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Shadowing practice: Understand IELTS Listening in JUST 50 minutes!

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  1. There are six different question types in IELTS listening and on test day it can get pretty intense because you only get one chance.0:00
  2. In this video, I'm going to take you through everything you need to know.0:10
  3. Okay before we go through all the different listening question types and whether or not you can write your answers in capital letters, let's just recap the basics.0:21
  4. So in IELTS listening you'll get 30 minutes to complete 40 questions.0:31
  5. There are four sections, each section has 10 questions and as I mentioned there are six different question types.0:38
  6. Alright let's take a look at each of those different sections but just before we do click that subscribe button for great IELTS videos.0:47
  7. In IELTS listening section one you'll hear two people speaking in an everyday social context.0:56
  8. For example maybe you'll hear two people talking about travel arrangements or purchasing clothes or booking a hotel.1:04
  9. In section two you'll hear a single person, one person speaking in an everyday social context.1:15
  10. For example you might hear one person talking about a new sports facility or a park ranger talking about a camping ground or a person talking about career development.1:23
  11. In section three you'll hear two or three people having a conversation in an educational context.1:36
  12. So for example you might hear two students talking about an assignment and perhaps you'll hear the professor as well or maybe they'll be talking about giving an oral presentation.1:44
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  1. In section four you'll hear one person speaking on an academic topic.1:56
  2. For example maybe he or she will talk about architecture or biology or technology.2:03
  3. Don't worry you don't need to be an expert in any of these academic topics however by section four the vocabulary is definitely getting a little more complex.2:11
  4. Okay I've got a few more things to talk to you about.2:22
  5. So some important details are you only hear the recordings once.2:25
  6. You'll also hear a range of accents.2:32
  7. British, American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand accents.2:34
  8. The good news is it's unnatural.2:39
  9. It's kind of fake which means that it's clear.2:43
  10. It's not like normal spoken English.2:47
  11. And if you're taking the paper based test you'll have ten minutes to transfer your answers.2:50
  12. What does this mean?2:57
  13. What I mean by that is you will write your answers directly onto the question booklet during the test and then you'll get ten minutes at the end to transfer2:59
  14. your answers from the question booklet to the answer sheet.3:10
  15. So make sure you transfer those answers carefully.3:14
  16. Now if you're taking the computer delivered test it's a lot simpler because you'll actually just complete the answers as you go.3:18
  17. You will get two minutes at the end to check your answers but there's really not much you can do because again you only hear that audio once.3:26
  18. Right, we're about to get started and what I want you to do is to download the free practice test from the description below.3:34
  19. This practice test also has an answer sheet and it's a fillable PDF.3:42
  20. We're actually going to do quite a few questions in this video and I want you to do them with me directly into this practice test.3:48
  21. So in IELTS Listening what are they actually testing you for?3:57
  22. Well in IELTS Listening you need to listen for main ideas, detailed information, opinions, attitudes, the purpose of what's being said as well as the development of ideas.4:02
  23. In terms of scoring if you're aiming for an IELTS 6 you'll need to get at least 23 points out of 40.4:17
  24. 7 you'll need to get at least 30 out of 40 and if you're aiming for an IELTS 8 you'll need to get at least 35 questions right out of4:25
  25. 40.4:34
  26. So you can see that there really isn't much room for error here.4:35
  27. If you get 34 instead of 35 then you won't get that IELTS 8.4:39
  28. That's why we need to do some practice and we're going to look at the first question type now.4:44
  29. Get your pen ready.4:49
  30. Question type number one, note, form, table, flow chart completion.4:51
  31. This one that we're looking at here is a form completion.4:57
  32. Make sure you pay attention to the instruction.5:02
  33. This one for example says write no more than two words and or a number.5:05
  34. It's absolutely critical that you understand what this means fully because if you get this wrong and you write three words or two words and a number but not a5:12
  35. number I don't know it gets confusing let's look at it closely.5:22
  36. So if you need to write no more than two words and or a number well you can write one word like table or thread.5:26
  37. You can write two words like studio apartment or three dollars where three is actually a word.5:34
  38. If you're writing one word and a number then you can write three dollars with a numeral three dollars or July 16 or seven million where seven is a numeral.5:41
  39. If you need to write two words and a number you can write three red flowers or twelve male geese but you cannot write twelve male geese with three words5:54
  40. and if you just need to write a number you can write the number seven or 7123 is considered a single number but you cannot write 7100 because that is6:04
  41. one number and three words.6:18
  42. See how all this works.6:20
  43. Now keep in mind that IELTS never test you for contractions so the answer will never be o 'clock or don't or let's or there you never get tested on6:23
  44. contractions and if you have to write a hyphenated word for some reason which is very rare it's counted as a single word there's one word like co -worker or6:32
  45. round trip or ill advised.6:44
  46. Now before you actually start hearing the audio and you begin the test you get a little bit of time for pre listening which is absolutely essential to get right.6:47
