IELTS Listening
Sentence and summary completion
You complete sentences or a short summary with words you hear, keeping to the word limit. The sentences paraphrase the recording, so the words around the gap are rarely the same as what the speaker says.
Check that your answer fits the grammar of the sentence (singular or plural, noun or verb) and that it is spelled correctly.
What the question looks like
sentence completion. “Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.”
How to answer
Complete Sentence Gaps
- Read the words around each gap. They help you predict the kind of word or phrase you need.
- Listen for the detail that completes the sentence, such as a place, reason or activity.
- Use the speaker’s exact wording where possible. Do not add extra information from your own ideas.
- Check that your answer fits the grammar and meaning of the whole sentence.
- Follow the word limit in the instructions and check your spelling.
Example: A tutor describes a course. Heard: “The course focuses on practical skills, especially giving clear presentations.”
Gap sentence: The course focuses on practical skills, especially ____.
Answer: giving clear presentations
Complete Summary Gaps
- Read the whole summary first. Use its meaning to predict what kind of detail is missing, such as a place, reason or activity.
- Listen for paraphrases. The speaker may express the summary idea using different words.
- Notice corrections and contrasts. A later detail may replace an earlier one, or rule out a possible answer.
- Check that your answer fits the summary and follows its printed word limit.
Example: Worked example: a short talk at a garden centre. Audio: The garden centre's evening talks begin in May. They take place on Thursdays and last forty-five minutes.
Completed summary: The evening talks begin in May, take place on Thursdays and last 45 minutes.
Complete Dense Paraphrases
- Identify what the blank requires: a cause, feature, method, result, or comparison.
- Match meaning, not repeated vocabulary. A speaker may express the same idea with different words.
- Separate the target detail from nearby facts. Check which detail fits the blank's grammatical and logical role.
- Confirm the complete link between ideas. A shared topic is not enough if the relationship does not match.
Example: Worked listening completion: an archive catalogue. Completion: The catalogue helps researchers locate records by _____. Audio: “The archive has not extended its opening hours. The scans are useful, although their resolution is modest; the catalogue is now searchable by date and subject.” Model answer: date and subject. The hours and scan quality are related details, but only the search fields complete the sentence.
Practise
Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.
1The main reading room is beside the ____.
2Each student should bring a ____ of a local building.
3The quiet study area is on the ____.
4Complete the summary: The morning guided tour starts at ___.
5Complete the summary: The plant-identification session takes place in the ___.
6Complete the summary: At the end, visitors receive a ___.
7What is the main improvement that helps researchers locate records?
8What problem is the revised timetable intended to address?
Test hacks
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.
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.
Spelling counts, capitals don't
A misspelled answer is marked wrong. You can write answers in capital letters if that makes your spelling clearer.
Why it works: Easy marks are lost to spelling every day. Names are often spelled out letter by letter, so be ready.
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.