How to Improve IELTS Listening Section 3 and 4

The IELTS listening assessment is comprised of 4 different sections; Section 1, section 2, section 3, and section 4. In the IELTS listening section 3, candidates will hear an audio conversation of up to 4 people. Followed by this, in section 4 of IELTS listening, candidates will hear a lecture that might be on a complex topic. These two sections are the most challenging in the IELTS listening test. The reason behind these sections being difficult is that in section 3, candidates are likely to get confused with voices and conversations going on. In section 4, candidates will face topics from Science or something that is very difficult to understand.

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IELTS Listening Section 3

In the IELTS listening section 3, candidates will have to answer questions such as table completion, MCQs, match the headings, flow chart, or diagram. To better understand the question pattern, candidates are required to skim through the IELTS exam pattern. There are some major points that candidates should keep in their mind while appearing for IELTS Listening section 3. This section will provide an approach that students can adapt to answer IELTS listening section 3 by highlighting a few examples:

• Remember to underline keywords

Candidates should understand that underlining important keywords that are present in the question is important. It serves as the most effective and efficient strategy for solving IELTS listening section 3. However, candidates should utilize the time given to them prior to listening to the audio conversation. Below mentioned is an example:

Simple MCQ
Sneha has been working in the School for

1. Three years
2. One year
3. Four years

In the above-mentioned question, one can easily understand that the main keywords are; “Sneha,” “working” and “school.” Thus, remember these keywords by highlighting them. Followed by this, when the audio starts playing, keep these keywords in your mind to frame a gist of the question while having your eyes on the options: “three”, “one” and “four” and just avoid the common word “years”.

Therefore, the candidates are simply required to choose from the given options.

Difficult MCQ
Sneha was successful because she

1. She taught hundreds of students
2. was a highly skilled professional
3. could provide competent results

In the above question type, it is comparatively difficult to focus and underline the keywords mentioned above. The challenge that candidates might face is that the audio might address all these options to confuse them. However, the audio will eventually talk about the right choice, candidates just have to stay focused.

IELTS listening Section 4

This section has recordings that are usually academic talks about a certain subject, such as history, or science. This is the reason IELTS listening section 4 is challenging compared to other sections. Thus, candidates should read the questions at the beginning of section 4. Getting familiar with the questions in advance will help candidates to concentrate more on the recording. Thus, it is necessary for candidates to consider potential IELTS test preparation. Candidates develop and adapt to these approaches as mentioned below:

• Allocate your time wisely in the listening section.
• Always underline the keywords as they are important while you listen to the audio.
• Sometimes it is very easy to predict an answer from the given information.
• Keep an eye on the facts and guess the answer.
• Undertake repeated practice for the IELTS test.

Example:

According to 2009 survey, Americans left their high paid jobs because

1. A) they need to be in control of the way they work
2. B) they play games instead of doing work
3. C) they are not as intelligent as other people

The main keyword in the above question is Americans left their high-paid jobs and the keywords for answer choices are need to be in control, play games, and intelligent as other people.

Additional Tips for IELTS Listening

It is not easy to ace the IELTS examination, however with appropriate practice and potential measures, one can score good bands such as band 6.5. Furthermore, candidates should also consider IELTS preparation tips for effective preparation for the test. There are some key points that candidates can keep in mind:

• Listen properly to the audio and introduction to be able to recognize voices.
• The first attempt should be to understand the question,
• Dedicate a minute to get an overview of the section as it will help with familiarizing yourself with the questions.
• While listening to the audio, be quick enough to scan through the questions at the same time.
• The major benefit of answering is that, flow of the audio is as same as the order of the questions.