This unit is ≈24% of the IELTS, across 6 lessons. Full syllabus
Lesson 2 of 6 · Listening
Form, note and table completion
8 min read · about 1 h with practice3 quick checks≈5% of the testFoundational: Foundational: the groundwork the rest of the unit builds on
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Gap-fill tasks are the most common question type in IELTS Listening. Forms, notes, tables, flow-charts, summaries and sentences fill most of Part 1 and usually all of Part 4, and they appear in Parts 2 and 3 as well. They are the most reliable marks in the test and also the easiest to lose, because an answer only scores if it is spelled correctly and within the word limit.
By the end you’ll be able to
Write names, streets and postcodes spelled letter by letter, including double letters and easily confused letters
Record numbers, times, dates, prices and phone numbers accurately in accepted formats
Obey limits such as ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER and know what counts as a word
Keep answers grammatically consistent with the form or notes (singular/plural, word class)
Track the order of answers through a form, note set or table without losing your place
What the exam asks
You see a layout with numbered gaps and type words or numbers that you hear in the recording.
The first 3 of 10 cards for this topic. Sign in and finish the lesson to review them with spaced repetition.
PromptCard 1 of 3
What counts as one word in an IELTS completion answer?
ferry wharf
the ferry wharf
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
up to two words plus a number
3 large rooms
the old town hall
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
up to three words
old railway station
the old railway station
Core ideas
What counts as a word
A hyphenated word is one word (part-time, well-known).
A number in figures is a number (1,500, 7.30, 24.50).
Articles count (a, an, the).
Postcodes and reference codes (GL7 3MP) are accepted under “AND/OR A NUMBER” limits.
The simplest way to stay inside the limit: never repeat words printed before or after the gap. If the form says £ ______, write 24.50, not 24.50 pounds.
Numbers as people say them
You hear
You write
“oh-seven-nine-double-six”
07966
“fifteen... no, sorry, fifty”
50
“half past eight” / “eight-thirty”
8.30
“half nine” (British)
9.30
“quarter to seven”
6.45
“twenty-four pounds fifty” (£ printed)
24.50
“the fourteenth” (March printed)
14
“nineteen ninety-six”
1996
“two and a half thousand”
2,500
“four and a half kilometres” (km printed)
4.5
Teens or tens? Stress tells you. fif-TEEN is stressed at the end and FIF-ty at the start. Speakers often correct themselves, so wait a second before you type.
Spelling aloud
Names, streets and postcodes in Part 1 are spelled letter by letter, usually in chunks (“F-A-I-R... C-L-O-U-G-H”). Speakers say double L for LL, and confirm hard letters with a word (“M for mother”, “B for Bravo”). These letter groups sound alike on a phone line:
Confusable group
Listen for
A / H / J / K
the vowel sound: ay vs aitch vs jay
B / C / D / E / G / P / T / V
the first consonant; ask yourself “was it a b or a p?”
F / S / X
ef vs ess vs ex
I / Y
eye vs why
M / N
lips closed (em) vs open (en), and the confirmation word
Q / U / W
kyoo vs yoo vs double-yoo
Everyday words must be spelled perfectly too. Words that often cost marks include accommodation, business, colleague, environment, February, government, guarantee, library, necessary, questionnaire, receipt, restaurant, schedule, temperature, Wednesday.
Grammar fit
Every answer has to fit the sentence or label around it. Before the audio, predict; afterwards, read your answer back in.
two / several / a number of ______ → plural noun
______ and lakes → parallel with lakes, so plural (ponds)
a ______ / an ______ → singular noun (consonant / vowel sound)
too ______, very ______ → adjective
by ______, the ______ of → noun
Following forms, tables and notes
Forms: printed information that is not a gap (an address, a time) acts as an anchor. When you hear it, the next gap is coming.
Tables: read the column headings first, because each one tells you the type of answer in that column (Meeting point = place, Length = number). Recordings usually go across one row at a time, so one walk or one product is described fully before the next.
Notes: the headings (Origins, A French solution, Design details) match the speaker’s signposts (so let’s begin with the origins..., which brings me to France..., finally, a couple of design details). When two answers come close together, match each one to the subject of its line, for example German makers in one line and Conté in the next.
Flow-charts and summaries: follow the arrows or the sentence order. Some give a box of options (A–G) instead of asking you to write words. Then you choose letters, and because the options paraphrase the recording, spelling can’t cost you the mark.
Worked examples
Exam technique
Preview (use every second):
Circle the word limit.
Label each gap by type: name, number, date, time, place, noun (plural?), adjective.
Note printed units (£, km, %, March, a.m.) so that you don’t repeat them.
Find the anchors, meaning the printed details you will hear just before each gap.
While listening:
Type as you hear, and spell names in chunks.
Use figures for all numbers, dates and times.
If a gap goes past, leave it and listen for the next anchor. Don’t try to rebuild it from memory while the recording moves on.
In the 2-minute check at the end:
Spelling, letter by letter (there is no spellchecker)
A plural -s where the grammar needs one
No answer over the word limit
No printed words repeated
No blanks, because a sensible guess can score and costs nothing
Common mistakes
Quick recap
Completion answers must be words or numbers from the recording, correctly spelled, within the word limit.
Hyphenated words = one word, figures = a number, and articles count.
Never repeat printed words or units. Write 24.50, not £24.50 pounds.
Predict the type of each gap; tables are organised by column headings, and notes by lecture signposts.
Wait for confirmation. Corrections, rejected dates and wrong read-backs are the main distractors.
Spell names chunk by chunk, and know the confusable letter groups.
Use the 2-minute check for spelling, plurals, word limits and blanks.