  47. So back to form completion in the pre listening what you want to do is predict what words you might hear before the audio starts playing.6:57
  48. For example here it says customer last name you know that you're going to be listening for a surname or for the next one number two you're listening for the7:07
  49. name of a street.7:17
  50. Number three a postcode.7:19
  51. Number four and five the names of books.7:21
  52. Number six where something currently is.7:24
  53. Number seven a date and number eight a number.7:27
  54. This one's straightforward.7:31
  55. Okay we're about to start on the first practice question we're going to do it together if you're doing this on the practice test that you've downloaded from the description7:33
  56. below that's great because that's like real life practice.7:41
  57. If you're watching this on your phone on your bed and you're feeling a bit lazy that's okay you can skip it if you want but let's go through this7:45
  58. now and then after I want to go through the answers with you because I'm going to point out all the things that can trip you up on test day.7:51
  59. Alright let's do it.8:00
  60. You have ten seconds to look through the notes and predict what you might hear.8:02
  61. Ready listen carefully.8:18
  62. Good morning Jungle Books how can I help you today?8:22
  63. Hi I'm calling to inquire about a couple of books that I bought a few weeks ago but haven't received yet.8:25
  64. No problem at all would you like me to track them for you?8:31
  65. Yes please.8:35
  66. Okay firstly I'll need to ask for some personal details.8:37
  67. Sure.8:41
  68. What's your full name?8:42
  69. It's James Murray.8:44
  70. How do I spell your last name?8:45
  71. Yes it's M -U -R -A -Y.8:47
  72. E -Y?8:51
  73. A -Y.8:52
  74. Thank you.8:53
  75. And did you have the book sent to a post box or to your home address?8:54
  76. My home address.9:00
  77. And what's your home address?9:01
  78. It's Unit 3 21 Adams Street Albion.9:02
  79. Is that A -D -A -M?9:06
  80. Yes but with an S.9:08
  81. Adams.9:10
  82. And you said that's an Albion.9:11
  83. A -L -B -I -O -N.9:13
  84. That's right.9:17
  85. And what's the post code?9:18
  86. It's 254837.9:20
  87. Right.9:23
  88. And now I need to know the names of the books.9:24
  89. Well the first book is for my university course.9:28
  90. I'm studying Botany.9:30
  91. Botany?9:32
  92. Yeah it's quite interesting.9:33
  93. So the book's called Plant Science.9:34
  94. Got it and the other one?9:36
  95. Well this one is a gift for my younger sister who's really into anime.9:39
  96. Ah nice like King of Seven.9:42
  97. Yes but it's not that one.9:45
  98. It's Perfect Green.9:46
  99. Okay got it.9:48
  100. So it looks like they're still in transit.9:50
  101. Ah I see.9:53
  102. They're still on their way.9:54
  103. Yeah but it looks like they'll...9:56
  104. You'll get them on September 13th.10:00
  105. Okay.10:04
  106. But I can give you a tracking number if you like.10:04
  107. That way you can keep track of them and you'll know exactly when they'll arrive.10:07
  108. That'd be great.10:11
  109. So the tracking number is 739 -316 -590.10:12
  110. 739 -316 -590.10:21
  111. Got it.10:23
  112. I just go to JungleBooks .com and enter this.10:24
  113. That's right.10:27
  114. Okie dokie how did you go?10:35
  115. Hopefully you're feeling confident.10:36
  116. This is the easiest part of the test.10:38
  117. Let's run through all of those answers.10:40
  118. So number one the answer is Murray.10:43
  119. M -U -R -A -Y.10:46
  120. There was a distractor there that said E -Y and then the speaker said no it's A -Y.10:49
  121. Number two the answer was Adams.10:58
  122. A -D -A -M -S and there was a distractor there because the speaker said A -D -A -M and then the other speaker said yes but with an S11:00
  123. Adams.11:10
  124. If you wrote Adam A -D -A -M you would have gotten it incorrect.11:11
  125. So we're beginning to understand what a distractor is.11:18
  126. A distractor is a tempting answer option that's wrong.11:23
  127. And there are heaps of distractors all through IELTS listening.11:29
  128. This is pretty much what it's about.11:34
  129. It's about synonyms and it's about distractors.11:35
  130. If you want to learn more about distractors there's a video link in the description below that will help you out.11:38
  131. Ok number three was a postcode 254837.11:45
  132. Hopefully you got that right.11:49
  133. Number four look at all of these distractors.11:51
  134. I'm studying Botany.11:55
  135. Botany that's not the right answer.11:57
  136. The book's called Plant Science.12:00
  137. And number five look at these distractors.12:03
  138. Anime, King of Seven.12:06
  139. Both of those are wrong and especially King of Seven because that's three words and you have a two word maximum word count.12:08
  140. The answer here is perfect green.12:16
  141. Ok number six was a bit difficult.12:20
  142. The answer is transit.12:23
  143. Book's currently in transit.12:25
  144. If you don't know what that word means then the speaker said ah I see.12:28
  145. They're still on their way.12:31
  146. Which means they're in transit.12:33
  147. For number seven we needed a date and the date was September 13.12:36
  148. So with these ones you could write 13 as a number, 13 as a word, you could write 13th or 13th as a word with a th.12:41
  149. All of those would be considered correct.12:49
  150. Finally the tracking number was 739316590.12:52
  151. Maybe you wrote junglebooks .com which would have been incorrect.12:59
  152. So you want to make sure that you get all of these note completion ones correct because this is the easiest part of the test.13:04
  153. So we've done eight questions so far.13:11
  154. There are 10 questions per section.13:13
  155. So we've got a couple of other questions coming up related to that conversation.13:15
  156. Question type number two, multiple choice.13:21
  157. I think multiple choice questions are pretty difficult in listening because you're listening which is fine but you're also reading and you have to kind of do this flash reading,13:24
