will have a title. This will tell you what the paragraph focuses on.
  4. Answer Order: The answers will come in order in the recording. So, you will hear the answer to question 1 and after that the answer to question 2.
  5. Word Count: You will be told how many words or number you can have in your answer. Pay attention to this information.
  6. Similar: A summary completion contains the same questions as a Sentence Completion because you are completing sentence within the summary paragraph. You can use the same techniques for these questions. For example:
    • Predict the type of answer from the sentence given: noun, verb etc. 
    • Grammar is important. The sentence must be grammatically correct when you complete it.
    • Keywords in the question are critical to keeping your place and spotting the correct answer.
    • See all tips on this page: SENTENCE COMPLETION TIPS
  7. Paraphrasing: Some of the words in the summary paragraph will be paraphrased  and others will not. You can’t predict which words will be the same or not. but be ready for synonyms and re-phrasing.
  8. Precise Words: Your answer must be the precise word from the recording. You can’t alter the word.
  9. Spelling counts. Check your spelling because words incorrectly spelled are marked wrong.

IELTS LISTENING SUMMARY COMPLETION PRACTICE

Listening Practice Lesson 1

Buckingham Palace 

Questions 1-7: Complete the summary using no more than one word or a number.

Buckingham Palace is where the Queen officially resides when she is in London and is well known for its famous  1 …………….., which was used for the first time by a royal during an official appearance in 2……………….. There were 3   …………  bomb hits to the palace in World War II which struck the palace with absolute precision. There are a range of services available to the royal residents in the palace, which has a total of  4  ………. rooms. There are 1,514 doors in the palace and  5 …………………. windows, which are cleaned once every six weeks. The Queen hosts more than  6 ……………… people each year for occasions such as  banquets, various meals, receptions and  7 ………………..parties.

RECORDING:

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Transcript and Answers

Click below to reveal the answers and transcript for this lesson:

Transcript

Buckingham Palace is The Queen’s official London residence. The balcony of Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous in the world. The first recorded Royal balcony appearance took place in 1851, when Queen Victoria stepped onto it during celebrations for the opening of the Great Exhibition. During the Second World War, Buckingham Palace suffered nine direct bomb hits.

Buckingham Palace has its own chapel, post office, swimming pool, staff cafeteria, doctor’s surgery and cinema. There are 775 rooms in the palace. Some rooms at Buckingham Palace have a Chinese theme. There are 1,514 doors and 760 windows in Buckingham Palace. All windows are cleaned every six weeks. More than 50,000 people visit the Palace annually as The Queen’s guests at banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties.

Answers
  1. balcony
  2. 1851
  3. 9 / nine
  4. 775
  5. 760
  6. 50,000
  7. garden

Adapted from royal.gov.uk

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Listening Practice Lesson 2

The Terracotta Army

Questions 1-5: Complete the summary using no more than three words and /or a number.

The terracotta army was made in order to  1…………………… the emperor after this death in his afterlife. This funerary art has been estimated to be from the  2………………. and was discovered in 1974 by the  3…………………… The majority of the sculptures were  4.…………. and  5………….. sculptures of cavalry horses were also found.

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT, ANSWERS & VOCABULARY

Click below:

Transcript
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BC, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in, Xi’an. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. (from wiki)
Answers
  1. protect
  2. third century BC / 3rd century BC
  3. local farmers
  4. soldiers
  5. 150
Vocab Builder
  • sculpture = three-dimensional work of art (for example a statue)
  • to depict =show, illustrate, represent
  • funerary art = art which for funerals, when someone dies
  • purpose = aim / function
  • afterlife = some cultures (past and present) believe in life after death
  • figures = a person’s bodily shape, a copy of a person, such as a statue
  • vary = differ
  • warrior = soldier
  • chariot = a horse-drawn vehicle (particularly common in later periods of Ancient Egypt and also Ancient Rome)
  • majority = greater part
  • a pit = a hole in the ground
  • acrobat = an entertain who is excellent in gymnastic, daring achievements

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IELTS Listening Map Techniques & Practice

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Maps frequently appear in the IELTS listening test. They can appear in any section, although it is more common to find them in Section 2. Below you will find useful tips and techniques to tackle a map completion question in IELTS listening with some map practice lessons as well to hone your skills.

IELTS Listening Maps: Essential Tips

Below are a few tips and techniques to help you tackle map questions in IELTS listening. Hopefully you will already have prepared language for maps because they do appear in IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic test.

