Matching Questions in IELTS Listening
Kavita from Jodhpur listened for the word “expensive” to match a course to its description. The speaker said “it costs more than I’d hoped”, and she missed the mark while waiting for the exact printed adjective.
Matching questions ask you to link items from the recording to options in a list. The recording often uses different words from the options, so read the options for meaning during the reading time and listen for paraphrases.
How Do Matching Questions Work?
You match a list of items from the recording to a list of options, then choose the correct letter. The official description says the task tests detailed listening, following a conversation between two people and seeing how facts are connected.
The questions follow the order of the information in the recording. Read each instruction carefully, because the official description gives no general rule about using an option more than once.
You can see matching next to the other types in our question types overview.
How Should I Prepare the Options?
The British Council says a question often uses one word while the recording uses another with a similar meaning, so synonyms matter. Beside each option, note a simple alternative before the recording starts.
Beside “outdated”, you might note “old-fashioned” or “needs updating”. Beside “expensive”, listen for fees, budgets or costs.
Our guide to spotting paraphrases uses Reading examples, but the idea applies to Listening too.
What If I Lose My Place?
Keep track of the current question number, and wait for the speaker to move on to a new item before you search the options. If you miss one, the Cambridge IELTS FAQ advises you not to panic: look ahead and concentrate on the next question.
Practice: Three Evening Courses
Ask a study partner to read the transcript aloud once, or record yourself reading it and play it back before you choose your answers.
Practice transcript (written for this post)
Priya: Have you looked at the evening courses at the community college?
Rohan: Yes, I did Photography for Beginners last month. The tutor was great. After each session she went through our prints and gave us practical suggestions.
Priya: Was there a lot of homework?
Rohan: Not really, just a few practice shots each week.
Priya: And your flatmate did Introduction to Creative Writing, didn’t he?
Rohan: He did. He loved the workshops, but the fee was a lot more than he’d budgeted for.
Priya: I’m thinking about Web Design Essentials.
Rohan: Hmm, I looked at it too. But former students told me the software tutorials and the handbook were written about six years ago, and nobody has updated them.
Options
- A. It requires too much homework.
- B. The course materials are outdated.
- C. It is more expensive than expected.
- D. The tutor gives useful feedback.
- E. The classroom location is inconvenient.
Questions
Which opinion matches each course? Write the correct letter, A–E, next to each question.
- Photography for Beginners: _____
- Introduction to Creative Writing: _____
- Web Design Essentials: _____
Show answers
- D — “she went through our prints and gave us practical suggestions” paraphrases “gives useful feedback”. Option A is the trap: asked about homework, Rohan says “Not really”.
- C — “the fee was a lot more than he’d budgeted for” paraphrases “more expensive than expected”.
- B — “written about six years ago, and nobody has updated them” paraphrases “outdated”. Option E matches no course.
Which Habit Should I Change?
Incorrect: “I wait for the speaker to say the exact words from the options list.”
Correct: Listen for the same meaning in different words, as when “it costs more than I’d hoped” matches “expensive”.
Tip
After the practice, replay the recording and note the exact words that gave each answer away.
Key Takeaways
- Questions follow the order of the information in the recording.
- Recordings often reword the options, so listen for meaning, not exact words.
- Note a simple synonym beside each option before the recording starts.
- If you miss a match, look ahead and concentrate on the next question.
The bottom line: In matching, the right option is the one whose idea you heard, even when the speaker used different words.