IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Practice Test & Tips

International English Language Testing System ( IELTS )

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Avleen Kaur
Updated on Nov 4, 2025 16:08 IST

By Avleen Kaur, Sr. Executive Training

Preparing for Sentence Completion question in the IELTS Listening section is important for aceing the IELTS test. At first this question might look little confusing but if you follow some right tricks to solve this question - you can solve it easily. This exam page presents one small and simple guide that helps you understand and do better in Sentence Completion during your IELTS Listening test.

What is Sentence Completion in IELTS Listening?

The IELTS Listening test is a important section IELTS exam. It checks how good you are in understanding English when people talk in different situations. One hard part in this test is Sentence Completion. In this task, you need to fill missing words in the sentence after listening to a recording. It needs careful ears and good focus to get right answers. 

In IELTS Sentence Completion, you got to catch small details like numbers, names, dates, or simple facts from talks or conversations. These kind of questions come in many parts of the IELTS Listening test, like when two students talk or when someone give a short lecture. If you want to do well, keep practicing with real audios and learn few easy tricks to answer faster. 

IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Question Format- 

  • You will listen to an audio, maybe a talk or small conversation. 
  • There is a sentence with few words missing. 
  • You have to listen nicely and write the right word or phrase in the blank space. 
 
 

 

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IELTS Listening Sentence Completion Tips

  1. Read this description and look for central idea that you are required to identify from recorded audio. 

  2. Look at words around the blanks they may have clues for your answer. Irrespective of speed of the spoken test - if the context of description is clear to you - you will get your answer even if it is said all in one go within the first few min. of recording. 

  3. Understanding context is also important because it sometimes differs. Words are used in text and recording. Hence, in order you get your answer from the recording right, just focus on getting the main idea of your text. For e.g. speaker can say- "The seminar is scheduled to occur at ……....." and in your text ", scheduled" may be replaced by - "The seminar will take place in……...….". 

  4. If you cannot get the right answer, don’t waste too much of your time second-guessing it; instead, move ahead with other sections.

Common Problem with Sentence Completion Questions

  • Complex Sentences: You may become stressed by lengthy, intricate sentences. You can divide the text into manageable chunks and concentrate on the primary point.
  • Distractors: The IELTS listening section commonly uses words or concepts that may sound similar to the right response. Watch out for terms that don't match the sentence but sound like the answer.
  • Audio Speed: In audio, the speaker might speak quickly. To increase your capacity to hear every word, try listening to the audio materials faster if you have trouble keeping up.

Strategies to Improve Listening Skills

Practice Listening Regularly

Practice helps you understand many accents and also how people talk fast or slow. Doing this makes your IELTS Listening preparation easier.

Listen for Paraphrasing

Sometimes in IELTS Listening test, you don’t hear same words from the question. They say it in other way. That is called paraphrasing. So you must listen carefully and try to catch meaning, not just the same word. Practicing this helps you match what you hear with the sentence you need to complete.

Use IELTS Practice Exams for Listening

Doing IELTS Listening practice tests or using official study materials is one of best ways to prepare. You get used to test format, you gain more confidence, and you remember key details better when you listen often.

Practice Different Question Types

Try solving all question types like multiple choice, sentence completion, and matching. Each one test your listening skills in different way, and if you practice all, you’ll do better in the real IELTS Listening test.

Frequently Asked Questions

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