IELTS Listening: how much listening do you do?

How much time did you spend listening to English speakers today? What about yesterday, and the day before?

Maybe, starting tomorrow, you could increase the amount of time that you spend listening to English. Any type of listening practice will help, so I'm not suggesting that you do more IELTS tests. Just watch something interesting on YouTube or listen to a news broadcast - anything to increase your daily listening time.

Comments

[Pachu]

Thank you for asking questions to us.Yes, really it matters .However , I yesterday listened section 3 and section 4.But I am not doing listening everyday because of not strictly following my daily routine.Therefore,It is causing problem for listening .Nowadays,in the real exam, listening test is becoming difficult due to lots of matching question and MCQ ( choose two answers and four/five /six answers from a list of options in a box) especially in section 2 and section 3.Sir, please do listening from Cambridge 14 also.

[Akter]

I have done my speaking yesterday and I was fasting. In part 1 and part, I have continued my speed at the same level but in part 3, I felt an extreme thrust for water. So that I couldn't think and deliver my ideas properly but as I can remember I just kept my speed, I mean fluency.

I am a bit worried about my speaking performance.

[Tae]

Hi Simon.

I disagree with your comment today. I live in Australia and I am working in medical environment. I hear English everyday at home and at work. However, IELTS listening test is totally different to daily life listening skills. The listening test requires some skills to read questions, listen to audio at the same time and write an answer quickly, otherwise, I will miss out next question and an answer. Also, spelling is very important as well :(
I found out that IELTS listening mock test is the best way to practice rather than listening to my friends, TV, or movie.

[Arash]

Hi Mr.Simon,

I do listen to English every day especially Ted Talks. I watch 2 ted talks on a daily basis which I think can help everyone to boost his/her understanding and score in all parts of the listening section, in particular, in part 4 of the IELTS listening section. Meanwhile, As we need to read, listen, and then write simultaneously in the real exam, It needs us to practice in IELTS exam style considering many factors including spelling, word limitation, grammar changes, concentration, time management, and the list goes on.

What are your recommendations for someone who has got 2 times band 8 in the listening section? Just practice more or there are other tips which can help us to hone our listening skill to achieve band score 9.

Thanks in advance for your nice tips.
Good luck

[Pachu]

Also sir, also I forget to mension that that some English people on test item has funny accent. It is difficult the accent. Not questions

[Burak]

I think, it is the best way to improve your listening and speaking skills

[Simon]

Tae,

I'm not saying that you shouldn't do test practice - you definitely should! I'm just advising people to do as much 'everyday' listening as possible too. This advice is mainly for people who don't live in a country where English is spoken - they don't have the daily exposure that you have.

[HYS]

The fact that someone denies the importance of everyday listening, passive or active, is ... funny. I live in my own country where English is not spoken. I started passive and sometimes active listening more than a year ago and I’m still doing so almost every day, to a wide variety of sourses. And guess what.... I’ve begun to understand different accents and content more and more. I’ve seen great improvement in understanding various British accents, and also Australian and New Zealand ones. Listening “constantly”, “over time”, and to “different” topics and sourses DOES help. Have you done that? When you feel more and more comfortable with varieties of English, you’re more likely to grasp what you hear without too much difficulty. And improved listening comprehension helps both in English proficiency exams, daily life in general ( It helps when I read English news, because I come across the phrase, words that i’ve heard before), and when I travel to the UK and New Zealand for example.

[Pachu]

I also say that IELTS is totally different from what TV shows, film shows.This is only time consuming .The real thing is we do not want to master in English .Here our goal is how to get more than 6 band using right technique, method, tips and strategy.Being focus on each module is the key to success .IELTS listening is something which we can not get benefit by only listening radio program , TV and movies shows.We have to do listening in IELTS style format then only can improve it. Similarly, reading newspaper,magazine can not help unless we do IELTS reading.Because it is totally different from what ever we read in these newspaper.All are the waste of time.If we have to crack IELTS in short period of time then we must listen read,write and speak in IELTS style.

[zsófi]

Pachu

Please note Simon's comment above:
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't do test practice - you definitely should! I'm just advising people to do as much 'everyday' listening as possible too".

Focusing only on IELTS material is not the path to success.

You say: "The real thing is we do not want to master in English". This is incorrect. IELTS is a test of how well you have mastered English. If you are to succeed, you will need to change your attitude. Learn English; do not learn "IELTS".

Also, your punctuation is faulty.
Correct: "...technique, method, tips..."
Correct: "...improve it. Similarly, reading.."
Correct: "... shows, film shows..."
The rest of your punctuation is improperly spaced.

[Diego]

zsofi you are so RIGHT!... "Learn English: do not learn IELTS."

Sometimes the learning process becomes stressful because we would like to insert the language inside your brain as Neo did to get new skills in Matrix. However, I also agree with Pachu, in the sense that we need to reach a score for a purpose, so it is also essential to insert the IELTS skills effectively aswell.