Ace the listening section: Tips for English test prep

app Languages
A group of students celebrating and high fiving eachother
Reading time: 5 minutes

Passing an English proficiency test is a milestone for many non-fluent speakers. Among the different sections in such tests, the listening part can often present unique challenges. In most standardized English tests, your ability to comprehend and respond to spoken English will be put under scrutiny.

This blog post is dedicated to helping you, the ambitious test-taker, sharpen your listening skills and equip you with strategies to excel in the listening section of your English test.

Tips to master the listening section of your English exam
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree app can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Understanding the listening section

Before we plunge into the how-to's, it's key to understand what the listening section typically involves. You will be asked to listen to recordings of conversations and talks on a variety of topics. Following each audio segment, you'll answer questions based on what you've heard. This can assess a range of abilities from grasping and understanding the main ideas to recalling specific details.

Tips to master the listening section

Become an active listener

Active listening involves fully concentrating, understanding and responding thoughtfully to what is being said. During your prep, don't just passively hear the content—engage with it. Take notes, summarize points and predict conclusions to enhance your retention skills and understanding.

Practice with difficult words

When you come across words that are difficult to understand, it's essential to practice them repeatedly. Listening to these words in different contexts can help attune your ear to their nuances. Incorporate them into your study sessions by finding audio resources that use these words and listen to them multiple times. It also helps to make a note of any words you struggle with so you can practice them.

Familiarise yourself with homophones

Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings, and they can be a common source of confusion in the listening section. For instance, consider the words "pair" (two items of a kind) and "pear" (the fruit); "flower" (the plant) and "flour" (the baking ingredient); or "right" (correct or a direction) and "write" (to form letters or words).

These words highlight the importance of context in understanding spoken English, and recognizing homophones is crucial for excelling in the listening section. Make sure to include such pairs in your study routine to sharpen your listening skills.

Practice with purpose

Locate practice tests and materials that mimic the conditions of your upcoming exam. Regularly taking mock tests helps you familiarise yourself with the format and timing. This practice can also reduce anxiety on the day of the actual test, as you'll know exactly what to expect.

Hone your note-taking skills

You won't remember every detail you hear, and that's okay. Develop a system of shorthand or symbols that enables you to jot down key information swiftly. With practice, you'll learn to discern what's likely to be the focus of questions.

Understand the question types

The listening test may include multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank, matching and sentence completion, among others. By understanding each type, you can develop targeted strategies, like reading the questions beforehand where time is allowed, to anticipate answers.

Approaches for tackling specific question types

Multiple-choice questions

For multiple-choice questions, listen for keywords and ideas that match the options provided, but also be wary of distractors—information that is true but doesn't answer the question. It helps to quickly read the questions before the recording starts, if allowed, to know what information to listen for.

Fill-in-the-blank

When approaching fill-in-the-blank questions, your attention to detail is crucial. These questions often test your knowledge of vocabulary and understanding of key points. Pay attention to the grammatical structure of the sentence to predict what type of word is missing—be it a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

Matching

With matching questions, it's beneficial to understand the relationships between parts of the content. They might require you to match speakers to opinions or items to categories. Note any expressions that indicate agreement, contrast, or reason, which can provide hints for correct answers.

Sentence completion

Sentence completion questions examine your ability to understand the main idea and specific details. Practice focusing on the context around blanks and predicting possible answers based on content already heard. This requires a good grasp of grammar and broad vocabulary.

Watch out for the traps

Distractors might be used in listening tests. These are options in multiple-choice questions that seem correct but aren't. Improve your critical listening skills to spot these traps, often engineered to test if you're listening to the specifics or just the surface details.

Recognizing common traps in listening tests

One such trap involves the use of paraphrasing; the spoken content often rephrases what the questions or answers require, testing your understanding beyond mere word recognition. Another trap is the presentation of almost correct options, where minute details are altered to mislead unwary candidates.

A strategic listener will also be on guard for 'red herring' statements where extraneous information is provided to divert attention from the relevant answer. Lastly, watch for speakers correcting themselves in the audio; the initial information might be a trap, with the correct answer being provided only later in the dialogue.

Recognizing and navigating these traps requires a sharp focus and an active engagement with the material—skills that can be improved with deliberate practice over time.

Stay calm and collected

During the test, you might miss an answer or find a section particularly challenging. It's important to stay calm and move on. Agonizing over one question can cost you the concentration needed for subsequent questions.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How can I improve my ability to understand different accents?

A: Regularly listen to media from various English-speaking countries. Platforms like YouTube, podcasts, or even accent training resources can provide exposure to a wide range of English accents.

Q: Should I take notes by hand or on the computer?

A: Practice the method you'll use in the actual test. If you're taking a paper-based test, get comfortable with writing notes quickly by hand. For a computer-based test, practice typing your notes efficiently.

