MASTERING ENGLISH TESTS — SERIES #5
LISTENING SKILLS: The Art of Understanding Spoken English
By Prof. Dr. Arshad Afzal
Retired Faculty Member, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA
Website: themindscope.net
INTRODUCTION: Why Listening is the Real Gatekeeper
Most learners assume that listening is the easiest part of English-language tests. After all, you “just listen,” right?
Wrong.
Listening is the silent assassin of English exams — where thousands of candidates fail despite excellent speaking or writing. Why?
✔ Native-speed conversations
✔ Accents you weren’t trained to understand
✔ Distractors designed to mislead
✔ Multi-tasking under intense pressure
✔ Answers disappearing in seconds — never to return
Listening tests are engineered to expose weaknesses in attention, concentration, and real-time processing. Success requires strategy, not just comprehension.
This article breaks down the battlefield of listening tests and gives you the secret weapons to dominate IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and OET — confidently, consistently.
1️⃣ The Psychology of Listening Under Pressure
Research shows the brain processes spoken language 60% faster than written language —
BUT memory drops dramatically after 5–7 seconds.
In a listening test, your brain must perform THREE tasks simultaneously:
| Task | Mental Demand |
|---|---|
| Hear | Understand every word in real-time |
| Read | Scan the question & answer gaps |
| Write | Complete answers accurately |
This creates a cognitive overload, causing even strong learners to miss easy answers.
🧠 The Strategy: Split-Command Listening
Train your brain to perform these simultaneously:
✔ Eyes 👀 stay on the question
✔ Ear 👂 follows keywords
✔ Hand ✍️ fills answers instantly — not later
Listening is not about passive ears — it is an active intelligence operation.
2️⃣ Understanding the Listening Test Structure
IELTS Listening
4 sections — 40 questions
Accents: UK/US/Australia/New Zealand/Canada
Plenty of traps and distractors
TOEFL Listening
University-based lectures + academic dialogues
Focus: Note-taking, inference, main ideas
PTE Listening
Integrated listening + writing
Tasks like Dictation and Summarization are high-scoring
OET Listening
Medical contexts — diagnosis, treatment, history taking
Requires professional interpretation
Each test evaluates processing + accuracy + retention — not just knowing English.
3️⃣ The Six Listening Powers You Must Master
Power 1: Keyword Intelligence
You don’t listen to everything. You listen for what matters:
🔹 Names
🔹 Numbers
🔹 Dates
🔹 Places
🔹 Directions
🔹 Comparisons (better / worse / cheaper)
🔹 Change of information (Actually / In fact / Instead / Correction)
🔹 Cause–effect signals (Because / Therefore / So)
🎧 Exercise:
Take any random video → write only keywords → not full sentences.
Example:
“Tom booked a hotel in London for 2 nights — Friday and Saturday → £120 total.”
Your notes should be:
→ Tom, hotel, London, 2 nights, Fri + Sat, £120
This is exactly how scoring happens.
Power 2: Predictive Listening
Before audio starts → guess the answers.
If the blank says:
“… travelling by __________.”
You already know: 🚗 car / 🚍 bus / 🚆 train / ✈️ plane / 🚲 bike
You are now mentally waiting for the right one.
Prediction makes your brain alert.
Power 3: Accent Immunity
You must be comfortable with:
🇬🇧 British
🇺🇸 American
🇦🇺 Australian
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇨🇦 Canadian
Train your ear using:
✔ BBC (British)
✔ CNN (American)
✔ ABC (Australian)
✔ TED Talks (Mixed accents)
If your brain recognizes accents —
Listening becomes 90% easier.
Power 4: Distractor-Killing
Listening tests deliberately try to fool you.
Example:
“I wanted a single room, but I changed to a double because my friend is coming.”
Correct answer = Double room
NOT Single — because the speaker corrected the information.
Trigger words that signal correction:
But / Actually / No / I mean / Change / Instead / Sorry / In fact
These words = Look again! Something just changed.
Power 5: Speed Writing Mastery
If you wait even 2 seconds —
The answer is GONE.
Write short forms:
✔ Info instead of information
✔ Tues instead of Tuesday
✔ £250 not two hundred and fifty pounds
Speed writing helps the brain keep pace with audio.
Power 6: Answer Transfer Skills
Many students lose marks after listening ends:
Misspelled words ❌
Grammar errors ❌
Wrong singular/plural ❌
Extra words ❌
Example:
“We will meet in the library.”
Answer blank: location
Correct: library (NOT the library)
Always check:
🔹 spelling
🔹 number (boy(s), ticket(s))
🔹 unit (km, $, %)
🔹 capital letters for names
Small mistakes = Big marks lost ❌
4️⃣ Listening Question Types & Exact Strategies
Here are the traps — and how to smash them:
📝 Form/Note/Table Completion
Most common — and most dangerous.
