How long is the IELTS Listening test?

The IELTS Listening test lasts 30 minutes and consists of four sections.

How many questions are in the IELTS Listening test?

There are 40 questions in total, with 10 questions in each section. Each correct answer earns one mark.

Is the IELTS Listening test the same for Academic and General Training?

Yes, the IELTS Listening test format is the same for both Academic and General Training versions.

What are the four sections of the IELTS Listening test?

The test includes four sections: Parts 1 and 2 focus on social situations such as conversations and monologues, while Parts 3 and 4 focus on educational or academic scenarios, including discussions and lectures.

What skills are required for the IELTS Listening test?

You need to understand main ideas and specific details, follow conversations and arguments, and recognise speakers' opinions, attitudes, and purpose.

What types of questions appear in the IELTS Listening test?

Common question types include multiple choice, matching information, sentence completion, plan or diagram labelling, form or table completion, and short-answer questions.

How is the IELTS Listening test scored?

Each correct answer is worth one mark, with a total of 40 marks available. Your score is then converted into an IELTS band score.

Your guide to the IELTS Listening test

The IELTS Listening test assesses how well you understand spoken English. To get a good score, you’ll need to listen for key details, follow discussions, and recognise opinions, attitudes and purpose.

A man enjoying while listening to music on the streets

What is the IELTS Listening test?

The IELTS Listening section will test your listening skills through a series of audio recordings. You will hear spoken English in various contexts, before answering a series of questions.

The IELTS Listening time duration is 30 minutes, in which you will complete four sections

There are 40 questions in IELTS Listening - 10 in each section - which is scored using 1 mark for each correct answer.

For more information on how the IELTS Writing section is scored, visit How is IELTS assessed?

Section 1:

Social conversation

Section 2:

Social monologue

Section 3:

Educational or training conversation

Section 4:

Academic lecture

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IELTS Listening test video tutorial

In this video, our expert IELTS Teacher, Claire, will take you through everything you need to know about the Listening test format in IELTS.

How do the Academic and General Training Listening sections compare?

The Listening section is the same for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

Prepare for IELTS Listening Test

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Listening Parts 1-2: Social scenarios

In Part 1, you’ll hear a conversation between two people in an everyday situation. It will typically be transactional, and you’ll be asked specific details like names, dates, times, prices or addresses.

For Part 2, you’ll hear a monologue from a person giving information about a product, location or service. You will need to be able to follow detailed information given by the speaker.

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Listening Parts 3-4: Educational scenarios

In Part 3, you’ll hear a discussion between a group of people. You’ll need to follow the exchange of ideas, recognise the speakers’ points of view and understand the outcome of their conversation.

In Part 4, you’ll hear a monologue on an academic subject, like a lecture. You’ll be asked questions that test your ability to follow the main ideas as well as supporting details.