IELTS Listening practice: hear, answer, review
GetYour9 Listening practice combines recordings and question sets with submitted-answer review. Start with the available section or test you need, answer before checking, and use any supplied transcript to understand a missed detail.
By the GetYour9 team · Updated
Choose an audio practice session
Open Listening in the practice catalog and choose an available test or part. Read the question instructions before playing the recording so you know what type of answer to listen for.
Practice controls can support replay, speed changes, and script review where the material supplies a script. Test mode restricts those aids. Follow the controls and instructions shown in the selected session.
Listen for the final detail, not the first one
Speakers can correct a date, time, or location after first mentioning it. This original text exercise illustrates the listening decision; it is not a recording or official exam task.
Speaker: “We originally booked Room 14, but it is being repaired. The workshop will now be in Room 40.” Which room should a participant go to?
Show explanation
Room 40. “But” introduces a correction and “now” identifies the current arrangement. Writing the first room number would miss the speaker’s change of plan. In audio practice, listen through the whole relevant sentence before settling on an answer.
Separate hearing problems from answer problems
After submitting, return to the missed item. Could you hear the relevant words? Did you understand them but choose the earlier detail? Did you know the answer but enter it inaccurately? Each error needs a different next task.
If a transcript is supplied, find the short passage containing the evidence. Listen to that passage again, then hide the script and explain what changed. Keep the first attempt as the baseline.
- Read the question and answer-entry instructions.
- Attempt the recording with your chosen practice conditions.
- Review the key and available supporting script.
- Try a fresh section to test the same listening habit.
Compare attempts made under similar conditions
Replayed or slowed audio can help learning, but it changes the difficulty of an attempt. Record whether you used those aids when comparing results.
Transcript availability depends on the material. A practice score or band estimate does not certify an official Listening band. Use the official samples below alongside your GetYour9 practice.
Common questions
Do I need an account to practise?
This guide is public. The practice workspace requires an account, and practice allowances depend on your plan. Check the Pricing page and the allowance shown in your account before starting.
Can I replay audio?
Practice controls support replay; test mode restricts practice aids. Use the selected workspace’s controls and keep track of whether you replayed when comparing results.
Is a transcript always available?
No. Script review depends on the selected recording having a supplied transcript. Review the available answer key and supporting material in that session.
References and corrections
- IELTS: official sample test questions — Official tasks and test-format reference; examples on this page are original GetYour9 exercises.
- IELTS: scoring in detail — Official assessment information, separate from GetYour9 practice estimates.
Original teaching examples are illustrative. GetYour9 is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IELTS test owners. Report a content issue or read our Privacy Policy.
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