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How to Improve IELTS Reading and Listening Skills

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Students often ask me ‘How do I improve my reading and listening skills?’

The short answer is ‘Read and listen more.’ However, this is not a very good answer because you need to know HOW to practice and WHERE to get good sources of reading and listening material.

This article will help you:

  1. Learn HOW to practice
  2. WHERE to find the best sources
  3. HOW often you should be practicing

books-open-on-table-300x200 How to Improve IELTS Reading and Listening Skills

How to Practice Listening and Reading

There are two kinds of listening and reading practice- passive and active.

One of them is the most common, but least effective, but the other will increase your skills dramatically in a much shorter period of time.

Passive listening is when you simply listen to a song, people talking, the news etc. and don’t do anything else. In other words, you do not actually think about what you are listening to.

Passive reading means you simply read something, but you do not take any steps to think about or learn from what you are reading.

Active Listening and Reading

When you actively listen to something, you listen to less information, but you think about it in a much deeper way. This deeper way of thinking about what you are listening to means you learn in a much more efficient and effective way.

For example, instead of listening to 30 minutes of the news, you might just listen to 3 minutes of the news but think about any new words or phrases you hear, guess what these mean and then note them down in a vocabulary notebook.

Active reading could mean that instead of reading a full chapter for 30 minutes, you simply read one paragraph, but think about the grammar and the function of each sentence. You would then try to use the same grammar and functions in your own writing.

Active listening and reading require you to think and do much more than simply sit back and hope that English will magically be downloaded to your brain, but it will cut your preparation time and also lead to huge improvements.

Examples of Active Listening

acl-blog-social-listening-image-300x223 How to Improve IELTS Reading and Listening Skills

The most important things you can think about when active listening are:

  1. Pronunciation
  2. Vocabulary
  3. Grammar
  4. Structure

 

 

I don’t recommend doing all four at once. It is just too much to think about. Instead, I would start by focusing on the area that you are weakest in. This is the best use of your time. So, if you really struggle with pronunciation, focus on that.

This will also improve your speaking because you will constantly be thinking about how native speakers talk.

Examples of Active Reading

The most important things you can think about when active reading are:

  1. Vocabulary
  2. Grammar
  3. Structure
  4. Idea development

Again, don’t do all four at once; start with the one you need the most help with.

This will really help you with your writing. Normally, the more someone reads, the better they are at writing.

Vocabulary

When reading or listening you should do the following things:

  1. Underline or note any new words or phrases.
  2. Read or listen to that section again and try to guess what that word/phrase means.
  3. Check meaning in dictionary. Don’t skip step 2!
  4. Write new word/phrase in a special vocabulary note book.
  5. Add meaning, pronunciation, collocations, example sentences, synonyms etc. to help you remember the word/phrase.
  6. Review regularly.

Before too long you will have a large number of new words and phrases to use.

Grammar

When reading or listening you should do the following:

  1. Underline or note any sentences you do not fully understand.
  2. Think about why the writer used that grammar structure.
  3. Identify the grammar structure.
  4. Check structure in book or on website.
  5. Try to use this structure when speaking or in your writing.
  6. Review regularly.

Pronunciation

  1. Pick 1 or 2 sentences that have some interesting pronunciation features in them.
  2. Listen to them a few times.
  3. Write down the sentence and mark any features, such as:
    1. Intonation (mark this with arrows up or down)
    2. Linking words (mark this with linking from one word to another)
    3. Weak sounds (use a different colour for these)
    4. Stress (Underline the stressed syllables)
  4. Try to copy the features above by mimicking what the speaker said.

Structure

  1. Underline or note down any discourse markers (such as Firstly, however, although, for example etc.)
  2. Note the function of the sentences and how the speaker/writer used these words to structure what they say/write.
  3. Try using these words yourself to structure your writing/speaking.

Idea Development

  1. Underline topic sentences.
  2. Note how the writer develops this main idea with explanations and examples.
  3. Use the same/similar technique when practicing Task 2 essays.

Where to find the best sources

First of all, do NOT spend all of your time listening to and reading IELTS tests. They are boring and you will get sick and tired of them very quickly. You should practice doing IELTS tests, but I think that this should be only around 10-20% of your preparation time for reading and listening.

The other 90-80% should be spent listening or reading to something you find interesting or, even better, enjoy. If you like reading Harry Potter, read that. If you like watching Game of Thrones, listen to that. Prefer cartoons? They’re fine too. Anything in English that you enjoy is fine.

Google will help you out with finding the things you like, but here are a number of things I think are extremely useful for language learning:

Podcasts

Podcasts have taken over from radio and I absolutely love them. You can download them or stream them using lots of apps or websites. My personal favourite app is Stitcher.

There are millions of podcasts out there, you just have to search and find one you love. Once you find some podcasts you like, you can listen to them whenever and wherever you like. They are also perfect for active listening because you can pause and listen to them again and again.

