 Hi, hello, I'm Bee. Today, I want to talk about how you should prepare for the IELTS listening test. I will cover five aspects of the IELTS listening test. First, I will cover the format of the test. Then, we'll look at the different sections you go through. After that, we'll look at the different types of questions you're likely to face during the test. Next, we'll listen to two short recordings of listening tests. And finally towards the end, I'll give you tips on what you should do for the test. Let's get started. Okay, let's begin with the format of the test. The test is based around an audio recording. The recording lasts 30 minutes, which is the length of the test. However, you don't need to listen actively for the whole 30 minutes. The test itself is divided into four sections. Each section has 10 questions. So that makes 40 questions in total. Each question is worth one mark, so that will give a total of 40 marks. This means that each section is worth the same amount. So basically, you have to do well in all sections rather than focusing on one target section. The 30 minute time limit includes time for reading the questions. Then you listen to the recording. Time is also built in for you to write down your answers. Finally, you'll be given time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Be careful here because mistakes in transferring will cost you marks. Okay, let's now look in detail at the four sections in the test. One important thing to remember is that each section gets progressively more difficult in terms of the complexity of the content and vocabulary used. The first section is structured like an informal conversation. For example, it could be about a student going to study overseas and talking to an estate agent about renting accommodation there. The second section is one person talking in a non-academic context. For example, this could be a short talk about the catering arrangements during a conference. The third section becomes a bit more academic. You will have up to four people discussing a topic and the topic will be related to an academic theme. For example, this could be students discussing a homework assignment with their tutor. The fourth section is usually a lecture style monologue. The content of this section is the most challenging in the test. However, if you are a university student and you have listened to lectures in English, this part should not be too difficult for you. Okay, let's move on to the questions. IELTS questions will come in a variety of different forms. One is multiple choice questions. You choose either answer A, B, C, or D. In another type, they will give you a sentence and you have to complete the last few words. They may give you a table with some information missing, which you have to complete. There could be a plan of a room and you have to label the items within the room. You could be given sets of words and you have to classify them according to what people say. Or it could be a matching exercise. You won't get all of these tasks, but you will get some of them. For the first section, you will usually be asked to fill in some missing information. It could be, for example, filling in a room plan or completing a table. With the example of a student talking to an estate agent, you could be asked questions about the rent costs, the size of the flat, and other types of facilities. For the other three sections, the questions usually require you to fill in words or numbers in the blank spaces provided. You should always follow the instructions carefully. For instance, if the instruction says three words or less, do not write more than three words. If however, the answer is a number, you can simply fill in the complete number. Okay, let me give you some examples of some questions that you may be asked. Have a look at the first one. In the mornings, the student teachers will... Okay, we have to try to guess the missing words. Now, we don't know exactly what the speaker will say, but we can try to make a prediction. We know that because the question uses the word will, it should be followed by a verb. So we know it's a verb form and we can have up to three words, so it could be verb and verb. And we can also have a good guess about what a student teacher is likely to do. In this example, you would hear the answer read aloud in the recording. Since you have already read the question to yourself, you should know what sort of information you're listening out for to make your listening more effective. The second example question is, student teachers could be teaching large classes with up to... Again, here we've got a missing word or words, but we don't know exactly what the answer is. The phrase up to suggests the next part is going to be a number. One possibility is that it's going to be the number of students. How about the third one? Discussion groups are quite difficult to arrange in Vietnamese classes, but not... What kind of word are we looking for? It's unlikely to be a noun nor a verb. The first part of the sentence says quite difficult, but not something. Since difficult is an adjective, we could assume that we're looking for another adjective, but we can't be sure. Okay, let's try listening to an example recording. This will be a much shorter version of the sort of recorded task you will hear in the real IELTS test. Listen out for the information from the previous two example sentences. In the afternoons, student teachers will supervise sporting activities and other extracurricular activities. In the evenings, most student teachers will help students who need extra tutoring or are having difficulty. In the mornings, the student teachers will teach and observe regular classes, depending on their level of experience and capability. Student teachers could be teaching large classes with up to 70 students. Discussion groups are quite difficult to arrange in Vietnamese classes, but are not impossible. Did you get the keywords? Let me give you an example of another task. Here, we have three items which are discussed in the talk. You have to take three items. Read through the list and let's check which ones are more likely. All of them seem possible, so you're going to have to listen carefully to make sure you get the correct answer. Let's see if we can do it. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the second year of your teaching degree. My name's Simon Taylor, and I'm a second year lecturer in the education faculty. Today, I'll be giving you an overview of your field trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that you all registered for last year. Okay, I think we have to discuss quite a few issues first. The first one is going to be the schedule that you're going to follow while you're there. You'll be teaching in the morning, and you'll be following courses in the afternoon. In the evening, you're going to have some teaching again. Fortunately, you're going to get a little bit of pocket money for the evening teaching. It's not much, but it'll enable you to buy a coffee or a drink. Okay, probably that pocket money is going to come in useful because, unfortunately, the cost of the course is going to be increased. You all wanted to stay in good accommodation, so we booked five-star hotel accommodation for you. Unfortunately, the course now costs three times what it was originally advertised as. I hope that's okay with you. The final thing is safety. Now, a lot of people say that Vietnam is not a safe place to go to. That's totally wrong. Some places are not safe, some places are. Where we'll be staying is ridiculously safe. You'll have no problem whatsoever. So there's no need to worry about anything. However, I do suggest that you take the normal precautions. Don't carry too much money, don't wear Rolex watches, and don't behave as though you're incredibly rich. Just pretend to be normal. Did you get all the answers? In an IELTS listening test, you can only listen to the recording once. So after listening to this recording, which items on the list would you take? Do you need to pause and listen again? If not, here are the answers. These are the three answers you should take. Okay, this brings us to the fifth and final part. The tips for IELTS. First, follow the instructions carefully. They may be different to practice or previous tests. Read the questions, predict what information you need, then listen for the specific information you want. Try and anticipate what the speaker will say. This will require concentration. But do not worry if there is a word you do not understand. You may not need to use it. And if you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it, but do not waste time. Move quickly onto the next one. Be careful with your spelling and grammar. If it's spelt wrong, you lose marks. Do not panic if you think the topic is too difficult or the speaker is too fast. Relax, focus, and tune in. You need to read, write, and listen at the same time. Remember to focus precisely on what you are asked to do in completion type questions. Pay attention to the word limit. For example, if you're asked to complete a sentence using no more than two words, and if the correct answer is wood in cabinet, the answer cabinet made of wood would be incorrect. Make sure that you attempt all questions. There are no penalties for incorrect answers. And be careful when transferring your answers. Finally, check your answers to check your answers to make sure you got them all. Okay, that's it for this video. Remember to practice, practice, practice, practice your listening and make use of all of the ELC resources we have here. Goodbye and good luck on your listening test.