Shadowing Practice: Get BAND 9 After Using These Listening Tips - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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What if I told you that 95% of IELTS students are preparing completely wrong for the IELTS listening test?
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What if I told you that 95% of IELTS students are preparing completely wrong for the IELTS listening test?
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They practice for hours, they memorize vocabulary,
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they do mock test after mock test, and they still fail.
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But Band Noun students that we work with,
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they don't have better English than you,
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they don't have secret hacks or shortcuts.
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They understand things about the listening test format that others don't.
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So today I'll show you exactly what they know and how they use this information to prepare differently for the test.
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But first, let me show you the biggest misconception that keeps most students stuck at a low level.
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The test has 40 questions split across four parts of the listening test.
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And band 9 students know something crucial.
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These parts aren't random.
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They follow a specific difficulty curve that you can use to your advantage.
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Parts 1 and 2 are deliberately easier.
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But parts 3 and 4,
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this is where the real game begins.
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This is where band 7 students hit a wall,
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while band 9 students shine.
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And the difference isn't natural ability,
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it's preparation strategy that anyone can copy.
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So during their preparation, band 9 students will spend about 20% of their practice time on parts 1 and 2,
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just maintaining that high level they already have.
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80% of their practice time and preparation will be on parts 3 and 4.
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Most students do the opposite.
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They practice all parts equally,
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wasting precious time on easier sections while neglecting the parts that actually determine their final score.
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But knowing the format isn't enough.
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They understand the specific personality of each section and train accordingly.
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Part one seems simple.
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It's normally two people talking,
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usually on the phone, exchanging basic information like phone numbers or dates.
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But here's what catches most students.
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This isn't how we normally listen to English.
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When was the last time you intensely focused on someone spelling out a license plate number or a phone number?
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Band 9 students know this is an artificial listening situation.
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So instead of practicing general listening,
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listening to podcasts and things like that,
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they specifically train for form-filling scenarios using the official Cambridge test.
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They become machines of catching numbers,
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addresses, and spelled out information,
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so that when it comes up,
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they can do it automatically.
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Part two then shifts to one person talking about a social topic.
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Most students think, great, this is like real life.
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But band 9 students recognize this trap.
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In real conversations, you can ask for clarification.
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You can ask, what do you mean?
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Here you only get one shot.
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They won't repeat things.
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So the band 9 students' secret weapon is they listen to solo podcasts and YouTube channels,
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but not IELTS content because,
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let's be honest, IELTS is extremely boring.
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They choose topics they love,
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turning their commute or their lunch break into stealth IELTS preparation.
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In part three, this is where the test starts to get serious.
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Multiple speakers in an academic setting often interrupting each other,
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agreeing, disagreeing, building on points.
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Most students panic here because they can't tell who's saying what and they kind of get lost.
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Band 9 students prepare for this part differently.
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They seek out debate podcasts with maybe three or four speakers discussing different academic topics.
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They don't just listen for information,
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they train their ears to differentiate between different voices,
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catch interruptions, and follow the flow of academic discussion.
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Part four is the most difficult, it's the final boss.
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It's a single academic speaker delivering complex information, normally a university-style lecture.
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While others struggle to follow the logic,
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Band 9 students have a secret weapon, TED Talks but they don't just passively listen to TED Talks.
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They actively analyze how speakers structure their talks,
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listening for transition words like firstly,
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however, in conclusion, and they understand that academic speakers signpost each of their moves,
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and they've trained their ears to catch these signals.
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But here's the thing, knowing what to practice means nothing if you don't understand the types of questions you'll face.
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There are over 10 different question types in IELTS listening.
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Most students have just one strategy for all of them.
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That's like using a hammer for every home repair.
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Sometimes you need a hammer,
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other times you need a screwdriver,
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other times you might need a drill.
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Band 9 students understand each question type tests a different IELTS listening skill.
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For example, multiple choice tests prediction and elimination.
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Map labeling tests spatial understanding and listening while thinking of other things at the same time, directions.
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and summary completion tests note-taking ability.
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They don't just practice questions,
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they develop specific strategies for each type.
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But don't worry, I've put all of these question types
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and a summary of the main strategies for each question type inside this helpful PDF for you.
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If you want this, all you have to do is just go to the description,
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click the link, and you can download it for free.