  1. Maps can appear in any part of the listening test, although they appear more often in section 2. Section 2 is one speaker talking about something of general interest, such as a museum or, in the practice lesson below, a farm.
  2. Maps are visual so there is a lot to look at in a short amount of time before the recording begins. For this reason, you need to be ready to tackle this type of question.
  3. First notice the title which tells you what the map is showing.
  4. Notice next the number of buildings, facilities or rooms. Notice their names and their location.
    • Maps will nearly always have rooms and buildings labelled to help you. These words are likely to appear in the recording.
    • When you see the location of the places on the map, you’ll be able to recognise the type of language you might here, such as:
      • beyond, next to, after that, further in, to the side, to the left, to the east, opposite, at the end of the road, by the gate etc.
  5. Then check the location of the questions. The questions will come in order in the recording, but they might be placed in different parts of the map. So, make sure you know where they are on the map and which order they are in so you can move to the next question easily.
  6. Locate north. This is often helpful if it is given on the map.
  7. See if there are any arrows or if the map shows a logical path that the speaker might take as they talk about the place. Don’t forget that the speaker will always give information in a logical order as they describe the place.
  8. Always note how many words you need for the answers. Many people forget to read the instructions properly.
  9. As you move from question to question, follow the order of information in the recording. You’ll notice which places on the map have been mentioned so that you can keep your place in the recording. Getting lost in the recording is a common reason why people miss answers.
  10. Most map recordings are similar to a guided tour which follows a logical order.
  11. Don’t be distracted by extra information. you will hear a lot of extra words. Don’t get lost in detail and focus on listening for those answers.

Now it’s time to practice listening for maps. Use this as learning curve to see where your strengths and weakness lie in tackling these questions.

Practice Lessons for IELTS Map Listening

IELTS Map Listening Practice 1

The Taj Mahal 

In this listening exercise, you will listen for questions 1 to 7 in the recording. But questions 1 and 2 are not map labelling, only questions 3-7 are map labelling. This means you need to listen carefully to know when to move from questions 1-2 to questions 3-7 about the map.

Questions 1-2: Complete the sentences below using no more than one word and/or a number.

  1. The Taj Mahal was completed in ……………..
  2. Around ………… labourers were used in its creation.

Questions 3-7

Label the map below using no more than two words and/or a number.

IELTS Map Listening Practice Lesson 1

Recording:

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TRANSCRIPT AND ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers to this lesson. The transcript is given as a way to check answers. You will not get this in the test. I like to provide transcripts so that people can review their answers to see precisely why they got a question right or wrong. With map listening exercises, it’s useful to review language as well.

Transcript

Welcome to the Taj Mahal. This is one of the most famous monuments to love in the world. It was built between 1631 and 1653 in the city of Agra by the Mughal Emperor Shah as a mausoleum for his wife. The construction involved some 20,000 workers and incorporated materials from China, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Arabia.

We are here at the Outer Gate and directly in front of us is the forecourt. On the left hand side of the forecourt, you will see some subsidiary tombs and opposite that are the tomb attendants’ quarters. If you go straight ahead, you will come to the Great Gate and beyond that is the formal gardens. The gardens are divided into 4 sections by paths which represent the 4 rivers of paradise. Midway, where the paths intersect, is a marble pond, in which the mausoleum is beautifully reflected. Walking through the gardens, past the pond, you will come to the mausoleum itself which has a marble dome, 35m high. Each side of the building has archways which are framed by carefully chosen verses from the Qur’an in beautifully stylised calligraphy. To the left of this, is the mosque and to the right you can find a guesthouse. Now I’ll give you some time to wander round and see this marvel for yourself.

 Answers
  1. 1653
  2. 20,000
  3. forecourt (you must have the correct spelling)
  4. Great Gate (capital letters not important – see IELTS Exam FAQ page)
  5. pond / marble pond
  6. mausoleum
  7. guesthouse / guest house

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IELTS Map Listening Practice 2

The Farm

Questions 1 – 4: Complete the diagram using no more than two words.

IELTS Map Listening Practice Lesson 2

RECORDING:

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MAP ANSWERS & TRANSCRIPT

Click below to reveal the transcript, answers and a list of keywords. I suggest you use the transcript after you complete the listening lesson to listen and read, then check the answer key.

Click below:

Transcript

As you drive up the driveway you will immediately arrive in the parking area. You will see to your left the farmhouse where the farmer lives as you drive up and directly to the left of the parking area is the main shed. There are a number of smaller sheds located around the main shed which are not currently labelled on the map. In the northwest corner of the farm is a pasture area which is a wide grassy expanse. It provides rich organic grass for our cows and, along with other types of feed, gives us our organic status and key selling point.  From the parking area, you go east through the milk house, which is used daily, and then into the barn. This is where the cows are often sheltered. On the other side of the barn is the manure storage. To the north you will find the calf hutches which are located just beyond the maternity pens. Only 30% of our cows are used for breeding. In the bottom left corner of the barn is the loading chute. To the south are two circular areas, one of which is the feed storage and the other the deadstock area. We hope you will enjoy looking around our farm and learning about how we manage our cows.

Answers
  1. pasture area
  2. milk house
  3. maternity pens
  4. feed storage
Keywords

Knowing keywords for maps and building plans is essential for success in IELTS listening. Here are some words from the recording.

  • You will see to your left…
  • directly to the left of ….
  • located around
  • which are not currently labelled on the map
  • In the northwest corner
  • From the parking area, you go east
  • On the other side
  • To the north you will find
  • which are located just beyond….
  • In the bottom left corner of the barn
  • To the south are two circular areas

Adapted from royal.gov.uk

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