Basically, IELTS listening tests your listening skills in different ways. If you plan to take IELTS, you need to improve your listening skills so that you can handle different types of conversations and talks. But if you really want to know why you miss answers in IELTS listening, just keep reading.
A common mistake
There is a common misunderstanding among English learners and even some teachers. These people believe, by learning some techniques and strategies, IELTS test takers can get a high score. That is why, most English schools, colleges, or even universities may put you in an IELTS or PRE-IELTS course regardless of your English proficiency level. This is a common practice in most countries with outdated English teaching systems like Canada.
There is no denying that by practicing IELTS materials and learning those techniques, you can score better. However, before you settle for an IELTS course, remember you need to do a lot more to guarantee your success. The good news is if you practice your English listening skills and not just IELTS materials, not only can you understand conversations and talks in real-life situations better, but also in any other English test. Most probably, you need to take IELTS to get into a college or university. If you plan to study for IELTS just to fulfill the admission requirement, by getting your IELTS, the story is not over yet. Even if those tricks and techniques work, it is just the beginning of your problems. In college or university, you will face real challenges in communication, doing assignments, and passing courses. Learn English to speak, read, write, and understand better.
Why do I miss answers in IELTS listening?
Now, having reviewed some misconceptions, let’s get into the question of “why do I miss answers in IELTS listening?”. The short answer is your listening skills are still weak and need improvement. You simply lose the track of the conversations and talks. It is still hard for you to do multitasking in your second language. When you are focusing on the questions or are writing your answers, you simply cannot hear effectively. This means your listening skills still need a bit more improvement before learning those tricks and techniques.
What do my IELTS listening scores mean?
If you take mock or real IELTS tests, and your score is marginally lower than what you need, there is a good chance you can get the score you want. With more practice and by learning those beloved techniques, you might achieve what you are after. However, if your achieved score is far from what you need (maybe by 1.5 scores or more), you should find the solution elsewhere. You had better start a general English course to improve all your English skills, especially listening.
Where does the actual problem lie?
The reason your comprehension pace is slower than the pace of a conversation is because you may not be well familiar with sentence patterns in English. So what does it cause?
When you start processing a sentence, first you need to go over the sentence in your brain to recognize the different parts of it. Then, you consider the words and their meanings. Finally, by the time you understand it (if you are lucky to understand it at all), the conversation has gone long forward. Yes, you have missed other sentences after the one in your brain as well. This way you not only may have missed some answers in the following sentences but also you have missed a lot of information in the conversation that could lead to a better understanding of the whole topic. To complicate the situation, let’s not forget that during processing these sentences, you are busy scanning and reading questions. This focus on reading can detract from your focus on listening, hence a poorer understanding of the conversation and falling behind.
What is the solution?
You are still frustrated and ask yourself “why do I miss answers in IELTS listening?”. This solution has helped hundreds of my students who really care about their English. It is obvious that you should start from a lower level of your actual English level. The reason is to give yourself some more time to practice and help those sentence patterns set in your brain.
Don’t forget that the purpose is not to listen to difficult conversations and learn new grammar and vocabulary. You do not want to learn big words, idioms, or technical terms. At this stage, gaining academic knowledge for a better understanding of conversations is not the purpose. You are simply trying to help sentence structures become familiar to you.
When you do all this, the processing time in your brain reduces, and the processing speed increases. So, by listening to some easy to intermediate level conversations again and again and again, this can be achieved. Don’t forget, you should keep listening to the same conversations. Finally, increase the variety of listening materials and go up to higher levels very gradually. The key is in listening to easy and common conversations many times.
If you want to never ask yourself again, “why do I miss answers in IELTS listening?”, decide wisely. Learning and improving your English skills is easy if you know what to do. A lot of learners spend more time and energy than they should to achieve good results. Consulting with an experienced English teacher can save you time and money. Do not leave your English practices behind until you are in need of improving it urgently as it never happens overnight. Plan ahead, consult, practice consistently, and you will easily succeed.
To get notified of new posts and articles and to receive the best advice on how to learn English, subscribe here.
I took a lot of IELTS classes with little success then that is why. i need to
Improve my english. Thanks