What to expect in IELTS Listening Part 2
In this part
- you hear a monologue (one person speaking)
- the speaker often gives instructions, directions or information
- common task types include gap-fill questions and maps
Many candidates find Part 2 harder than Part 1 because there is more information to follow and fewer opportunities to predict what the speaker will say next.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to improve your score in IELTS Listening Part 2, avoid common mistakes in gap-fill tasks and map questions, and follow a real IELTS-style listening practice test.
Gapfill Tips
In the example below you will hear a guide giving advice to people visiting a farm.
Tip 1: Check the number of words
Before you start listening, always read the instructions carefully and underline the word limit.
IELTS Listening answers are often restricted to ONE WORD, TWO WORDS, or A NUMBER AND/OR WORDS. If you write more words than the instructions allow, your answer will be marked incorrect, even if you heard the right information.
For example:
NO MORE THAN ONE WORD
✅ photos
❌ passport photos
Exam tip
Don’t assume the word limit will be the same throughout the test. Check the instructions every time a new question set begins. Many candidates lose easy marks simply because they write too many words.
Tip 2: Predict the type of word
Before you listen, use the grammar around each gap to predict what type of word is missing.
For example:
Visitors should
- take care not to harm any (11) __________
- not touch any (12) __________
- wear (13) __________
- not bring (14) __________ into the farm
Grammar clues can tell you a lot:
- any often suggests a plural noun
- wear is usually followed by clothing or equipment
- bring is often followed by a noun
You don’t need to know the exact answer yet. Just decide whether you’re listening for:
- a noun
- a verb
- an adjective
- a singular noun
- a plural noun
This helps your brain filter out irrelevant information when the speaker starts talking.
Tip 3: Predict possible answers
Once you’ve identified the type of word, see if you can guess some likely answers.
For example:
Visitors should
- take care not to harm any (11) __________
- not touch any (12) __________
- wear (13) __________
- not bring (14) __________ into the farm
You might predict:
- animals
- machinery
- tools
- boots
- shoes
- dogs
- pets
Your predictions don’t have to be correct. The aim is simply to activate relevant vocabulary before you listen.
When the speaker says:
“Please don’t frighten or injure the animals.”
your brain is already expecting a word connected with a farm, so you’re much more likely to recognise the answer quickly.
Exam tip
Good IELTS listeners do both things:
- Predict the type of word they need.
- Predict the kind of answer they might hear.
Together, these make it much easier to follow the recording and identify answers quickly.
Tip 4: Follow the question order
In IELTS Listening, the answers almost always appear in the same order as the questions. This means you should work through the questions one by one and avoid jumping ahead.
As you listen, focus on finding the next answer rather than looking all over the page.
Listen for signals and signposts
Speakers often use words and phrases that tell you a new section is about to begin. These are called signals or signposts.
For example, in the recording below, the speaker says:
“I must give you some advice and safety tips before we go any further.”
This signals that the speaker is about to start the “Visitors should…” list, which contains the answers to Questions 11-14.
Other common signposts include:
- first
- next
- now
- finally
- I’d like to tell you about…
- let’s move on to…
- before we continue…
- another thing to remember is…
Why are signposts useful?
Signposts help you stay in the right place on the question paper.
For example, if you hear:
“Now, I’d like to give you some advice for visitors…”
you immediately know that the answers are about to start.
Later, if the speaker says:
“Now let me give you some idea of the layout of the farm.”
you know the topic is changing and the map section is about to begin.
Exam tip
If you miss an answer, don’t panic and don’t keep thinking about it. Move straight on to the next question. Because the answers follow the same order as the recording, you’ll have a much better chance of finding the next answer than trying to recover the one you missed.
👉Learn more about signals and signposts (Resource Library).
Tip 5: Don’t panic about every word
Not every word in the recording contains an answer.
Part 2 often includes:
- introductions
- explanations
- examples
- extra details
These give you time to prepare for the next answer. Focus on key information rather than trying to write down everything you hear.
Learn to recognize this kind of unimportant information when you’re doing Practice tests (use the tapescripts to help you).
It is designed to give you enough time to write the answer down before it moves on to the next question.
Tip 6: Listen for synonyms
The speaker will often use different words from the ones you see in the question. This is called paraphrasing, and it appears throughout the IELTS Listening test.
For example, one instruction says:
Visitors should take care not to harm any ________.
However, the speaker says:
“Please don’t frighten or injure the animals.”
The words frighten or injure have a similar meaning to harm, so the answer is:
ANIMALS
Don’t expect to hear the exact words
Many candidates listen for the words printed on the question paper. This can be a mistake because IELTS often tests your understanding of synonyms.
Synonyms will almost always give you the answer (in all parts of the test).
e.g. ‘don’t frighten or injure the animals’ = ‘don’t harm the animals’
Build your vocabulary
The more synonyms you know, the easier IELTS Listening becomes.
Common examples include:
- begin = start
- assist = help
- purchase = buy
- require = need
- dangerous = unsafe
- route = path
Exam tip
When you read the questions, underline important keywords and think of alternative words the speaker might use. This will help you recognise the answer even when you don’t hear exactly the same language as the question.
