IELTS Listening – Task Type 1 – Form/Notes/Table/Flow-chart/Summary Completion

Task Description

What are candidates required to do?
Candidates have to fill in gaps in an outline of part or of all of the listening text. The outline will focus on the main ideas in the text.

In all cases except the summary, note form can be used when completing the gaps. This means that articles, auxiliary verbs etc. may be omitted when they are not necessary for the meaning. The summary is written in connected sentences and so it must be grammatically correct.

What variations are there on this task type?
The outline may be

1. a form: often used to record factual details such as names.
2. a set of notes: used to summarise any type of information using the layout to show how different items relate to one another.
3. a table: used as a way of summarising information which relates to clear categories – e.g. place/time/price.
4. a flow-chart: used to summarise a process which has clear stages. The direction of the process is shown by arrows.
5. a summary: used to summarise any information in the form of a complete text.

Candidates may have to

• select their answers from a list on the Question Paper.
• identify the missing words from the recording which fit into the form/notes etc. In this case, they should not change the words from the recording in any way, and should keep to the word limit stated in the instructions.

How many words or numbers can be used to fill the gaps?
Candidates should read the instructions very carefully as the number of words or numbers they should use to fill the gaps will vary.

Understanding the Task

To see examples of this task type please click on the link below.

Examples of Task Type 1

To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the task yourself and analyse what you had to do to find the right answer.

Look at this sample Task Type 1 task. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

Sample Task Type 1 Task (PDF)
Recording
Tapescript
Answers

Things to consider

Now look at these questions about how you approached the task and consider your answers.

1. Do the notes form a record of the main points in the conversation?
   
   
2. What is the maximum number of words / letters you can write for each answer?
   
   
3. Can an answer consist of just one word?
   
   
4. Where there is a measurement, as in Questions 4 and 5, is it necessary to write the unit (e.g. metres, centimetres)?
   
   
5. What should be copied onto the Answer Sheet?