In the IELTS listening test, there are 4 parts which include 40 questions.These questions test your listening comprehension.

Listening details:

1. A conversation between two people about everyday social topics.

2. A monologue on an everyday social topic, for example a speech about local factories.

3. A conversation between up to four people on the topic of education or training, for example a university lecturer and a student discussing an assignment.

4. A monologue about a subject, for example a university lecture.

Multiple choice question 

Multiple choice or multiple choice questions can be answered with one correct answer or multiple correct answers. Read the question very carefully to know how many answers are required.

In a multiple choice question, when you are asked to choose a correct answer (A, B, C or D), you will receive:

One question with three or four possible answers. In a multiple choice question, when you are asked to select more than one correct answer, you will be given a list of more possible answers and the question will indicate that you must select more than one answer.

Multiple choice questions are used to test a variety of skills. You may be asked for a detailed understanding of specific ideas or a general understanding of the main ideas of the listening content.

Matching question 

You are asked to match a numbered list of items you will hear in the listening passage with a list of options on the test. The list of choices can be criteria of some kind.

Matching questions are used to assess your listening skills for detail and your ability to understand information given in a conversation about an everyday topic, such as identifying types of hotel rooms or other guest houses. together. It also evaluates your ability to follow a conversation between two people. This type of question can also be used to assess your ability to recognize relationships and connect facts in the listening passage.

Map or diagram labeling 

You will need to complete labels onto a drawing (e.g. a drawing of a building), map (e.g. a part of a town) or diagram (e.g. a piece of equipment). You can usually choose answers from a list provided on the exam.

This type of labeling question measures your comprehension of descriptive dialogue about a place and your ability to associate the information with a visual image. This also includes the ability to understand and follow directional instructions (e.g. go straight/turn left/facing).

Form completion or summary

In this type of question, you will be asked to fill in the blanks in a summary, a part or all of the listening passage. This summary will focus on the main ideas or events in the text. It may be:

Form: used to record actual data such as name, address, phone number

A set of notes: used to summarize information using a layout diagram to show how different items relate to each other

Table: used to summarize information related to clear categories – e.g. location/time/price etc.

Short-answer questions 

In Short-answer questions, you have to read a question and then write a short answer using information from the listening content. Sometimes candidates receive a question asking them to list two or three opinions.

A word limit is given, for example ‘NO MORE THAN ONE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. If you exceed the word limit, your answer will be marked as incorrect, so carefully check the word limit for each question. Shortened words will not be included as test answers, for example: 'don't'. Words with hyphens will be counted as one word, for example ‘police-man’.

Short answer questions focus on your ability to hear specific facts, such as location, price or time in the listening section.