Tip 7: Follow reference words
Reference words help speakers avoid repeating the same noun again and again. Common reference words include:
- it
- this
- that
- these
- those
- them
- he
- she
- they
To understand the recording correctly, you need to know what these words refer to.
For example:
“You’re all wearing shoes. We always advise people to do that.”
Here, ‘that’ refers to wearing shoes.
“Stay a safe distance from the tools. Don’t touch them.”
Here, ‘them’ refers to the tools.
“I don’t think any of you have brought dogs with you, but if you have, they will have to stay in the car park.”
Here, ‘they’ refers to dogs.
Why are reference words important?
In IELTS Listening, the speaker often introduces the answer and then continues talking about it using reference words.
If you lose track of what it, they or them refers to, it’s easy to miss important information that follows.
Exam tip
When you hear a reference word, quickly ask yourself:
“What does ‘that’ refer to?”
This simple habit will help you follow the speaker’s ideas more easily, especially in Parts 2, 3 and 4, where the listening becomes longer and more complex.
👉 Learn more: ‘A guide to referencing in IELTS Listening’ (Resource Library)
Tip 8: Check your plurals
Plural nouns are tested frequently in IELTS Listening, and a missing -s is enough to lose a mark.
In this example, all the answers are plural nouns:
- animals
- tools
- shoes
- dogs
If you write:
❌ animal
instead of
✅ animals
the answer will be marked incorrect.
Don’t lose marks when transferring your answers
Many candidates identify the correct answer while listening but lose marks later because they forget to write the plural ending when transferring their answers to the answer sheet.
Before moving on, ask yourself:
- Is the answer singular or plural?
- Does the grammar in the question require an -s?
- Have I copied the answer correctly?
Exam tip
Pay particular attention to words such as:
- many
- several
- few
- all
- some
- any
These often signal that a plural noun is needed.
When you check your answers at the end of the test, plurals should be one of the first things you review. Missing -s endings are one of the most common reasons candidates lose easy marks in IELTS Listening.
Tip 9: Check your spelling
Spelling counts in IELTS Listening. Even if you hear the correct answer, you can still lose the mark if you spell it incorrectly.
Some words are particularly difficult because English spelling does not always match pronunciation.
Learn common spelling patterns
Pay special attention to:
- plural spelling rules, such as baby → babies
- words with unusual letter combinations, such as pheasant
- words that sound similar but have different spellings
- common IELTS vocabulary related to places, facilities, jobs and everyday activities
Learn the spelling rules behind common mistakes
Many spelling errors happen because learners haven’t noticed common spelling patterns, such as:
- y → ies (baby → babies)
- adding -es (dish → dishes)
- irregular plurals (child → children)
- the magic e rule
The more familiar you are with these patterns, the more accurately you’ll write your answers under test conditions.
Exam tip
When you check your answers at the end of the test, don’t just look at the meaning. Check every letter carefully.
Ask yourself:
✅ Is the spelling correct?
✅ Have I written the plural ending?
✅ Have I copied the word accurately?
Many candidates lose easy marks through spelling mistakes, especially in Part 1 and Part 2, where answers are often simple everyday words.
👉 Learn more: 100+ most common gapfill answers in the IELTS Listening Test ($7)
Gapfill Practice
Listen to my version of this test about a farm tour, and try the test before you check the tapescript:
Fiddy Working Heritage Farm
Visitors should
- take care not to harm any (11) ________________
- not touch any (12) _______________
- wear (13) _________________
- not bring 14_______________ into the farm
‘Welcome to the Fiddy Working Heritage Farm. This open-air museum gives you the experience of agriculture and rural life in the English countryside at the end of the nineteenth century. So you’ll see a typical farm of that period, and like me, all the staff are dressed in clothes of that time.
I must give you some advice and safety tips before we go any further. As it is a working farm, please don’t frighten or injure the animals (11). We have a lot here, and many of them are breeds that are now quite rare.
And do stay at a safe distance from the tools (12): some of them have sharp points which can be pretty dangerous so please don’t touch them. We don’t want any accidents do we?
The ground is very uneven and you might slip if you’re wearing sandals so I’m glad to see you’re all wearing shoes (13) – we always advise people to do that.
Now, children of all ages are very welcome here, and usually even very young children love the ducks and lambs, so do bring them along next time you come.
I don’t think any of you have brought dogs (14) with you, but in case you have, I’m afraid they’ll have to stay in the car park, unless they’re guide dogs. I’m sure you’ll understand that they could cause a lot of problems on a farm.’
(Adapted from Cambridge IELTS Practice Tests CUP, Test Book 11, Test 1)
How to follow directions on a map
Map labelling is a common IELTS Listening Part 2 question types.
Make sure you can confidently understand language such as:
- turn left
- turn right
- opposite
- next to
- at the end of
- go straight on
For a complete lesson on IELTS Listening maps, directions and labelling tasks, see my IELTS Listening Maps Guide.
TIP: Before listening
✅ Identify where you are starting
✅ Locate the main landmarks
✅ Find all the letters or labels
TIP: During the recording
✅ Follow the route with your finger or pencil
✅ Write notes on the map
✅ Keep moving with the speaker
EXAMPLE
Look at the map of the farm below.
