Studying abroad is a dream of many. But there are lots of procedures that one needs to do and giving IELTS is one of them, the most important one, to be honest. The average score for IELTS changes according to whether you are attending IELTS general test or IELTS academic. For the IELTS general test, an acceptable listening score must be 6.5 or above and an overall score should be at least 6.6. For the IELTS academic test, an acceptable score for listening is 6.3 and the overall average score should at least be 6.1. Computer based IELTS or IELTS-CBT does not differ much from General IELTS. Here the test will be taken online on a computer or laptop. Here are some Computer based IELTS Listening Tips that will guide you in attempting the section and achieve good grades.
Computer based IELTS Listening Tips for Band 8:
- Understanding the test –
In computer based IELTS, you will have 1 minute after each section to check your answers. Everything else is similar to a paper-based test. Many times students tend to take the listening test for granted since the answer is available in the audio but that is the tricky part. The audio will be a conversation and you will have 30-40 seconds to read the questions of one section before the audio starts. The audio can’t be paused or slowed down, it will stop when it ends.
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- Accent Familiarization –
Accents can be a setback if you are not prepared for them. Mostly, the accents you could be hearing for your test are either British or Australian. So, make sure you are familiar with the accents. Understand how people with those accents communicate with the help of movies, YouTube videos or podcasts, etc. You have to know that the pronunciation of some words in British and Australian accents can be different than that of the normal English we are used to. Familiarize yourself with the accent!
- One Chance at Listening –
Yes, life sure does give us so many chances to make up for our mistakes but in this test, you are getting only one. Distractions can easily be fatal for you. The audio will have a defined pace and you will be provided pen and pencil if you feel like any point mentioned in the audio can be used later. The audio will only be played one time so you need to know what you are looking for and listen carefully to everything it states.
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- Welcoming Unfamiliar Words or Phrases –
As mentioned above, the audio will be of British or Australian accent and it is safe to assume that some slang or phrases that are merely known by non-native English speakers will be used. To avoid confusion, you can try to get familiar with the common phrases which are used in everyday life in British English. You can always guess those but knowing them already will give you a little boost of confidence.
- Be Patient –
Once you start the test, do not panic if you don’t answer a question. Be patient with the audio and yourself. The answer will come. It might be at the very beginning or end. But you are not allowed to lose your focus. There is a possibility that in a hurry to find an answer to the question you can’t find, you might miss the answer to the other one in that period.
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- Cross-checking –
In paper-based IELTS, you get an extra 10 minutes to copy down your answers from the question paper on the answer sheet, during that period you have a chance to improve your grammar and erase the mistakes. In computer based IELTS, you will not have those 10 mins. You only get 2 mins just to check all your answers. So, try avoiding spelling and grammatical mistakes. But a good side of computer based IELTS is that you can see how many questions you have already answered on your computer screen. This saves you the time of re-checking the whole test and you can just attend to the questions you missed in the remaining time.
- Practice Tests –
If there is anything that can boost your confidence like no other, it is IELTS general training. Without a doubt, these practice tests will give you an idea of how IELTS-CBT will be and they will also prepare you to give the test with all your potential. During IELTS preparation, it is also important to keep in mind that everything that happens around you also somehow prepares you for the test.
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A computer based listening test is an important one. Other than the above listed computer based IELTS listening tips, the most important tips to remember is that, sure, it is easier than speaking, writing, and reading but that’s what makes it a scoring test. Remember, concentration is the key to all. Every answer is there in the audio. You just have to listen carefully. You got this!
At IELTS Preparation Brampton, we tailor our online program around your needs where you can get more help for specific weaker areas instead of working on all 4 IELTS modules.