  158. flash listening.13:35
  159. Make sure that you're listening more than you're reading though.13:36
  160. Now before the audio begins you get a little bit of time to look at the questions.13:40
  161. Your task is to flash read and listen.13:46
  162. Also to eliminate incorrect answer options.13:50
  163. And to select the correct answer option.13:53
  164. Sometimes you'll need to select more than one answer option.13:57
  165. The instruction will indicate if this is the case.14:02
  166. The multiple choice style questions test you for a detailed understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main points.14:07
  167. Okay ready let's do the multiple choice questions.14:18
  168. Again if you haven't downloaded that practice test I recommend you do because it's going to give you real life simulation and it's a fillable PDF so you can do14:20
  169. it on your computer.14:29
  170. Or again if you're watching this on your bed on your phone fine you can skip through if you want.14:30
  171. I'm going to look at the answers with you in just a minute.14:36
  172. You have 10 seconds to quickly read the questions and prepare to hear the answers.14:39
  173. Okay listen carefully.14:56
  174. Is there anything else I can help you with today?14:59
  175. Actually I've been looking for another book but I can't seem to find it.15:02
  176. I can have a look for you.15:06
  177. That'd be great it's called botanical varieties.15:07
  178. Uh yes we have that uh it comes in a few different formats.15:11
  179. Formats do you mean like hardcover or paperback?15:16
  180. Yes as well as an ebook.15:20
  181. Oh I dislike ebooks and I'd rather have a hardcover book than a paperback.15:22
  182. Can you tell me the price difference between the two?15:27
  183. Yeah it looks like the hardcover is slightly more expensive.15:30
  184. It's uh $12 more expensive.15:35
  185. I haven't got much money to spend at the moment but that's probably worth it I think.15:37
  186. They do tend to last longer than paperbacks.15:42
  187. I agree so I'll have that sent to the same address.15:45
  188. Oh before you do can you please tell me what edition that book is?15:49
  189. My university professor said that we should buy the most up -to -date edition if we can or if we can't find it he said the second edition would do.15:52
  190. This one is the latest edition.16:00
  191. Okay great yes please send that one to me as well then.16:03
  192. No problem.16:06
  193. All right how did you go with those multiple choice questions?16:13
  194. Did you notice that you have to listen and read and listen and read and you're sort of going back and forth and back and forth?16:15
  195. It's a bit tricky.16:22
  196. Notice that question nine didn't start for quite a few sentences.16:24
  197. In IELTS listening they always give you a little bit of time to orient yourself to the text which is good.16:28
  198. It's always just a little bit of background information.16:35
  199. So question nine says format of book chosen.16:38
  200. Paperback, hardcover or ebook.16:42
  201. The answer here is hardcover.16:44
  202. Why?16:46
  203. Let's look at the transcript.16:47
  204. So it says ebooks which is a distractor.16:49
  205. Then the speaker says I'd rather a hardcover than a paperback which is kind of a distractor but you don't know yet.16:53
  206. Then the other speaker says the hardcover is slightly more expensive.17:01
  207. So maybe you're thinking oh it must be the paperback.17:06
  208. Then the other speaker says I haven't got much money to spend at the moment so you're must be the paperback.17:09
  209. But then the speaker says but that's probably worth it I think.17:16
  210. Hardcovers do tend to last longer than paperbacks.17:20
  211. Can you see why the answer here is hardcover?17:25
  212. So what you'll notice in multiple choice is that all of the answer options will be mentioned.17:29
  213. They will be said.17:35
  214. You will hear the words of all of those answer options.17:36
  215. But two of them will be incorrect.17:40
  216. One will be correct.17:44
  217. You need to eliminate the incorrect ones to find the correct one and not be distracted by those incorrect ones.17:45
  218. Also this question was a little inferential.17:53
  219. It's an inference question.17:56
  220. The speaker doesn't explicitly say I want the hardcover.17:59
  221. That would be too easy.18:03
  222. Instead you have to kind of work it out when the speaker says hardcovers do tend to last longer than paperbacks or it's worth it I think.18:05
  223. So in the listening you'll be hearing synonyms, paraphrases and sometimes making inferences or drawing conclusions from what you heard.18:15
  224. Again it won't be as simple as somebody saying I want the hardcover book.18:26
  225. That's too easy.18:32
  226. Okay question 10 says book edition selected first, second or third.18:34
  227. In the transcript the speaker says my university professor said that we should buy the most up to date edition.18:41
  228. What's the most up to date edition there?18:48
  229. First, second or third?18:51
  230. Must be third if we can or if we can't find it he said the second edition would do.18:52
  231. So there's a distractor.18:58
  232. Then the other speaker says this one is the latest edition.19:00
  233. Then the speaker says okay great yes please send that one to me.19:04
  234. Here that one is referring to the latest edition.19:09
  235. The latest edition is referring to answer option c third.19:13
  236. So here we've got the use of a pronoun that one referring to the answer which is also inferential.19:18
  237. You can see how difficult or tricky listening can be but it's not if you practice properly.19:25
  238. Again if we look closely the speaker says this one is the latest edition and then please send that one to me.19:32
  239. The latest edition is c third.19:40
  240. Cool so we've just done multiple choice now if you need help with synonyms and pronouns etc.19:44
  241. There's a video in the description below that you can click on and watch after this one about that exact topic.19:50
