Introduction to Part 2

Part 2 of the IELTS Listening test is very different from Part 1. In Part 1, you hear a conversation. If someone says something confusing, the other person might ask them to repeat it.

In Part 2, you will hear only one person speaking (a monologue). They will be talking about a normal, everyday topic. For example, you might hear a tour guide showing people around a museum, a manager explaining the rules of a new park, or a radio announcer talking about a local festival.

Many students find Part 2 hard because the speaker never stops to take a break or explain things twice. If you stop paying attention for even a few seconds, you might miss two or three answers in a row. Because of this, Part 2 is a test of your focus and concentration just as much as it is a test of your English.

Types of Questions

In Part 2, you will have to answer 10 questions. The test-makers use a few different types of questions to check your listening skills:

1. Map or Plan Labelling: You look at a picture of a map or a building plan. The speaker gives a tour, and you have to label the missing parts.
2. Multiple Choice: You get a question and must pick the right answer from choices like A, B, or C.
3. Matching: You get a list of items (like a list of courses or hotel names) and you have to match them to a list of descriptions.
4. Filling in Blanks: You have to fill in missing words in a form, table, or set of notes using a strict word limit.

Deep Dive: How to Master Map Labelling

Because you asked about maps, let’s look closely at this specific question type. Map labelling is one of the most famous and tricky parts of Section 2.

You will be given a map of a town, a park, or a floor plan of a building. The speaker will guide you through this area, and you must name the blank spots. Here is exactly how to beat the map questions:

1. Before You Listen (The 30-Second Prep)

• Find the Starting Point: This is the most important step. Look for an arrow, an “X”, a “Main Gate”, or a sign that says “You Are Here”. The speaker will almost always start giving directions from this exact spot.
• Check the Compass: Look to see if there is a compass on the page (North, South, East, West). If you see one, the speaker will definitely use these words to guide you.
• Read the Labels Already on the Map: Look at the places that already have names (like “Lake”, “Cafe”, or “Reception”). The speaker will use these places as landmarks to help you find the blank spots.

2. While You Listen (Active Tracking)

• Trace with Your Pencil: Put your pencil on the starting point. As the speaker talks, actually draw a line on the paper to follow their path. If they say “walk past the cafe and turn left”, move your pencil past the cafe and turn left. This stops you from getting lost.
• Don’t Jump Around: The answers always come in the correct order (Question 11, then 12, then 13). However, the letters on the map (A, B, C) might not be in order. Follow the speaker’s story, not the alphabet.
• Watch out for the “Correction Trap”: The speaker might try to trick you by talking about a different place first. For example, they might say: “The old museum used to be near the lake, but the new exhibition centre is beside the theatre.” If you stop listening at the word “lake”, you will get the answer wrong.

3. Essential Map Vocabulary

You must know these directional words perfectly:

• Basics: Next to, opposite, in front of, behind, between.
• Moving: Go straight on, turn left/right, go past the landmark, head east, take the first street on the right.
• Location: At the top/bottom, in the middle, in the corner, on the far side, dead end, left-hand side.
• Shapes: The speaker might use shapes to describe things, like “the circular building,” “the S-shaped path,” or “the rectangular room.”

Common Traps and Tricks

IELTS examiners love to use “distractors.” A distractor is a fake answer that sounds right at first but is actually wrong.

1. The “Changed Mind” Trap

The speaker will say a fact, but then immediately correct themselves. For example: “We were going to hold the party in the garden, but because of the rain, we moved it to the main hall.” If you write down “garden,” you lose the point. Always wait for the speaker to finish their sentence. Listen for words like but, however, actually, or sorry—these usually mean a correction is coming.

2. The Past, Present, and Future Trap

The question might ask: “What is the building used for NOW?” The speaker will talk about what it was used for 100 years ago, what they plan to do with it next year, and what it is used for today. You must listen very closely to the verb tenses to pick the right time.

3. The Synonym Trick (Different Words, Same Meaning)

The test paper will almost never use the exact same words the speaker uses. If the paper says “cheap,” the speaker might say “affordable” or “low-cost.” If the paper says “public,” the speaker might say “open to anyone in the community.” You have to listen for the meaning, not just the exact word.

Signpost Words: Your Listening Guide

Because there is only one speaker, they will use special words to help you understand where they are in their speech. These are called “signpost words.”

• Starting a new topic: “Let’s start by looking at…” or “First of all…”
• Moving to the next question: “Now let’s move on to…” or “Turning to the next point…” When you hear these, move your eyes to the next question on your paper.
• Giving an important answer: “I must emphasize…” or “The most important thing to remember is…”
• A trap is coming: “However…”, “But actually…”, or “Instead…”

Step-by-Step Strategy

To get a high score, follow this simple 3-step plan:

Phase 1: Before the Audio (Preparation)

You get 30 seconds before the speaker starts. Read the instructions carefully. If it’s a fill-in-the-blank question, circle the word limit (like “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS”). Underline the important keywords in the questions. Try to guess what kind of answer is missing—is it a name, a date, a place, or an action?

Phase 2: During the Audio (Listening)

Keep your pencil moving. Hover over the question you are currently on, but keep the next question in the corner of your eye. If you completely miss an answer, do not panic. Forget about it and focus on the next question. If you panic, you will miss the rest of the answers too.

Phase 3: After the Audio (Checking)

At the end of the paper test, you have 10 extra minutes to move your answers to the final sheet. Check your spelling very carefully! If you spell a word wrong, you get zero points. Check if the word needs an “s” at the end (plural).

Important Vocabulary to Learn

Part 2 uses a lot of vocabulary about hobbies, local places, and nature. Practice spelling these common words, as students often get them wrong:

• Nature: Peninsula, waterfall, cliff, valley, avalanche, typhoon.
• Environment: Fossil fuels, renewable, solar panels, pollution.
• Hobbies & Sports: Photography, scuba diving, archery, embroidery, woodcarving.
• Places: Department store, library, cafeteria, basement, balcony, stadium.

Practice Examples

Here is how you should think about different question types:

Example 1: Multiple Choice

Question: What was the building originally used for?

A. A library

B. A post office

C. A town hall

What you hear: “When it was built, the town council wanted it to be a town hall. However, due to a fire, it opened to the public as a post office. It stayed that way until the library was built next door.”

How to answer: The speaker mentions all three places! But they say the town hall was only an idea, not reality. The word “However” shows a change. The real answer is B (A post office) because that is what it actually opened as.

Example 2: Matching

Question: Match the course “Spanish Language” to the correct student feedback (Options: A. Fun, B. Boring, C. Takes too much time).

What you hear: “The Spanish module is highly popular and many students say it’s fun, but be warned, you will spend hours every single evening memorizing vocabulary lists.”

How to answer: They use the exact word “fun” to try and trick you. But the real warning is about spending “hours every single evening.” This means the course takes too much time, so the answer is C.

Example 3: Fill in the Blanks

Question: Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

Events at the festival: Amateur _______________ exhibitions.

What you hear: “For the adults, we are hosting several displays of local art, specifically featuring amateur photography exhibitions.”

How to answer: The missing word is photography. Do not write “amateur photography” because the word “amateur” is already printed on the test paper, and writing it again would make your answer too long and lose you the point!