Some students are seeking prospects that will enrich their academic and personal lives. Therefore, they are leaning more towards studying abroad. However, to do so, they need to go through language expertise tests like the IELTS. The IELTS is one of the best tests for students to prove their English proficiency. The exam includes IELTS listening, reading, writing, and speaking modules. Furthermore, these have many more tasks in them. In this article, the focus is on one of the tasks from the IELTS exam syllabus 2025, the matching task.
Overview of the IELTS Listening Section
This is a 30-minute part of the IELTS test. In this section, there are a total of four audio files with 10 questions each. Also, the number of tasks can be between 6 and 7. For example, MCQs, short answers, match the following, and more. For every correct answer, the examinee will receive one mark. These tasks focus on how well the learners can comprehend the main idea of the audio. Along with that, they need to identify the purpose of the speaker. The following are some simple steps for solving matching questions in the IELTS listening module:
Steps for Solving the Matching Task
The various coaching experts tell their students that tasks in the IELTS exam require a strategy for solving them. These methods are usually a part of the sessions that they take for IELTS preparation. Therefore, the listening tasks also have strategies that are specific to them. The test takers can master these by regularly practising them. Also, the sample IELTS paper pattern allows learners to apply and practice the methods for better results. Unlike all other tasks, the steps for solving matching questions are as follows:
Listen Carefully
The audio in the listening exam will only be played once. Hence, the students must listen to it attentively. The test takers who are taking the exam should remember that they need to comprehend the main idea of the recording. In addition, you need to pay attention to the details and try to recollect as much text as possible.
Note Keywords
It is useful to write down the key terms while the recording is playing. This will further help you when you are replying to the IELTS listening questions. The test takers will be able to find them if they can comprehend the purpose of the person speaking. For example, if in the audio two people are talking about a zoo. Then note down the details like the name of the zoo, various timings, and the address.
Solid Chart
It can be helpful if, when listening to the audio, you make a chart of the information and the key terms. Since the details all come in order, it is easy to go through the questions when you have a chart to assist you. This will also ensure that you do not miss out on any details.
Read Questions
The duration of the IELTS listening part is thirty minutes. As a first timer, you should utilize 1 or 2 minutes before the audio plays for reading the questions. Knowing the intent of the same will help you find the response from the audio. Moreover, in the matching task, the questions are not very lengthy and can be read by skimming through.
Use Word Bank
Test takers need to know that good vocabulary can have an effect on their scores. It is because the IELTS exam syllabus 2025 also lays importance on the words that students use in the answers. Thus, try to expand your word power so that instead of using the exact keywords, you can replace them with different terms. Besides, sometimes the key terms in the questions differ from those in the audio. So, a good word bank will help you notice those words.
Once you know the right way of solving the matching task, it is also essential to know a few helpful tips:
Tips for Scoring High in the Matching Question
The IELTS exam syllabus 2025 for the listening section is quite wide. It includes various tasks, but matching one can be the most scoring among them all. Here are some pointers that can help you with this question:
- Before answering, try to find what the question is about.
- The use of synonyms is there in the audio. Try to work on your word power.
- Reply to the queries in order without skipping.
- There can be distractors in the recording. These are words like but, however, so try to look out for them.
Conclusion
To sum up, the matching task is of medium difficulty. If you practice daily, then you can master the task and get a good score. This will help improve the score for the overall result. Other than that, if you want to understand the IELTS paper pattern better, you can contact mentors at Gradding. They also provide students with the methods and tips for solving the various tasks. They also offer free mock tests and online classes so that scholars can check their level of progress over time.

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