  242. Question type number three short answer.19:57
  243. The short answer questions are pretty straightforward in terms of their format as in how you see them on the paper on test date.20:01
  244. They make sense however as I mentioned as you progress through the sections the listening is going to get more challenging.20:07
  245. So here's what the short answer questions look like.20:16
  246. Remember to always read that instruction.20:20
  247. This one says write no more than two words so this time no numbers or no numerals.20:23
  248. Now as you listen you'll be taking the word or words directly from the audio.20:30
  249. You don't change them at all they should fit in those gaps.20:37
  250. Contracted words are never tested spelling is tested so if you get the right word but you spell it wrong it will be wrong.20:43
  251. Hyphenated words which are very rare do count as single words.20:53
  252. Now before the audio begins in the pre listening read the questions and especially think about what considerations what essential needs what aspects.20:58
  253. So this particular one we're looking at here is asking you for two answer options per question.21:09
  254. Sometimes it'll do that sometimes it'll ask you for a single answer.21:15
  255. You need to remain flexible because you might see anything on test day and as long as you've practiced it won't be a problem.21:19
  256. Okay ready to do these short answer questions.21:27
  257. You have 10 seconds to quickly read the questions and prepare to hear the answers.21:30
  258. Here we go.21:46
  259. Choosing the type of work you'll do is arguably one of the most important decisions you can make.21:49
  260. Selecting a career can take weeks months or even years as you consider what you want and need in a job.21:55
  261. The first thing you'll want to do is perform a self assessment.22:03
  262. Nobody else can do this for you.22:07
  263. You need to ask yourself what your key values are.22:10
  264. Some people are driven by money while others pursue careers that are about helping people.22:13
  265. Everyone's different.22:18
  266. You should also reflect on your natural abilities.22:20
  267. For me I'm a good public speaker a good communicator while for others they're much more technical and detail oriented.22:23
  268. Again everyone's different.22:32
  269. Next you'll need to take some time to identify your must haves in a job.22:35
  270. This can be something as important as a job location because you may need to live and work close to your family.22:40
  271. It's important to know what you need from a job.22:48
  272. For instance do you need to earn a consistent salary.22:51
  273. If so then you may want to avoid freelance work as the income can be intermittent at best.22:55
  274. Perhaps a job title is also critical.23:00
  275. If so then you should probably avoid working for yourself unless you choose to call yourself CEO.23:03
  276. After you've reflected on yourself and what is most important for you in terms of work you might want to start researching your favorite companies.23:10
  277. You'll want to find out about the employee benefits they offer including rates of pay, the ability to work from home or even if they will take care of your23:18
  278. health.23:27
  279. You also want to make sure that the company has growth opportunities.23:28
  280. You don't want to work for a company that doesn't have a future for you.23:33
  281. You need to advance and take on more responsibilities as you progress.23:36
  282. How did you go?23:46
  283. Let's take a look at those answers and let's take a look at those distractors.23:47
  284. So when self assessing students should consider their own what the answer to number 11 is key values you need to ask yourself what your key values are.23:52
  285. Driven by money pursue careers and helping people would all be incorrect as they just don't fit grammatically and they're just distractors.24:05
  286. Number 12 is natural abilities.24:16
  287. The speaker says you should also reflect upon your natural abilities.24:19
  288. In other words consider and the distractors here are public speaker, good communicator, technical and detail oriented, none of which fit properly.24:24
  289. So you're really starting to understand now how you're listening and you're disregarding a lot of information but then holding something that's critical that answers the question.24:35
  290. You're listening for something.24:46
  291. Now there's something important I want to show you here.24:48
  292. If you wrote key value it would be incorrect or natural ability would be incorrect.24:51
  293. You need to make sure that you get the plural nouns right.24:57
  294. So key values, natural abilities, they are the correct answers.25:00
  295. And if you did put one of the distractors in like public speaker which is wrong, just read the question and see if it makes sense.25:06
  296. When self assessing students should consider their own key values yes and public speaker.25:14
  297. Well it just doesn't make sense does it?25:21
  298. Nor does good communicator but natural abilities does.25:24
  299. So with these short answer questions you need to make sure that the sentence is grammatical after you've completed it.25:29
  300. Let's look at the next ones.25:36
  301. So what essential needs does the speaker give examples of?25:38
  302. Well job location was given to you as the first example.25:42
  303. The second need is consistent salary.25:46
  304. Consistent salary is the correct answer there.25:50
  305. And freelance work was the distractor.25:53
  306. And the answer to question 14 was job title.25:56
  307. And there wasn't really any distractors here it was just job title.26:00
  308. So what essential needs does the speaker give examples of?26:04
  309. Consistent salary and job title.26:07
  310. Now for this one if you just wrote the word title and not job title it would definitely be incorrect because it just doesn't make sense.26:10
  311. Okay questions 15 and 16.26:18
  312. What are two aspects of an attractive company that students should look for?26:20
