L28: Part 4 lecture: how to stay with the speaker

In Part 4, the speaker talks for several minutes without stopping. There's no second person asking questions, and no pause to catch your breath. Many students feel they're drowning by question 35. This lesson gives you a way to stay on top of the lecture from the first word to the last.

Why this matters

Part 4 is a quarter of your Listening score. Strong students usually get 7 or more out of 10 here. Weaker students often get 4 or 5. The difference is mostly about following structure, not about knowing difficult words.

Lectures follow a pattern

Almost every Part 4 talk has this shape:

1. Introduction. "Today I'm going to talk about..."
2. Background. Some history or a definition.
3. Main points. Usually two or three sections.
4. Conclusion. A summary, a future idea, or a problem still to solve.

The notes on your screen follow this shape. If they have headings, those headings match the sections of the talk.

What lecturers say before an answer

Answers in Part 4 often come right after these moves:

• A definition: "...which is known as...", "...is called..."
• An example: "For example...", "such as..."
• A cause or result: "This is because...", "As a result..."
• A contrast: "However...", "In contrast..."
• A number or date: "In 1850...", "About 40 percent..."

When you hear one of these, get ready to write.

Five habits for Part 4

1. Read all 10 questions before the talk. You usually get some time before Part 4. Use it to read the whole set, not just the first few.
2. Use the headings as checkpoints. When the speaker moves to a new section, your eyes move to the next heading.
3. Keep your eyes one question ahead. Answers can come close together.
4. Write short, fix later. If you're unsure of spelling, type your best version and keep going. Fix it in the checking time.
5. Don't stop to understand everything. You only need the gaps.

A worked example

Notes: The history of glass

• Early glass was made in (31) __________ around 3500 BC.
• The Romans learned to blow glass using a long (32) __________.
• In the 1600s, adding (33) __________ made glass clearer.

"The earliest glass objects we know of come from Mesopotamia, around 3500 BC. Moving on to the Roman period, glassmakers developed a new technique. They blew air into hot glass through a long metal pipe, which allowed them to make thin, light vessels. Jumping ahead to the 1600s, an English glassmaker found that adding lead produced much clearer glass."

Did you see the signposts? "Moving on to" and "Jumping ahead to" told you the next answer was coming. Lesson L29 covers these words.

Try it yourself

Notes: Sleep and memory

• During deep sleep, the brain moves information to long-term (34) __________.

"So what happens when we sleep? During deep sleep, the brain transfers new information into long-term memory. That's why students who sleep well often remember more."

Honest note

Some Part 4 talks are on topics you've never thought about. That's on purpose. IELTS doesn't test knowledge. It tests listening. Don't be scared by a strange topic.

Your task today

Do one Part 4. Before listening, write a one-line guess of what each section is about, using the headings.