Developing General and Academic Listening Skills

Expectations of students at IELTS level
IELTS Listening is taken by both General Training and Academic candidates and is designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. It covers the basic survival skills in a broad social and educational context, as well as the skills required for academic purposes.

How we listen in our own language
Listening involves both linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge. Linguistic knowledge includes understanding of lexis, grammar, phonology and discourse. Non-linguistic knowledge may include understanding of the context or situation, the topic and the purpose of the interaction. When we listen in our first language we apply both types of knowledge at the same time to make sense of what we hear. We can use our existing knowledge to predict what might come next, and check each prediction in the light of the information we receive.

By using these skills, we can make sense of input in which individual sounds may be unclear, either because of background noise or because they are affected by other sounds in the stream of speech. We can also understand the meaning carried by stress and intonation, and we can hold pieces of information in our short-term memory long enough to relate it to further information given later on. In addition, we are able to interpret not just the surface meaning of the information conveyed but the underlying attitudes and opinions.

Developing listening skills in a foreign language
Students may develop listening skills in the classroom through listening to and interacting with the teacher and other students. In this case the context and purpose of the interaction is usually clear, and the student can let the speaker know if he or she has not understood what was said.

Listening skills are also developed more formally through listening to recorded materials via a variety of media. In this case the context and purpose may not be apparent, so students may need to be provided with this information before they start listening. Specific listening tasks are usually given in order to focus the students. Such tasks are likely to involve a degree of reading and writing.

Outside the classroom there is an increasing number of opportunities for students of English to listen to different varieties of English through leisure and educational activities on video and TV, through songs or computer and internet activities, as well as through interaction with other speakers of English.

The difference between general and academic spoken English
IELTS Listening tests understanding of both general English in transactional situations, such as making arrangements for transport, accommodation and leisure activities, and academic situations, such as taking part in a seminar or listening to a lecture. In addition, candidates listen to both conversations and monologues. In each case the context, purpose and relationship between speakers will affect the language used.

• IELTS Listening Section 1 (conversation with a transactional purpose)
  The conversation may be between two friends. In this case the speakers may use fillers, phrasal verbs and colloquial expressions, they may leave sentences unfinished or interrupt one another. If the conversation is between two people who do not know one another well (e.g. a conversation between a shopkeeper and customer) the language is likely to be more formal with phrases typical of this type of interaction (e.g. ‘What I was hoping is that you could give me some sort of a refund.’)
• IELTS Listening Section 2 (monologue with a transactional purpose) The speaker may be addressing the listeners directly – e.g. a speech by a tour guide. In this case, the language may be quite informal. Alternatively, this section may present information in the form of a recorded message or a radio broadcast directed at an unseen audience. In this case the language may be more formal and with longer sentences and more complex syntax.
• IELTS Listening Section 3 (conversation in an academic context)
  The conversation may display similar features of speech to those in Section 1, depending on the relationship between the speakers, but the lexis and structures are likely to reflect those more often heard in an academic context. The range of vocabulary is likely to be wider than that of Section 1 conversations, and there is likely to be more negotiation of meaning.
• IELTS Listening Section 4 (monologue in an academic context)
  A monologue in an academic context is likely to have been carefully prepared and the speaker may be referring to notes as he/she gives the talk or lecture. This section is likely to be the closest to written language, with dense information and complex sentences with subordinate clauses. However, the speaker will also usually use signposting language to help the listener follow the argument.

See the activity General and Academic English

IELTS Preparation – Teaching or Testing?
Teachers can train and support their students in IELTS preparation classes by

• selecting listening tasks on topics related to the students' knowledge and interests
• providing activities to remind students of what they already know about the topic and the related language before they listen (see Activities List for teaching ideas)
• making sure that students are quite clear about what they have to do for each task type, and the type of listening required
• pausing the tape or replaying when necessary in practice activities
• allowing plenty of time for checking and discussion of answers, and giving students access to tapescripts at this stage
• providing additional opportunities for listening in a range of non-exam formats – e.g. songs, videos, news broadcasts, real-life speakers – with tasks aimed at developing confidence and motivation