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Every single question type and full strategies for all of them.
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Now, this next tip might sound simple,
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but it's responsible for more lost marks than any other factor.
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This might be the most overlooked aspect of the listening test.
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You must maintain laser focus on the listening for 30 continuous minutes.
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For many of the band 9 students that we worked with,
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there wasn't any problem with their listening skills or their English.
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It really came down to improving their focus.
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Imagine running a marathon without doing any training.
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Imagine you're very unfit like I am.
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That's what most students do with their listening stamina.
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Band 9 students use what I call the marathon method.
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They don't try and listen for 30 minutes on day one.
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Instead, maybe week one, they just try and focus for five minutes.
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And then week two, 10 minutes,
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week three, 15, week four,
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20, and week five, a 30 minute full practice session.
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Just like training for a real marathon,
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they build up their listening muscle gradually.
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They use a timer, stay completely focused,
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and resist the urge to check their phone or let their mind wander.
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When the result is on test day,
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30 minutes feels easy, while other students are mentally exhausted and completely losing track.
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But even with perfect stamina,
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there's one brutal reality that destroys most students' scores.
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I want you to think back to when you were learning English in a classroom and you were practicing listening.
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The teacher probably repeated the recordings two or three times.
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They want students to feel like they're making progress,
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but this is like a parent always letting their child win at games.
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It feels good, everyone's happy,
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but it doesn't prepare them for reality.
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On test day, you will only hear things once, like in real life.
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Your university professor won't repeat themselves.
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Your boss probably won't repeat instructions.
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The airport announcement won't say the gate multiple times.
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They expect you to hear it first time.
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So band 9 students train like this.
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When practicing with podcasts or YouTube videos, they never replay immediately.
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They listen once, answer questions, and then check.
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This builds the mental discipline and muscle to catch information first time.
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Most students complain and find this uncomfortable at first good.
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Discomfort means that it is working.
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It means that you are getting better.
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And it means on test day,
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you're going to feel less uncomfortable.
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Now, what I'm about to share might seem like it won't make any difference,
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but band 9 students have reported that it makes a big difference to them.
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And it can often mean the difference between success and failure.
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This might seem simple and obvious,
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but band 9 students know something most others overlook.
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Audio quality can make or break your score.
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You'll either get headphones or hear the test through speakers in a crowded room.
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The students that we work with will specifically book computer-based tests to guarantee headphones.
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Why?
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it's not just about volume,
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it's about blocking out distractions like other people coughing or the noises around you.
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And it delivers clearer sound directly to your ears.
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And it helps you maintain focus for those 30 minutes because you're more locked in.
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It can also reduce mental fatigue from straining to hear if it's in a big room with no headphones.
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If computer-based testing isn't available in your area.
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Our band 9 students have called the test centers to ask about the audio setup and the quality.
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They choose centers with the best equipment and
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if the audio quality is poor on test day they complain immediately not after getting a low score.
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Really really important if the audio is terrible on test day don't walk out of the test center
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and start complaining online to random strangers,
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complain immediately after the test and get your money back or get them to book you another test for free.
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But only if the audio quality was actually terrible,
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not because you didn't prepare properly and you just messed everything up.
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And this brings us to our final tip that ties everything together.
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The IELTS Listening Test and the Reading Test are a little bit different.
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Unlike the Reading Test where you control the pace,
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you decide how quickly you go,
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The listening test controls you.
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There are no time management tricks, no shortcuts, no hacks.
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Band 9 students understand this brutal truth and they embrace it.
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Instead of looking for timing strategies,
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they work on becoming better at listening to English.
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They perfect their question strategies,
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which you can download here.
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And they build their stamina.
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They know the test format inside out.
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When you do all of this,
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you don't need time management.
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You flow with the test naturally.
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But here's the ultimate band 9 advantage,
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the one that makes everything else easier.
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The listening test uses artificially clear English.
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Speakers talk slowly, like I'm doing right now.
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They pronounce everything clearly, and they pause between ideas.
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It's not like a real native speaker conversation.
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I don't speak like this to my friends.
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Band 9 students exploit this by training with harder material.
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They listen to natural speed podcasts,
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where people interrupt each other, mumble, speak quickly.
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They watch movies without subtitles and they tune into live radio debates.
