IELTS Listening Part 2: Complete Guide | IELTS Academic

IELTS Listening Part 2 is the second section of the IELTS Listening test. You hear a monologue, one speaker giving information in an everyday social context, such as a tour guide or a presentation about local facilities. There are 10 questions on the monologue, and like the rest of IELTS Listening, your performance is scored on the 9-band scale used across IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Part 2 is harder than Part 1 because you have to follow a single speaker without the natural turn-taking of a conversation, and the speaker often gives more information than the questions ask for.

This guide covers the official format from ielts.org, the marking that determines your Listening band, and the strategies that prevent the most common Part 2 mistakes. The aim is a Part 2 score you can rely on, so the rest of the Listening test does not have to carry your overall band.

Table of Contents

• What is the "Listening Part 2" question type?
• How "Listening Part 2" is scored
• Tips to do well on "Listening Part 2" questions
• How to practice "Listening Part 2" questions
• Frequently asked questions
• Conclusion

What is the "Listening Part 2" question type?

IELTS Listening Part 2 is the second of four parts in the IELTS Listening test, with 10 questions per part for a total of 40 questions across the whole section, per the official IELTS Academic Listening format. What makes Part 2 different from the other three parts is the speaker count and the format. Part 2 is always a monologue, which means only one person speaks. The topic is still in an everyday, social context, but instead of a back-and-forth conversation, you hear one speaker giving information to a group. Common scenarios include:

• A tour guide speaking to a group at a museum, park, or attraction
• A community centre presenting its classes or activities
• A radio announcement about local events
• A museum or wildlife park guide describing the layout of the site
• A representative explaining a public service such as a library, transport network, or recycling programme

The official format gives the typical example as a speech about local facilities. The speaker has prepared what they want to say, so the language is organized and informative, but it is not academic. Most of the answers are still concrete pieces of information: times, dates, prices, names, places, and short phrases.

The same question types appear in Part 2 as in the rest of IELTS Listening. Plan, map, and diagram labelling is common in Part 2, because tour-guide and facility-tour monologues often describe a layout. Multiple choice, matching, and form, note, table, or flow chart completion can also appear.

For more examples like this one, see our IELTS Listening Part 2 practice tests with answers, which cover the full range of contexts and patterns you may face on the real test.

How "Listening Part 2" is scored

Each of the 10 Part 2 questions is worth 1 mark. Your Part 2 score combines with the marks from Parts 1, 3, and 4 to produce a raw Listening score out of 40, per the official IELTS Academic Listening format. That raw score then converts to a band on the IELTS 9-band scale, in whole or half bands (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and so on).

IELTS publishes anchor raw-score cutoffs for whole bands. The exact cutoffs vary by 1 or 2 marks between test versions, because IELTS uses a process called equating to keep difficulty consistent across different test papers. The published anchors for IELTS Academic Listening are:

Part 2 contributes up to 10 marks toward this raw total. Most candidates find Part 2 a step harder than Part 1. Getting 7 or 8 right in Part 2 is a realistic target for a band 6.5 or 7 result on Listening.

Tips to do well on "Listening Part 2" questions

Read the questions before the audio starts

Before each Part of IELTS Listening, the recording gives you about 30 seconds to read the questions for that part. Use every second of it. Note what kind of answer each question asks for: a name, a number, a place, a time. If the question says no more than two words and/or a number, write that constraint next to the blank. Knowing what kind of answer you need before the audio starts means you can listen for the right thing rather than trying to write down everything you hear.

Listen for signposting language

Part 2 speakers organize their talk with signposting words: First, ... Next, ... Then, ... Now I want to mention ... Finally, ... Moving on to .... These words tell you where in the talk you are, and which question you should be ready to answer. Train yourself to notice these markers. When you hear Finally, you know the last question is about to be answered.

