ListeningImprovement plan
How to Improve Your IELTS Listening Score
Listening has one band scale for everyone, on Academic and General Training. This plan gives the extra correct answers each step up takes. It also shows what to change when you hear each recording only once.
You hear each recording only once source: IDP. So when you check a practice test, ask what happened at the moment each answer was spoken.
The steps below are our advice, built from the average marks IELTS publishes for each band. They are not a promise of a band.
Start here: your raw score and your lost marks
One set of averages applies to everyone, whichever test you book.
Listening is the same test in Academic and General Training source: ielts.org. The marks for each band are averages, and the exact number varies slightly from one test version to the next source: ielts.org.
These are averages. The exact number varies a little between test versions. Between the pins there is no official figure.
Source: ielts.org, IELTS scoring in detail
Show the data
| Band | Average marks out of 40 |
|---|---|
| 8 | 35 |
| 7 | 30 |
| 6 | 23 |
| 5 | 16 |
Then mark a full practice test strictly to get your raw score. Sort every lost mark by question type and by reason. IELTS Listening question types explains each type and links its guide. The Listening band score converter gives the band for your score.
Each step below names the reasons and types to check first. Start with the reason that costs you the most marks.
Band 5 to band 6: keep the marks you heard
Band 5 is about 16 correct answers out of 40, and band 6 is about 23 source: ielts.org.
So band 6 takes about seven more correct answers.
Hearing the right word is not enough. These rules decide whether a written answer gets the mark.
- Writing more than the word limit loses the mark. The limit can change from task to task source: ielts.org.
- A word with a spelling error is marked incorrect source: IDP.
- The missing word may be a plural noun, or a verb in a past or "-ing" form source: IDP.
So check every written answer three times: for the word count, the spelling and the plural.
Your score is only the number of correct answers, so try every question source: British Council.
If you miss an answer, keep answering as the audio plays. Fill in the missed one with your best guess when the recording ends source: IDP.
These are the types where you write words, and each guide covers its own method:
Numbers, dates and times covers the answers that are easiest to write wrongly. IELTS Listening raw score to band score covers the marking rules.
Band 6 to band 7: wait for the speaker's final answer
Band 6 is about 23 correct answers, and band 7 is about 30 source: ielts.org.
So band 7 takes about seven more correct answers. Band 6 vs 6.5 vs 7 sets this gap beside the other three skills.
A speaker may give an answer and then change it, or add a negative word, such as "not", to a sentence source: British Council.
Do not choose an option only because you hear one of its words. Listen to the context it comes in source: IDP.
Always listen until the speaker finishes their sentence or idea before you answer source: IDP.
Predict the kind of word a gap needs before the recording starts. Then wait for the speaker to finish before you write it. The first answer you hear may not be the last.
The question often uses a different word with a similar meaning to the one in the recording source: British Council.
In multiple choice and matching, listen for the idea in the question, not only its words. You also hear the wrong options, and both guides show how to rule them out.
In plan, map and diagram labelling, the names are said as they are printed, but wrong places are named too. That guide shows how to check each one.
Band 7 to band 8: follow the longer talks
For band 8 you need about 35 correct answers, against about 30 for band 7 source: ielts.org.
That is about five more, out of the ten you could still miss at band 7.
Parts 3 and 4 deal with educational and training situations source: ielts.org.
Lectures follow a pattern. The more lectures you listen to, the better you understand that pattern source: IDP.
Listen for signpost words that show the stages of a talk source: IDP.
Always keep the next question in mind, so that you do not miss an answer source: British Council.
If you lose your place in the question paper, you can miss the next answer too. The Listening test format explains how to use the question paper to keep your place.
The recordings use different accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American source: ielts.org.
It also helps to know a range of accents source: British Council.
At this level, practise with talks and lectures in more than one accent. Then mark each lost answer with its reason. You can only miss about five questions, so look for a reason that comes up more than once.
Where to go next
The Listening hub lists every Listening guide. To see what a higher Listening band does to your overall score, use the band score calculator. The Reading plan covers the other test marked by counting answers. How long to prepare for IELTS reports what the test owners publish about time.
The average marks for each band and the note that they vary by test version come from ielts.org's IELTS scoring in detail page. The word limit, the parts and the accents come from its Academic Listening format page, and the rule that Listening is the same in both tests from its test types page. The British Council points come from its Academic Listening page. The IDP points come from its spelling guide, its sentence completion guide dated 28 November 2024, its 10 tips article dated 21 October 2023, its multiple choice guide dated 29 April 2025, its forms, tables and notes guide dated 10 November 2025, its Listening overview and its common mistakes article dated 19 May 2020. All were last checked on 3 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in Listening?
About 30 out of 40. That is an average, and the exact mark varies slightly by test version source: ielts.org.
Is Listening different in General Training?
No. Listening is the same test in Academic and General Training source: ielts.org.
Should I guess if I miss an answer?
Yes. Your score is only the number of correct answers source: British Council.
- Written by
- Compass IELTS Editorial Team, the team behind the Compass IELTS band score tools and practice tests
- Published
- Sources
- Words in a quote box, and sentences just before a source link such as ielts.org, come from the test owners. Everything else is our explanation. Claims are checked against official IELTS materials before a guide is published. Read how we write and review guides.
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