How to Approach Multiple Choice Questions in IELTS Listening

The IELTS listening test primarily examines whether the candidate can understand the information they hear. So there the various parts of this IELTS listening test have recordings which candidates have to listen to and then answer several questions related to the information given in the recorded passage, which can be a discussion, dialogue, lecture, conversation or monologue. The main aim should be to listen to the audio attentively and grasp as much information as possible but not try to remember every sentence. Understanding the overall idea will make it easy to solve the questions.

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IELTS Listening Format

The IELTS Listening Test consists of 4 parts:

Part-1: A dialogue or a discussion between 2 speakers.
Part-2: A monologue by one speaker.
Part-3: A conversation or discussion by more than 2 speakers.
Part-4: A lecture by one speaker

IELTS Listening Question Types

IELTS listening consists of the following types of questions:

1. Multiple Choice
2. Matching
3. Flowcharts and tables
4. Fill in the blanks with one or two words
5. Short Answer question

In this article, we will mainly focus on the Multiple choice questions which form the major chunk of the paper with varying difficulty levels. We will talk about the different formats of MCQs asked and how to approach them, as well as the common mistakes and how to improve at this type of question. This will give candidates an overall understanding of the Multiple choice questions, so that candidates are well acquainted with this type.

Different Formats of IELTS Listening MCQs

A candidate is expected to encounter this type of question in Part-2, 3 and 4 of the Listening Test.There are overall 3 formats of Multiple choice questions which are asked in this section.
The formats are:

Type 1: Short Answer Multiple questions
Example:

After she gave her presentation, Hiroko felt

1. delighted.
2. dissatisfied.
3. embarrassed.

Type 2: Sentence completion questions
Example:

To help her understand lectures, Hiroko _____

1. consulted reference materials.
2. had extra tutorials with her lecturers.
3. borrowed lecture notes from other students.

Type 3: Match from the options given in form of pictures
Example:

What does her briefcase look like?

Common Problems Related to Multiple Choice Questions

The options are always somewhere from the recorded passage so candidates are likely to hear all the phrases given as options. Therefore just picking up words from the passage won’t help, candidates need to understand what candidates hear in order to locate the right option.

1. To confuse candidates, sometimes the options are not exactly extracted from the recorded passage candidates heard but maybe synonyms or paraphrases of the same.
2. In most cases, 2 options are really close. So candidates need to be very careful and understand the difference between the two options and check which relates more to the recording.
3. This test is not only about listening but also about comprehending the ideas discussed or demonstrated.
4. The questions are not in the order of the idea development in the listening script. So it is possible that the answer to the 1st question might be in the last part of the recording.

IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions Tips

Let's start learning about the IELTS listening tips for band 9 with the mandatory points. There are 4 fundamental IELTS listening test tips that every candidate needs to focus on.

1. Beware of the transitions words while listening. Transition words like- “but”, “however”, “although” , signals a change in tone.Sometimes options are framed in such a way that if candidates miss out the transition word, then candidates will end up choosing the wrong option.
2. Use the one minute before every part wisely and skim through the questions. Note the keywords in the question so that when a similar or exact idea comes up while listening candidates can be more alert.
3. While hearing the options, many times the first option seems to be the correct one, but do not go for it before listening to the options.
4. Candidates' answer in most cases will be a letter so read the instruction clearly and do what is said. If candidates write the correct option word instead of the letter which gives the correct answer, the candidate's answer will not be considered.
5. Do not spend too much time on one mcq. If candidates cannot answer it, make a sensible guess and answer the remaining question because the time allotted is very little.

By understanding the traps and keeping in mind these points, candidates can easily solve multiple choice questions and improve their IELTS listening score.

IELTS Listening Practice Test

IELTS listening practice test is considered the most helpful method to prepare for IELTS. Numerous IELTS listening practice test PDFs are found online which contain different question types.