IELTS band 5 plan, week 1: Quick check and easy listening marks

This week's sessions

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1. Day 1 · 🎧 Listening · about 35 minTake the quick checkDo all four parts of the quick check. Don't worry if some parts feel hard. Your results show which skill needs the most help.
2. Day 2 · 🎧 Listening · about 20 minNumbers, names and spellingRead this week's lesson, then do the practice set below. Check every spelling and number against the answers.
3. Day 3 · 🎧 Listening · about 20 minAn everyday phone callListen to the conversation at slow speed first, then at normal speed. Write down every name, number and time you hear, then check with the transcript.
4. Day 4 · 🎧 Listening · about 25 minListening practice test 1Do the practice test without stopping the audio. Before each section, say what type of answer each gap needs.
5. Day 5 · 🔤 Vocabulary · about 20 minSaying and hearing pricesDo the numbers and prices lesson. Then say ten prices out loud, like $14, $40, $15.50, and listen to the stress.

This week's lesson: get the easy listening marks

Listening is a good place to start, because small habits can give you more marks quickly. For band 5, you need about 16 correct answers out of 40. Part 1 is usually the easiest part. It's often a phone call about something everyday, like booking a class or a room. The answers are things like names, numbers, days and prices.

1. Read the questions first

Before each part, you have time to read the questions. Use it. For each gap, ask: what type of word do I need? A number? A day? A name?

Day of class: ______ → a day, like Monday Cost: $______ → a number. Listen for prices.

When you know what you need, it's easier to hear it.

2. Wait for the correction

Speakers often change what they say. The first thing you hear is not always the answer.

"The class is on Tuesday... oh no, sorry, it's Thursday this term."

The answer is Thursday. Words like sorry, no, actually and but tell you a change is coming.

3. Numbers: listen to the stress

Fourteen and forty sound similar. Listen for the strong part of the word:

• four-TEEN (14), fif-TEEN (15), six-TEEN (16)
• FOR-ty (40), FIF-ty (50), SIX-ty (60)

For phone numbers, speakers usually say each number one by one: "oh-four-one-two" = 0412. "Double five" means 55.

4. Spell it right

In IELTS Listening, a wrong spelling is a wrong answer. Practise the letters of the alphabet, especially the ones that are easy to mix up: A, E and I, G and J, B, P and V. Practise days and months too: Wednesday, Thursday, February.

5. Count the words

If the instructions say ONE WORD ONLY, write one word. A notebook is two words; notebook is one.

A worked example

Question: Bring: a ______ and a pen. (ONE WORD) You hear: "You don't need a laptop. Just bring a notebook and a pen."

Laptop comes first, but the speaker says you don't need it. The answer is notebook.

If you miss an answer

Don't stop. Leave it and listen for the next one. One missed answer is OK. Three missed answers because you were worried about the first one is not.

Try it

Look at these gaps and say the type of answer you need:

Surname: ______ → a name, with a capital letter Start time: ______ am → a number, like 10 Room number: ______ → a number. Listen for corrections.

This week

You'll do the quick check first. Then you'll practise numbers and spelling, listen to an everyday phone call, and do a listening practice test. Keep a list of every word you spell wrongly, and read it before each session.

Practice for this week

Numbers, names and spelling

Weekly check: Listening full test 1

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