IELTS Academic · Listening · L1
IELTS Academic Listening Part 1 (Section 1): Everyday Conversation
IELTS Listening Part 1 is a conversation between two people in an everyday social situation, such as booking a course or renting a cottage. You hear it once and answer 10 questions, usually completing a form or notes with names, numbers, dates and short phrases, within the word limit given in the instructions.
- Questions
- 10 (questions 1–10 of 40)
- Speakers
- 2 people in an everyday social situation
- Audio
- Played once only
- Common task types
- Form, note or table completion; sometimes multiple choice
- Answer limit
- Stated in the instructions, e.g. no more than two words and/or a number
How it works
- 1A short instruction screen tells you the situation and the word limit for your answers.
- 2You get a brief moment to read the questions before the recording starts.
- 3The conversation plays once; you type answers into the gaps as you listen.
- 4The test moves on to Part 2. In the full test you get 2 minutes at the end of Part 4 to check all answers.
Sample task
Original sample · not from an official test
Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. Transcript excerpt: Clerk: Which class were you hoping to join? Woman: The weekend photography course. Not the beginners' group, I did that last spring. Clerk: So the intermediate one. That used to meet in the Mill Room, but it moved last month. It's now in the Garden Studio, on the ground floor. Course level: intermediate Room: ______
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Outline: Garden Studio
The Mill Room is mentioned first but then corrected. Part 1 often includes a speaker changing or correcting information, so the final version is the answer. Two words fits the limit; the capital letters do not matter, but the spelling does.
Tips that work
- Before the audio starts, predict the type of answer for each gap: a number, a date, a street name, a price.
- Listen for corrections such as 'sorry, I mean' or 'it moved'. The first detail you hear is often not the final one.
- Practise hearing spelled-out names and postcodes; letters like A, E and I, or G and J, are easy to confuse.
- Check the word limit on every set of questions. An answer that breaks it is marked wrong even if the content is right.
Common mistakes
- Writing three words when the limit is two words and/or a number.
- Misspelling a common word, which costs the mark in a typed answer.
- Losing your place after one missed gap instead of moving to the next question.
Questions candidates ask
Is Listening Part 1 the same in IELTS Academic and General Training?
Yes. Both versions of IELTS take the same Listening test, so Part 1 is an everyday conversation in both. The differences between Academic and General Training are in Reading and Writing, not Listening.
Do I lose marks for spelling mistakes in Part 1?
Yes. Typed answers must be spelled correctly to score. Names that are spelled out letter by letter in the recording must match exactly, so practise writing down spelled names and numbers at normal speaking speed.
How many times is the Part 1 recording played?
Once. You hear each recording in the IELTS Listening test a single time, so you answer while you listen. When you practise, resist replaying the audio until you have finished the set; that builds the habit the official test needs.
Other IELTS Academic Listening tasks
IELTS Academic overviewIELTS Academic Listening: all partsIELTS Academic full mock testsIELTS Academic articles on the blog