How do I practise IELTS listening with YouTube?

By the RepeatWatch team · Updated

Quick answer

Practise IELTS listening with YouTube by taking a full practice test at normal speed once, like the real exam, then looping every answer you got wrong. The test has 4 parts and 40 questions, and recordings are heard once only. Loop each missed answer at 0.8×, find why you missed it, then replay at full speed.

Try this now: play Part 1 of a practice test once, answer, and check. For one wrong answer, loop that moment five times. Was it a spelling, a number or a distractor?

How to practise IELTS listening with RepeatWatch

  1. Take the test like the exam. Open a full IELTS listening practice test on YouTube in RepeatWatch. Play it at 1× once, with no pausing or rewinding, and answer.
  2. Mark your answers. Check against the answer key and note the time in the video of every wrong answer.
  3. Loop each missed answer. Set A about 10 seconds before the answer and B just after it. Save it as a section named with the question number.
  4. Slow it to 0.8× and find the trap. Loop at 0.8× with a 2 s pause. Decide why you missed it: a number, a spelling, a speaker correcting themselves, or a synonym.
  5. Back to full speed. Speed trainer +0.1× every 5 loops to 1×. You should hear the answer clearly at exam speed before moving on.
  6. Review your saved sections. Next session, play your saved mistakes as a playlist at 1× before starting a new test.

Try it now: paste a YouTube link.

5 common mistakes

  • Practising with pausing and rewinding during the test. The exam plays each recording once only.
  • Only checking the score and not replaying the moment each answer was missed.
  • Practising at slow speed all the time instead of using it only to analyse mistakes.
  • Ignoring spelling and number formats, which cost marks even when you heard the answer.
  • Only listening to one accent. The test uses British, Australian, New Zealand and North American voices.

Frequently asked questions

What is the IELTS listening test format?

According to IELTS, the listening test has four parts and 40 questions and takes about 30 minutes. You hear each recording once only, and speakers have different accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American.

Should I practise IELTS listening at a slower speed?

Take practice tests at normal speed only, since the exam is never slowed. Use 0.8× afterwards to analyse the parts you missed, then return to full speed before moving on.

Which YouTube videos are good for IELTS listening?

Use full practice tests that include an answer key, plus official IELTS videos about the test. Add general listening in different accents, such as interviews and podcasts, for variety.

Sources