IELTS is a well-known English language efficiency test for going abroad for higher study or immigration. IELTS has four sections listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Why is IELTS listening so hard for non-native speakers? It varies from person to person. Someone is good at listening, and others aren’t good at it. IELTS listening test is so tricky for IELTS test takers who aren’t good at listening. This article will share why IELTS listening is so hard and give mind-blowing solutions to improve listening test for beginners.
So let’s start.
There are nine specific reasons why IELTS listening is so hard:
- Lack of knowledge about the exam format.
- Not to use a listening answer sheet during practice.
- The test taker doesn’t understand the British accent.
- Lack of concentration.
- Lack of multitasking skills.
- Knowing Less range of vocabulary.
- Lack of Time management knowledge.
- Less practice.
- Not to keep a daily report and analyze it.
IELTS listening difficulty level depends on the candidate’s listening skills. If you are a beginner and don’t have any listening skills, it will be hard for a British accent to listen. But If you are good at British listening conversion, it will be so easy. Honestly, listening is the easiest part of IELTS, and most test takers are getting a high score in the listening section.
Table of Contents
9 Reasons For Why IELTS Listening Is So Hard
1. Lack Of Knowledge About The Exam Format
The IELTS academic listening test taker should know the IELTS test format. If you have no proper knowledge of the structure, you can’t take good preparation. For this reason, the IELTS listening exam will be so hard for you. My recommendation is first to know about the test format and then start practice.
2. Not To Use The Listening Answer Sheet During Practice
If you are using an official listening answer sheet during the practice period, it will be familiar in the exam hall. You can easily use this sheet in the exam hall because you already know the answer sheet format. Another benefit of practicing on the sheet is how to fill up all essential information. Example- Full name, center name, code name, etc.
Many beginner IELTS exam candidates don’t use listening answer sheets, and they are unfamiliar with it in the exam hall. For this reason, the listening section is so difficult for them.
3. The Test Taker Doesn’t Understand The British Accent
In IELTS listening, the British accent is used for conversion. For this reason, the candidate doesn’t understand the recording, and they get a low score. The beginners face more problems answering the question, especially the multiple-choice questions. To overcome accent problems, always practice using British accent audio. Try to listen to the guardian news podcast. Watch English movies with subtitles first and then without subtitles. Also, you can read Cambridge IELTS books.
4. Lack Of Concentration
If you want a high band score on the IELTS exam, you must concentrate on listening to recordings. If you have a lack of concentration in listening, you can’t find the correct answer. In my experience, it will be so frustrating in the exam hall if you don’t understand the recording. To improve concentration, listen to podcasts with audio transcripts, and watch late-night shows.
5. Lack Of Multitasking Skills
Multitasking is another skill that you have to need in the IELTS listening test. You have to listen to the recording, find out the correct answer, and write the solution simultaneously. Practice on the listening answer sheet for improving your multitasking skill.
6. Knowing Less Range Of Vocabulary
Sometimes you will listen to rich vocabulary within the conversation. If you don’t know the meaning of a vocabulary, it will be hard to find the correct answer. To improve vocabulary, learn topic-specific vocabulary.
7. Lack of Time Management Knowledge
Time management is another crucial factor in the IELTS exam. If you can’t handle time management properly, it will be so hard to answer the 40 questions at the right time.
8. Less Practice
Less practice is another reason why IELTS listening is so hard. If you don’t have enough practice, it will be hard to get a high band score; for this reason, practice a minimum complete listening test everyday.
9. Not To Keep A Daily Report And Analyze It
Keep a record of your correct and wrong answers during the practice period. Then analyze how much you improve. This method is so powerful. So, you should keep a report and analyze it.
IELTS Listening Test For Beginners Information
I hope you have already known that there are four sections in the IELTS test, and listening test is an important part. There are 40 questions in the IELTS listening module, and it has four parts. Each part has ten questions. In the paper-based exam, You will get 30 minutes to answer the 40 questions. Within the next 10 minutes, you will transfer your answer to the listening answer sheet. Each of the correct answers has one mark, and if you give a wrong answer, you don’t get any mark.
IELTS Listening Difficulty Level
- IELTS listening difficulty level depends on person to person.
- If you score 0-17 in the listening module, it’s a bad score, and you will need to spend more time to improve listening.
- If you score 18-27, you will get an acceptable score under examination conditions. But if you want to get more scores, you will give more and more practice tests.
- If you score 28-40, you are an expert in listening and will get your desirable score.
IELTS Listening Section
IELTS Listening has four sections, and each section contains ten questions. It is an easy part of listening.
In section one include social needs and conversation between two speakers. Example- travel planning, booking accommodation, unknown city, etc.
Section two also described social needs, and it is a monologue. Example- student services on campus, interviews, shopping, etc.
The third and fourth section is about education and training context. The third section is a conversion between 4 people. Example- academic assignment, professor’s speech, research project, etc.
The fourth part is a monologue. It is more complex than others. Example- global warming, talk about endangered species, children grow up, forest reserve, etc.
IELTS Listening Question Types
Different types of questions used in IELTS listening:
- Multiple choice
- Matching
- plan/map/diagram labeling
- Form completion
- Note completion
- Table completion
- Flow-chart completion
- Summary completion
- Sentence completion
- Short answer completion
IELTS Listening Score
To know the proper listening scoring in IELTS is an essential skill for getting a high band score. In the listening, you will answer 40 questions, and each one has one mark.
To get a clear idea about ielts listening score calculation, please follow the table below:
| Correct Answers | Band Score |
| 39-40 | 9 |
| 37-38 | 8.5 |
| 35-36 | 8 |
| 32-34 | 7.5 |
| 30-31 | 7 |
| 26-29 | 6.5 |
| 23-25 | 6 |
| 18-22 | 5.5 |
| 16-17 | 5 |
| 13-15 | 4.5 |
| 11-12 | 4 |
IELTS Listening Preparation
IELTS preparation is a major factor in getting a high IELTS score. If you want to good band score in listening, you will need to take proper IELTS listening preparation. There are few ways you can follow for IELTS preparation and practice. First, follow Cambridge IELTS book 10-15 listening and practice it. Then you can try the Cambridge IELTS official guide book. Also, you can prepare yourself by using an IELTS trainer, IELTS Liz, IELTS buddy, etc.
IELTS Listening Tips – How To Improve IELTS Listening?
IELTS listening skills are an essential skill in ielts. There are lots of ways to improve in IELTS listening. Some of the most important listening tips described below-
- Always Practice on the official listening answer sheet. It will help you be familiar with the actual exam answer sheet, and you can answer quickly.
- Another way is to watch English movies and late-night shows. It will help you to understand the native English accent.
- Listen to podcasts. The google podcast is a free app, and it is my favorite app for listening. We published an article about the best apps for IELTS listening. You can check it.
Finally, without more and more practice you can not improve your listening skill. So, practice every day and analyze it.
This is Mirajul Islam & I am a Biotechnology graduate from Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. I love to share my IELTS preparation experience with you. I am not a so-called IELTS guru. You will get top-notch tips & tricks to getting a 7+ band score.