Q: How important is spelling in the listening section?

A: It can be very important, especially in sections where you have to write down what you hear. Incorrect spelling can sometimes result in a wrong answer, so it's crucial to sharpen up your spelling skills.

Conclusion

Conquering the listening section of your English test requires practice, strategy and patience. By becoming an active listener, immersing yourself in English, practicing purposefully and learning to stay calm and collected under pressure, you'll be positioning yourself for success.

Remember, every moment you spend preparing—from listening to English music, to tackling practice exams—is a step towards acing that listening section and moving one step closer to achieving your goals. Good luck.

Still looking for the perfect English test or certification for you? Make sure to check out our range of tests to help you really showcase your skills.

Our range of English tests

More blogs from app

  • Children sat in a classroom with raised hands, their teacher stands at the front of the class

    GSE Partner School Program: Batari School and Maitreyawira School

    By Thomas Gardner
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    The Global Scale of English (GSE) Partner School program by app stands as a beacon of innovation and excellence. This initiative is not just about enhancing English language ability: it's about transforming the educational journey for both teachers and students. Today, we celebrate the success stories of two institutions: Batari School and Maitreyawira School, both of which have embraced the GSE Partner School program with inspiring results.

  • Two people sat togther with phones smiling

    Don't give up when it comes to learning English

    By Steffanie Zazulak
    Reading time: 2 minutes

    We love sharing stories of English learners and educators whose lives have been positively transformed by the language. One such inspiring story comes from Rodrigo Tadeu in São Paulo, Brazil. Discover why he holds a special appreciation for mastering English.

    Motivations for learning English?

    Rodrigo grew up speaking Portuguese in South America. As a child, he never thought about learning another language. However, when he became an adultand began aspiring to a career, he realized that expanding his language abilities would help him achieve these dreams.

    "I worked as an accountant for an American company," he said. "So, to communicate and achieve professional success, I had to learn English!"

    Rodrigo has changed jobs since then. And even though he’s no longer required to speak English with his new company, he still feels a responsibility to himself to continue his education.

    The road to English fluency

    There are many tools that you can use to improve your English language skills, and Rodrigo used several – some he’s still using to this day. First, he started learning English formally by taking classes in high school. However, his shy disposition made it difficult for him to practice because he was afraid of failing in front of others. At the time, he didn't havecareer goals motivating him to learn the language either.

    Later, however, our adventurous accountant decided to learn English in earnest, so he traveled to Canada to study and become aconfident speaker. When he returned to Brazil, he kept studying and continues to do so. Reading books and articles, listening to podcasts and copying other English speakers have also helped develop his conversational skills. Among his favorite podcasts are "English as a Second Language" and "Freakonomics".

    English learning is not without challenges

    Rodrigo noted that he struggles with pronunciation most.“The way English speakers say words is very different than the way you would say something in Portuguese.”

    He thinks the issue is the same for Spanish speakers as well."In Portuguese or Spanish, if you know the words,you can basically speak exactly what you read. In English, it's totally different. You cannot speak the words that you are reading. So you have to know about this!"

    This might be the most challenging part of learning the language for Rodrigo, but he assured us that he’s not giving up.

    English for enjoyment

    Rodrigo may have initially studied English as a way to progress his career, but the language quickly became something he enjoyed.And instead of being content with the skill that he has now, Rodrigo dreams of continuing his English-speaking education so he can travel and further enjoy his life.

    "These days, English has become fun!" he said. "Now it's better to watch movies and TV in English."

    He also mentioned that he eventually would like to visit Europe. But when asked about his dream destination, Rodrigo said that:“I’d like to move back to Canada, maybe live in Vancouver for a year or two!”

    Advice for English language learners

    After working hard for years to learn English, Rodrigo now offers advice to fellow Brazilians (and others) who wish to speak another language:

    "You have to be confident, and don’t give up. You have to keep your dreams. It's difficult to ... speak one language that's not your mother language ... If you can imagine, you can achieve, and you can do. So 'don't give up' is the perfect phrase."

  • College students sat together at a table smiling

    Practical tips for supporting neurodivergent learners in the classroom

    By Charlotte Guest
    Reading time: 7 minutes

    Educators need to meet the needs of all students, including those who are neurodivergent. Neurodivergence refers to variations in the human brain and cognition, including dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. Among these, dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences, affecting how individuals process written and spoken language. Although each student’s needs are unique, there are several practical, research-backed strategies educators can employ to support and empower these learners.

    Let’s look at some tips for teachers, which cover everything from font choice and classroom environment to presentation of information and assessment design. Although these are designed to support neurodivergent students, they will in fact help fostera more inclusive, accessible, and positive learning experience for all learners.