Hello, I’m Emily Carter, IELTS Listening instructor at IELTS Zone. Over the years, I’ve seen many students lose easy marks simply because they didn’t follow the instructions correctly.
That’s why this page — IELTS Listening Instructions & Keyword Awareness — focuses on one of the most underrated skills in the test: reading instructions carefully and identifying keywords in questions.
These two habits are the foundation of accurate listening. Even high-band students can drop several marks if they misunderstand “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER” or fail to recognise a change in grammar or context.
For the best results, read this after our IELTS Listening Answer Sheet & Transfer Time Guide.
Every IELTS Listening question begins with clear instructions that tell you exactly how to write your answer. Following them is not optional — it’s part of the test.
Here’s what you’ll typically see:
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
This means you can write:
But not three words — even if correct — ❌ “the main library” would lose the mark.
In my classes, I’ve noticed that Band 8 students rarely make this mistake. They always check the instructions before every section, not just once at the beginning. Each part of the test may have a different word limit, so reading carefully is essential.
Before each section begins, you have 30–40 seconds to look at the questions. This is your keyword preparation time. Keywords are the words that help you predict what kind of information you’ll hear.
For example, look at this sample question:
“The meeting will take place on _______.”
The keywords here are “meeting” and “take place on” — they tell you to listen for a date or day of the week.
When the audio plays, you might hear:
“We were planning to meet on Monday, but it’s now been moved to Wednesday afternoon.”
If you catch that change, the correct answer is Wednesday. The ability to spot this adjustment separates a Band 6 listener from a Band 8 one
IELTS rarely repeats words exactly as they appear in the question. Instead, it paraphrases. Developing “keyword awareness” means learning to recognise these changes.
Example:
In the Question | In the Recording |
“The course begins in…” | “The course starts on…” |
“Car parking available?” | “You can leave your vehicle in the lot.” |
“Reduced price” | “Discounted fee” |
Understanding these relationships helps you match meaning, not just vocabulary. In my experience, students who review common IELTS synonyms improve dramatically within two weeks of focused practice.
Even if you hear the correct word, it must fit grammatically into the sentence.
Example question:
“The hotel offers free _______ for guests.”
If the recording says, “Free breakfast is included,” the answer is breakfast, not free breakfast, because “free” is already part of the question.
Similarly, check for plural/singular forms. Writing student instead of students can cost a mark. The IELTS Listening system is strict but fair — if the word doesn’t fit perfectly, it’s marked wrong.
Here are the errors I see most often:
These details may seem small, but the IELTS Listening marking is mechanical — even one letter or space can determine whether you earn or lose a mark.
Here’s a simple daily training routine I recommend to my students:
Repeating this process helps you form the habit of active reading before listening — something that naturally improves comprehension and accuracy.
If you’d like additional guidance, the British Council IELTS offers free official listening samples you can use for this practice.
To recap, the IELTS Listening Instructions & Keyword Awareness page teaches you to:
When you apply these steps consistently, your listening accuracy and confidence improve rapidly.
Next, move to Common Listening Mistakes & How to Avoid Them to learn what errors even advanced learners make — and how to fix them before test day.
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