IELTS Practice HubExam Preparation Platform
Band 4→6Question Types12 min read

Multiple Choice in Listening — Avoiding Distractors

Recognise and reject distractor answers in Listening multiple choice questions.

Multiple Choice in IELTS Listening is designed to mislead you with distractors — wrong answers that are mentioned in the audio but are not the correct answer to the question.

The three types of distractors:

  1. Mentioned but not the answer — the speaker mentions the option but then rejects it or changes their mind
  2. Partially correct — the option is true but does not fully answer the question
  3. Sounds similar — the option sounds like something the speaker said but is different

The key listening skill: Listen for changes of mind and corrections:

  • "I was going to... but actually..."
  • "I thought... but it turned out..."
  • "Originally... however..."
  • "At first... but then..."

When you hear these phrases, the FIRST thing mentioned is usually the DISTRACTOR. The SECOND thing (after the correction) is usually the ANSWER.

Example: Question: "What time will the meeting start?" Audio: "I was planning to start at 2 o'clock, but given that some people are travelling from out of town, we've decided to push it back to 3." Answer: 3 o'clock (not 2 o'clock — that was the distractor)

Distractor recognition

Question: 'Why did the student choose this university?'
Options: A) It has a good reputation. B) It is close to home. C) A friend recommended it.
Audio: 'I did consider the university's reputation, and it is close to home which is convenient. But honestly, the main reason I chose it was that my friend Sarah studied there and said it was excellent.'

Why this works: A and B are mentioned (distractors) but the speaker says 'the main reason' is C. The answer is C. Many students choose A or B because they are mentioned first.

distractor

a wrong answer option designed to mislead

Example: The first option was a distractor.

correction

a change from something wrong to something right

Example: Listen for corrections in the speaker's speech.

These phrases signal that the speaker is changing their mind or correcting themselves. The information AFTER the phrase is usually the correct answer.

Distractor phrase + CORRECT INFORMATION
  • →'I was going to... but actually...' → answer comes after 'but actually'
  • →'Originally... however...' → answer comes after 'however'
  • →'I thought... but it turned out...' → answer comes after 'but it turned out'
  • →'At first... but then...' → answer comes after 'but then'
  • →'I was planning to... but we've decided...' → answer comes after 'but we've decided'
  • The first option mentioned is often the distractor, not the answer.
  • Listen for correction phrases: 'but actually', 'however', 'but it turned out'.
  • The correct answer usually comes AFTER the correction phrase.
  • Read all options before the audio starts so you know what to listen for.
Practice Task

In your next Listening multiple choice practice, write next to each wrong option: 'mentioned but rejected' or 'not mentioned'. This trains you to recognise distractors actively.