Strategies for Part 1

Distinguishing Between Speakers

One important strategy is to distinguish between the voices of the speakers. This can be useful in Part 1 of the listening test, and also in Part 3 . Here are some strategies you can use to help you do this:

Before you listen:

  • read the questions and
  • identify the speakers’ names if possible.

While you listen:

  • focus on listening for the speakers’ names at the beginning of the conversation
  • distinguish between the speakers’ voices by noticing:
    • Tone: How high or low their voice is.
    • Volume: How loudly or softly they speak.
    • Accent: Does their accent sound different?  For example, is it American or South African?

Listening for Numbers

Another essential skill you need in Part 1 of the listening test is listening for and recognising numbers.

In this part of the test, you are often required to fill in a form and you may have to listen for numbers in the following forms:

  • times
  • dates
  • telephone numbers and credit cards
  • prices
  • decimals.

Times are common answers in the IELTS listening test. There are two ways to tell time in English, and either way may be used in the test:

Timehour + minutesminutes + hour
6:25six twenty-fivetwenty-five past six
6:35six thirty-fivetwenty-five to seven

Notice the difference between the two times in the minutes + hour format. Before the thirty minute mark (i.e. 6:30), we use the word ‘past’. For 6:25 we say ‘twenty-five past six because 25 minutes have passed since 6 o’clock. However, after the thirty minute mark, we need to use the word ‘to’. This is because the time is approaching the next hour, so in this case, we are approaching 7 o’clock. With the time 6:35, there are 25 minutes until we reach 7 o’clock; therefore, we say ‘twenty-five to seven’. For times involving 15 and 45 minutes, we can use ‘a quarter’, and 30 minutes ‘half’. For example:

Timehour + minutesminutes + hour
7:15seven fifteena quarter past seven
10:45ten forty-fivea quarter to eleven
2:30two thirtyhalf past two

There are three different ways in which dates can be said in English. For example, 17 August can be:

1. August seventeenth2. August the seventeenth 3. The seventeenth of August

As you can see, dates can be formed by a specific date and a month, and they can also include a year. Let’s have a look at these three elements in more detail separately.

 

Dates

The date is often said using ordinal numbers. Below is a list of the possible dates in their ordinal number form which you may hear in the IELTS test. 

1st   first
2nd   second
3rd   third
4th   fourth
5th   fifth
6th   sixth
7th   seventh
8th   eighth
9th   ninth
10th   tenth
11th   eleventh
12th   twelfth
13th   thirteenth
14th   fourteenth
15th   fifteenth
16th   sixteenth
17th   seventeenth
18th   eighteenth
19th   nineteenth
20th   twentieth
21st   twenty-first
22nd   twenty-second
23rd   twenty-third
24th   twenty-fourth
25th   twenty-fifth
26th   twenty-sixth
27th   twenty-seventh
28th   twenty-eighth
29th   twenty-ninth
30th   thirtieth
31st   thirty-first

If your answer includes a date and it is said in its ordinal form, you can write it without ‘th’. This means that, for example, 17 August or 17th August would both be marked correct. 

 

Months

For answers that include a month, you may write it in full, its abbreviation or corresponding number. 

Full wordAbbreviationNumber
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec010203040506070809101112

This means that if the answer is 17 August, you can also write 17/08 or 08/17.

If you decide to write the full word for the month, remember that it must be written in Capitals letters (i.e. August and not august). 

 

Years

Listen to how the following years are said in English:

197519992000200120022010

Up to 1999,  the year is said as a pair of two-digit numbers. For example:

  • 1910 – nineteen ten
  • 1985 – nineteen eighty-five

If above 2000, the year can be said as follows (e.g. 2018): 

  • two thousand and eighteen
  • two thousand eighteen
  • twenty eighteen

You often listen for telephone numbers in Part 1 of the IELTS test when you complete forms.

Telephones numbers may contain 6 to 10 digits and may include an area code. For example: (312) 956 2399.

How would you say these two phone numbers? Listen to check your answers. 

9854 60189947 3677

In the IELTS Listening test, prices are most often given in British pounds (£) or dollars ($). Dollar currencies that are most commonly used in the Listening test are: U.S. dollars (US$), Canadian dollars (C$), Australian dollars (A$), New Zealand dollars (NZ$), Singapore dollars (S$), and Hong Kong dollars (HK$). However, in your answers, you do not need to write the specific currency; you only need to write the dollar sign ($). 

Similar to numbers, times and dates, there are different ways to say prices. Listen to the following price examples and how they can said: 

   Example      Price
1$2.40two dollars fortytwo fortytwo dollars and forty cents
2$100.80one hundred dollars eightyone hundred dollars and eighty cents
3£5.45five pounds forty-fivefive pounds and forty-five pence
4£78.80seventy-eight pounds eightyseventy-eight pounds and eighty pence

Numbers with decimals are used throughout the listening test, not just in Part 1. They are often used with percentages (e.g. 7.5% of the population does regular exercise) or in larger numbers (e.g. 4.9 million people live in Sydney).

Let’s look at how decimal numbers are said.

3.5%three point five percent   orthree and a half percent
3.05%three point oh five percent   orthree point zero five percent
53.76 millionfifty three point seven six million

Recognising Street Suffixes

In Part 1, you will often be asked to listen for a person’s address and you will need to write the name of the street.

Street names are usually followed by what is called a ‘street suffix’. This is a word that follows the name of a street to tell you what type it is. In the IELTS listening test, you can write out the word (for example, s t r e e t), or you can abbreviate it (for example, St.).

Below is a list of the most common street suffixes and their abbreviations. You can also listen to how they are pronounced. 

SuffixAbbreviation
StreetSt
RoadRd
DriveDr
LaneLn
WayNo abbreviation
AvenueAve
BoulevardBlvd
HighwayHwy
ParadePrd
CircusNo abbreviation

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