Section 4 is an academic monologue — a lecture or talk. No conversation, no turn-taking. The speaker follows a predictable structure: introduction, main points (usually 2-3), and conclusion. Predicting this structure before the recording starts helps you know when a new answer is coming.
Examples
Weak
AvoidListening passively for keywords without anticipating where in the talk each answer will appear.
Stronger
BetterReading the question set during the preview, inferring the lecture structure from the question types, and mentally marking "this answer comes after the speaker moves from X to Y."
If questions 31-35 are about "causes" and 36-40 are about "solutions," you know the lecture will pivot from causes to solutions halfway through. When the pivot language comes ("turning now to," "having established X, let us consider Y"), you know question 36 is next.
How It Works
Structure prediction steps
- Read all Section 4 questions during the preview.
- Group questions by topic — each group usually maps to one section of the lecture.
- Note any signposting language cues in the questions (causes, effects, solutions, examples).
- Listen for the speaker's pivot phrases to know when a new question group starts.
Common pivot phrases
- "Turning now to..." / "Moving on to..."
- "Having considered X, let us now look at Y."
- "The second factor is..." / "Finally, I want to address..."
- "In terms of solutions..." / "What can be done about this?"
Prediction in practice
Quick rules
- Questions are in the order they appear in the lecture — never skip ahead.
- Pivot phrases are your signal that the current question group is finished.
- If you miss an answer, mark a best guess and move to the next question immediately.
Common Mistakes
Not reading questions before the recording
AvoidUsing the preview time to re-read instructions instead of studying the questions.
BetterReading all Section 4 questions during preview to predict structure.
Fix: You get 30 seconds of preview. That is enough to read 10 short questions and identify the structural pattern.
Losing place after missing an answer
AvoidMissing question 33, then spending 20 seconds trying to recover it while question 34's answer passes.
BetterMissing question 33, marking a best guess immediately, and moving focus to question 34.
Fix: A missed answer costs 1 mark. Losing your place costs 3-4 marks. Move on instantly.
Practice Lab
Self-mark each task. Retry until every answer is correct.
Score: 0/3
1. Quick pick
Questions 31-34 are about "causes of urbanisation" and 35-40 are about "government responses." The speaker says "Having examined the root causes, let us turn to what policymakers have done." What does this signal?
2. Build it
Put the sentence in the correct order.
Tap a chunk to move it between the bank and answer area.
3. Sort it
Sort each item into the correct category.
"Turning now to the economic implications..." → new question group starting.
"For example, in the case of Beijing..." → still in current question group.
"Having considered the causes, let us now examine solutions." → new question group.
"This is particularly evident in large cities such as..." → still in current section.
Why It Matters
Section 4 is consistently the lowest-scoring section for IELTS candidates because it is the fastest and most complex. Structure prediction converts an unpredictable monologue into a navigable sequence. Candidates who predict structure and recognise pivot phrases maintain focus across all 10 questions; those who listen passively typically lose 3-4 marks when the lecture changes topic.
Get Feedback
Personalized score feedback
Get clear next-step advice.
Choose the support that matches your study goal.
Get free Band 7+ strategies every week
Get free Band 7+ strategies every week