- Find your starting point. Locate the “You are here” marker so that you know where the speaker will begin.
- Identify the main landmarks. Quickly scan places such as the Car Park, New Barn and Fish Pool. This will help you follow the directions more easily.
- Check all the labels. Make sure you can see every letter or numbered location. Sometimes a label is placed outside the main map and is easy to miss.
- Be ready to write on the question paper. As you listen, make quick notes on the map. For example, write Scarecrow beside the correct location. You don’t need perfect spelling at this stage because these notes are only for you.
- Don’t panic if you don’t know a word. For example, you may not know what a maze is. That’s not a problem. Simply listen for the word and match it to the correct location on the map.
- Listen for the language of location and direction. Common phrases include:
- turn left
- turn right
- go straight on
- opposite
- next to
- between
- at the end of
- on the corner))
Now listen to my version of the listening.
The places you need to find are listed below the map – they go in the same order as the speaker mentions them.
(15) Scarecrow ____
(16) Maze ____
(17) Cafe____
(18) Black Barn ____
(19) Covered picnic area ____
(20) Fiddy House ____
15 Scarecrow F
16 Maze G
17 Cafe D
18 Black Barn H
19 Covered picnic area C
20 Fiddy House A
Now let me give you some idea of the layout of the farm. The building where you bought your tickets is the New Barn, immediately to your right, and we’re now at the beginning of the main path to the farmland – and of course the car park is on your left. (15) The scarecrow you can see in the car park in the corner, beside the main path, is a traditional figure for keeping the birds away from crops, but our scarecrow is a permanent sculpture. It’s taller than a human being, so you can see it from quite a distance.
(16) If you look ahead of you, you’ll see a maze. It’s opposite the New Barn, beside the side path that branches off to the right just over there. The maze is made out of hedges which are too tall for young children to see over them, but it’s quite small so you can’t get lost in it!
Now, can you see the bridge crossing the fish pool further up the main path? (17) If you want to go to the cafe, go towards the bridge and turn right just before it. Walk along the side path and the cafe’s on the first bend you come to. The building was originally the school house, and it’s well over a hundred years old. As you may know, we run skills workshops here, where you can learn traditional crafts like woodwork and basket -making. You can see examples of the work, and talk to someone about the courses, in the Black Barn. (18) If you take the side path to the right here, just by the New Barn, you’ll come to the Black Barn just where the path first bends.
Now, I mustn’t forget to tell you about picnicking, as I can see some of you have brought your lunch with you. You can picnic in the field, though do clear up behind you, of course. (19) Or if you’d prefer a covered picnic area, there’s one near the farmyard: just after you cross the bridge, there’s a covered picnic spot on the right.
And the last thing to mention is Fiddy House itself. (20) From here you can cross the bridge then walk along the footpath through the field to the left of the farmyard. That goes to the house and it’ll give you a lovely view of it. It’s certainly worth a few photographs, but as it’s a private home, I’m afraid you can’t go inside.
Keep improving your IELTS Listening score
Now you’ve learnt how to avoid common mistakes in IELTS Listening Part 1, continue with the next sections of the test:
- IELTS Listening Part 1 Complete Guide
- IELTS Listening Part 3 Complete Guide
- IELTS Listening Part 4 Complete Guide
Each section contains different question types, challenges and strategies.
Need a complete IELTS Listening preparation course?
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Master every question type
Boost your score with smart strategies
Practise with real IELTS-style tasks
Build your vocabulary and listening accuracy
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FAQs about IELTS Listening Part 2
Is IELTS Listening Part 2 harder than Part 1?
Many candidates find Part 2 more difficult because there is only one speaker and the recording is usually longer. You need to follow a monologue rather than a conversation, which requires greater concentration.
What question types are common in IELTS Listening Part 2?
Part 2 often includes:
- note completion
- form completion
- map labelling
- diagram labelling
- matching tasks
The speaker is usually giving information, instructions or directions.
Are map questions always in IELTS Listening Part 2?
No. Maps are common in Part 2, but they do not appear in every test. You may also see gap-fill, matching and labelling tasks.
Do the answers appear in order?
Yes. The answers follow the same order as the recording. If you miss one answer, don’t panic. Move on and focus on finding the next one.
What is the most common mistake in IELTS Listening Part 2?
Many candidates lose marks because they:
- miss signposting language
- get lost during map questions
- forget the word limit
- miss plural endings
- stop listening after missing an answer
How can I improve my IELTS Listening Part 2 score?
Focus on:
- predicting answers before you listen
- recognising synonyms
- following signposts
- understanding directions and location language
- checking spelling and plurals
What should I do if I get lost during a map question?
Don’t panic. Stop worrying about the answer you’ve missed and try to identify the next landmark or direction. Because the speaker follows a route, it’s often possible to get back on track and answer the remaining questions correctly.
About Fiona
Fiona is an IELTS trainer, ex-examiner and course creator based in the UK. She has a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Distinction) and over 35 years of teaching experience. She has helped thousands of IELTS candidates develop the language and exam skills needed to achieve their target scores.
