IELTS band 6 plan, week 1: Quick check and listening basics

This week's sessions

Tick each session when you finish it. Your ticks are saved only in this browser.

1. Day 1 · 🎧 Listening · about 35 minTake the quick checkDo all four parts of the quick check. Your results show which skill is furthest from band 6.
2. Day 2 · 🎧 Listening · about 20 minForm completion: spelling and numbersRead this week's lesson, then complete the practice set below. Check every spelling against the answers.
3. Day 3 · 🎧 Listening · about 25 minListening practice test 1Do the practice test without pausing. Before each section, predict the type of answer for every question.
4. Day 4 · 🎧 Listening · about 25 minListening practice test 2Do the second practice test. Afterwards, read the transcript for every answer you missed and find the signal word you didn't notice.
5. Day 5 · 🔤 Vocabulary · about 20 minWords you'll hear again and againLearn 20 cards from the IELTS vocabulary flashcards, then write the 10 words you found hardest to spell.

This week's lesson: the four listening habits that lift you to band 6

Listening is often the fastest skill to improve, because a few habits make a big difference. Band 6 is about 23 correct answers out of 40. Most people at band 5 to 5.5 already understand enough English; they lose marks because they read the questions too late, miss the signal words, or spell answers wrongly.

1. Use the reading time

Before each part, you get time to read the questions. Use every second. Underline the key word in each question and predict the type of answer: a number, a name, a day, a place, a noun or a verb.

Name of course: ______ → you need a name or a title, probably with capital letters. Cost per week: $______ → you need a number. Listen for prices.

When you know what kind of word you need, it's much easier to hear it.

2. Listen for signal words

Speakers tell you what's coming next. Words like first, next, finally, but, actually, however, so show a change or the next step. In Part 1, the answer often comes after a correction:

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

The answer is Thursday, not Tuesday. At band 5, people write the first thing they hear. At band 6, you wait for the speaker to finish the idea.

3. Spell it right, or it's wrong

Spelling counts in IELTS Listening. Practise the words that come up again and again: days and months, numbers, accommodation, library, environment, receipt, Wednesday, February. When a speaker spells a name, write each letter as you hear it, and remember that double means two of the same letter ("double s" = ss).

Numbers need care too. Listen for the difference between fifteen and fifty: the stress is on the end in fif-TEEN and on the start in FIF-ty.

4. Follow the word limit

If the instructions say NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, an answer of three words is wrong, even if it's correct English. A large kitchen is three words; large kitchen is two.

A worked example

Question: The tour leaves from the ______ (ONE WORD) You hear: "Most tours start at the museum, but this one leaves from the station, right next to the bus stop."

The museum is mentioned first, but but signals a change. The answer is station.

Common traps at this level

• Writing the first answer you hear. Wait for corrections and "but".
• Losing your place. If you miss an answer, leave it and listen for the next one. Don't let one answer cost you three.
• Forgetting plurals. If the speaker says two bedrooms, write bedrooms.

Try it

Before you start this week's practice, look at these three questions and decide what type of answer each one needs:

Date of arrival: ______ → a date (a number and a month) The guest would prefer a room with a ______ → a noun, probably singular after a Total cost: £______ → a number, so listen for prices and watch for changes

Doing this every time takes only seconds, and it tells your ears exactly what to listen for.

This week

You'll start with the quick check, then practise form completion, spelling and numbers, and finish with a full listening test. Keep a list of every word you spelled wrongly and read it before each session.

Practice for this week

Form completion: spelling and numbers

Weekly check: Listening full test 1

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