L23: Multiple choice: all three options get mentioned

Multiple choice looks easy. Three options, pick one. But in IELTS Listening, it's often the hardest question type. Why? Because the speakers usually mention all three options. If you pick the first one you hear, or the one with the same words as the audio, you'll often be wrong. This lesson shows you how to think like the test.

Why this matters

Multiple choice appears a lot in Parts 2 and 3. Students at band 6 often get half of these wrong. Students at band 7.5 get most of them right. The difference isn't vocabulary. It's method.

How the wrong options are built

Wrong options usually fall into one of these types:

1. Mentioned, then rejected. "We thought about the park, but it's too far."
2. True, but doesn't answer the question. The question asks why, and the option is something that happened but wasn't the reason.
3. Uses the same words, but means something different. The audio says "bus" many times, but the answer isn't about the bus station.
4. About the wrong person. One speaker likes it, but the question asks what the other speaker thinks.

The method

Before the audio:

1. Read the question stem carefully. Underline the key idea. Is it asking why, what, who, or what is the main problem?
2. Read the three options. For each one, think of another way to say it.

During the audio:

3. As each option is mentioned, mark it on your rough paper. Use a tick if it's accepted, a cross if it's rejected, and a question mark if you're unsure.
4. Wait for the speaker's final position. Listen for but, actually and the main thing is.

After:

5. Choose the option that matches the question exactly, not just the topic.

A worked example

Why did the woman choose this university?

• A) its location
• B) its reputation
• C) its course content

"Everyone kept telling me how famous the university is, and of course the city is beautiful. But honestly, what made me apply was the course itself. It had a module on marine biology that no one else offered."

Look at what happened. Reputation ("famous") was mentioned first. Location ("the city is beautiful") was mentioned second. Both are true. But neither was the reason. The word "But honestly" signalled the real answer.

Watch the question word

Small words in the question change everything:

• What does the speaker like most? means there might be several things they like.
• What was the main problem? means there might be several problems.
• What does the tutor suggest? means ignore what the student suggests.

Try it yourself

What does Tom think about the survey?

• A) It was too long.
• B) It was badly designed.
• C) It was a useful exercise.

Lisa: That survey took forever.

Tom: Yes, but I learned a lot from it. I think it was worth doing.

Honest note

Even with a good method, some multiple choice questions will feel like a 50/50 guess. That's normal. Aim to understand why the right answer is right when you check. That's how you improve.

Your task today

Do five multiple choice questions from Part 3. After checking, write down which type of wrong option tricked you for each mistake.