The Silent Letter
The letter you cannot hear is still on the page.
Click to zoom
The pale letters are the ones you cannot hear. They are still on the page.
Words you can say but not spell, because a letter is silent or the sound doesn't match. This is where most spelling marks go in Listening.
Preview · progress not saved — Chapter 1 is free
Eight words described by their sound. Write each one before you scroll.
Where the marks actually go: a Listening answer with a missing letter is simply wrong.
Most candidates think of spelling as a Writing issue. It is not, and this is worth understanding clearly because it changes how much this sprint is worth to you.
In IELTS Listening, you hear a word and write it in the answer box. If the letters are wrong, the answer is wrong. Not "nearly right". Not a half mark. Wrong.
You heard it correctly. You understood it. You lost the mark on letters.
That is why this sprint uses words whose spelling does not match their sound — because those are exactly the ones you will hear clearly and still write incorrectly.
The letter you cannot hear is still on the page.
The pale letters are the ones you cannot hear. They are still on the page.
Eight sounds, eight spellings. The gap between them is where the marks go.
Terms
Definitions
Three words where the sound points one way and the spelling goes the other.
Chain 1
You hear: "guv-er-ment"
Your ear suggests: goverment
But hidden inside the word is a whole smaller word:
So the spelling is:
Chain 2
You hear: "biz-nis"
Your ear suggests: bisness
But this word is built from an everyday adjective meaning "having a lot to do":
So the spelling is:
Chain 3
You hear: "tek-nol-o-jee"
Your ear suggests: tecnology
But in academic words a /k/ sound is often written with two letters:
So the spelling is:
Eight answer slots, exam style. Spelling is the whole mark here.
Section 3 — a talk on studying abroad
The speaker says the ______ provides funding for half the places. (the people who run the country)
Most students choose a course in ______ or engineering. (the study of the physical world)
Applicants must show prior ______ of the subject. (the things you already know)
Students living in a ______ country for the first time often struggle in week one. (not your own)
The university runs a ______ school as well as an arts faculty. (computers and machines)
Concerns about the ______ have made more students choose to travel by train. (the natural world)
The scholarship is open to anyone starting a small ______ after graduation. (a company)
The music module covers melody, harmony and ______. (the beat)