Fiona a is h £t Jo Tomlinson

Unit stru ctu re
Each of the firs t 11 units is divided into 3 parts.
Part 1 
introduces vocabulary related to the topic. A range of exercises gives you the opportunity 
to use the vocabulary - clearly and effectively - in a variety of contexts. These exercises also 
build awareness of the patterns in words and language item s. The vocabulary is presented using 
Collins COBUILD dictionary definitions.
Part 2 
provides step-by-step exercises and guidance on specific question types that appear in the 
test. Each unit covers one section from the test and focuses on three question types. There are 
explanations and examples that show you how to approach each question type. Useful tips are 
highlighted to help you develop successful te st-ta kin g strategies.
Part 3 
provides exam practice questions fo r the same section of the test that you did exercises 
fo r in Part 2, using the same question types. The fo rm a t follow s the actual exam. You can use 
this as a way of assessing your readiness fo r the actual exam.
Answ er key
A com prehensive answ er key is provided fo r a ll sections of the book including notes on why 
certain answ ers are correct or incorrect. You w ill also find fu ll audio scripts of a ll listening 
exercises at the back of the book. The answ ers are underlined in the audio scripts so you can 
see where the correct answ ers come in the audio.

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Using the book fo r s elf-stu d y
If you are new to IELTS, we recom m end th a t you w o rk syste m a tically through the 12 units in 
o rd e r to benefit from its progressive s tru ctu re . If you are a m ore experienced learner, you can 
use the aim s listed at the s ta rt of each unit to select the m ost useful exercises.
Each unit contains between three and fo u r hours of study m a te ria l. Having access to someone 
who can provide inform ed feedback on the liste nin g practice exercises is an advantage. However, 
you can s till learn a lot w o rking alone or w ith a study p a rtn e r w illin g to give and receive peer 
feedback.
Ideally, you should begin each unit by w o rkin g through the 
Part 1 
vocabulary exercises. Try to 
answ er the questions w ith o u t looking at a dictionary in o rd e r to develop the s k ill of in fe rrin g the 
m eaning of u n fa m ilia r w ords from context. This is im p o rta n t because d ictionarie s cannot be used 
during the actu a l exam. Avoid w ritin g the answ ers to vocabulary exercises d irectly into the book 
so th a t you can try the exercises again once you have com pleted the unit.
W ork thro ugh the 
Part 2 
liste nin g exercises from beginning to end. It is im p o rta n t to study the 
notes about each of the question types so th a t you become fa m ilia r w ith how to approach the 
diffe re n t question types in the test. Doing this w ill also help you develop m ore g en eral s k ills fo r 
listening. The strategies covered should be th orough ly m astered so th a t during the actu a l exam 
you are fu lly prepared fo r each section and can focus on 'liste n in g '. A ll le arn ers, including those 
who are w o rkin g on th e ir own, should a tte m p t the liste nin g tasks as liste nin g is a s k ill th a t can 
only be im proved thro ugh extensive practice. At the same tim e, you should aim to become w e ll- 
inform ed about a wide variety of subjects, not ju s t those covered in the book. The IELTS Listening 
test can cover a lm o st any topic considered to be w ith in the grasp of a w e ll-e d u ca te d person. 
Listening re g u la rly to English language news p rogram m e s and le ctures can help w ith this, too.
Part 3 
contains exam practice questions. A fte r you have done the test, it is a good idea to spend 
some tim e reviewing why certain answ ers are the corre ct ones. For th is reason we suggest you 
approach th is part in the fo llow ing way.
F irst do the test. Here, you focus on answ ering the questions correctly. You should try and 
com plete Part 3 w ith in the tim e lim it set and listen only once, as th is gives you the o p p o rtu n ity 
to practise und er exam conditions. Do not look at the audio s c rip t at the back of the book w hile 
doing the test. A fte r you have finished liste nin g, m ake sure the fo rm a t and sp e llin g of your 
answ ers is correct. Then, check your answ ers using the A nsw er key.
Then learn fro m the test. Here, you focus on understanding why certain answ ers are the corre ct 
answ ers. When you have checked your answ ers, you can listen again to try to hear any answ ers 
th a t you m issed. Reading the audio s c rip t at the same tim e as liste nin g to the recording w ill 
help you to develop your liste nin g s k ills and identify answ ers. R em em ber th a t the answ ers are 
und erlin ed in the audio scripts.