First, the difficulty analysis of IELTS listening test
In fact, candidates think the IELTS listening test is difficult. The main reason is that people are not familiar with the form and content of this English listening test, so they feel uncomfortable with IELTS listening and find it difficult. Therefore, compared with the familiar listening test in China, the unique characteristics of IELTS listening test have become difficult.
1, the recording speed is fast, and it is only played once.
In the IELTS listening test, many candidates can't keep up with the pace of the test because they can't keep up with the speed of recording. And because the recording is only played once, you can't hear what you missed, so you missed a lot of topics. So how fast is the recording speed in IELTS listening test? Let's take a look at the following set of figures, and everyone will understand.
The recording speed of college entrance examination English listening is about 120 words/minute;
The recording speed of band 6 listening is 150 words/minute;
The recording speed of IELTS listening test is 190-2 10 words/minute;
The speed of daily communication in Britain is about 200 words/minute.
It can be seen that in the familiar domestic English listening test, the recording speed is generally much lower than the normal communication speed of English-speaking Britons; The speaking speed of IELTS listening test is very close to the normal speaking speed of English communication. It can be seen that most candidates think that the speed of IELTS listening recording is fast because they have not adapted to the normal speed during the preparation.
2. The accent is very complicated
The accents involved in the IELTS listening test are not only British and American accents, but also unfamiliar Australian accents, and even non-English-speaking countries such as India and Japan. These accents undoubtedly increase the difficulty for candidates to understand the recording, and there will be many obstacles in doing the questions. For example, when you hear the pronunciation of /plais/ in an Australian accent, it is hard for candidates to think that it actually corresponds to a particularly simple word place. For example, in an Indian accent, parents and balance are pronounced the same, so it is difficult for candidates to distinguish them.
3. The scene covers a wide range of contents.
In the IELTS listening test, there are many scenes involved. In addition to common scenes such as renting a house, shopping in a bank and discussing homework, there will be many unfamiliar topics in section4. For example, in the IELTS listening test of 20 16 10/9, the scene in section4 is amber introduction. In the 20 15 12.5 IELTS listening test, the scene of section4 is an introduction to vertical agriculture. In addition, the fourth section also appeared about endangered animals, gastropods, cave animals, architecture, history and so on, many of which are unfamiliar areas.
There are many kinds of problems.
There are many kinds of questions in IELTS listening test, besides the common fill-in-the-blank questions and multiple-choice questions, there are other forms such as map questions, collocation questions, table questions and short answer questions. For candidates, many questions are seen for the first time, and the review pressure is great. In addition, the characteristics and problem-solving methods of each question type are different. If you are not familiar with the solution ideas of these questions in the exam, it is very easy to have problems and lead to mistakes. Therefore, the question type is also a major difficulty in the IELTS listening test.
Second, coping strategies.
1. Listen to the exercise materials at normal speed.
In the early stage of preparing for the IELTS listening test, candidates with relatively weak foundation can listen to some slow listening practice materials, such as VOA Special English, college English textbooks, CET-4 and CET-6 English listening, etc. However, after a period of adaptation, candidates must choose materials whose speech speed is close to the recording speed of IELTS listening test, so as to avoid affecting the listening effect because they are not adapted to the recording speed of IELTS listening in the test. In addition, following reading is also a good way to adapt to the speed of speech. Listening and speaking are closely related, so fast reading can promote the improvement of listening level to some extent. It should be noted that when reading aloud, remember to check whether your pronunciation is correct, otherwise it will be counterproductive.
2. Improve the ability to distinguish sounds
To adapt to the accent in the IELTS listening test, candidates should improve their ability to distinguish sounds. First of all, we should master the pronunciation characteristics and rules of common accents in the exam, so that candidates can respond quickly when they hear these accents. The second is to listen more. In pronunciation practice, English movies and TV plays are good subjects, because in these movies and TV plays, the language environment is relatively complex and the accents are varied, which is of great help to candidates' pronunciation training. However, it should be reminded that the practice of Australian accent and Indian accent does not require everyone to imitate their pronunciation, as long as they can understand it.
3. Be familiar with the IELTS listening scene and expand the background knowledge.
The IELTS listening test has 10 high-frequency scenes. For the review of scenes, candidates should not only master the vocabulary of scenes, but also be familiar with the test sites of each scene in the process of preparing for the exam, so as to be handy in the exam. In addition, in view of the unpopular knowledge in section4, candidates should fully develop English learning and reading in preparation for the exam. Knowing the culture of English-speaking countries is a way to improve their English. After understanding the cultures of these countries, candidates have accumulated rich background knowledge accordingly, so that candidates can better cope with the relevant contents in the IELTS test.
4. Master the methods and ideas of solving common problems.
In IELTS listening preparation, practice is essential. Candidates should not only understand the recording and do the right questions, but also be familiar with IELTS listening questions and problem-solving methods. Because the types of questions are very different, and the contents of the examination are also different, candidates should not rush to strive for the accuracy of doing the questions in the exercise stage, but should first be familiar with the types of questions, master the ideas and methods of solving problems, and then learn some skills to improve the accuracy of doing the questions.
The above is the introduction of how to break through the difficulties of IELTS listening, and I hope it will be helpful for everyone's listening preparation. In addition, IELTS listening candidates need both strength and skill. While mastering and applying skills, candidates also need to strengthen and consolidate the basic content of IELTS listening test. Finally, I wish you all satisfactory results in the IELTS test.