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They do everything they can to listen to real native English speakers talking naturally,
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not listening to someone like me speaking very slowly.
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The way I describe it is like a marathon runner.
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A marathon runner will train at very high altitude where there's not as much oxygen.
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They will deliberately train in more difficult conditions
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and then on race day at sea level where it's much easier everything becomes simple
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and easy to do
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so i know the temptation is to listen to ielts videos where people are speaking very clearly
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and slowly don't do that try and build up
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and listen to more and more natural native conversations make it as difficult as possible over time
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and then test day it's easy But here's the brutal truth.
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While you've been watching this video,
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someone has downloaded these, they're studying them,
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they are taking action, they are mastering them.
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Watching videos is not taking action.
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Practicing these strategies, mastering them,
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applying them to practice tests and improving and actually doing the work, that is action.
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Those people will get the scores that they need,
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get a band 9, move on with their lives and live in the country of their dreams.
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Don't watch another video and then complain later,
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oh it was difficult and I got lost.
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If someone is giving you exactly how to get a high score and you don't take that,
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then that's on you.
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Every day you delay is another day closer to your next failed attempt,
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another test fee, another visa deadline missed,
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another throwing away money by not being in the country of your dreams.
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But in five minutes tonight,
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you can start building your bandline listening muscle.
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Question isn't whether these strategies work.
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Thousands of band 9 students have proven they do.
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Question is, will you be telling your success story in a few weeks?
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Or will you be stuck watching more and more YouTube videos,
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hoping that you magically get lucky next time?
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Download the PDF, set your timer,
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do just five minutes tonight,
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and your band 9 journey starts there.
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A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
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But if you want our one-on-one help,
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click below and see if any VIP courses are available.
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We will guide you step by step,
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hold your hand, and show you exactly what to do to get a Band 9.
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And one last thing Band 9 students do is they prepare for the test strategically by pinpointing their weak areas
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and then turning those weak areas into strengths.
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Imagine walking into the test knowing you are guaranteed a Band 9
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because you've eliminated every possible risk by understanding exactly where you could go wrong and removing any weaknesses.
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This video shows you exactly how to perform that strategy on your own listening ability right now.
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It's 100% free.
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Check it out.
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It will save you a huge amount of time and money.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will learn essential strategies for approaching the IELTS listening test effectively. Many students mistakenly focus on easier sections, but by understanding the specific format and difficulty curve of the test, you can optimize your preparation. This lesson emphasizes the importance of dedicating more practice time to the challenging parts of the listening exam. By mastering these techniques, you'll develop the skills needed to excel in both the listening and speaking components of the IELTS, ultimately improving your overall English proficiency.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Listening test - An assessment that evaluates how well one can understand spoken English.
- Mock test - A practice exam that simulates the actual test conditions.
- Difficulty curve - A structured increase in complexity throughout a test.
- Solo podcasts - Audio programs featuring a single speaker, ideal for focused listening practice.
- Form-filling scenarios - Specific situations in which listeners are required to provide information accurately, often involving numbers and letters.
- Clarification - The act of asking someone to explain or provide more information on a point.
Practice Tips
To effectively use the shadowing technique while practicing for the IELTS, begin by selecting segments from relevant YouTube videos that align with the listening test format. Start with the introductory parts of the listening tests, especially Parts 1 and 2, and gradually progress to the more challenging Parts 3 and 4. Pay attention to the speaker's intonation and pronunciation, attempting to mimic their speech closely. This could involve pausing the video and repeating phrases immediately after hearing them. This technique allows for better retention of vocabulary and improves your oral fluency.
When utilizing shadow speech techniques, choose videos that feature real-life situations or academic discussions relevant to the test. This will help in familiarizing yourself with the type of English you’re likely to encounter. Focus on repeating key information such as numbers, dates, and addresses multiple times to enhance your accuracy. You can also combine the shadowing technique with IELTS speaking practice by forming sentences based on what you hear, which boosts your language structure and flexibility.
Experiment with different speeds of video playback to match your speaking pace. Slowing down complex segments can help you grasp nuances and ensure better pronunciation. Finally, as you prepare, remember to incorporate varied materials, not just mock tests, to build a comprehensive understanding of the English language and enhance your test performance.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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