Here are some of my recommended podcasts.

YouTube

Just like radio has been replaced by podcasts, TV has been replaced by YouTube. Again, there are millions of channels and shows on YouTube, so all you have to do is search for something you like.

Ted Talks

These are short lectures about interesting topics. Luckily, they are often on the kind of topics you will find on the IELTS writing and speaking tests. Very good for idea development and vocabulary.

Here are the Ted Talks I recommend.

Audio Books

There are millions of free audio books available online.

Audible is my favourite app for listening to these.

Amazon Kindle

You don’t have to buy a Kindle device. You can download the Kindle app on any device and then you will have access to millions of free books. There are also millions of books you have to pay for, but they are not very expensive.

Your Local Book Shop

Most books stores in the world have an English section. Check out what’s on offer in your local shop.

How long should I practice for?

The answer to this question is different for every person because we all have different schedules and commitments.

A student with lots of free time and no family or work commitments is going to have much more time to practice than a busy person with a job and family.

The short answer to this is practice as much as possible.

Lots of people say that they have no time to practice, but there are many opportunities throughout the day. For example, you could listen or read when you get up in the morning before you get up, on your way to work, when you are exercising, during your lunch break, on your way home from school, before you go to bed and many many others.

What you should remember is that it is much more effective to practice a little every day than to leave everything to the last week before your test.

Extra Resources

If you need more help with IELTS Reading and Listening, please click the links below for lots more information:

Listening

Reading

Just starting to learn about IELTS? My IELTS Preparation Guide is what you need.

Here’s also a video summarising the information above:

Best Podcasts for English Learners

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Best-Podcasts-for-English-Learners1-300x300 Best Podcasts for English Learners

The best English students are always looking for new ways to develop their skills, and increasingly, podcasts have become an unparalleled source of ‘real English’. There are lots of podcasts out there that focus on teaching grammar, vocabulary and other skills, but they tend to be a little too much like being in English class and don’t expose learners to how real English speakers converse with each other.

Podcasts offer you an insight into what you can expect if you actually lived in an English speaking country. There are also so many of them, that you can pick the ones that suit your interests. How many times have you sat in an English class listening to a topic that puts you to sleep? With podcasts you can choose whatever you’re in to, improve your English and learn about your passion, all at the same time.

I’ll be honest and confess that I’m a bit of a podcast addict, but it’s mostly because I’ve learned more from them about a whole range of topics, including web design, social media, entrepreneurship, teaching, astrophysics, philosophy and the list goes on and on, than I ever did at school.

If you’re passionate about something, you’ll learn more effectively. So instead of listening to boring grammar tapes or learning lists of academic vocabulary, why not find a podcast you love and learn your grammar and vocabulary from them?

I’ve sampled a bunch of podcasts and also had some recommendations from students, and below are some the best and most educational out there.

Where can I listen to podcasts?

Most people listen to them on their phone. If you have an Apple device, podcasts will already be a pre-installed app.

You can download an app called Stitcher on any device. It’s free and you can also listen to it on your computer at home.

How can they improve my English?

You can simply just relax and listen to them if you want, but this is what I call ‘passive’ listening. A much more effective way is something called ‘active’ listening. This is when you listen and actively think about the vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures or pronunciation.

If you hear a word you don’t know, listen to the section again and try to guess the meaning. You can then note down the word on your phone or in a notebook and check to see if you were correct. Soon you will really expand your vocabulary.

If you listen to a sentence and you didn’t understand a phrase, it is probably because of connected speech. Rewind and listen to it a few times and the words will become clearer each time. Soon you will get used to how native speakers naturally join words together. This is essential if you want to get one of the higher scores in the Listening test.

You can also imitate stress patterns, intonation and individual sounds that you find difficult. Make sure you’re alone when you do this and not on the bus on the way to work. 🙂

These are just a few ways you can ‘actively’ listen. The great thing about podcasts is you can listen and learn anywhere.

My Favourites

Below are a list of the podcasts I love and I’ve recommended to friends and students. You might not be in to the same things I am, but simply have a search for podcasts and you are sure to find one that interests you.

Hardcore History

This is my personal favourite. Hardcore History by Dan Carlin is simply brilliant.

Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Hitler? How did World War I shape our lives today? How did Genghis Khan rise from humble beginnings to master a huge empire? Dan answers these questions and more.

Freakonomics Radio

This podcast is likely to appeal to people who are interested in sociology, social issues, current events, science, and the human condition. The delivery is lively and fascinating, and the hosts have fun personalities. This is not a dry or boring economics lecture by any means.

The Joe Rogan Experience

Joe is the man. I’ve collectively lost weeks of my life listening to this podcast. Joe is never short of an interesting guest from comics, professors, celebrities, MMA fighters, authors etc. His shows are long, always interesting and often hilarious. Hours will disappear fast.

