IELTS Listening Task 1 is the first section of the Listening test. It involves a conversation between two speakers in a daily or social context, such as booking a service, making enquiries, or asking for information.

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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

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• Time: Approx. 6–7 minutes

• Number of questions: 10

• Context: Everyday social conversation between two people

• Purpose: Test your ability to understand specific factual information (e.g. names, numbers, addresses, times)

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YOU NEED TO:

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• Listen carefully for key details (dates, prices, times, names, etc.)

• Be familiar with British spelling and pronunciation

• Pay attention to distractors (e.g. when speakers change their minds or correct themselves)

• Write answers as you listen – the recording is only played once

• Follow the instructions carefully (e.g. "No more than two words and/or a number")

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KEY SKILLS NEEDED:

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• Listening for specific information

• Recognising numbers, names, and spellings

• Understanding everyday vocabulary and context

• Predicting the kind of information you need (before the audio begins)

• Spelling and grammar accuracy in written answers

• Transferring answers clearly (on the paper-based test)

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SUGGESTED PRACTICE ACTIVITIES:

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• Practise listening to short conversations (e.g. customer service calls or appointment bookings)

• Do gap-fill exercises using recordings with factual information

• Focus on listening for numbers, dates, addresses, and spelled words

• Practise predicting answers by looking at the question before listening

• Review common traps (e.g. when a speaker changes their answer mid-conversation)