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Monday, September 21, 2009
IELTS Listening: Basic Information
The Listening Test is the first thing you have to do when you take an IELTS
exam. If your exam is at the Manchester test centre, you should arrive at
9.15am. You will be taken to an exam room and your ID documents will be
checked. The Listening Test starts at 10.00am.
The Listening Test has 4 sections. Each section contains 10 questions, so there
are 40 questions in total. The test lasts about 30 minutes, then you have an
extra 10 minutes to write your answers on an answer sheet.
Here are some of the problems students have with IELTS Listening:
You only have ONE chance to listen to the recording.
Correct spelling is important.
Different English accents are used.
Some of the questions are designed to trick you.
To solve these problems, we need to do a lot of listening and spelling practice.
There are also some exam tips and techniques that I can give you. However,
listening practice will help you much more than exam techniques.
If you want to have "a good ear", you need to listen to as much English as
possible. We'll start in next week's lesson.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
IELTS Listening: presidential debate
This week in the UK, the leaders of the three main political parties are going to
have a live TV debate. The video below shows part of the first American
presidential debate between JFK and Nixon.
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I think it's a useful video because you can follow the subtitles, and it's full of
good vocabulary. Here are some of the 'verb + noun' collocations used:
to raise a question
to adopt an idea
to make recommendations
to ask for / give / get advice
to make (major) decisions
to implement goals
to face problems
to make gains
Which speaker do you prefer?
PS. I'm sorry if you can't watch YouTube videos.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
IELTS Listening: the learning revolution
Here's another good video from ted.com. The presenter speaks very clearly, but
it's still a good idea to turn the subtitles on.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
IELTS Listening: good websites
I've used a lot of videos from ted.com on this website. Here's another really
good website for interesting videos: fora.tv
Of course, these are not IELTS websites, but you will not improve your listening
skills by doing IELTS tests alone.
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If you need to use English for study or work purposes, you should do as much
listening as possible. Have a look at fora.tv and tell me what you think.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
IELTS Listening: world population
Watch this fascinating presentation about world population changes. It's full of
good 'IELTS language'. I recommend watching with the subtitles on.
PS. The presenter is not a native English speaker, but his grammar is perfect.
The only mistakes are in his pronunciation of 'digital' and 'nuclear'.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
IELTS Listening/Speaking: describe a city
I've used the following video with some of my classes. Try the gap-fill exercise
for IELTS listening practice.
The topic of the video, a description of a city, is useful for IELTS speaking. Try
using words or phrases from the video to describe a place you have visited.
Listen and fill the gaps:
1. Copenhagen is stylish, ______ and frequently cloudy or rainy.
2. Its location is ______. Its the bridge between Europe and Scandinavia.
3. The locals ______ to be bike-riding, taciturn and very good-looking.
4. My best piece of ______ for travellers is to wear comfortable shoes.
5. If you can get a ______ point, the views over the city are ______.
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6. Learning the language is an exercise in ______.
7. Its ______ of people who are helpful and practical.
8. Travellers should take a ______ of humour and a ______ mind.
If you can't see the video, listen to the recording below:
Click here to listen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
IELTS Listening: multicultural society
Watch the following video and try the gap-fill exercise for IELTS listening
practice.
Multiculturalism and immigration are also possible topics for IELTS writing task
2. Do you have an opinion about these issues? The video should give you some
ideas.
Listen and fill the gaps:
Immigration has become a hot political, economic and ______ issue.
Minorities are creating identities that combine ________ of both cultures.
Different cultures are coming ________ and enriching society.
There is no dominant ________.
It is becoming part of everyday _____.
Ive learnt new languages, and to be more friendly and _________.
Ive learnt how to interact with other cultures and _______ them.
If you can't see the video, listen to the recording below:
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Click here to listen
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
IELTS Listening: environment topic
The video below is about climate change. I think it's useful for three reasons:
The style (academic, formal) is quite similar to IELTS listening section 4.
The description of a graph is useful for IELTS writing task 1.
The film contains some great vocabulary for the environment topic (IELTS
writing task 2 and IELTS speaking).
Listen and fill the gaps in the summary:
The graph helps us to distinguish between variations in the climate due to
______ causes and those variations that are induced by human ______.
The climate is naturally variable. Occasionally there is a downward trend that is
associated with a volcano going off. Then we get to a period, from about 1910,
where you can start to see an upward trend, a warming of the climate: ______
______.
Up to this point, you could argue that climate variation can be explained by
natural ______. That is no longer the case as you get to the latter part of the
20th century. From about 1970 onwards, you can see the red curve and the
green curve beginning to diverge. The yellow curve includes human factors: in
particular the ______ effect, which is mostly caused by carbon dioxide from
______ fuel burning.
There seems little doubt that this steep rise in temperature is due to human
activity. Without the action of ______ ______, there would have been far less
______ change since the 1970s.
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If you can't see the video, listen to the recording below:
Click here to listen
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
IELTS Listening: iPod
The following video isn't really about an IELTS topic; I just think it's interesting.
You'll see the boss of Apple introducing the first iPod in 2001. At the time
nobody knew what an iPod was, and now almost everyone has one! This is also
a great example of how to do a presentation.
