Why would a spelling slip in IELTS Listening cost me marks?
Spelling matters in IELTS Listening because an answer with incorrect spelling is marked wrong, even if you understood the audio. Practise commonly misspelt words such as beginning, beneficial, circumstantial, influential, maintenance and referred so you do not lose easy marks.
Spelling matters because an incorrectly spelt answer is marked wrong in the IELTS Listening test. You may understand the recording perfectly and still lose the mark.
Commonly Misspelt Words
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| begining | beginning |
| benefitial | beneficial |
| circumstancial | circumstantial |
| influencial | influential |
| maintainance | maintenance |
| refered | referred |
Silent and Tricky Letters
| Pattern | Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Silent g | privilje | privilege |
| Silent n or m | enviroment | environment |
| Silent s or c | exite | excite |
| Silent x or c | concious | conscious |
My Advice
Keep a personal list of words you misspell during practice and revise it often. Many Indian students find accents, fast speech and tricky questions hard in this section, so build spelling accuracy early and confirm the marking rules on the official IELTS website.
What IELTS band do universities actually need?
Know your target score, and how to hit it with free mock tests.
More IELTS questions
- Will I be able to pass the English proficiency exam given my concerns about language skills?
- What are the chances of getting a conditional offer letter requiring IELTS even if I have a good 12th standard score?
- Can I study in the UK without IELTS, and which universities accept other English tests?
- Would you suggest me to give IELTS first before starting the application process in Germany/Italy for a Master's?
- Do I need to score well in GRE, GMAT, or IELTS to get good scholarships in top business schools for a MBA?
- Is it possible to get an IELTS exemption if my transcript states that my medium of instruction was English?
- Can I still take IELTS as a paper-based test?
- How are my Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking sections marked in IELTS?