Teaching IELTS listening can be a daunting task. However, with the right resources and strategies, you can make it interesting and effective for students. There are several ways to teach IELTS listening to beginners, such as familiarizing them with the test format and providing examples of each section, adding intense cardio exercises, and introducing multimedia resources. This article looks at tips on how to tutor IELTS listening online and face-to-face.
Is it your first-time teaching IELTS?
The test measures a student’s ability to use English in academic and professional settings, so preparing for it requires specialized knowledge. Fortunately, several tips can help make your job as an IELTS tutor easier. By understanding the exam structure and familiarizing yourself with some of the common questions asked on each section of the test – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking – you can better prepare your students for success.
With these tips in mind, let’s explore how to teach IELTS listening effectively.
To have more information, you also can click here and read the article: “How can I become an IELTS tutor online?” to read the best ways to become an online IELTS tutor and know What license a tutor needs to teach IELTS.
Know the IELTS listening structure
The IELTS Listening test comprises four sections, with 10 questions each, totaling 40. The test takes approximately 30 minutes, including 10 minutes for transferring answers from the question paper to the answer sheet. The recording is played only once, and pauses are given throughout the test for test-takers to read and answer the questions.
To help your students prepare for the test, it’s important to familiarize them with the IELTS Listening structure. At this point, poor spelling can seriously affect a candidate’s score. Using quality resources can also prove to be extremely beneficial. Some of the best resources for IELTS preparation include official IELTS practice materials and Cambridge IELTS test books. Using these resources helps maximize IELTS scores and better understand English language comprehension skills.
The topics of the sections
IELTS Listening Section 1: General conversation
The general conversation usually involves a dialogue between people in everyday situations, such as booking a hotel room or ordering food. This section aims to test the test-takers ability to understand the English language in practical, everyday settings and their ability to pick up on important pieces of information such as names, dates, and times. IELTS tutors must emphasize listening skills such as note-taking and paraphrasing to help their students excel in this section.
IELTS Listening Section 2: General talk
The general talk involves a monologue or dialogue related to a non-academic topic, such as a tour guide giving information about a city or a customer enquiring about a product. Test-takers must understand the topic, main ideas, details, and information presented in the talk. As an IELTS trainer, you can help your students by teaching them effective listening strategies such as identifying keywords, predicting information, and using context clues to comprehend the content.
IELTS Listening Section 3: Academic Conversation
Academic conversation involves a more complex dialogue or monologue about academic topics such as research or university courses. Test takers must understand the main ideas and the speaker’s attitude, purpose, and specific details related to the topic. To improve students’ performance in this section, IELTS teachers should focus on developing critical listening skills, such as identifying tone, identifying opinions, and making inferences based on the information provided.
IELTS Listening Section 4: Academic lecture
The academic lecture is the most challenging section of the test. It requires test-takers to listen to a complex academic lecture and answer 10 questions about the content. The lecture topics are from academic subjects such as science, history, and social science and are delivered by a professor or an expert. To excel in this section, students need to develop advanced listening skills such as predicting key content, making inferences, and understanding discourse markers that indicate changes in the topic or structure of the content.
You can use these CAMBRIDGE resources to teach IELTS better:
- IELTS Listening Task Type 2 (Matching) (2) – teacher’s notes
Description - IELTS Listening Task Type 2 (Matching) Activity (1) – teacher’s notes
Description - IELTS Listening Task Type 3 (Plan, Map, Diagram Labelling) Activity –
teacher’s notes
How to teach IELTS listening to beginners?
To teach IELTS listening for beginners, start by familiarizing them with the IELTS test format
and the types of topics they will encounter in each section. Provide examples of each section and give them practice exercises to build their listening skills. Encourage them to actively listen, take notes, and identify key information while listening to improve their comprehension and overall scores. Additionally, introduce them to resources such as IELTS textbooks, practice tests, and audio materials that they can use to further develop their listening skills outside of class.
If you need to know more, click here and read: “How to start teaching English to beginners” for more information, which is about Some essential tips that can help you teach beginners better. For example, if your student does not have experience in private classes, try to be patient, know the student’s personality, use vital aids, start from the basics, and encourage them to continue studying. This article is about a beginner student’s needs and expectations.
