IELTS Listening
Form, note and table completion
Completion tasks are the most common in Listening. In Part 1 you usually fill in a form or table with names, numbers, dates and prices; in Part 4 you complete notes on a lecture, usually ONE WORD ONLY.
Use the time before the recording to predict each answer: is it a number, a name, a plural noun? Names are often spelled out letter by letter, and speakers sometimes correct themselves, so keep listening to the end of the sentence.
What the question looks like
form completion. “Complete the form below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.”
table completion. “Complete the table below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.”
note completion. “Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.”
Try real-format questions
This question type is in our free practice test: Part 1 (“Weekend Bike Maintenance Course”), questions 1–6; Part 4 (“Living Light”), questions 31–40. Open the practice test →
How to answer
Complete Simple Forms
- Read each form heading as a category. Ask what personal detail belongs in that category.
- Headings such as “surname” and “occupation” ask for different kinds of information: a family name and a job, respectively.
- A heading may use different words from the speaker. Match the meaning, not just repeated words.
- Check whether the speaker gives your own details or details about another person, such as an emergency contact.
Example: A registration form. Audio: “In the box marked ‘email address’, write the address you use for email.” Match: Email address → the address you use for email.
Complete Short Notes
- Use each note heading to focus on the detail you need to hear.
- Write key words or a short phrase, not a full sentence.
- Keep the meaning clear; leave out extra details that do not complete the note.
- Follow any word limit shown in the task.
Example: A student information talk. Audio: The information pack is available from reception. It includes a map and a list of suggested walks.
Notes:
Collection point: reception
Pack contents: a map and a list of suggested walks
Complete Basic Tables
- Read the row labels and column headings before listening. Find the exact cell the question asks you to complete.
- Use the row label and column heading together; their intersection is the answer location.
- Listen for the detail linked to that row. A nearby detail may belong to a different row or column.
- Check that your answer fits the cell heading, such as a room, time or fee.
Example: A class timetable with activities as rows and rooms as columns. Table: Yoga | Room: blank; Chess | Room: blank. The speaker says, “Chess is in Hall B. Yoga takes place in Studio 2.” For the Yoga row and Room column, write: Studio 2.
Predict Answer Type
- Look at the words around a gap. Their grammar can show whether it needs a noun, verb, adjective or number.
- A gap after "at" may need a time or place. Use the surrounding words to decide which.
- A verb such as "bring" often points to an object or document.
- Use the spoken context to narrow the meaning, then check that your answer fits the sentence.
Example: A tour booking note: Meeting point: ____. Predict a place. The audio says, "Meet beside the main entrance." The words "beside the" lead to a location, so the answer should name a place.
Check Singular and Plural
- Read the words just before and after a gap. They can show whether a noun needs to be singular or plural.
- “A”, “one” and “each” usually go with singular countable nouns; “two”, “several” and “many” usually go with plural nouns.
- Check the verb as well: “is” often goes with a singular subject, while “are” often goes with a plural subject.
- Listen for the noun ending, then check that it fits the whole sentence.
Example: A gap in a visitor-centre note. The centre has three workshops. After “three”, the noun is plural: workshops. Check that the plural fits the sentence.
Spell Names Accurately
- Listen for a cue such as “Let me spell that” or “That’s…” before the letters.
- Write each letter in order as you hear it. Do not rely on how the name sounds.
- Listen carefully to similar-sounding letter names, and ask yourself whether you heard one letter or two.
- Check your spelling against the full sequence. Do not add letters that were not spoken.
Example: A caller spells a surname. Audio: “The surname is T, A, V, I, N.” Write: Tavin.
Practise
Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.
1Which personal detail belongs under “Surname”?
2What should you write under “Emergency contact”?
3Complete the note: Workshop room: ____
4Complete the note: What to bring: ____
5Complete the note: Meeting point: ____
6In the Thursday row, what belongs under the Room heading?
7For the evening photography course, what belongs under the Fee heading?
8The timetable says, "Coach leaves at: ____." What type of answer fits the gap?
Test hacks
Predict the gap before you hear it
In the seconds before each part, read the notes and decide what kind of word fits each gap: a number, a time, a name, a noun, an adjective.
Why it works: You'll know what to listen for, so the answer jumps out instead of slipping past.
Check units and plurals
Look at what's printed around the gap. If the note already says "£ ___ per week", write only the number.
Why it works: Repeating a word that's already printed can break the word limit, and a missing plural S can make an answer wrong.
Wait for the correction
Speakers often give one answer and then change it. Don't write the first thing you hear; keep listening until the sentence finishes.
Why it works: Self-corrections are a classic IELTS distractor.
Practise with feedback on every answer
ielts.coach builds daily lessons and practice around your interests and level, marks Writing and Speaking like an examiner in seconds, and plans your weeks to test day.