IELTS Listening Multiple Choice: Strategy, Traps and Practice

Multiple-choice questions give you a question or the start of a sentence with three options (A, B, C). A second version asks you to choose two or three answers from a longer list, such as five options. They can appear in any part, but they are most common in Parts 2 and 3.

What it tests

• Understanding specific details and the main idea of what a speaker says.
• Telling apart options that are all mentioned but only one of which is confirmed.
• Following opinions and decisions in conversations, especially in Part 3.

Step-by-step strategy

1. Read the question stem first. It tells you what to listen for: a reason, a problem, a choice, a feeling.
2. Read all the options and find the differences. Underline the one or two words that make each option unique.
3. Expect paraphrase. The correct option rarely uses the speaker's words. A wrong option often does.
4. Listen to the end of the idea. Wait for the speaker to confirm, agree or decide before you choose.
5. Cross out options as they are rejected. A speaker saying no, that's not it or we decided against that rules an option out.
6. For choose-two or choose-three, keep a tally. Tick each option that is confirmed. Stop when you have the number you need.

Common traps

• Every number appears. If the options are times or prices, expect to hear all of them. Only one belongs to the question asked.
• Self-correction. It's on Thursday, oh sorry, Friday. The first answer is the distractor.
• A changed decision. Speakers agree on one plan, then switch. The rejected option may even answer a later question.
• "Contrary to what you'd think". A speaker states the expected view, then gives the real one. The expected view is a distractor.
• "I expected X but found Y". The expectation is mentioned, but the experience is the answer.
• Per item vs total. One option is the price of one item; the question asks about the total, or the other way round.
• Layered options. Options like only the kitchen and the kitchen and the hall both sound right. Listen for whether the speaker includes or excludes the second item.

Try it: mini-example

This transcript is original practice material written for Bee English.

MAYA: So which day suits you for the field trip, Tom? I was thinking Monday.

TOM: Monday's tricky because I've got a lab session. Wednesday?

MAYA: The minibus is booked on Wednesdays. Let's say Thursday, then.

TOM: Fine. And the cost, the leaflet says twelve pounds each, doesn't it?

MAYA: That's for the bus. With the museum entry it comes to eighteen. Most people assume the museum is free, but it isn't for groups.

TOM: Right. What should we focus on? I thought we'd look at the buildings.

MAYA: The tutor said the buildings are covered in the next module. She wants us to look at how the river shaped the town, and the old trade routes too.

1. On which day will they go on the field trip?
   • A Monday
   • B Wednesday
   • C Thursday
2. How much will each student pay in total?
   • A £12
   • B £18
   • C £30
3. Which TWO topics will they focus on? Choose TWO letters.
   • A buildings
   • B the river
   • C local museums
   • D trade routes
   • E the next module

Answers and explanations

1. C. Monday is rejected (lab session) and Wednesday is rejected (minibus booked). This is the changed decision trap.
2. B. £12 is the bus only. This is the per item vs total trap. £30 is never said; it is what you get if you add the two figures you heard.
3. B, D (in either order). Buildings are rejected because they are covered later. Museum was mentioned, but about the cost, not as a topic. The next module uses the speaker's exact words as a distractor.

Related guides

• IELTS Listening: complete guide
• Listening matching
• Reading multiple choice
• The computer-delivered test screen

Sources

• IELTS, Academic Listening format and question types
• IDP, How computer-delivered IELTS works