What is a distractor?
A distractor is a wrong answer which looks or sounds like a real answer.
When preparing for the IELTS Listening Exam you will notice that there often feels like there is more than one right answer. You already know that there can be only one right answer, so why is this? Well, in the test you will hear ‘distractors’ which are potential, but still incorrect answers.
Example of a Distractor
Question
What is Mr Stephens’ mobile number?
Audio Script
A: I would like to open a new account?
B: That’s no problem Mr Stephens. I can help you with that. I just need to take your number
A: Ok sure, my number is 045871….., (this is the distractor!) oh wait, that’s my old number. My new number is 0453327244.
Remember!
The IELTS listening test is designed to test students’ ability to understand a situation, not just if they can listen for words. Practice understanding the situations given fully. You can use the listening transcripts in the back of IELTS practice books to help you.
