IELTS Listening Note Completion: tips and strategy
Complete notes from the recording.
IELTS Listening note completion gives you a partly finished set of notes, usually from a talk or lecture, and you type the missing words as you listen. It tests whether you can follow a longer piece of speech and pick out key facts. Candidates lose marks when the speaker mentions a common belief or an earlier idea before giving the correct information.
What you see on screen
You type missing words into notes that mirror the talk's structure while the recording plays once. Typical of the Part 4 lecture, with limits like ONE WORD ONLY.
How it is marked
One mark per gap; spelling counts and plural endings matter. The notes track the audio order, so answers never jump backwards.
How long to spend
In the reading time, look at the headings to see how the talk is organised, and check the word limit, which is often ONE WORD ONLY for this task. In the computer-delivered test you can use the 2 minutes of review time at the end to check spelling and word count in the notes. Do not use it to try to remember whole sentences from the talk.
Strategy
- Use the notes' headings and indentation as a map of where the talk goes next.
- Predict each gap's grammar during preview so your ear filters for the right word class.
- Part 4 has no halfway pause, so stay locked in; drifting for seconds loses answers.
- If you miss a gap, leave it blank and refocus instantly, because the next answer is already coming.
Traps that cost marks
Writing two words where the limit demands one voids the answer regardless of accuracy.
Losing your place after one missed gap and cascading errors through the rest of the section.
Worked example
Lecturer: Most people picture honeybees when they think of pollinators in cities, but in our survey of rooftop gardens, honeybees were actually outnumbered by solitary bees. These species don't build hives. They nest alone, often in hollow stems or in bare soil. So the gardens with the most species weren't the tidiest ones. Where gardeners had left patches of soil uncovered instead of laying gravel, we found far more nests. Gravel was first recommended to keep weeds down, but it seals the ground.
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer. Rooftop garden survey - most common type of bee: (31) .......... bees - nesting sites: hollow stems and bare (32) .......... - gardeners should avoid covering the ground with (33) ..........
Answer: 31 solitary; 32 soil; 33 gravel
Honeybees are mentioned first because most people expect them to be the most common, but the lecturer says they were 'outnumbered by solitary bees'. 'Bare soil' fills gap 32. Gap 33 needs the covering that seals the ground, which is gravel. Writing 'honey' or 'honeybees' in gap 31 would be the most likely mistake.
An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.
Questions candidates ask
- What happens if I write more words than the IELTS Listening word limit?
- The answer is marked wrong, even if it contains the correct word. If the instruction says ONE WORD ONLY, 'solitary bees' scores zero where 'solitary' is required. Always read what is printed around the gap. If a word such as 'bees' already appears after the gap, do not type it again.
- Does a hyphenated word count as one word in IELTS Listening?
- Yes. A hyphenated word such as 'well-known' or 'part-time' counts as one word. Numbers written as digits count as numbers, not words. Articles such as 'a' and 'the' do count as words, so leave them out unless the gap needs them and the word limit allows them.
- Can I use British or American spelling in IELTS Listening?
- Yes. Both British and American spellings are accepted, for example 'colour' or 'color' and 'organise' or 'organize'. Use one spelling correctly. A word that is misspelled in both varieties is marked wrong, so check less familiar academic words during the review time at the end.
Now try it under exam conditions.
Practise Note Completion questions