Select the correct answer.
There is a question about a fish. The instructions say "TWO WORDS". You clearly heard the recording saying "the red herring" and this is the only fishy thing in the recording. What will likely be considered the answer?
IELTS answer tables, which examiners use to mark the answer sheets, sometimes allow some variations, but failure to follow word count instructions will likely result in the answer considered wrong. When there is an ambiguity, it's often useful to check what words already exist in the text of the question itself. This might indicate that they are not the part of the answer. If there is no other way to resolve the ambiguity, which is rare, articles are the first candidate for exclusion. Usually in such cases the phrase without any article is still correct.
IELTS
- Listening: 30 min, 40 questions, 4 recordings (played once)
- Reading: 60 min, 40 questions, 3 passages
- Writing: 60 min, 2 tasks (chart + essay or letter + essay)
- Speaking: 11–14 min, face-to-face interview
IELTS is the world's most widely accepted English proficiency test: four sections, scored 0–9, accepted by universities, employers, and immigration bodies in 140+ countries.
Key fact: IELTS tests all four skills equally. Your overall band is the average — one weak section drags the whole score down.
IELTS Listening
- Section 1: social conversation (e.g., booking a hotel)
- Section 2: social monologue (e.g., tour guide)
- Section 3: academic discussion (e.g., students planning a project)
- Section 4: academic lecture (monologue, hardest)
IELTS Listening = 30 minutes, 40 questions, 4 recordings played ONCE. Tests ability to follow conversations and lectures at native speed across multiple accents.
Key strategy: read questions before each recording plays. The answers come in order — if you miss one, move on immediately or you'll miss the next.