IELTS Listening
Listening multiple choice
Multiple choice questions give a question and three options, or ask you to choose two or three answers from a longer list. They appear in Parts 2 and 3 especially.
You'll often hear words from every option. The speaker may mention one option and then reject it, so listen for words like 'but', 'actually' and 'in the end'. The right answer is usually a paraphrase.
What the question looks like
multiple choice. “Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.”
multiple choice (more than one answer). “”
Try real-format questions
This question type is in our free practice test: Part 2 (“Welcome to Millbrook Country Park”), questions 11–14; Part 3 (“Measuring Library Noise”), questions 21–26. Open the practice test →
How to answer
Answer Single-Choice Questions
- Read the question first and identify exactly what information it asks for.
- Check all three options before listening, so you know what differences to listen for.
- Listen for the speaker’s direct answer to the question, not just a word repeated from an option.
- Choose the one option that answers the question. Do not select an option that answers a different question.
Example: Worked example: choosing a meeting place. You hear: “We’ll meet in the student lounge. The café is too busy, and the outdoor seating is closed.” Question: Where will they meet? Answer: the student lounge. This is the place the speaker directly names.
Answer Multiple-Select Questions
- Check how many answers the task requires. If it says TWO, select exactly two options.
- Listen for details that answer the question, and note each suitable option once.
- Do not select an option just because you hear it mentioned; check that it fits the question.
- Before you finish, count your selections and compare them with the required number.
Example: Example: Choose TWO activities the speaker will attend. The recording says: “The evening walk and the pottery session suit me. I can’t make the morning talk, and the cooking class is full.”. Select the evening walk and the pottery session. These are the two activities the speaker says they will attend.
Reject Changed Answers
- Listen for correction signals such as “actually”, “I mean” and “instead”.
- Treat the first option as cancelled when the speaker clearly replaces it.
- Record the option the speaker confirms last, not the one mentioned first.
- Check that the final option answers the question asked.
Example: A booking date is changed. Audio: “The booking was originally for 16 June, but I need to change it to 18 June. Please keep 18 June as the confirmed date.” Record: 18 June. The speaker clearly replaces the first date with the confirmed date.
Analyse Complex Options
- Underline every required feature in the question before you compare options.
- Track each option’s details separately; one matching feature is not enough when two are required.
- Reject an option as soon as one of its details conflicts with a requirement.
- Choose the option that satisfies all the stated requirements, not the one with the most attractive extra feature.
Example: Worked comparison: evening access and staff support. Audio: “Plan A allows evening access, but staff are available only in the morning. Plan B offers evening access and evening staff support.” The requirements are evening access and staff support. Plan A meets only one; Plan B meets both. Answer: Plan B.
Practise
Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.
1Why did the group choose the library room?
2Where will they meet?
3Where will the workshop take place? Type the room.
4Which TWO facilities will the speaker use? Choose the option that contains both.
5Which TWO items has the student packed? Choose the option that contains both.
6How many facilities does the speaker use regularly?
7Which room should the student go to?
8Which time should be recorded for the pick-up?
Test hacks
Every option gets mentioned
In multiple choice, the speakers often mention all three options. Listen for the one that is confirmed, not the one you hear first.
Why it works: Mentioning every option is how the test separates real understanding from word-matching.
Wait for the correction
Speakers often give one answer and then change it. Don't write the first thing you hear; keep listening until the sentence finishes.
Why it works: Self-corrections are a classic IELTS distractor.
Predict the gap before you hear it
In the seconds before each part, read the notes and decide what kind of word fits each gap: a number, a time, a name, a noun, an adjective.
Why it works: You'll know what to listen for, so the answer jumps out instead of slipping past.
Practise with feedback on every answer
ielts.coach builds daily lessons and practice around your interests and level, marks Writing and Speaking like an examiner in seconds, and plans your weeks to test day.