Nota: el examen IELTS es propiedad conjunta del British Council, IDP IELTS y Cambridge University Press and Assessment. Este blog utiliza preguntas de muestra disponibles públicamente para apoyar la preparación del IELTS, pero no garantiza resultados específicos.
El listening test del IELTS te ayuda a mejorar tu capacidad para comprender inglés en diferentes situaciones y contextos reales. Si buscas mejorar tu puntaje y alcanzar un band IELTS score alto, es fundamental conocer los tipos de preguntas que enfrentarás en la prueba.
Consta de cuatro partes, cada una con diez preguntas, y dura aproximadamente 30 minutos. Al final, tienes 10 minutos adicionales para transferir tus respuestas a la hoja oficial.
En este artículo, analizamos en detalle los tipos de preguntas del listening test, proporcionando ejemplos prácticos y estrategias clave para que mejores tu desempeño en el examen.
Acércate a tus metas profesionales y académicas con el examen IELTS
Estructura del listening test
El listening test del IELTS está diseñado para evaluar diferentes habilidades auditivas en cada sección, avanzando progresivamente hacia contextos más complejos y realistas. Esto se debe a que cada sección evalúa habilidades auditivas específicas y se basa en grabaciones de acentos nativos de diferentes países de habla inglesa.
- Sección 1: conversación entre dos personas en un contexto cotidiano (ejemplo: reservar un hotel).
- Sección 2: monólogo sobre un tema general (ejemplo: una guía turística describiendo un recorrido).
- Sección 3: conversación en un entorno educativo (ejemplo: una discusión entre estudiantes y su profesor).
- Sección 4: monólogo académico (ejemplo: una conferencia sobre biotecnología).
Cada una de estas secciones incluye diferentes tipos de preguntas del listening test, que explicaremos con ejemplos y estrategias precisas.
Preguntas de opción múltiple en el listening test en el IELTS exam
1. ¿Cómo funcionan?
En el listening test del IELTS debes seleccionar la respuesta correcta entre tres opciones (A, B o C) o elegir más de una respuesta en algunos casos.
2. Ejemplos de preguntas
Audio:
Link to Recording
(A customer has been arranging with a shipping agent to send a large box overseas. This is the last part of the conversation.)
A OK right. Now obviously insurance is an important thing to consider and our companies are able to offer very good rates in a number of different allinclusive packages.
B Sorry, could you explain a bit more?
A Yes, sorry, um. There’s really three rates according to quality of insurance cover – there’s the highest comprehensive cover which is Premium rate, then there’s Standard rate and then there’s Economy rate. That one will only cover the cost of the contents second hand.
B Oh I’ve been stung before with Economy insurance so I’ll go for the highest.
A Mh’hm and can I just check would you want home delivery or to a local depot or would you want to pick it up at the nearest port?
B The port’d be fine – I’ve got transport that end.
A Fine and will you be paying by credit card?
B Can I pay by cheque?
3. Pregunta:
Questions 9 and 10
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
9 Type of insurance chosen
A Economy
B Standard
C Premium ✓
10 Customer wants goods delivered to
A port ✓
B home
C depot
Fuente: Pregunta extraída de la sección de ejemplos oficiales del examen IELTS Académico. Disponible en:
https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources/sample-test-questions/academic-test
3. Estrategia recomendada para preguntas de opción múltiple
Antes de escuchar el audio, subraya palabras clave en la pregunta para enfocarte en lo importante. La grabación puede incluir información similar a otras opciones, lo que te ayudará a afinar tu capacidad de escuchar con atención y seleccionar la mejor respuesta.
El IELTS exam usa sinónimos y reformulaciones. Por ejemplo, starts at puede sonar como begins at. Escucha con atención y elige con precisión.
Preguntas de opción múltiple en el IELTS listening test
1. ¿Cómo funcionan?
Debes hacer coincidir nombres, lugares o características con las opciones correctas.
2. Ejemplo
Audio:
Link to Recording
You will hear a man talking to an official at a tourist information office.
