Mistakes to avoid in the listening section of the IELTS

The listening section of the IELTS should be attempted with caution. Since you can listen to the recording only once, you should avoid these common mistakes while attempting this part of your IELTS test.

Low concentration on the audio: As people, we end up with a preconceived idea. Many people listen badly. The greatest mistake the IELTS test aspirants make is that they listen to the video clip passively, without processing all the details found in it. The problem occurs when they cannot recall the correct answer.

The most important thing is that the candidate must properly read the directions, then look for ideas on the given topic and finally listen carefully to the audio. The candidate must read all the questions in advance and recollect the answers after listening to the video clip.

Not practicing on predicting the questions: Try to predict the type of audio clip that would be given in the test, after having numerous practice sessions. Often, be on the watch to ask the 'kind' of question. From the question paper's transcript given, underscore the phrases that would make up the questions likely to be asked. Listen carefully to the keywords and other phrases. This will help you determine the questions that are likely to be asked.

Attempting all the questions at once: It is wiser to answer the questions that you know well first and then move on to more difficult ones. However, try to answer all the questions.

Getting confused by distractors: IELTS Examiners use question distractors to confuse the applicants. Pay more attention to minute details.  For example, the speaker will say something wrong in one video clip and then correct himself. The multiple-choice questions often have four challenging choices and you would have to choose only one correct answer.

Making mistakes in spelling and grammar: incorrect spelling will result in marks being lost. Country and place names need to be correctly written. In some cases, people's names need to have the correct spelling too. There is a need to use correct functional grammar to make meaningful sentences.

Leaving questions unanswered: The IELTS Listening exam does not deduct marks for incorrect responses. But try hard not to leave answers as, if there is an unanswered question then the IELTS aspirant may end up writing the answer in the wrong place.

Writing and listening at the same time: As the audio clip is only played once, stop writing important points on the document at the same time. This would distract attention from the playback of the main audio. Use those extra 10 minutes given to write the answers from memory on the answer script after the audio clip is played.

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