80 Days to Conquer IELTS Listening

Author: Jiang Tao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The "Eighty Days to Conquer IELTS" series, published by China Petrochemical Press, consists of eleven books and was initially printed in 110,000 copies nationwide. The first six books were launched in the market, totaling 60,000 copies. These six books include "Listening," "Reading," "Writing," "Vocabulary," "IELTS 100 Questions and Answers," and "Study Abroad and Immigration Guide." Unlike the market trend of compiling books with authentic test questions, this series starts from the actual English proficiency and learning ability of candidates. It combines the knowledge and skills required to achieve a Band 7 in the IELTS exam with the question patterns from past IELTS tests, integrating them into eighty days of practice. The exercises follow the principle of "less and more," progressing from easy to difficult, allowing candidates to deepen their understanding of English knowledge and problem-solving techniques while gradually regaining confidence. For many IELTS candidates, listening has always been a major challenge. This is due to two key features of the IELTS listening test: First, candidates are required to fill in the content they hear. Unlike traditional listening tests, the IELTS listening exam not only tests whether you understand what you hear but also whether you can write it down correctly. Many candidates fail here, often losing points due to spelling mistakes. Second, the listening material consists of long passages rather than short dialogues. Most non-native English learners experience a lag in processing auditory information, meaning they may feel they understand but struggle to grasp the exact meaning in the short term. If there is a break between questions, this lag can be compensated, but unfortunately, the IELTS listening test does not have the 10-12-second intervals seen in the CET-4/6 and TOEFL exams. The relentless flow of information often leaves candidates overwhelmed. To address these challenges, candidates should focus on developing two key skills during preparation: · Strong dictation skills. For common, frequently heard, and widely used words, you must not only be able to read and listen to them but also write them correctly! · Resilience. For long listening passages, in addition to understanding and keeping up, candidates should also be adept at conserving energy and predicting key information from the questions, which is essentially the ability to anticipate. As the saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This book is divided into three stages: starting with cultivating sensitivity to numbers and locations, gradually connecting the dots to form lines, and then building those lines into a comprehensive picture, ultimately meeting the IELTS listening requirements. When working through the exercises in this book, candidates should pay attention to or avoid the following points: 1. Do not skip the dictation exercises in the daily practice. Treat the filled-in content as a key memory focus. 2. Do not overlook the short listening stories interspersed throughout the book. These stories are Chinese translations of actual listening test questions from past exams, commonly referred to as "test tips" (), with English words in parentheses often indicating the required fill-in content. As a supplementary part of listening skill development, this section provides candidates with valuable insights into the actual test questions. 3. If candidates have a strong foundation in listening, they can complete two days' worth of exercises in one day during the first 50 days, but they should not skip any exercises. 4. The daily practice time is not long—after all, "less and more" applies to English learning too. In summary, maintaining a relaxed and progressive mindset is crucial every day.