IELTS Listening Test
On this page, you will learn about the IELTS Listening Test and how to best prepare for achieving a high score.

We have provided you with:
- IELTS listening test format
- How is the IELTS listening test scored?
- How to prepare for the IELTS Listening Test?
- IELTS listening preparation advice
- 5 tips for IELTS Listening
See also:
IELTS Listening Test Format
In IELTS Listening Test, you will hear 4 different recordings and you will have to answer questions on what you hear. There are 40 questions in total and you will be given 40 minutes to complete the test.
Note! IELTS Listening Test is the same for both the Academic and General Training module.
IELTS Listening
Duration: 40 minutes
- 40 questions – you will have to write your answers as you listen
- 4 recordings – conversations and monologues set in an everyday social context, an educational or training context and on an academic subject
- IELTS Listening Test takes 30 minutes after which you will be given extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers to your answer sheet. So, it takes 40 minutes in total.
If you want to see a more detailed overview of the IELTS Test Format, visit the British Council website.
How is IELTS Listening Test scored?
You are awarded 1 point for each correct answer. After your listening test has been marked, it will be then converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. The final score is reported as a band or half a band (e.g. 6.0 or 6.5). See the following table:
Band Score | Correct Answers |
9 | 39–40 |
8.5 | 37–38 |
8 | 35–36 |
7.5 | 32–34 |
7 | 30–31 |
6.5 | 26–29 |
6 | 23–25 |
5.5 | 18–22 |
5 | 16–17 |
4.5 | 13–15 |
4 | 11–12 |
3.5 | 8–10 |
3 | 6–7 |
2.5 | 4–5 |
How to prepare for IELTS Listening Test?
If you desire a high band score, then reading our IELTS Listening Tips & Advice might be helpful!
But first and foremost, let's focus on the essential steps we recommend you take in order to get started with IELTS listening:
- Obtain good practice materials
- For instance, get yourself a book of the Cambridge IELTS series that usually has 4 practice tests in a book
- Flick through the book and see what's there. These books will give you a very good idea of how the real exam looks like
- Or why not take a free IELTS Listening test (provided by IELTS.org) that we have prepared for you
- Use an answer sheet
- You can print out the official answer sheet or use our own custom answer sheet, where we have fit 4 tests on one page.
- Make yourself familiar with the IELTS listening test format
- There are 4 recordings
- 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes transfer time)
- Sections get increasingly difficult
- Take the first practice test
- Start practice with the first test without limiting your time to 30 minutes
- Feel free to pause or rewind back and forth
- Check your answers and determine your weak spots
- Practice under exam conditions – at least 5 times!
- Allow only 30 minutes to complete the practice test
- Analyse your answers and make sure you understand your mistakes
- Take at least 5 IELTS Listening practice tests to feel confident
- Practice listening to the whole test in a row, not separate sections