Listen and fill the gaps below:
Music is a part of ______ life.
Its a very large ______ market.
It knows no ______.
In this whole digital ______ there is no market leader.
No one has found the ______ yet.
People trust the Apple ______.
This is a ______ leap.
It holds your ______ music library.
Your whole music library ______ in your pocket.
Its an amazing little ______.
If you can't see the video, listen to the recording below:
Click here to listen
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
IELTS Listening: crime topic
The following video is about what the police are doing to reduce youth crime in
an area of the UK. Two solutions are given: special police teams on the streets,
and a local resource centre with activities for young people.
The ideas in the video are also useful for IELTS writing task 2.
Listen and fill the gaps below:
1. Neighbourhood task teams have had an immediate impact in ______ crime.
2. They have a long-term ______ on crime levels.
3. Were ______ anti-social behaviour.
4. Were working with partner agencies to help ______ solutions.
5. The creation of a neighbourhood resource centre has ______ a big difference.
6. The centre offers a ______ of activities to all ages.
7. The police can work with the ______, and are seen in a whole new light.
8. Theres been a marked ______ in crime and vandalism.
9. These are important ______ to local communities.
If you can't see the video, listen to the recording below:
Click here to listen
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
IELTS Listening: success!
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Here is one of my favourite videos from ted.com. Hopefully you will be able to
apply some of the speaker's advice to your IELTS preparation.
What do you think the speaker means when he says:
She wanted to make something of her life.
I'm gonna tell you what makes TED-sters tick.
Put your nose down in something.
Or failing that, do the eight things...
If the subtitles don't work, go to ted.com and search for "8 secrets". While
you're there, have a look at some other TED videos.
Note:
The speaker uses the word "workafrolics". This is not a real word, but the word
"frolic" is related to playing or having fun, so maybe you can guess what he
means.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
IELTS Listening: city problems and solutions
Watch the video and fill in the gaps in the summary below.
Summary:
There are more people living in cities than in ______ areas. Urbanisation is the
defining phenomenon of this century; half of the worlds population is urban.
Many people are enticed from rural areas by the ______ of a better life. We need
to improve living conditions for the urban poor by providing adequate ______,
clean water and ______.
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One key to making cities ______ better is good planning. Planners need to ______
cities to make them beneficial for all citizens. Cities need green transport and
green ______; they need to be energy ______ and pedestrian- ______, with
housing and jobs to ______ people to come to live there.
If you can't see the video, listen to the following recording:
Click here to listen
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
IELTS Listening: space tourism
Watch the video about the future of space tourism. Then answer the questions
below (use the comments option to share or compare your answers).
The video begins with this sentence: "Space tourism might seem like pie in the
sky." What does this mean?
Where do companies plan to travel to by 2010?
What happened in 2004?
What have more than 250 people done?
What's the name of the yellow spaceship project?
How are flights with this company different to the trips planned by other
companies?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
IELTS Listening: the problem of plastic
Watch the video and fill the gaps in the sentences below.
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1. Throwaway plastics take a lot of space and don't ______.
2. Plastics are also hard to ______.
3. A large fraction of our trash will ______ ______ rivers to the sea.
4. Birds often mistake bottle caps for ______.
5. Many fish have polluted plastic ______ in their stomachs.
6. The throwaway society cannot be ______; it has gone ______.
7. The solution is to stop plastic at its ______.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
IELTS Listening: 'obesity' topic
Listen to the news report about obesity in the UK, then fill the gaps in the text.
Share and compare your answers in the "comments" area.
click here to listen
Todays survey shows that ______ ______ ______ in the East Midlands is
overweight. The research found that the region ______ ______ ______ average
Body Mass Index score in the country, bordering on obese.
As a region, it means weve got a much ______ ______ ______ ______ type 2
diabetes; a much ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ and some forms of cancer.
And of course, that all ______ ______ ______ ______ the National Health Service.
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Overall, the survey showed that 13 million adults in the UK are either
overweight or obese. ______ ______ ______ the NHS an estimated 4.2 billion
pounds a year.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
IELTS Listening: multiple choice
Watch the video and answer the multiple choice questions below.
1. Many teachers believe that
A) plagiarism is not a big problem
B) too many students are guilty of plagiarism
C) many students copy each other's essays
2. Plagiarism is a problem because
A) a student's true level of ability will not be known
B) students have to rewrite their essays
C) many students do not get caught
3. Teachers can spot plagiarism by
A) using free software
B) comparing different students' writing styles
C) putting key words into a search engine
If you can't see the video, listen to the recording below:
Click here to listen
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Tuesday, January 04, 2011
IELTS Listening: mobile phones
Watch the first minute of the video and complete the text below.
In 2000 there were 700 million ______ ______ ______, three quarters of which
were in the ______ ______. Yet by the end of 2008 there were around 4 billion,
three quarters of them in the ______ ______. What was once a yuppie toy has
become a tool of ______ ______, even in the world's poorest places.
