Time Management and Transfer Time

Effective time management in IELTS Listening means knowing exactly when to read ahead, when to write, when to move on, and how to use transfer time strategically. Unlike Reading and Writing, where you control the pace, in Listening the audio controls you — so your time management must be built around the recording's structure.

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The Timing Structure

Phase	Duration	What Happens
Pre-test instructions	2–3 minutes	General instructions about the test
Section 1	~5 minutes	Audio + preparation time for questions 1–10
Section 2	~5 minutes	Audio + preparation time for questions 11–20
Section 3	~5 minutes	Audio + preparation time for questions 21–30
Section 4	~5 minutes	Audio + preparation time for questions 31–40
Transfer time (paper)	10 minutes	Transfer answers to the answer sheet
Transfer time (computer)	2 minutes	Review and finalise on-screen answers

Total audio time is approximately 30 minutes. With transfer time, the total Listening test takes approximately 40 minutes (paper) or 32 minutes (computer).

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