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IELTS Academic · Listening · L3

IELTS Academic Listening Part 3 (Section 3): Educational Conversation

IELTS Listening Part 3 is a conversation between two main speakers in an educational or training setting, sometimes guided by another speaker, such as two students planning a research project with their tutor. You hear it once and answer 10 questions about opinions, decisions and plans, often multiple choice or matching.

Questions
10 (questions 21–30 of 40)
Speakers
2 main speakers, sometimes guided by a third (e.g. a tutor)
Setting
Education or training: assignments, projects, course choices
Audio
Played once only
Common task types
Multiple choice, matching, note or summary completion

How it works

  1. 1The instruction screen names the speakers and the topic, for example two students and their tutor.
  2. 2You read the questions, noting which ask for an opinion and which ask for a decision.
  3. 3The discussion plays once while you answer on screen.
  4. 4The test then moves to Part 4, the lecture.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C. Transcript excerpt: Tutor: So will you still survey the whole first-year group? Maya: That was the plan, but only about thirty people answered the pilot questionnaire. Tom: Right, so rather than chase more numbers, we thought we'd interview eight students in depth instead. Tutor: That sounds more realistic for the time you have. What do the students decide to do?

  1. AA send the questionnaire to more students
  2. BB carry out a smaller number of interviews
  3. CC ask the tutor to extend their deadline
Show answer

Answer: B carry out a smaller number of interviews

Option A is the original plan, which they drop. The deadline is only implied by the tutor's comment on time, so C is not stated. Tom's 'rather than... we thought we'd' signals the decision, and the tutor agrees.

Tips that work

  • Keep track of who says what. Questions often ask what one speaker thinks, not both.
  • Listen for the final decision after disagreement: 'so let's', 'in that case', 'we'll go with'.
  • Treat the tutor's comments as clues; they often confirm or reject what the students suggest.
  • Build vocabulary for coursework: literature review, data collection, sample size, draft, deadline, findings.

Common mistakes

  • Picking an option that one student suggests before the other rejects it.
  • Mixing up the two students' opinions in matching questions.

Questions candidates ask

Is Part 3 always about university?

It is set in education or training. That can be university coursework, but also a training course or a group project. The topic is academic in tone, but you do not need subject knowledge; everything you need is in the conversation.

Why do so many candidates lose marks in Part 3?

Speakers change their minds, agree partly, or reject ideas. Questions test the final position, so answers based on the first idea you hear are often wrong. Practise noting agreement and disagreement markers.

How long should I spend on Part 3 practice?

Short, regular sessions work well: one Part 3 set, then a careful review of every wrong answer with the transcript. EnglishHub has 200 practice sets for this exam, so you can practise this part many times without repeating material.

Other IELTS Academic Listening tasks

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