What is IELTS Listening Part 1?
Part 1 conversations are usually about facts: a name, an address, a phone number, a price, a date. ielts.org describes the form, one of the gap-fill layouts, as "often used for facts, such as names", and in practice tests Part 1 very often uses a form or a set of notes. That is why the marks here are lost on accuracy, not on understanding.
So the best IELTS Listening Part 1 tips are not about listening harder. They are about three habits: spelling what is spelt out, writing numbers exactly, and keeping to the answer format. This sheet takes them one at a time. The examples are written transcripts (there is no audio on this page): read the lines under "What you hear" as if they were spoken, or ask a friend to read them aloud while you fill the form.
IELTS Listening Part 1 spelling: names and streets
When a speaker spells a word out, take it as a signal that the spelling is the point of the question. The Listening format pages do not list a separate spelling rule, but a mark goes only to a correct answer, and ielts.org's General Training Reading page says plainly that "you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar". BandLadder advice: treat a misspelt Listening answer as a wrong one.
Spelling a name you have never seen (BandLadder method)
- 1
Write as you hear. Write each letter the moment it is said. Do not wait for the whole word and try to remember it.
- 2
Expand 'double'. "Double N" means NN. Write both letters at once, so you do not drop one later.
- 3
Watch the corrections. If the speaker says "no, with an E" or "sorry, that's a G", cross out and fix that letter only.
- 4
Check the count. After the gap, count your letters against what you heard. A missing letter is the commonest slip.
Form: Storage unit enquiry Surname: Q1 ______ Address: 14 Q2 ______ Road Person collecting the key: Ms Q3 ______ What you hear: Woman: Can I take your surname? Man: It's Fairclough. F-A-I-R-C-L-O-U-G-HQ1. Woman: And the address? Man: Fourteen Tennick Road. That's T-E, double N, I-C-KQ2. Woman: Will you collect the key yourself? Man: No, my sister will. Her name's Rosa Gorrick. G-O-double R-I-C-Kcorrected. Oh, sorry, it ends with A-C-K, not I-C-KQ3.
- → Q1: Fairclough. A name you cannot guess from its sound: only the spelling counts.
- → Q2: Tennick. "Double N" is the trap: Tenick loses the mark.
- → Q3: Gorrack. The correction changes one letter only. Fix that letter; keep the double R. "Rosa Gorrack" is two words, over the ONE WORD limit.
- → The form already gives "14", "Road" and "Ms". Writing them again uses up your word limit for nothing.
IELTS Listening Part 1 numbers: phones, prices and dates
Numbers are where a fully understood conversation still goes wrong. Speakers group digits, say "oh" for zero, say "double" and "treble", and correct themselves. Prices change when a discount is mentioned. Thirteen and thirty sound alike when the stress is missed.
What you hear and what you write (BandLadder advice)
| You hear | Write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| oh-seven-seven-double-oh | 07700 | "Oh" is zero. "Double" means write the digit twice. |
| thirTEEN (stress at the end) | 13 | The -teen numbers stress the last part; thirty, forty, fifty stress the first. |
| forty-four pounds fifty | 44.50 | Pounds and pence: a point, then two digits. |
| half past eight | 8.30 | A time as figures is short and clear. |
| the nineteenth of May | 19 May | A number and a word; check the word limit allows it. |
BandLadder suggestions: ielts.org sets no format for times, dates or prices. Figures are quick and cannot be misspelt, and a limit with "AND/OR A NUMBER" allows one.
Form: Bicycle hire Contact number: Q4 ______ Weekly rate: £ Q5 ______ Deposit: £ Q6 ______ Collect bike at: Q7 ______ am What you hear: Man: Could I have a contact number? Woman: It's oh-seven-seven-double-oh, nine-double-oh, four-one-eightQ4. Man: Thanks. Hire is forty pounds a weekold price. Sorry, forty-fourQ5. The prices went up in September. Woman: And is there a deposit? Man: Yes, fifteen poundsQ6, which you get back when you return the bike. Woman: Can I collect it early, say eight? Man: We don't open until half past eight, I'm afraid. Woman: Half past eight, thenQ7. I'll be there.
- → Q4: 07700 900418. Eleven digits; count them before you move on.
- → Q5: 44. The first figure is corrected straight away. Write lightly, and overwrite when the speaker corrects.
- → Q6: 15. Fifteen, not fifty: the stress falls on -teen.
- → Q7: 8.30. The woman suggests eight, but the shop opens at half past eight, and she agrees to that time. "Eight" was only her first idea.