  313. Before we look at the answers to 15 and 16 I want to talk to you about something really important about vocabulary.26:27
  314. Take a look at the transcript.26:33
  315. So this is the transcript of what you've just listened to after you've reflected on yourself and what is most important etc.26:35
  316. Now the words in yellow are content words.26:43
  317. These are words that have meaning like reflect important terms work want start researching favorite companies etc.26:47
  318. Now take a look at these words these are not meaningful words.26:58
  319. These are called function words or grammar words like after you've on yourself and what is most for you in of.27:04
  320. These words don't have meaning and you'll never be tested on these words.27:15
  321. I don't want to say never actually because you never know but it's very uncommon that you're going to be tested on those grammatical words you're not going to be27:22
  322. listening for those function or grammar words you're going to be listening for those content or those meaningful words the nouns the verbs the adjectives and the adverbs.27:29
  323. They're the critical ones.27:41
  324. So what's an aspect of an attractive company that students should look for well employee benefits is the answer for number 15.27:43
  325. Rates of pay would be incorrect ability to work from home doesn't work take care of your health also doesn't work.27:52
  326. And for number 16 the answer is growth opportunities.27:59
  327. Both words would be needed here have a future need to advance more responsibilities and progress are the distractors and they are all incorrect.28:03
  328. So how are you going so far if you're enjoying this video make sure you click that like button feel free to leave a comment but let's push on stay28:13
  329. with me I want to do all of the questions with you.28:21
  330. Question type number four matching the matching question on the paper based test to be perfectly honest with you is very confusing let's take a look at it.28:25
  331. So this is what it looks like on the paper based test.28:35
  332. It says which restaurant matches each description.28:38
  333. The names of the restaurants are in the little box there a six penny be Attica C Loomi D Fred's place and E Bentley and the description are next to28:44
  334. the numbers great seaside views fusion meals locally grown food and seasonal dishes.28:56
  335. What you need to do is put a letter next to the number so for example number 17 great seaside views might be a six penny or B Attica or29:03
  336. C Loomi you just write the letter.29:13
  337. Just be mindful that you may be able to use any letter more than once if so this is going to be mentioned in the instructions.29:17
  338. Let's look at how it looks on the computer delivered test now because it's quite different.29:26
  339. So on the computer delivered test the question is going to look like this.29:31
  340. So this is a different question type and you can see a B and C a weekend intensive a blended course or a dropper subject.29:37
  341. What you need to do is match one of those letters to one of those statements.29:45
  342. So number one the lecturer does not think this is a good idea.29:49
  343. What a weekend intensive a blended course or drop a subject you would then need to click in the box a B or C then move on to number two.29:53
  344. Here are some key points with these matching questions.30:03
  345. You're going to be listening for details for example descriptions of a restaurant.30:07
  346. As I mentioned you write the letter a B C D or E next to the number.30:14
  347. For example if you think Attica has great seaside views that's B then you write B next to number 17.30:20
  348. Don't write the word Attica.30:28
  349. Okay question time let's do it ready.30:30
  350. You have 10 seconds to wrap your head around what all of this means before the audio begins.30:34
  351. Here we go.30:51
  352. Hi Max how are you?30:53
  353. I'm good.30:56
  354. Hey I'm ringing because I need some advice.30:57
  355. It's my wedding anniversary next week and I want to take my wife to a nice restaurant and I know that you know all the best places in town.31:00
  356. Okay right great idea well I have five favorite restaurants that you might like.31:08
  357. They'd be perfect for an anniversary they're nice and romantic.31:14
  358. Did you want something near the city centre or somewhere out near the beach?31:18
  359. I'm not sure what do you suggest?31:23
  360. Well there are two restaurants right in the city centre there's Friends Place and Loomey but if you don't mind catching the train you can check out Bentley.31:26
  361. It's got sweeping views of the harbour then there's Sixpenny and Attica which are just outside of the city centre in Darlinghurst.31:36
  362. I don't really want to take public transport although that does sound nice.31:45
  363. What about the two in Darlinghurst?31:51
  364. Can you tell me a bit more about them?31:53
  365. They're both great restaurants.31:56
  366. If you want something a little different you could try Sixpenny.31:58
  367. It was a Greek restaurant but then the management changed hands and the new owners are Korean so now it's a really interesting mix of Mediterranean and East Asian food.32:01
  368. All there's Attica just up the street from Sixpenny which is more traditional Greek food.32:11
  369. It's also really good.32:17
  370. I must say that Attica is a little expensive though and it can get a little bit cramped in the front dining area.32:19
  371. What about the two restaurants you mentioned in the city?32:27
  372. You don't happen to know if they use organic ingredients.32:31
  373. You know my wife is big on health.32:35
  374. If that's the case then you might want to try Fred's Place or Loomey.32:37
  375. They're both near the central train station.32:42
  376. I know Fred's Place actually grows its own vegetables.32:45
  377. In fact I think they have their own farm just outside the city where everything is produced.32:48
  378. The only problem with Fred's Place is that it gets really crowded so make sure you book a few days in advance.32:53
