Listening is one of the 4 IELTS test skills, and you must practice and repeat this to succeed. But how do you pass this test? Don’t look for shortcuts in listening،; this is a crucial point to keep in mind. In this test, tricks and shortcuts don’t work; Because every year, the questions are designed by experts with changes, and the style of questions is different. So practice is the best way to get high scores in the listening section of the IELTS test.
There are various ways to improve your listening skills, the most important of which will be discussed today.
1. Listen to the podcast
One of the best ways to improve your listening skills is to listen to podcasts. You may not initially understand the podcast’s content, but do not let frustration overwhelm you. Because by continuing to listen to it several times, you can understand the podcast’s content and improve your listening skills, learn new grammar and words and expand your vocabulary.
Listen to the audio file first, and if you do not understand the words, try to understand the sentences by moving the file back and forth. Also, as you listen to the podcast, write new sentences, words, and grammar to see how you have progressed over time.
Do not forget to choose podcasts to listen to that are appropriate for your language level. To find out which podcast is suitable for your level, select one of them, and if you understand about 60% of the words and grammar, know that this podcast is for you. So safely explore the remaining 40% and improve your listening skills.
Another vital point is listening to podcasts with different accents. Each person has a unique tone that prepares your ear to hear and recognize each conversation, and on test day, you do not have the stress and worry of not understanding different English accents.
2. Watch the movie
Watching movies is also a great way to improve your listening skills, which helps you get a high score on the test. Watching movies is very effective because, in addition to listening skills, it enhances other skills such as speaking, grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and more.
The first step is to choose a movie that suits your level. If you are a novice, you can use unique videos that have been prepared for language learning, and their sentences are significant. But at higher levels, you can see movies that have been made for television or cinema and have different accents.
But don’t forget that you have to continue to do this. Watch and listen to a movie several times to fully understand the sentences and dialogues. After listening to each dialogue, try to recall it to see if your ear has been able to recognize the words individually. Also, if you do not understand a sentence, you can rewind the video several times to understand the dialogue.
The important thing in watching a movie is subtitles. It is better not to use subtitles when watching the movie and try to understand the dialogue yourself. Subtitles don’t help improve your listening because you will not subconsciously recognize the words.
Conclusion
Lastly, do not forget that the most important thing is to improve the general language. In addition to listening to podcasts and watching movies, you should always be studying and improving your language skills. Because the higher your level, the more you understand the content of podcasts and movies. Listening to lectures, music, and daily news can also help improve your listening skills. So, please don’t ignore them either.