Make a plan and the best strategy
1. Specify the goal
The main goal of teaching IELTS listening is to prepare students to achieve their desired test score, 6.5 or above. With 40 questions across the four listening sections, teaching students effective listening strategies is crucial to improve their accuracy and speed in answering the questions.
2. Clarify the test topics
Familiarize students with the IELTS listening test format and the types of topics they will encounter in each section.
3. Provide examples for listening questions
Please provide examples of each IELTS listening section and practice exercises to build their listening skills, such as actively listening, taking notes, identifying key information while listening, etc.
4. Introduce IELTS resources
Introduce students to resources such as IELTS textbooks, practice tests, and audio materials that can be used outside of class to develop their listening skills further.
5. Have an answering plan
Develop a lesson plan focusing on improving critical thinking skills related to understanding tone, opinion, and inference-making based on the content provided during lectures or conversations in the text passages.
6. Implement strategies
Implement strategies for effective note-taking within lessons using techniques such as paraphrasing and highlighting important words/phrases from the passage or lecture material being discussed in class so that it is easier for them to recall later during exams when answering questions about what was said during particular sections.
7. Teach how to find content clues.
Teach test-takers how to use context clues when deciphering unfamiliar words or phrases; this includes recognizing common prefixes/suffixes and regularly utilizing crossword puzzles and flashcards activities with regular vocabulary-building exercises throughout classes.
What should I teach first for IELTS listening?
When teaching IELTS listening, it is important to familiarize students with the test format and the topics they will encounter in each section. This includes providing examples of each section and giving students practice exercises to build their listening skills, such as actively listening, taking notes, and identifying key information while listening.
Do you want the same information for other IELTS skills? Click here:
How can I make my IELTS listening class interesting?
- Create interactive activities to engage students, such as having them create their listening tasks or role-play conversations.
- Introduce real-world audio materials, such as news reports and podcasts, to provide more authentic listening practice for students.
- Incorporate multimedia resources into the lesson plan so students can interact with videos and images while practicing their listening skills.
- Play games in class to make it enjoyable and encourage competition among the students to motivate them to focus on improving their IELTS Listening score.
How to tutor IELTS listening?
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Online
To effectively tutor IELTS listening online, use video conferencing tools to provide interactive lessons and engage in real-time conversations with students. Encourage online resources such as interactive quizzes, podcasts, and audio exercises to complement traditional learning materials and provide consistent practice sessions that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.
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Face-to-face
To effectively tutor IELTS listening face-to-face, it is important to create a comfortable and supportive environment to encourage active participation from students. Utilize a variety of activities and resources, such as audio clips, lectures, and interactive quizzes, to provide engaging and comprehensive instruction that caters to diverse learning styles. Additionally, offer personalized feedback and guidance to help students improve their weaknesses and build their confidence in the exam format.
How can I teach IELTS effectively?
To effectively teach IELTS listening, it is important to provide comprehensive instruction focusing on key listening skills such as note-taking, predicting content, and understanding discourse markers. Additionally, incorporating various authentic audio materials and interactive activities can help engage students and improve their comprehension and retention of the material.
you can also read “How to teach IELTS effectively?” which has Tips for IELTS coaches and learn the teaching techniques of every skill.
Be one of the best IELTS tutors in Ostado!
If you want to become an online IELTS tutor, such as a listening IELTS tutor, you can use free online tutoring platforms like Ostado. Ostado is an online tutoring website that connects you to students looking for a tutor like you. Many students will see our tutor list, and they can choose every tutor who matches them; we will also introduce the tutors to the students whose needs match the tutors.
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FAQ:
- How to teach IELTS listening effectively?
Several methods can help a tutor to teach IELTS listening properly. You can read all these strategies here. Click to read more!
- How can I become a Writing IELTS tutor?
You can start teaching IELTS by registering on the Ostado platform and qualifying as an online tutor. Click here to start!
- How to teach listening IELTS to beginners?
Some tips can help you to teach IELTS to beginners. This article will mention some practical strategies for teaching IELTS to beginners. Click here to read the tips!