Developing countries are now ______ the market's ______. In the 12 months to
the end of March 2009, the number of ______ ______ in India increased by 128
million, or 52%. In Western Europe, by contrast, the number of subscribers
increased by 27 million, or 5%.
Note:
If you can't see the video properly, click here to watch it on the Economist site.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
IELTS Listening: babies and language
Watch the first 3 minutes of the video and answer the questions below. Watch
with subtitles if you find it difficult. You might also like to watch the rest of the
presentation if you find the topic interesting.
1. The speaker states that
A) speaking a language is a critical skill
B) babies are language learning geniuses
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C) adults cannot learn a new language
2. The speakers tests on babies involve
A) training them to respond to a sound change
B) training them to recognise the sounds of all languages
C) training them to respond to a panda bear
3. The speaker describes babies as 'citizens of the world' because
A) they understand everything they hear
B) they can recognise the difference between the sounds of any language
C) their listening skills are as good as adults listening skills
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
IELTS Listening: 'photographic film'
Listen to the recording about the history of photographic film, and fill the gaps
in the sentences below.
Click here to listen
1. Eastman started manufacturing celluloid film in ______.
2. The "Kodak" was available to consumers from the year ______.
3. It was bought by normal people because it was ______ and ______.
4. The camera was able to take ______ pictures before a new film was needed.
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Tuesday, April 05, 2011
IELTS Listening: online lectures
If you want to do some academic listening on a daily basis, have a look at
YouTube Edu (YouTube's education site).
Many universities now have their own pages on this site. You can search for
lectures by subject (using the categories on the left of the page) or by
university (below the YouTube Edu search bar).
Have a look for lectures related to your field of studies. Some of the universities
even offer full courses that you can follow for free.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
IELTS Listening: the future of books?
Sometimes I like to share videos simply because I found them interesting. The
video below comes from ted.com, one of my favourite websites, and subtitles
can be turned on if you need them.
The presenter gives us an interesting glimpse into the future of ebooks. Would
you like to read books like this, or do you prefer the book in its traditional form?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
IELTS Listening: gap-fill about libraries
Watch the video about the future of libraries, and fill the gaps in the text below.
Thanks to Safaa for finding this interesting video!
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Fill the gaps by listening to the first 3 minutes of the video.
Academic libraries are changing faster now than at any time in their history.
The ______ ______ of the library as a physical space housing racks of books and
papers is coming under increasing ______. The library stands at a crossroads.
In the digital age, there is an ever-increasing amount of information available to
use in a wide ______ of different ______, and change will be ______ by the people
that use this information.
While demand for change is coming from users, it is technology that is making
it possible to ______ this demand. As more and more resources are available on
the Internet via search engines, students and researchers now expect to be
able to ______ information around the clock from almost anywhere in the world
and via a growing number of ______, from laptops to phones.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
IELTS Listening: the future
Here's an interesting video from ted.com (my favourite video website). The
presenter asks us to think about which news stories will matter in the long run.
will matter = will be important
in the long run = in the long term/ in the distant future
If you watch the video with subtitles, it's also interesting to analyse the
grammar used to talk about the future. The presenter mostly uses going to but
he also uses will, might and may.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
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IELTS Listening: great speech
Today's video has been watched by millions of people on YouTube. It's a speech
by Steve Jobs (Apple boss) telling the story of his life.
Don't worry if you don't understand everything. Hopefully you'll find the video
interesting, and maybe inspiring. If you have time, take note of any useful
words and phrases.
PS. I shared this video over a year ago, but I thought I'd share it again for
people who missed it.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
IELTS Listening: great videos
You should definitely check out the videos from RSA Animate on YouTube. The
video below is a good one to start with.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
IELTS Listening: watch TV programmes
Watching TV programmes is a good way to improve your listening. The video
below is a clip from a TV programme called "Dragons' Den".
If you live in the UK you can watch Dragons' Den on BBC 2 tonight. Otherwise,
you can find clips on YouTube.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
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IELTS Listening: watch Harvard lectures
There are some great Harvard lecures on YouTube. The example below comes
from a series of lectures on political philosophy. I found the series really
interesting, and it's fantastic listening practice.
To watch other lectures in the series click here.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
IELTS Listening: job satisfaction
Watch the video and fill the gaps in the summary below.
Americans are apparently becoming more dissatisfied with the daily ______. A
survey has found that worker dissatisfaction has been ______ ______ ______ for
more than two decades. In 1987, about 60% of workers said they were
satisfied, but today the figure is ______ to 45%.
Dissatisfaction is growing in relation to all aspects of jobs, including job
security, ______, ______, bonuses and potential for growth. Some economists
believe that this dissatisfaction could ______ innovation, and hurt ______ and
______.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
IELTS Listening: obesity problem
Today's video contains some useful ideas for the 'health' topic. The presenter
speaks passionately about the obesity problem and how to solve it.
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Fill the gaps in this summary of the first 5 minutes of the talk:
The speaker claims that many American children will have a ______ ______ than
their parents. Two thirds of Americans are statistically ______ or obese, and
______-______ disease is now the biggest ______ in the United States. Obesity
costs the country 10% of ______ ______ bills, or $150 dollars a year.
