At a glance
| Part | What you hear | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | A conversation between two people in an everyday situation, such as booking a room | 10 |
| Part 2 | One person speaking about an everyday topic, such as a tour or facilities | 10 |
| Part 3 | Up to four people discussing an academic task, such as an assignment | 10 |
| Part 4 | A single speaker giving a lecture on an academic subject | 10 |
1How distractors work
Speakers often give one answer and then change it. "The meeting is on Tuesday. Oh no, sorry, it was moved to Thursday." The first word you hear is usually the trap. Wait for the speaker to finish the thought before you write.
Distractors are most common in Part 1 and Part 3, where more than one person is speaking and plans get changed in conversation.
2Paper test and computer test
On paper you get 10 minutes at the end to copy answers to the answer sheet. On computer you type as you go and get 2 minutes to check. If you take the computer test, practise typing answers while listening, because it feels different from writing.
Lessons in this section
Up next
Listening map questions
Follow directions without getting lost
Written by the AdmitVerse team. Last reviewed on . AdmitVerse is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council or IDP. For official rules and test dates, see ielts.org.