Official:
Can I help you?
Man:
Yes, I was wanting somewhere to stay for a few days – a four- or five-star hotel. Can you tell me something about the possibilities?
Official:
Of course, right well here are five hotels that might interest you. Were you wanting a city centre location, or would you be interested in something a bit further out?
Man:
Well, I do have a car so I could go for either.
Official:
Well, there are two central hotels in the range you’re looking for – there’s Carlton House and The Imperial. They’re both near the main square, but if you’re out in the country, you might be interested in the Royal Oak – that’s out in the country about ten minutes away, very peaceful. Then there’s the Bridge Hotel and the Majestic – they’re both in town but not in the centre – they’re about ten or fifteen minutes away on foot.
Man:
Oh, that’s fine – I don’t mind walking, you know. OK, now, you mentioned the Bridge Hotel and the Majestic – tell me a bit about them?
Official:
Well, they’re both excellent hotels. If it’s just something with a bit of character, Carlton House is quite unusual – it’s a very old building that was originally a large private house. It was bought by the Banks chain and they’ve completely refurbished it – you can’t tell it’s just a few rooms. Or there’s the Imperial, which is a much more modern building – it also has its own gym and conference facilities.
Man:
And the Majestic?
Official:
The Majestic is planning to build a swimming pool and a fitness centre, but it’s not finished yet.
Man:
I see. Well, I think I’ll probably go for one of the city centre hotels.
Official:
Oh – the Royal Oak has an outdoor pool, which is lovely in the summer, but the only hotel with an indoor pool is the Bridge Hotel. It doesn’t have a gym though.
3. Pregunta:
Questions 1 – 4
Which hotel matches each description?
Choose your answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–E, next to questions 1–4.
Hotels:
A The Bridge Hotel
B Carlton House
C The Imperial
D The Majestic
E The Royal Oak
Descriptions:
1 is in a rural area ……………….
2 only opened recently ……………….
3 offers facilities for business functions ……………….
4 has an indoor swimming pool ……………….
Fuente: Pregunta oficial tomada del sitio de práctica de IELTS. Disponible en:
https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources/sample-test-questions/academic-test
4. Estrategia para preguntas de emparejamiento en el listening test
Escucha con atención cómo se relacionan los nombres con sus preferencias, ya que no siempre aparecen en el mismo orden que en la pregunta.
Pon especial cuidado en palabras de conexión y sinónimos, como likes en lugar de prefers. Si no estás seguro de una respuesta, continúa con las siguientes preguntas y vuelve a esa más tarde con más calma.
Completar formularios, notas o tablas en el listening test
1. ¿Cómo funciona?
Tendrás que llenar los espacios en blanco con información específica del audio.
2. Ejemplo:
You will hear a man talking on the radio about a National Arts Centre.
Hello, and welcome to “Focus on the Arts”. I’m your host – Dave Green – and this is your very own local radio programme. Every Friday evening we put the spotlight on different arts and culture facilities, and look at the shows and events that are on offer in the coming week.
And today the focus is on The National Arts Centre. Now, if you don’t already know it yourself, I’m sure you’ve all heard of it. It’s famous throughout the world as one of the major venues for classical music.
But did you know that it’s actually much more than just a place to hear concerts? The Centre itself is a huge complex that caters for a great range of arts. Under a single roof it houses concert rooms, theatres, cinemas, art galleries and a wonderful public library, as well as service facilities including 3 restaurants and a book shop. So, at any one time, the choice of entertainment there is simply enormous.
So, how did they manage to build such a big arts complex right in the heart of the city? Well, the area was completely destroyed by bombs during the war in 1940. So, the opportunity was taken to create a cultural centre that would be, what they called: ‘the City’s gift to the Nation’. Of course, it took while for such a big project to get started, but it was planned in the 60s, built in the 70s and eventually opened to the public in 1983. Ever since then it has proved to be a great success. It’s not privately owned, like many arts centres, but is still in public hands – it’s run by the City Council. Both our National Symphony Orchestra and National Theatre Company were closely involved in the planning of the project, and they are now based there – giving regular performances every week – and as the Centre is open 363 days of the year, there are plenty of performances to choose from.
