In the listening test of the IELTS, candidates have to know what the common mistakes people usually commit and how these can be avoided. With this knowledge, candidates can push harder on studying making them learn more skills to help them get a good score for the IELTS listening test. Here are the common mistakes in the IELTS listening test and some solutions on how to avoid them.
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- Misspelled answers. Unfortunately, raters are very lenient when checking your answers. There are no considerations when you misspelled a word. To avoid this mistake, it is best to listen carefully to the audio recording. Listen whether the answer you need is in its singular and plural form. Then, after the test, review your answers.
- Number of words provided on each blank. When the instruction says write three words, write only three words. Writing more than what is indicated is automatically wrong, so read instructions carefully.
- Do not ignore keywords found in the questions. You are given some time to read the questions prior to listening to the audio passage. Look for keywords in the questions and listen to them carefully in the passage.
- Failure to understand the question. You cannot find the right answer for any question if you do not fully understand the question. Read the question carefully and anticipate what the answer could be.
- Losing focus on the passage. Multitask when listening to passage. Remember that you have to do note-taking and find the answer as well in the listening test. Focus on the listening task well and try to block all the unnecessary noises during the listening task.
- Leaving questions unanswered. If you are unsure of your answer, it is best to take a wild guess. Choose the best option that you have in your mind. Do not leave it unanswered.
- Choosing an answer without even listening to the whole passage. When candidates hear one of the options or they think that what they have heard is already the answer, they immediately choose this. However, there are instances that the speaker provides a more specific answer for the question. The best thing is to listen entirely to the passage before answering.
- Poor skills in particular question types. One question that makes a huge challenge to IELTS candidates is reading maps. If you are unfamiliar with a question type, then it will be really difficult to get the right answer. The best solution is to understand all the question types and learn skills on how to answer them.
- Poor note-taking skills. When taking down notes, always look for the main idea and the key points within the audio recording. Write clearly so that you will be able to read your notes when it is time to answer the questions.
- Wasting the given time to revise answers. Review your answers before handing it in. look for misspelled words or even check the answers whether they are the right choices.
Practice makes perfect, so invest on practicing on a lot of listening exercise to be familiar with the IELTS listening test.
