Lessons / Listening / Matching
IELTS Listening
Matching
Assign a letter from a shared list to each item. People to opinions, places to features.
The instructions, word for word as the test writes them
What does the speaker say about each facility?
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–G, next to Questions 16–20.
What this task is
A list of items and a box of lettered descriptions. Facilities, courses, people. The speaker deals with the items one by one, in the order they are printed. You catch which description fits each.
Read the rubric closely. It states whether a letter can be used more than once. When it says "You may use any letter more than once", it means it. At least one letter usually is.
The traps
These are built in on purpose. Know them by name and half the danger is gone.
When reuse is not allowed, there are more options than items. Two or three letters match nothing. So "whatever is left" is not a strategy here.
The box says "recently improved". The speaker says "they've done a lot of work on it since last year". The letters reward meaning, not word-spotting.
What to do next time
- In the preview, read the option box hard. It is the same seven ideas for every question, so learning it once pays five times.
- The items come in printed order. When the speaker names the next item, the previous one is closed. Write something and move on.
- If reuse is allowed, do not talk yourself out of an answer just because you already used its letter.
Now meet it under a clock. Start a free mock. Every matching question you get wrong comes back with the sentence that proves the answer, and the reason the trap was tempting.