On almost every IELTS Listening exam, you have to listen to someone spelling names, and you must write out what they say.
Do you sometimes have problems understanding various letters, especially vowels, and especially in different accents?
Not to worry- many students lose confidence in these seemingly easy question types.
Today we practice listening to someone [me!] spelling names, and you will listen and write the correct answers.
After you finish, check your answers below.
The Lesson
Preparing for IELTS Spelling
I was surprised recently when a high-level student of mine said that this listening question type was difficult for him.
I thought, Its just the alphabet! Dont you know the alphabet in English?
Then I remembered that after studying Spanish for many years, I actually dontknow the alphabet in that language either! Some simple skills get lost as you advance in a language. I think I must have skipped those lessons in the beginner classes.
Plus, an additional difficulty is that native speakers of different accents pronounce letters differently. Theres no magic key for getting used to accents. You simply have to practice listening to a wide variety of people speaking English.
THE ANSWERS ARE BELOW. PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO FIRST, AND TRY TO WRITE THE NAMES YOURSELVES. THEN, YOU CAN CHECK THE ANSWERS BELOW.
America:
Harrison
Eugene
Australia:
Johnson
Melbourne
Canada:
Siksiwa [name of an indigenous tribe]
Saskatchewan
Britain:
Buchanan [common Scottish name]
Swansea [in Wales]
To get used to different accents, I recommend the No Such Thing as a Fish podcast for British English, and the TV show Flight of the Conchords for the Australian/New Zealand accent.
Leave us a comment if you like this lesson, and Ill make more short but sweet IELTS lessons for you!
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