Loading…

IELTS Academic · Listening · L2

IELTS Academic Listening Part 2 (Section 2): Everyday Monologue

IELTS Listening Part 2 is a monologue: one speaker talks about an everyday, non-academic topic, such as a guide describing a community arts centre or local facilities. You hear it once and answer 10 questions, often multiple choice, matching, or labelling a map or plan by following directions.

Questions
10 (questions 11–20 of 40)
Speakers
1 speaker, everyday social context
Audio
Played once only
Common task types
Multiple choice, matching, map or plan labelling, note completion

How it works

  1. 1The instruction screen describes the talk, for example a guide introducing a venue.
  2. 2You read the first group of questions or study the map before the speaker starts.
  3. 3The talk plays once. Questions follow the order of the talk.
  4. 4For a map, you choose the letter on the plan that matches each place the speaker describes.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C. Transcript excerpt: Guide: The café by the visitor centre normally closes at four. During the summer months it stays open later on Fridays, until six, because of the evening bird walks. The shop, on the other hand, keeps the same hours all year and shuts at five. On Fridays in summer, the café closes at

  1. AA 4 pm
  2. BB 5 pm
  3. CC 6 pm
Show answer

Answer: C 6 pm

All three times are mentioned. Four o'clock is the normal closing time, five is the shop, and six is the café's summer Friday time. Part 2 distractors often attach a heard number to the wrong place or the wrong day.

Tips that work

  • For map questions, find the entrance and any compass point first, then follow the speaker's route with your eyes.
  • Learn direction language: 'opposite', 'next to', 'at the far end', 'turn left out of', 'beyond'.
  • In multiple choice, expect every option to be mentioned. Decide which one answers the exact question asked.
  • If you miss one question, move on at once; the next answer is usually a few sentences away.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing the first option you hear mentioned rather than the one that matches the question.
  • Starting a map from the wrong point and following every direction from there.

Questions candidates ask

Why is Part 2 harder for some candidates than Part 1?

There is only one speaker, so there are no natural pauses where a second person answers. Information comes in longer stretches, and map questions ask you to follow spoken directions in real time while reading a plan.

Are the questions in Part 2 in the same order as the talk?

Generally, yes. Questions follow the order of the information in the recording. If you hear the answer to question 15, you know questions 13 and 14 are behind you.

How can I get better at map labelling?

Practise with short plans and read each description aloud while tracing the route. Our Part 2 practice sets include exam-style plan-labelling items, so you can repeat the task with different layouts.

Other IELTS Academic Listening tasks

IELTS Academic overviewIELTS Academic Listening: all partsIELTS Academic full mock testsIELTS Academic articles on the blog