So, to give you some idea of what’s on, and to help you choose from the many possibilities, we’ve made a selection of the star attractions.
If you’re interested in classical music, then we recommend you go along to the National either on Monday or Tuesday evening at 7.30 for a spectacular production of ‘The Magic Flute’ – probably the most popular of all Mozart’s operas. It’s in the Grand Hall and tickets start at only £8.00, but you’ll have to be early if you want to get them that cheap! And remember, it’s only on for those two evenings.
For those more interested in the cinema, you might like to see the new Canadian film which is showing on Wednesday evening at 8pm in Cinema 2. And that’s called ‘Three Lives’. It’s had fantastic reviews and tickets cost just £4.50, which is a reduction on the usual price of £5.50. So it’s really good value, especially for such a great movie.
But you can see the centre’s main attraction at the weekend, because on Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 10pm, they’re showing a wonderful new exhibition that hasn’t been seen anywhere else in Europe yet. It’s a collection of Chinese Art called ‘Faces of China’ – that’s in Gallery 1 – and it has some really fascinating paintings and sculptures by leading artists from all over China – and the good news is that it’s completely free, so don’t miss it!
So, why not go along to the National Arts Centre next week for one – or all – of these great events – and you can always pick up a programme and check out all the other performances and exhibitions on offer, or coming soon, on almost every day of the year.
Next week we’ll be looking at the new Museum of Science …
3. Pregunta:
| Day | Time | Event | Venue | Ticket price |
| Monday and Tuesday | 7.30 p.m. | ‘The Magic Flute’ (opera by Mozart) | 17 ………………. | from £8.00 |
| Wednesday | 8.00 p.m. | 18 ‘……………,’ (Canadian film) | Cinema 2 | 19 ………………. |
| Saturday and Sunday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 20 ‘……………,’ (art exhibition) | Gallery 1 | free |
Fuente: Pregunta oficial tomada del sitio de práctica de IELTS. Disponible en:
https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources/sample-test-questions/academic-test
Etiquetado de mapas o diagramas en el listening test
¿Cómo funcionan?
Debes ubicar lugares o identificar elementos en un diagrama según las instrucciones del audio.
Ejemplo:
Audio:
Link to Recording
You will hear the librarian of a new town library talking to a group of people who are visiting the library.
OK everyone. So here we are at the entrance to the town library. My name is Ann, and I’m the chief librarian here, and you’ll usually find me at the desk just by the main entrance here. So I’d like to tell you a bit about the way the library is organised, and what you’ll find where … and you should all have a plan in front of you.
Well, as you see my desk is just on your right as you go in, and opposite this the first room on your left has an excellent collection of reference books and is also a place where people can read or study peacefully. Just beyond the librarian’s desk on the right is a room where we have up to date periodicals such as newspapers and magazines and this room also has a photocopier in case you want to copy any of the articles.
If you carry straight on you’ll come into a large room and this is the main library area. There is fiction in the shelves on the left, and non-fiction materials on your right, and on the shelves on the far wall there is an excellent collection of books relating to local history. We’re hoping to add a section on local tourist attractions too, later in the year.
Through the far door in the library just past the fiction shelves is a seminar room, and that can be booked for meetings or talks, and next door to that is the children’s library, which has a good collection of stories and picture books for the under elevens. Then there’s a large room to the right of the library area – that’s the multimedia collection, where you can borrow videos and DVDs and so on, and we also have CD-Roms you can borrow to use on your computer at home. It was originally the art collection but that’s been moved to another building.
And that’s about it – oh, there’s also the Library Office, on the left of the librarian’s desk. OK, now does anyone have any questions?
Pregunta:
Etiqueta las áreas del mapa de la biblioteca:
