Common Tips to Pass IELTS Exam - Listening

Getting 9 bands is a tough job but not impossible. As an IELTS trainer, I have come across a lot of students who work hard but don't possess the adequate skills in passing the exams. Of course, English is essential and IELTS is designed for the same purpose. While coaching my students, I learnt a lot of things and would like to share some of the tips which can help get desired bands.
Listening module is perhaps the best and easiest module of IELTS. It contains four sections and you have to answer forty questions. The difficulty level rises as you cross each section. This implies Section I is easiest and Section IV is the toughest. But, remember, this is not always true.
The basic job is to concentrate, concentrate and concentrate. Listening exam contains questions based on conversation, talk or description. The conversation could be between two or three people. Talk is usually about some event in the school, college, library, playground etc. Description is related to an explanation about a place, lecture, schedule, animals and plants.
Why you need to concentrate? IELTS is easy for native English speakers who are accustomed to the way the language is used, the words and the pronunciation. However, the non-native English speakers need to concentrate on the words spoken and more specifically, the accent. The accent of British, Americans and Australians is different from the accent used by people in Indian subcontinent or elsewhere. Thus, the students appearing for Listening exam have to concentrate on the words, the pronunciation and the language in totality.
The next most important factor is to exercise quickness while answering. Sometimes, two answers are given in the same conversation within a gap of 10-15 seconds. The easiest way is to write abbreviated form and jump to the next or select the options carefully.
There are certain things, I usually advise the students before taking Listening Exam.
• Use Pencil while answering. I don't like people using pens. If the word is overwritten by striking the previous word, its looks dirty. The pencil marks can be easily removed.
• Make a habit of answering in a separate paper and not the question paper. In the exam, separate answer sheet is provided which you can use at the end of exam. Extra 10 minutes are always provided to transfer the answers in answer sheet.
• However, I advise the students to adopt such a manner because there are common mistakes that students make in hurry. They often jot down the answer of Q.5 in Q.4 or Q.6 in Q.7. By using pencils, you can remove the mistakes. However, realizing the mistake after writing all the answers! It's too late...
• It is very important to read the questions carefully. If it has been asked to "write no more than two words", don't exceed two words while answering.
• I always ask the students to answer in capital letters. There is clarity in reading the answers. The vowels are clearly recognized when answers are written in capital letters.
For Listening exam, follow only one fundamental rule. Just concentrate on listening, don't make hurry while listening else you might lose track of the question. Remember, there are no repeats.
Neerja Mehta is a freelance writer with experience in writing on various niches. She also works as an IELTS trainer and coaches students who are planning to study or settle abroad.

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Make Listening Your Priority! Learn a Language Like a Native

Learn a Language Like a Native

At the moment, I am being immersed in Korea with a Korean wife and two children, so therefore you can be guaranteed there is an influence in my daily life. I have on and off, been studying for the best part of four years in Korea. My job as an English teacher means, for the most part, of the day, there is only a fraction of an influence of Korean. This coming from my students. The rest of my day is spent at home with the family where my eldest boy (six years) can speak Korean better than me. This is to be understandable as his immersion is much more than mine.

So far so good.

My methods so far have involved simply learning the most general words to get me through. The other words, therefore, have come from personal experiences. I am not much of a believer in burying my head in a text book or having flash cards, but to be in a more natural learning environment. A problem I hear many times is when people read a word in another language, and subsequently say it differently than what a native would. The situation afterwards gets more frustrating when you hear the native person using it, and you say, "that's what I just said."

Over the years, I have therefore built up a fair stock of words, the issue then, is to reply to somebody. Saying all this, I did have a small pocket book that I carried around with me (back in the UK) with which I would try to learn the best part of 20 words a week. Obviously, this was done to the factor of not remembering 100%, but to be immersed in a small way.

My issue now, is as I previously mentioned to learn via listening to people, I then, can say examples such as: yes, no, please thank you, that one there, how much, etc. As I see it; you can learn and learn about a language, but when it comes a real situation, and they're speaking at you, then you do what exactly?

So my main rule is to listen first and understand then reply back with small sentences. There are obviously trial and error involved in this, as success at what people are saying to you in another language is not going to be that high for a while.

Immersion is key.

For many, this is not always easy. I am living in Korea, but I am not as involved as others in the language as I am married to a Korean, which does shelter me somewhat. Therefore, I do not experience the same elements as a single person.

Now I study mainly listening to K Pop (Korean pop music). That might sound strange, but it is actually quite easy to pick up. If you go online and find the lyrics to print out including both Korean and English, it helps to follow it through via sounds and definitions. For me, this is like an 80's revival. I grew up with synth-pop and electro such as Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, KLF, etc. So now, hearing music from Korean artists like Big Bang adds another fun element to learning.

Good songs to learn Korean with:

PSY - Gangnam style
Bigbang - Lovesong
Bigbang - Monster
Wondergirls - Like this

If you have any better ideas for learning better, then, please leave your comments. or contact me at http://www.effectiveaspects.com/company/

Thank you.
Nigel Openshaw

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What Factors Should You Keep In Mind When Attempting The Listening Section Of The TOEIC Test?

The listening section of the TOEIC test is an important aspect that can add significant points to your overall TOEIC score. For non-native speakers of English, the listening section seems to be especially challenging, and they often worry about taking these types of questions since the sentences are spoken very quickly.

In the TOEIC test, there are many kinds of questions in the listening section such as Photographs based questions, Questions and Responses, Short Conversations and Short Talks. Here are some tips that will support you to complete the listening section of the test successfully.

Do not get distracted by the environment.
Most likely, you will have to take the TOEIC test in a big hall with many candidates. In this situation, it is important that you maintain your concentration and not let other things in the exam hall distract you. Take a deep breath, be calm, and listen attentively to the questions because you will hear a question only one time.

Expect to hear English conversations in different accents.
In the new TOEIC test, the speakers come from various English speaking countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and South Africa. Although the English accents of these speakers might be different, try to focus on the vocabulary rather than their voice tones.

Try to grasp the key information
In the short conversations and short talks, try to be attentive to the most important factors such as: Who is speaking? What is the purpose? Where is the conversation taking place? And what will they do next? Thereafter, listen to the question, and select the most suitable answer.

Understand the relationship between the two speakers
Usually, in the short conversations part in the TOEIC test, you will hear two people talking with each other. Initially, try to grasp whether they are a superior and subordinate, husband and wife, co-workers in a company, or business executives of two different companies. This will enable you to gain a better insight to the nature of the conversation and to select the correct answer.

Identify where the conversation or short talk is being performed
In the TOEIC test, you should expect to hear many conversations in different work environments, such as a sales company, factory, bank or travel agency. When you hear the talks, it would be helpful to analyze where the conversation is taking place from key words. For example, words like "foreign travel", "ticket reservation" or "flight departure time" can be related to a travel agency or airport. After acquiring this information, you will be able to select the most suitable answer for the questions.

Of course, before taking the listening section of the TOEIC test, it is recommended to listen to English conversation CDs and attempt many practice tests under time restrictions. At the test, even if you were unable to grasp the sense of one listening question, do not worry about it. Try to concentrate more and attempt the next question positively. Practicing many TOEIC sample questions can help you to be more familiar with the type of questions in the listening section.

Please visit http://toeic-online-test.com/ in order to practice more TOEIC tests.

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