Did you notice a spelling error in this article title? Yes, you are correct! It should be written as “IELTS Listening,” not “ILETS Listening.” The purpose of highlighting this spelling error in the title is to draw your attention to the word “IELTS,” which is commonly misspelled as “ILETS.”

Now, setting the spelling aside, let us focus on the purpose of writing this article: to discuss how to solve MCQ-type questions in the IELTS Listening module.

In the IELTS Listening module, the most challenging question type is said to be MCQ (Multiple Choice Question), which presents a question along with several options to choose from. In some questions, only one option is correct, while in others, more than one option may be correct.

Many candidates appearing in the IELTS exam fear MCQs, so let’s understand how to approach MCQ questions in the IELTS Listening section. We will explore different strategies based on the difficulty level of each type of MCQ question.

Strategy 1:

The most important strategy to solve MCQ questions is to underline the keywords.

MCQ Difficulty Level – Easy:

In the easy type of MCQs, you will find options consisting of “one word or two words” to choose from. In this case, it is extremely easy to concentrate on the audio and the question simultaneously. For example:

Which of the following is included in the tour cost?

A) Accommodation

B) Picnic

C) Fishing trip

D) Table tennis

E) Restaurant meal

In the above question, “two things” and “tour cost” are the major keywords to focus on. From the options, “accommodation” and “picnic” are “one-word” options that are easy to identify. For the other three options, you can put more emphasis on words such as “fishing,” “tennis,” and “meal,” although you cannot completely ignore the other words in the options.

Strategy 2:

MCQ Difficulty Level – Moderate:

In the moderate type of MCQs, you will find short statements as options, which are easy to solve once you highlight a few main keywords. For example:

In the year 1994, Michael Willson went to Japan:

A) As a part-time student

B) As a volunteer worker

C) As a businessman

In the above question, you can underline the main keywords in the options, as highlighted above, leaving aside the prepositions and determiners.

Strategy 3:

MCQ Difficulty Level – Advanced:

In advanced MCQs, the difficulty level increases as the listener must simultaneously understand the audio conversation and concentrate on all the options. For example:

What problem did the company face in 1999?

A) Not meeting the targets leading to reduced sales

B) Market strategy was weak as compared to competitors

C) Media started criticizing the company for its failures

In the above question, the statements in the options are too long. Hence, you can understand the main aspects in these options by understanding them and then underlining the keywords that define the main aspects.

Another essential strategy for such questions is to keep the gist of the MCQ question in mind while trying to find the answer while understanding the audio. For example, in the above question, while listening to the options, you need to focus on the problem faced by the company, whether it was reduced sales, weak market strategy, or criticism from the media.

Lastly, a vital strategy is to identify the “focus” or “stem” of the question to carefully choose the right option. Let’s take an example to illustrate this:

What major problem did the company face in 1999?

A) Not meeting the targets leading to reduced sales

B) Market strategy was weak as compared to competitors

C) Media started criticizing the company for its failures

In the revised question above, the word “major” becomes the focus. You need to choose the option that represents a problem that had a significant impact on affecting the company, not just any problem.