Orient yourself before plan and map labelling

Plan, map, and diagram labelling is more common in Part 2 than anywhere else in the test. Before the audio starts, look at the map and find the reference point. The speaker will usually start from a known place (the entrance, the main door, the car park) and direct you from there. Note where the reference point is, then trace the speaker's directions on the map as they speak. If you lose your place, you cannot guess your way back. Looking at the map first is the only protection.

Stay within the word limit

The instructions for each question type tell you exactly how many words you can write. Common limits include no more than two words and/or a number, no more than three words, or one word only. These limits are strict. If the answer is 'a large building' and the limit is two words, writing 'a large building' counts as three words and the answer is marked wrong, even though the meaning is correct. The fix is to write only the content words. 'Large building' fits two words and is marked correct. Drop articles and prepositions when they push you over the limit.

How to practice "Listening Part 2" questions

Random practice does not raise your Listening band. What raises it is doing Listening Part 2 questions at your current level and learning from every wrong answer. After each practice attempt, look at the audio transcript and figure out exactly why you missed the question. Did you miss the signposting word that tells you which class the next answer is about? Did you write a fact that the speaker mentioned but that the question did not ask for? Naming the specific mistake is what stops it from happening on the real test.

Arno's IELTS Listening practice is free to start. You get unlimited Listening Part 2 questions, organized by topic and difficulty, with the audio transcript and answer explanation for each one.

Click here to create your free account!

Frequently asked questions

How long does IELTS Listening Part 2 take?

All four Listening parts together take about 30 minutes of audio. On the paper-based test you get an additional 10 minutes after the audio finishes to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet, so the section is 40 minutes total. On the computer-delivered test you type your answers directly into the test interface, so the 10-minute transfer step is eliminated and the Listening section is 30 minutes total. The audio content is the same on both delivery formats.

Do I lose marks for spelling errors in IELTS Listening Part 2?

Yes. Misspelled answers are marked wrong, even if the meaning is clear. Capital letters and lower case do not matter for marking, but the letters must be correct. Listen carefully to any names or places the speaker mentions, and if a word is spelled out letter by letter, write each letter as you hear it.

What accents do speakers in IELTS Listening Part 2 have?

IELTS uses a mix of accents across the four Listening parts: British, Australian, New Zealand, and North American. Any of these can appear in Part 2. The best way to prepare is to do practice with audio from a range of accents, not only the one you find easiest to understand.

How is Listening Part 2 different from Parts 1, 3, and 4?

Part 2 is a monologue, one speaker giving information in an everyday social context (a tour guide, a community talk). Part 1 is a conversation between two speakers, also in a social context (booking, registration, customer service). Part 3 is a conversation in an academic context (students discussing an assignment with a tutor). Part 4 is an academic monologue (a lecture). The format and question types are similar across all four, but the speaker count alternates (2, 1, 2, 1) and the context becomes more academic from Part 3 onward.

Does Listening Part 2 differ between IELTS Academic and General Training?

No. The Listening section, including Part 2, is identical between IELTS Academic and General Training: same audio, same questions, same scoring. The Reading and Writing sections do differ between the two versions (Reading uses different raw-to-band cutoffs, and Writing Task 1 has a different task type, with chart description for Academic and letter writing for General Training).

Why is Part 2 harder than Part 1 for many candidates?

Part 2 has only one speaker, so there is no conversational turn-taking to help you stay focused. The monologue runs without natural pauses, and the speaker often gives more information than the questions ask for. You have to follow the speaker's organization (using signposting words) and ignore facts that are not part of any question. Plan, map, and diagram labelling is common in Part 2, and it adds a spatial element that Part 1 does not have.

Conclusion

Part 2 is the section of IELTS Listening where most candidates first feel the difficulty step up from Part 1. The monologue format demands sustained focus, the speaker provides more information than you need, and plan or map labelling adds a spatial element that has no equivalent in Part 1. The two habits that matter most are listening for signposting words to track which question you are on, and orienting yourself on any map before the audio starts. Drill both until they feel automatic, then use the linked practice tests to put them under pressure with real audio.