The IELTS Listening section plays each recording once, and you answer 40 questions while you listen. There is no rewind, and a small spelling slip can cost you a mark. That makes it one of the most stressful parts of the exam for many students, and also one of the most trainable. If you are new to the test overall, our guide to how IELTS compares with TOEFL and Duolingo is a good place to start. Below is a clear explanation of the IELTS listening test format, how it is scored, and how to prepare.
The IELTS listening test takes about 30 minutes and has 40 questions. The test is the same for IELTS Academic and General Training. It has four sections, with 10 questions in each:
Section 1 is a conversation between two people about an everyday situation, such as booking accommodation or asking about travel.
Section 2 is a monologue, one person speaking about a topic of general interest, such as local facilities or a museum tour.
Section 3 is a discussion between two to four people in an educational setting, such as a tutor and students talking about an assignment.
Section 4 is a university-style lecture on an academic subject, given by one speaker.
Each recording is played once only, and you will hear British, Australian, North American, and New Zealand accents. The question types include multiple choice, matching, map and diagram labelling, form, note, table, and flow-chart completion, sentence completion, and short-answer questions. Answers usually come in the same order as the information in the recording.
Timing depends on how you take the test. On paper, you get 10 minutes at the end to copy your answers onto the answer sheet. On computer, you type as you go and get about 2 extra minutes to review.
Each correct answer earns one mark, so your raw score is out of 40. That score is converted to a band on the 9-band scale, in whole and half bands. There is no negative marking, and answers with incorrect spelling or that go over the word limit are marked wrong. Unlike Reading, Listening uses the same conversion table for Academic and General Training, so a given raw score gives the same band on either version.
The chart below shows the approximate conversion. Exact marks can vary slightly between test sessions, so treat it as a guide.
Because there is no penalty for a wrong answer, it is always worth writing something for every question. Not sure what band to aim for? Our guide to what counts as a good IELTS score explains how schools use your results.
Here is how the IELTS Listening test compares with the other three sections. The whole exam takes 2 hours and 45 minutes. If you are also weighing the TOEFL, see how our TOEFL Listening section guide compares.
Strong IELTS listening comes from regular practice with real recordings, not background noise. If you want guided support to build these habits before test day, ISAL’s IELTS Test Prep program is designed to help.
British Council. "IELTS Listening Test Format: How It Works." Take IELTS, takeielts.britishcouncil.org/what-is-ielts/how-it-works/test-format/listening.
British Council. "Your Guide to the IELTS Test Format and Structure." Take IELTS, takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/test-format.
British Council. "Common Mistakes in IELTS & How to Avoid Them." Take IELTS, takeielts.britishcouncil.org/blog/common-mistakes-ielts.
IELTS.org. "IELTS Academic Format: Listening." IELTS, ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-academic-test/ielts-academic-format-listening.
IDP India. "7 Common IELTS Listening Mistakes to Avoid." IDP IELTS India, ieltsidpindia.com/blog/ielts-listening-mistakes-to-avoid.
"IELTS Listening Band Scores & Conversion Table." IELTS Beacon, ieltsbeacon.com/ielts-band-scores/listening/.
"Transferring Answers in IELTS Listening and Reading." IELTS Liz, ieltsliz.com/transferring-answers-in-ielts-listening-and-reading/.