  379. Then there's Loomey.33:00
  380. It's just across the road from Fred's Place.33:01
  381. It's famous because it only uses vegetables that grow in that particular time of the year.33:04
  382. Right now they're doing all things winter.33:10
  383. I'm pretty sure all Loomey's produce is organic as well but I'm not sure where they get it from.33:13
  384. I don't think it's from the local area.33:18
  385. I think they must source some ingredients from other parts of the country.33:21
  386. Okay how did you go?33:30
  387. Let's look at the answers and those distractors.33:32
  388. Okay so which restaurant has great seaside views?33:36
  389. Well Fred's Place and Loomey was mentioned.33:39
  390. Sixpenny and Attica was also mentioned as well.33:42
  391. However Bentley it's got sweeping views of the harbour.33:46
  392. Notice how it doesn't use the exact same words.33:51
  393. It's using synonyms or a paraphrase.33:55
  394. Okay so which restaurant has fusion meals?33:58
  395. Well then the conversation moves to Sixpenny and they talk about Sixpenny.34:02
  396. They say it's a really interesting mix of Mediterranean and East Asian food so that is a fusion meal.34:07
  397. Next which restaurant talks about locally grown food?34:15
  398. Well next you would have heard about Attica but in fact there was nothing mentioned about Attica.34:19
  399. It didn't have great seaside views.34:26
  400. It didn't have fusion meals.34:28
  401. It didn't have locally grown food and it didn't have seasonal dishes.34:29
  402. It was put in there as a distractor.34:34
  403. You'll notice that there are six restaurants but only five descriptions so one of the restaurants will not be used and that one is Attica.34:36
  404. There will be no B here.34:47
  405. So where's the locally grown food?34:50
  406. Was it Fred's Place or Loomey?34:52
  407. Well Fred's Place actually grows its own vegetables.34:54
  408. In fact I think they have their own farm just outside the city where everything is produced.34:58
  409. Notice how we're moving through the description sequentially.35:03
  410. Okay we're not moving through the list of restaurants sequentially because they could go anywhere but we are moving through the description sequentially.35:08
  411. So which restaurant has seasonal dishes?35:17
  412. Well Loomey which is just across the road from Fred's Place don't be distracted.35:21
  413. Loomey has seasonal dishes and although it says Loomey has organic food it does say that it doesn't come from the local area.35:26
  414. They must import ingredients from other parts of the country so that means it can't be D.35:36
  415. So the answer for 20 is C.35:42
  416. So as you can see the matching questions are pretty confusing.35:45
  417. Remember you can always practice on E2.35:48
  418. Let's look at the next question type.35:51
  419. Question type number five sentence completion.35:54
  420. So sentence completion is similar to short answer except you'll be filling a gap in a sentence and it needs to be grammatically correct as well as meaning of course.35:58
  421. Here's what it looks like here and it tests you on understanding key information.36:08
  422. Make sure you read the instructions.36:15
  423. For this particular question it says no more than two words for each answer.36:17
  424. The word or words that you use must be taken directly from the audio and they do not change.36:23
  425. You do not need to transform the word at all.36:30
  426. It should just fit.36:33
  427. Contracted words will not be tested.36:35
  428. Misspellings will be penalized.36:38
  429. Hyphenated words if you ever need one will be counted as a single word.36:40
  430. All right let's do this one together and we'll go through the answers and again the distractors after this.36:45
  431. You have 10 seconds to read through these questions and get a feel for what the answer might be.36:51
  432. Then the audio will begin.36:58
  433. Hello Stephen.37:11
  434. I guess we better start on our assignment.37:13
  435. You know we only have two weeks left to research and write an essay.37:15
  436. Yes well at least we don't have an end of semester exam.37:19
  437. That's a relief.37:22
  438. Yes very true.37:23
  439. Okay so what do we have to do again?37:25
  440. Sorry please remind me.37:27
  441. Well we have to choose one or three topics to research and write about.37:28
  442. Oh that's right.37:32
  443. We have to choose between corruption, social movements and what was it global development.37:33
  444. No corruption, social movements and global interdependence.37:39
  445. That's right interdependence.37:43
  446. I keep getting that mixed up with development.37:45
  447. Well which one would you like to choose?37:47
  448. I really think we should focus on corruption.37:49
  449. I think it's interesting.37:52
  450. It's a problem for every country but some countries are much worse off than others.37:53
  451. Hmm really?37:58
  452. I find it kind of depressing.37:59
  453. I'd much rather do something else.38:00
  454. How about social movements?38:02
  455. That seems fascinating.38:04
  456. I'm a big fan of history so we could read about how societies transform from one generation to the next.38:05
  457. I find that social change is interesting too but I did something similar last semester in my political science class and I'd rather not repeat it.38:11
  458. How about the global interdependence subject?38:19
  459. It's quite optimistic to think that all countries need each other in some way.38:22
  460. Okay that sounds interesting and you're right it might make us feel a bit better about international relations.38:26
  461. We really are more connected than ever these days through trade and the internet and we'll be able to read Macquarie.38:31
  462. I think he's the most important thinker on the topic.38:37
  463. Oh great how do I spell his name?38:39
  464. M -A -C -Q -U -A -R -I -E.38:43
  465. Great.38:47
  466. Well I think I'll start by going to the library and asking for any relevant books and you can start to read some relevant articles online.38:48
  467. How does that sound?38:55
  468. That sounds like a good idea.38:56
