IELTS Listening – Task Type 2 – Multiple Choice
Task Description
What are candidates required to do?
There is a question or a sentence beginning followed by three possible
answers or sentence endings. Candidates have to choose the one correct
answer A, B or C.
What form do the questions take?
They may involve sentence completion –
the stem gives the first part of a sentence and candidates choose
the best way to complete it from the options. The stem could also
be worded as a complete question, with the candidates choosing the
option which best answers it.
What variations are there on this task
type?
Sometimes candidates are given a longer list
of possible answers and told that they have to choose more than
one. In this case they should read the question carefully to check
how many answers are required.
What skills are being tested?
Multiple Choice items are used to test a wide
range of skills. They may require the candidate to have a detailed
understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of
the main points of the listening text.
Understanding the Task
To see examples of this task type please click on the link below.
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 2. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.
Sample
Task Type 2 Task (PDF)
Recording
Tapescript
Answers
Things to consider
Now look at these questions about how you approached the task and consider your answers.
- What type of listening skill is being tested here?
- How many letters can you choose for each question?
- Does it matter how you mark your answer on the Question Paper?
- In which question, 9 or 10, does the correct answer come just from the customer?
- In which question, 9 or 10, do you need to combine information given by the agent and the customer to get the right answer?
- Are the words in the recording the same as the words on the Question Paper?
