IELTS Listening Sentence Completion: tips and strategy
Complete sentences with heard words.
IELTS Listening sentence completion gives you sentences with a gap, and you type the missing words from the recording. The sentences use different words from the speaker, so the task tests paraphrase as well as detail. Candidates lose marks by writing information the speaker says has changed, or by filling the gap with a word that does not fit the grammar of the sentence.
What you see on screen
You type the missing words into gapped sentences while the recording plays once. Sentences paraphrase the audio, and a strict word limit applies.
How it is marked
One mark per completed sentence, with spelling and the word limit strictly enforced. Answers follow the recording order through the section.
How long to spend
Before the recording, read each sentence carefully so you know what the gap needs, such as a place, an object or a person, and check the word limit. Use the 2 minutes of review time at the end of the computer-delivered test to read each completed sentence and check that it is grammatical and that the spelling is correct.
Strategy
- Read each gapped sentence in preview and underline the word before the gap as your anchor.
- Check the gap's grammar; a plural slot needs the plural form you hear.
- Type the recording's exact words without paraphrasing; tidying up risks both limit and spelling errors.
- Use the final checking minutes to verify spelling and singular versus plural on every typed answer.
Traps that cost marks
Copying a word heard near the answer instead of the one the sentence structure actually requires.
Adding the article or unit heard alongside the keyword and breaching the word limit.
Worked example
Warden: Volunteers used to meet at the visitor centre, but from this week please come to the boathouse instead, because the centre car park is being resurfaced. We'll give each of you a pair of gloves, but you'll need to bring your own boots, as we can't guarantee we'll have your size. And the most important rule: if you find an injured bird, don't try to pick it up. Note where it is and phone the warden, who'll deal with it.
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. 24 Volunteers should now meet at the .......... 25 Volunteers must provide their own .......... 26 Anyone who finds an injured bird should contact the ..........
Answer: 24 boathouse; 25 boots; 26 warden
The visitor centre fits the grammar of gap 24 and is within two words, but it was the old meeting place. 'From this week' makes the boathouse the answer. For gap 25, the gloves are provided and the boots are not, so the answer is boots. 'The' is already in sentence 26, so type only 'warden'.
An original example written for this guide, not taken from a published test.
Questions candidates ask
- Do I need to use the exact words from the IELTS Listening recording?
- Yes. The missing words come from the recording, so type what you hear and do not change it into a synonym. The sentence around the gap is usually a paraphrase, but the answer itself is not. If you change the speaker's word, you may make a spelling mistake or change the meaning, and the answer may be marked wrong.
- Does 'a' or 'the' count towards the word limit?
- Yes. Articles count as words. With a limit of NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, 'the boathouse' is acceptable, but 'the old boathouse' is not. Check whether the article is already printed before the gap. If it is, typing it again adds an extra word and can take you over the limit.
- Does the completed sentence have to be grammatically correct?
- Yes. The correct answer always fits the grammar of the sentence. If the gap follows 'their own', a plural noun such as 'boots' is expected. If it follows 'an', the answer will begin with a vowel sound. Reading each finished sentence during the review time helps you find wrong forms, such as a singular noun where a plural is needed.
Now try it under exam conditions.
Practise Sentence Completion questions