The Tim Ferriss Podcast

Out of all the podcasts on this list, I’ve recommended this one the most to my friends. Tim interviews world class performers from many different fields and tries to isolate their common traits. You always end the podcast feeling like you have learned something that will make you a better performer in whatever you do.

Startalk

Not about celebrities, but about the real stars above us. Dr. Tyson breaks everything down into terms that the common dummy (like me!) can understand. Startalk is an inspiring podcast that I follow each week, and come out feeling more intelligent and more informed.

Tech News Today

Find out what’s happening in the world of technology in 30 minutes or less. Always interesting and informative, and just the right length.

Common Sense with Dan Carlin

If politics and current affairs are your thing, then check out this one. He has an integrity and sense of purpose that you don’t often find with the voices involved in current issues.

Football Weekly

My favourite football podcast, brought to you by the Guardian. News and analysis, and the best blow-by-blow coverage of the Premier League and beyond.

Smart Passive Income

Pat Flynn gives you honest advice about how to start a profitable online business. I’ve learned so much from him. You’ll learn everything from how to start a blog, use social media and he’s even helping me create an online course. A wealth of information.

Stuff You Should Know

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant get to the bottom of odd questions, like how the Pyramids were built and if zombies exist.It’s a fascinating biweekly podcast. A unique dose of education and comedy.

Criminal

Fascinating stories about people who’ve broken the law, been the victims of crime, or somewhere in between.

There are so many more I could tell you about, but I’ll leave it up to you to discover some for yourself. It is so important to listen and practice to English as much as you can if you want to progress and podcasts are, in my opinion, one of the best ways to do so.

If you find any others, I would love to hear from you in the comments below or join the conversation on our Facebook page.

IELTS Listening- Summary Completion Lesson

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This lesson will help you prepare for the IELTS listening test by familiarising you with summary completion questions, giving you some tips and a chance to practice.

IELTS-Listening-Summary-Completion1 IELTS Listening- Summary Completion Lesson

IELTS Summary Completion- Skills Tested

When you get to university or start working, two of the key skills you will have to use are summarising and paraphrasing. These skills are tested in summary completion questions.

You will be given a list of sentences that summarise the clip you will listen to. IELTS have taken text from the clip and used paraphrasing to change these sentences so that they have same meaning, but different words. They have also summarised the listening by choosing a number of phrases that sum up the key points. In other words, you should be able to read the sentences before listening and have a very good idea about what you are going to hear.

What do I have to do?

You should first look at the sentences and try to understand the general meaning. Use the sentences to predict what you are going to hear. This will help you follow the listening and hopefully get the correct answers more easily.

Next you have to remember that the sentences are just paraphrases of what you will hear and you will therefore need to think about how they might have changed the sentences. For example, the sentence might say ‘The ________ family structure has changed greatly in the last fifty years.’ but in the listening you might hear ‘In the last half century the nuclear family unit had been altered significantly’.

Next you need to look at the gaps and try to predict what the answer will be. You can predict what type of word will fit grammatically (verb, noun, adjective etc.) and predict the content based on the other words around it.

You should be very careful not to go over the word limit. The instructions will normally say ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’ but read the instructions carefully to make sure.

Now you are fully prepared to listen and fill in the gap with the correct information from the text. You answer will be taken directly from the listening.

Summary Completion Practice

Look at the sentence below and try to guess what the talk is about. The sentences summarise the key information from the listening.

You should write no more than THREE words and/or a number.

The video is quite long so I’ve only used the first 5 minutes. 

  1. Elon first thought about making  _____________ when at college, when he thought about the most challenging issues facing the planet.
  2. They are more efficient than gasoline engines because charging it at home gives you double the efficiency compared to ______________.
  3. Their ________ is competitive because of very small energy consumption and a cutting-edge battery pack.
  4. The goal of the company has remained a three step method, where model one was __________ at low production numbers, version two has a reasonable price and an average volume and three would be at a cheap price, high volume.

Next look at the spaces and try to guess the type of word that would fit, thinking about both grammar and content.

Finally, think about how I might have paraphrased the listening.

Now listen to the first 5 minutes of the Ted Talk and try to find the answers.

[ted id=1695]

You can also read the transcript on the Ted Talk website.

Answers

1. an electric car

2. a power plant

3. range

4. an expensive car

If you got any questions wrong, go to the link below and read the transcript to find out how you got it wrong. This is a very important thing to do for any listening or reading IELTS questions.

Next Steps

For extra practice go the official IELTS site and practice their summary completion questions.

If you want to get better at these types of questions, you really need to perfect your summarizing and paraphrasing skills. When listening or reading something in English try to think like those who make the reading and listening IELTS tests- how can I summarise this using paraphrasing? If you practice this enough you will gradually improve to the point where you find these questions very straightforward.

I hope you found this lesson useful. If you need extra help with listening please check out our IELTS listening page.

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