Strategy: ✔ Predict answers (type: number? noun? name?)
✔ Follow order of questions
✔ Ignore fillers — wait for keywords
✔ Write instantly → don’t look back
🔄 Multiple Choice
Choices are similar to confuse you.
Strategy: ✔ Cross out wrong options as you listen
✔ Final option usually becomes obvious
✔ Watch for distractors: corrected info
🗺 Direction Maps
Common in IELTS — you must visualize movement.
Strategy: ✔ Identify starting point
✔ Follow LEFT / RIGHT / NEXT TO / BEHIND
✔ Focus on final location — not everything
📊 Matching
Names with information.
Strategy: ✔ Scan ALL names first
✔ Listen for descriptions, synonyms
✔ Cross out used options quickly
📚 Summarization (TOEFL & PTE)
You must capture the main idea, not details.
Strategy: ✔ Note down: cause + result
✔ Ignore extra storytelling
✔ Use linking words for note meaning
5️⃣ The 7 Listening Traps That Always Catch Students
🚫 1. Writing while missing next answers
🚫 2. Trying to understand everything
🚫 3. Panicking after missing 1 question
🚫 4. Not using prediction
🚫 5. Focusing on unfamiliar words
🚫 6. Forgetting plural forms
🚫 7. Losing concentration after distractors
Your new rule:
❗ If you miss an answer → move on immediately
The next one comes fast.
6️⃣ Listening Vocabulary You MUST Know
When speakers use synonyms —
the answer DOES NOT use the same word.
| In Audio | In Questions |
|---|---|
| Book | Reserve |
| Kids | Children |
| Job | Employment |
| Cheaper | Lower price |
| Begin | Start |
| Immediately | Right away |
Listening success = synonym recognition.
7️⃣ Score-Boosting Micro-Skills
🔹 Silent Shadowing
Play audio → repeat in your mind simultaneously.
It improves processing speed by 40%.
🔹 Numerical Anticipation
When you hear numbers, write quick symbols:
- 1, 2, 3 → digits only
- Weekdays = M Tu W Th F Sa Su
- Months = Jan Feb Mar …
Train your hand to write before brain finishes hearing.
🔹 Context Prediction
If the topic is tour booking, expect:
✔ Tickets, prices
✔ Timing
✔ Locations
✔ Transport
✔ People
✔ Food
Your mind becomes alert for specific answers.
8️⃣ Scoring: How Marks Are Really Lost
| Error Type | Why It Hurts |
|---|---|
| Spelling mistake | Zero mark |
| Adding articles | Wrong (library ≠ the library) |
| Wrong number | Mark lost |
| Wrong form | Word type mismatch |
| Changing meaning | Wrong answer |
Remember: Listening tests are not forgiving.
They punish carelessness, not ability.
9️⃣ 30-Day Listening Mastery Plan
| Day Range | Goal |
|---|---|
| Days 1–5 | Build accent familiarity (BBC/CNN/ABC) |
| Days 6–10 | Learn distractor patterns (IELTS practice) |
| Days 11–15 | Mixed-speed listening (podcasts + lectures) |
| Days 16–20 | Multi-task: listen & write simultaneously |
| Days 21–25 | Test practice with strict timing |
| Days 26–30 | Error analysis → eliminate weak areas |
Daily 30–40 minutes =
📈 Guaranteed score improvement.
🔟 Common Listening Myths — Busted
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| “I must understand every word” | No — only keywords matter |
| “Listening is easy” | It is the most technical skill |
| “I can catch mistakes later” | Too late — answers vanish |
| “Long practice sessions help” | Short + daily training wins |
Listening is a sport, not a lesson.
You must train, not just “study.”
1️⃣1️⃣ Real Test-Day Battle Strategy
✔ Read questions before audio
✔ Mark keywords to listen for
✔ Predict likely answers
✔ Fill answers immediately
✔ If one is missed → forget it
✔ Review spelling in final minutes
🎯 Listening tests reward speed + focus, not intelligence.
1️⃣2️⃣ Score Targets & What They Mean
| Exam | Band/Score | Real-World Skill |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS 7.0+ | Strong academic listener | |
| TOEFL 24+ | Can follow fast lectures | |
| PTE 70+ | Fluent comprehension | |
| OET B+ | Safe and effective healthcare communication |
Your goal is not just a score —
it is global communication confidence.
CONCLUSION: Listening is Leadership
Speaking makes you visible.
Writing makes you respectable.
Reading makes you informed.
But listening makes you powerful.
Great leaders listen before they speak.
Great learners listen before they understand.
Great achievers listen before they win.
Master listening —
and every other skill rises with it.
By Prof. Dr. Arshad Afzal
Retired Faculty Member, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA
Global English-Test Specialist
🌐 themindscope.net
