The IELTS Listening Section
IELTS Listening
Though a lot of people consider the listening section in the IELTS a scoring area, a few in fact dread the listening and their fear s are not always misplaced. This article is an attempt to allay some common phobias associated with the IELTS listening section.
Accent, voice modulation and intonation
Most test takers fear that the accent, voice modulation and intonations of the native speakers used in the IELTS listening tapes will make it difficult to understand the content. Though this is definitely a valid concern, the test taker should understand that IELTS is a test with increasing difficulty i.e the test becomes more and more difficult as it progresses. However the first few tapes leading up to the 30 question might be relatively easy and the accent used in the recordings are pretty clear. So always try to score maximum out of the first 30 questions. Secondly the test taker should keep on listening to as much practice materials as possible.
Managing the speed
The rate of speech is another thing that the test takers are afraid of. Most recordings used in the test are evenly paced though we can’t rule out the possibility of some listening passages going at a pace that is not easy for a test taker to cope with. However the best way to overcome this problem is to listen to as much listening material as possible.
Getting lost in between
Test takers while going through the listening practice tests realize that they sometimes lose track of the entire recording. This is a genuine problem so try to be very attentive right from the word goes till the end. If you lose your bearing, don’t panic try to co-relate the listening question booklet and the tape, and you will be all right.
Fear of vocabulary
Most takers fear that there will very tough vocabulary and this would stop them from understanding the recording and thereby from answering questions properly. However this fear is rather misplaced because IELTS listening does not come up with tough vocabulary at all. If your vocabulary is decent (that of an average Indian graduate) then there is not to worry about. In case you encounter a difficult word or phrase try to guess the meaning from the context that it is used.
Grammar
Listening does not require you to a thorough have understanding of complex concepts in grammar. The test emphasizes more on usage rather than grammar however it is nice to have some basic understanding.
What Brooklyn Review can do?
Brooklyn Review IETS counselling as well as classroom strategy sessions explains all the above mentioned concepts in details and take you through systematic practice of materials of the previously held IELTS examinations. We will identify your problems, give suggestions and instructions to improve.
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