Answer format: word limits, plurals and corrections
✗ Collect bike at: half past eight am (TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
✓ Collect bike at: 8.30 (am is already printed)
"Half past eight" is three words. The figure says the same thing inside the limit.
✗ Bring: two waterproof ______ → jacket
✓ Bring: two waterproof ______ → jackets
"Two" needs a plural. A singular answer does not fit the form's grammar.
✗ Membership type: part time job (ONE WORD ONLY)
✓ Membership type: part-time
A hyphenated word counts as one word (ielts.org). Extra words break the limit.
✗ Address: 14 Q2 ______ Road → 14 Tennick Road
✓ Address: 14 Q2 ______ Road → Tennick
Do not copy words the form already prints around the gap.
✗ Day: Tuesday (the speaker said "Tuesday… no, Wednesday suits me better")
✓ Day: Wednesday
In Part 1, the last version agreed is the answer. Wait for the end of the turn.
Your turn: Part 1 questions
Each item is a written transcript line and a form gap. Choose what you would write.
- Surname: ______ (ONE WORD). You hear: "It's Pellow. P-E, double L, O-W."
- A. Pelow
- B. Pellow
- C. Pello
Show answer
Pellow
"Double L" means two Ls, and the spelling ends with W.
- Room number: ______ (A NUMBER). You hear: "You'll be in room fifty. Sorry, my mistake, room fifteen, on the ground floor."
- A. 50
- B. 15
- C. 5015
Show answer
15
The speaker corrects the first number; the final version is the answer.
- Bring: a waterproof ______ (ONE WORD ONLY). You hear: "Bring a waterproof jacket, because the path gets wet."
- A. waterproof jacket
- B. jacket
- C. jackets
Show answer
jacket
"Waterproof" is already printed, and "a" needs a singular noun.
- Phone: ______ (A NUMBER). You hear: "oh-one-six-three-two, nine-six-oh, treble seven"
- A. 01632960777
- B. 0163296077
- C. 01632960077
Show answer
01632960777
"Oh" is zero and treble seven is 777: eleven digits in all.
- Course length: ______ weeks (A NUMBER). You hear: "It runs for six weeks, not eight like last year."
- A. 6
- B. 8
- C. 6 weeks
Show answer
6
Eight is last year's length. The limit is A NUMBER, and "weeks" is already printed after the gap.
BandLadder questions
Practise it now
Use the method on original BandLadder questions. Attempt them free and see your score.
Questions
FAQ
How many questions are in IELTS Listening Part 1?+
Ten. The Listening paper has four parts with 10 questions in each, 40 in all, and each correct answer receives 1 mark (ielts.org).
Is IELTS Listening Part 1 easy?+
It is the most everyday part: a conversation between two speakers about a practical arrangement. The language is simple, but marks are still lost on spelling, numbers and word limits, so it pays to practise accuracy, not just understanding.
What question types come up in IELTS Listening Part 1?+
ielts.org does not fix a question type to each part. In practice, Part 1 very often uses form or note completion, because it deals with facts such as names, numbers and dates, but multiple choice and other types can appear.
Do spelling mistakes count in IELTS Listening?+
ielts.org's Listening format pages state no separate spelling rule, but a mark goes only to a correct answer, and its General Training Reading page warns that you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar. BandLadder advice: treat a misspelt Listening answer as a wrong one.
Should I write numbers as words or figures in IELTS Listening?+
BandLadder advice: write figures. They cannot be misspelt, they are quick, and instructions such as "AND/OR A NUMBER" let a number sit alongside your words.
Can I write my answers in capital letters?+
ielts.org's format pages do not mention capital letters. BandLadder advice: what matters is that every letter is clear and the word is spelt correctly; on paper, many learners write in capitals because they are easier to read.
How many times is the IELTS Listening recording played?+
Once only, for every part (ielts.org). That is why you should write spelt letters and numbers as you hear them, not from memory afterwards.
Sources
- ielts.org: IELTS Academic Listening test format (parts, marking, word limits, question order): https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-academic-test/ielts-academic-format-listening
- ielts.org: IELTS General Training Listening test format: https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-general-training-test/ielts-general-training-format-listening
- ielts.org: IELTS Academic sample test questions (same Listening test for Academic and General Training): https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources/sample-test-questions/academic-test
- ielts.org: IELTS General Training Reading test format (spelling and grammar): https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-general-training-test/ielts-general-training-format-reading
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