  469. I think we should definitely avoid watching the news.38:58
  470. It's too time consuming and we can't read the internet.39:00
  471. All right how did you go there?39:11
  472. It's getting pretty challenging isn't it?39:13
  473. You'll be okay.39:15
  474. Let's go through the answers together.39:16
  475. All right so the answer to number 21 was essay.39:18
  476. Beth said you know we only have two weeks left to research and write distractors and essay.39:22
  477. One word was the correct answer there and then Stephen says yes well at least we don't have an end of semester exam.39:30
  478. If you wrote exam that would be incorrect.39:38
  479. That's a distractor.39:41
  480. The answer to question number 22 was global interdependence not global independence.39:43
  481. Interdependence.39:50
  482. Have a look at this.39:50
  483. Stephen said we have to choose between corruption, social movements and what was it?39:52
  484. Global development.39:58
  485. Beth said no corruption, social movements and global interdependence.40:00
  486. Stephen says that's right interdependence.40:05
  487. I keep getting that mixed up with development so if you wrote global development that would also be wrong.40:08
  488. The answer for number 23 is also global interdependence.40:15
  489. Now I've never seen an IELTS listening paper that has the same answer twice but it might happen and you should always just concentrate on whatever's said and go with40:21
  490. whatever's said.40:33
  491. Don't go with instinct or what looks right or what looks wrong.40:35
  492. Go with what you hear.40:39
  493. So the students choose global interdependence as their topic.40:41
  494. Beth says I really think we should focus on corruption.40:45
  495. Stephen says how about social movements?40:48
  496. Beth says how about the global interdependence subject?40:51
  497. Stephen says okay that sounds interesting.40:55
  498. The answer to number 24 the author the students plan to read is Macquarie.40:59
  499. How do you spell Macquarie?41:05
  500. M -A -C -Q -U -A -R -I -E.41:07
  501. If you spelled it wrong it would be considered incorrect.41:11
  502. The students will use information from the library and the what's the answer for number 25?41:16
  503. Internet.41:22
  504. There was a good distractor there.41:24
  505. Beth said read some relevant articles online.41:26
  506. Online would be incorrect because you can't say the online.41:29
  507. Stephen says avoid watching the news.41:33
  508. Beth says the internet.41:36
  509. So that question type is pretty straightforward but we saw some little distractors.41:38
  510. For example you can't write the online.41:43
  511. It needed to be the internet okay.41:46
  512. Sometimes you need to wait a little bit to find that right content word the right answer.41:48
  513. Okay we're up to the last question type.41:55
  514. Let's do it.41:57
  515. Question type number six plan map diagram labeling.41:59
  516. So you might see a plan that looks like this.42:04
  517. This one is from the computer delivered test in which case you will write directly into the gaps on the screen.42:08
  518. You might see a map that looks like this.42:14
  519. And they'll look pretty similar on the paper based test.42:19
  520. Let's now look at a diagram completion task that you'll see later on in the test as it gets more challenging.42:22
  521. So the one we're going to do today looks like this.42:29
  522. So you're going to listen to a description using a visual representation.42:32
  523. Notice how it's numbered from left to right 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30.42:39
  524. The description will follow this sequence.42:46
  525. So you'll be moving from left to right.42:50
  526. Make sure you always pay attention to the order of the numbers.42:52
  527. You'll be listening for spatial relationships above next or directions like straight or turn left.42:57
  528. Usually you'll select the answers from a list.43:07
  529. For example you'll see a list of a, b, c, d, e and f and you'll be putting a letter next to the number.43:11
  530. Sometimes you need to listen and write a word or words and or a number directly into the gap.43:19
  531. And that's what we're going to do in this one.43:26
  532. Of course you need to read the instructions if this is the case.43:29
  533. In this one we're going to write no more than two words for each answer.43:32
  534. Trust me after you've practiced a lot all of this will feel like second nature.43:38
  535. It'll be really much easier.43:43
  536. Practice really is helpful for this part of the test.43:45
  537. Okay let's do this one.43:48
  538. Okay you've got 10 seconds to analyze this diagram to work out what's going on.43:50
  539. The ocean is never still.44:07
  540. Whether we observe it from the shore or a boat we expect to see waves all the way to the horizon.44:09
  541. Today I'm going to talk to you about the characteristics of waves.44:16
  542. Waves that you see on the ocean surface are not actually formed by local winds but instead are formed by winds from distant storms.44:21
  543. These waves that arrive from distant sources are known as swell.44:31
  544. Far out at sea long before the swell reaches the shore there is an upper layer of air that sinks downwards that actually pushes the water upwards.44:37
  545. Inside the swell there is a movement of energy.44:48
  546. A circular orbit begins to form within the wave moving energy around and around as it travels towards the shore.44:51
  547. On top of this movement of energy is what's called the swell crest.45:00
  548. It's the highest point of the swell out at sea and in between two of these is the lowest point which is called a trough.45:04
  549. If you're on a boat at sea the boat will rise and fall with the movement of the swell.45:13
  550. Now as the swell nears the shore it begins to form a wave.45:19
  551. Here it actually begins to make contact with the seafloor and the energy that I mentioned before begins to change its shape.45:24
  552. It is no longer circular but elliptical and this is the result of friction as the wave drags along the sandy bottom.45:33
