IELTS Listening Matching (Lists): tips and strategy
Match items from a list.
IELTS Listening matching questions give you a list of items and a box of lettered options, and you choose the option that fits each item from what the speaker says. They test whether you can recognise an idea when it is expressed in different words. Candidates lose marks when the speaker mentions an option's wording, then says it does not apply.
What you see on screen
Match each item to one lettered option from a list via dropdowns while the recording plays once. The list holds spare options you will not need.
How it is marked
One mark per item correctly matched. Speakers paraphrase the listed options, so you match meanings heard, not identical words.
How long to spend
During the reading time before the part, read the box of options first, because it is shared by every item and you will need to keep it in mind while you listen. Use the 2 minutes of review time at the end of the computer-delivered test to check any item you left blank and to see that you have not chosen a letter the recording clearly ruled out.
Strategy
- Read every listed option during preview and mentally group near-synonyms before the audio begins.
- Follow items in order; the recording discusses them sequentially even though the options are shuffled.
- Pencil a tentative letter beside unsure items, then confirm during the end-of-test checking time.
- Listen for attitude words like 'disappointed' or 'keen on', since options often differ only in evaluation.
Traps that cost marks
Matching on a word heard verbatim; the correct option is usually a paraphrase of what was said.
Forgetting spare options exist, so an unused letter feels like proof you slipped somewhere.
Worked example
Manager: Starting with the library corner, you may have heard it's closing. That isn't the case. It's staying open, but from next month it'll open at nine instead of ten. The cafe has been very popular, but it depends on residents giving an hour or two a week, and at the moment we're short of helpers there. Some people have asked whether the cafe is moving upstairs. It isn't. As for the pottery room, the kiln is being replaced, so that room will be shut until the spring.
What does the manager say about each area of the community centre? Choose THREE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-E, next to Questions 15-17. A will close for repairs B will have new opening hours C needs more volunteers D is moving to another floor E is now free to use 15 the library corner 16 the cafe 17 the pottery room
Answer: 15 B, 16 C, 17 A
The library corner will 'open at nine instead of ten', which is a change of opening hours (B). 'Short of helpers' is a paraphrase of needing volunteers (C), and 'shut until the spring' because the kiln is being replaced means closing for repairs (A). The distractors are the library 'closing' and the cafe 'moving upstairs'. The manager mentions both and then says neither is true.
An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.
Questions candidates ask
- Can I use the same letter more than once in IELTS Listening matching?
- Only if the instructions say so. Some tasks say 'You may choose any letter more than once'. If that line is missing, each letter can be used only once, and some letters will not be used at all. Read the instruction line carefully before the recording starts, because it changes how you can answer.
- How is matching lists different from matching features in IELTS Listening?
- In matching lists, each numbered item gets one letter from a box of descriptions, such as what a manager says about each room. In matching features, you usually connect items to a small set of categories, such as which speaker made each point or which option has each feature. Both test paraphrase, and both are marked one point per correct item.
- What should I do if two options seem to fit the same item?
- Choose the option that matches exactly what the speaker says about the present or final situation, not what they say used to happen or might happen. Check small words in the options such as 'now', 'will' and 'more'. They often decide which of two similar options is correct. If you are still unsure, choose one, because a blank answer cannot score.
Now try it under exam conditions.
Practise Matching (Lists) questions