What listening strategies are: Listening strategies are the overarching techniques that lift every Paper 2 (Listening) question type — multiple choice, true/false, gap-fill or short answer.
The four big ones are: active prediction (predict before you listen), the two-listen strategy (gist first, then detail), deducing unknown words from context, and inference (mood, opinion, purpose) when the answer isn't said word-for-word.
- strategy / technique
- a planned way of doing something that helps you cope and score better
- to predict
- to guess the vocabulary you'll hear, from the questions, before you listen
- the gist
- the general idea of the recording — who, where, what it's about
- a detail
- a specific piece of information that one question asks for
- to deduce / work out
- to figure out the meaning of an unknown word from the words around it
- inference
- what is meant but not stated outright — a mood, opinion or purpose you work out from clues
- to paraphrase
- to say the same idea using different words
Strategies beat vocabulary: You will never know every word in a recording — nobody does. What separates strong candidates is strategy: they predict, they use both listens, and they deduce meaning instead of freezing on one unknown word.
Every strategy, one table: Map each moment of a recording to the right strategy. Each clip is played twice, so you have a first listen and a second listen — use them differently.
| Moment | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before it starts | read the questions and predict the vocabulary you'll hear |
| First listen | catch the gist — the general idea |
| Second listen | hunt the details and confirm your answers |
| An unknown word | deduce it from the context — don't freeze |
| Inference question | work out the tone/opinion even if it isn't said in those words |
The two facts students forget: 1) The second listen exists for a reason — use it to catch detail and confirm, not just to re-hear the gist.
2) A single unknown word is not a wall: deduce it from the words around it and keep going.
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One routine for every recording: These strategies combine into a single routine you run on every recording. Read, predict, listen for the gist, listen for the detail, and infer what isn't said outright.
The master listening routine — 5 steps
1
Read the questions
Before the audio, read the questions so you know exactly what each one is asking for.
2
Predict the vocabulary
From the questions, predict the words you'll hear (numbers, places, opinions) so they stand out when they come.
3
First listen — the gist
On the first play, listen for the general idea — who, where, and what it's about. Don't write much yet.
4
Second listen — the details
On the second play, hunt the specific details the questions need, and write your answers.
5
Infer what isn't said & check
Where the answer isn't word-for-word, infer the mood, opinion or purpose from the clues — then check every answer is filled in.
Read → Predict → Gist → Detail → Infer
Don't freeze on one word: If you hit a word you don't know, don't stop — the rest of the recording keeps playing. Deduce its meaning from the words around it and stay with the audio; one unknown word rarely costs you the answer.
When the answer isn't word-for-word: This clip needs inference — the answer isn't stated with the obvious word. In the real exam you'd hear it twice and never see the words.
Here we use a transcript so you can practise on the page: read the question, then deduce how the speaker feels from the clues before you check the answer.
Transcript — Sofia's move: Hi, I'm Sofia. Last month I moved to a new city because of my parents' jobs. At first I didn't know anyone and I missed my old friends a lot. But this week I started at my new school, I've already met three really nice classmates, and tomorrow we're all going to the cinema together. At last I'm smiling again.
IB-style task — an inference question
One inference question, step by step
- The question — "How does Sofia feel now? Work it out from the clues."
- There is no obvious word. She never says "happy" or "sad", so you can't just listen for one word — you have to deduce her mood.
- Collect the clues. "I've already met three really nice classmates", "tomorrow we're all going to the cinema together", and "At last I'm smiling again." The contrast with "At first I didn't know anyone and I missed my old friends a lot" shows the change.
- The answer — She now feels happy / cheerful, much better than at first. That is an inference: nobody says the word, but the clues prove it.
Read the clues, not just the words: When no word states the answer, infer it from the clues — what the speaker does, the contrast with earlier, and phrases like "at last I'm smiling again". Inference questions reward reading the mood, not matching a single word.
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Where strategy breaks down: Most lost marks come from abandoning the strategy under pressure. Compare what strong listeners do with the panic habits that cost marks.
Good practice
- Listen for meaning and the gist, not every single word.
- Deduce an unknown word from context and keep going.
- Use the second listen for detail and to confirm.
- Infer the tone, opinion or purpose when it isn't said outright.
Typical mistakes
- Trying to catch and write down EVERY word.
- Freezing on one unknown word and missing what follows.
- Wasting the second listen by re-hearing only the gist.
- Ignoring tone and inference — only accepting word-for-word answers.
Meaning over words: You don't need every word — you need the meaning. Catching the gist plus the key details beats transcribing the whole clip, and many answers are an inference, not a word you can hear directly.