Hi everyone, I’m Priya Sharma, IELTS Listening instructor at IELTS Zone. If you’re starting your IELTS Listening journey, the first question type you’ll meet is Form Completion Questions in IELTS Listening. These appear in Section 1, where you’ll hear two people having a simple conversation — perhaps about booking a hotel, enquiring about a course, or joining a club.
In this guide, I’ll explain how these questions work, what the common mistakes are, and how to listen for details such as names, numbers, dates, and addresses. Mastering this format builds your foundation for the whole IELTS Listening test.
In Section 1, you’ll hear a dialogue between two speakers in a daily context — for example, a customer speaking to a receptionist or a traveller booking a tour. You’ll see a form with gaps to complete, such as:
Name: _________
Contact Number: _________
Date of Arrival: _________
Each gap requires a specific type of information that you’ll hear in the conversation. The task checks your ability to catch spelled words, numbers, and factual details — skills that are also used later in Sections 2–4 but in simpler contexts here.
Key facts:
Because Section 1 is meant to be the easiest, exam designers add distractions like self-corrections or spelling challenges to test your precision.
Before the audio starts, spend the 30 seconds preview time identifying what kind of data each blank needs. Form Completion Questions in IELTS Listening often ask for:
Example:
“Could you confirm the postcode? That’s B-R-6 2-L-T, right?”
Here the correct answer is BR6 2LT, and capital letters or spacing don’t affect the mark.
Predicting the type of answer helps your brain listen actively for the right category of information.
IELTS Listening marking is strict — spelling mistakes always lose marks. For names and addresses, the recording usually includes spelling clues like:
“That’s Walker — W-A-L-K-E-R.”
Write as you hear it, and check during transfer time. You can use CAPITAL letters for everything if that feels clearer.
Common error examples:
To avoid these, make a personal spelling list of names and months that often appear in practice tests.
Cambridge audio recordings often include self-corrections to test your focus.
Example:
A: “So, that’s 16 Park Avenue?”
B: “Actually, no — it’s 18 Park Avenue.”
The first number (16) is a distractor; the correct answer is 18. Write only after you’re sure the speaker has finished the correction.
This pattern appears in almost every Form Completion section. I tell my students to pause their pen for two seconds after hearing a detail — that short wait often catches these changes.
Section 1 recordings frequently feature British or Australian accents. Listen for how they pronounce numbers and letters:
Example | British Pronunciation | Australian Pronunciation |
“A” | /ei/ | /ei/ (shorter) |
“Zero” | “nought” | “zero” |
“Double 5” | 55 | 55 |
Practising with mixed-accent audio reduces panic on test day. You can find free samples on British Council IELTS.
After the recording, you get 10 minutes (paper) or 2 minutes (computer) to transfer answers. During this time:
Revisit our IELTS Listening Answer Sheet & Transfer Time Guide if you need a refresher on recording rules.
From years of classroom teaching, here are the top three errors students make — and how to avoid them:
A good habit is to re-listen to short segments of Cambridge practice audio and write each answer twice — once immediately and once after the pause — to see how often you change it correctly.
Here’s how I train my students to master Form Completion Questions in IELTS Listening:
Within a week of daily practice, you’ll notice your accuracy rise because you’re training your ear for everyday English details.
To summarise, Form Completion Questions in IELTS Listening test your ability to capture names, numbers, dates, and spelled information in a real-life conversation.
When you master this question type, you’ll begin the test with confidence and momentum.
Next, read Note Completion Questions in IELTS Listening to learn how to handle short dialogues that focus on key facts and details.
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