  553. As it hits the bank of sand near the seashore the wave gains in height and breaks.45:42
  554. That's why the crescendo of a wave is often called a breaker.45:48
  555. The wave collapsing on the shore is called a swash and the return of the water back into the ocean as a result of the slope of the beach is45:52
  556. called backwash.46:02
  557. Not to be confused with a rip as we will discuss in our next lecture.46:03
  558. So this is the process of swell turning into waves.46:07
  559. Okay that was pretty tricky the vocabulary is getting pretty technical now let's have a look at the answers.46:19
  560. Okay so number 26 inside the swell there is a movement of energy but we can only write two words so it can't be that phrase there.46:27
  561. Next sentence says a circular orbit begins to form within the wave moving energy would also be incorrect.46:38
  562. The answer there is circular orbit.46:46
  563. Number 27 swell something is it swell energy swell crest swell highest swell point of the swell or swell C the answer is swell crest C R E S T.46:49
  564. Number 28 is it swell point well no because it says the lowest swell point is called a swell trough this spelling is really tough T R O U G47:06
  565. H swell trough.47:21
  566. Okay so I put that one in there just to really push your limits of spelling just to remind you that you do need to spell the word correctly if47:23
  567. you're going to get that point sorry.47:33
  568. So number 29 wave becomes elliptical due to what the C floor well no it can't be that the energy it's not quite right it's shape no that's not right47:36
  569. either circular doesn't work dramatically friction is a nice word but elliptical and this is the result of friction notice how due to and the result of are synonymous phrases47:50
  570. there the answer there is friction drags and sandy bottom are incorrect okay number 30 don't miss little questions like this that you might not see so we've got swash48:04
  571. number 30 is it slope no it's backwash it's the result of the slope of the beach and it's called backwash if you wrote one word or two words it48:18
  572. would be considered correct and it's not a rip that is a distractor okay we've done it we've done 30 questions which is an amazing effort and if you've stuck48:30
  573. with me throughout this whole thing thank you it's going to help you a lot as well let's have a look at the answer sheet now because remember at the48:40
  574. end of the paper based test you have to transfer your answers across to the answer sheet this is what it should look like now bear in mind that we48:48
  575. only did 30 questions not 40 and there will be 40 in the actual IELTS test so you can pause the video here and compare your answers with these answers48:58
  576. if for example for number seven I've got several different answers they would all be considered correct you just need one of them all right how did you go please49:08
  577. let me know your score into the comments below I'd love to know what you got and while you're there click that subscribe button hit like and feel free to49:18
  578. share this video with any of your friends who are taking IELTS as well at the start of this video I told you that I would tell you whether or49:26
  579. not you can use capital letters on the answer sheet the answer to that question is yes you can you would have noticed on my answer sheet it's all written49:35
  580. in capital letters I recommend that you actually do that cool that's all you now have a full overview of IELTS listening my name is Jay I'll see you soon49:43

An IELTS Listening Rundown: English Listening Practice at a Brisk B1 Pace

This clip is one host walking you through the IELTS listening test format: the four sections, the six question types, and the rules around answer sheets. It is an Australian voice, speaking straight to the camera, no scene partner and no cutting away. The level is B1, and it runs at 172 words per minute, faster than 37 percent of the catalogue, so the sentences arrive close together and there is little dead air to rest in.

It is worth practising for a specific reason: this is not scripted classroom English, it is a real IELTS teacher explaining a real exam, which means the vocabulary is exam relevant and the delivery is unslowed. It doubles as english listening practice for anyone actually sitting the test, since it explains, in the speaker's own words, what section one through section four will sound like on the day.

The Wording of This IELTS Briefing: What to Notice Before You Shadow This Line

Three lines here reward a close listen before you try to say them back.

  • "you only get one chance." The stress lands hard on chance, and the line before it, about test day, sets up that stress. Say it with the same drop in pace on the last two words.
  • "British, American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand accents." A five item list with almost equal stress on each name and a small breath before the last one. Good practice for keeping a spoken list even instead of trailing off.
  • "It's kind of fake which means that it's clear." The softener "kind of" is doing real work here, it turns a blunt claim into a casual aside. Match the shift: flatter on "kind of," then a clear landing on "clear."

Working Through the IELTS Listening Rundown: English Speaking Practice Section by Section

Go in the order the clip introduces its own ideas, not by difficulty.

  • Start on "you only get one chance." from the opening line and repeat it until the stress on the last two words is automatic, not read.
  • Take "you'll get 30 minutes to complete 40 questions." next and say the numbers at full pace, that is where 172 words per minute actually bites.
  • Shadow "British, American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand accents." as one breath group to work on list rhythm and improve your english accent on unstressed connectors like "and."
  • Finish on "It's kind of fake which means that it's clear." and aim for the host's easy, explaining tone rather than a flat reading.
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