Improve your IELTS listening skills with these documentaries

Your IELTS listening band score chart is somewhat cumbersome to master. However, learning just got more accessible and more fun. Experts suggest watching documentaries also helps a student practice for the IELTS exam. It makes learning effortless and gets the student involved in the process. Apart from being an excellent resource to improve our listening skills, they are packed with a wealth of information that enhances our language knowledge. 

The best part about watching documentaries is that your IELT band score chart for general reading and listening is sure to improve. Documentary vocabulary is often similar to the kind used in an academic environment. There are a lot of documentaries that can support your journey to ace the IELTS listening score chart. However, we will start with ten for now. Let us take a look at the top 5 documentaries below –

Documentary 1 | Life Story by BBC One

It is a natural-history television series by Mike Gunton, Tom Hugh-Jones, and Rupert Barrington. It consists of six parts – however, we encourage you to watch as many as possible. You wouldn’t want to finish watching all six series within one sitting. Several other documentaries featuring different backgrounds can make your experience fruitful. 

Key highlights

• While it premiered in 2014, the information spoken about in the series is still relevant.
• The documentaries follow the wildlife and their life cycle – from birth to death. 
• The narrator David Attenborough is very popular at speaking clearly and slowly, allowing you to grasp how each word is pronounced. 
• We recommend putting the subtitles off and using this series to improve your IELTS listening score chart marks. 

Documentary 2 | Museum Secrets 

Museum Secrets is another history-based television series aired on History Television, Canada, back in 2014. It has the best collection of videos and games showcased at world-class museums. The narration is done by Colm Feore, who has a Canadian accent that is clear and crisp. The award-winning television series will increase your general knowledge and place your IELTS band score chart for academics for listening to a whole new level. 

Key highlights

• Some of the most popular Canadian newspapers, National Post, Toronto Star, and Torontoist, have reviewed these documentaries. 
• The series comprises 20 episodes and has a narration-style angle.
• The series can also see the narrator having conversations with museum officials, so this is a perfect opportunity for you to listen in to conversations. 

Documentary 3 | Tropic of Cancer 

Tropic of Cancer is another classic BBC TV series that captivates your attention. Narrated by the famous Simon Reeve, this TV series dates back to 2010. Throughout this series, Simon Reeve travels through countries such as India and Mexico. His experiences interacting with the locals, facing conflicts, and dealing with situations are captured. 

Key highlights

• Use this series to listen to the narrator having colorful conversations with the locals. 
• You should pay attention to how well he describes his surroundings. This is an ideal way to follow and get your position in the IELTS listening score chart a notch higher. 
• Pay careful attention to the blog, as you may use this to brainstorm your speech topic ideas. 

Documentary 4 | South Pacific 

Most good series come out of the BBC – just like South Pacific. Based on a true story, the series features six episodes. They highlight the beauty that nature has to offer us. Varying from talking about trees to the diverse animal life – there are plenty of topics for you to choose from to help with your IELTS band score chart of reading and listening. The entire series is spoken in English, so it sharpens your listening skills more than you know.

Key highlights

• South Pacific talks about relevant global interest subjects, and it is handy for you to take notes of the same. 
• The TV series features incredible sceneries, but you must not let it fool you as you need to focus on the words and how they are spoken rather than what you can see.
• The English accent is clear and crisp, leaving you enough inspiration for IELTS listening and reading the band score chart!

Documentary 5 | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Suppose you want to improve your knowledge of the academic terms for the IELTS general listening band score chart. In that case, there is no better documentary than Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. It is an American science-fiction documentary narrated by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. They speak a lot about technological innovation – some may occur in the distant future. However, they also touch upon the incredible inventions already made. 

Key highlights

• Since this show talks about technological innovations, it is handy to make a mental note of all the topics suggested throughout the show. 
• The narrators and other individuals having conversations throughout this series help sharpen your listening skills, so do not lose focus. Instead, we recommend taking a break if you lose interest and returning.
• Avoid making use of subtitles as far as possible, as this will impact your IELTS band listening score chart. 

Documentaries to improve listening skills – Fact or sham?

To improve your listening skills, documentaries are the best to learn along with entertainment. Watching documentaries helps because the speakers usually speak clearly and succinctly, which enhances our oral comprehension skills. In addition, the speakers are usually American, English, or Canadian. Therefore it becomes easy for us to become familiar with their accents. 

Furthermore, you can pause and rewind if you end up watching documentaries online. This flexibility ensures your knowledge develops in the most accurate manner possible. This is why we recommend students begin preparations in the early stages, giving them enough time to revise and repeat their learnings and learning techniques. 

Key takeaways

• The best part about watching documentaries is that your IELTS band score chart for general reading and listening is sure to improve.
• We recommend putting the subtitles off and using documentaries to improve your IELTS listening score chart marks. 
• Descriptions mentioned in documentaries are an ideal way to follow and get your position in the IELTS listening score chart a notch higher. 

FAQs

1. How do documentaries help in improving the IELTS listening score chart?

Documentary vocabulary is often similar to the kind used in an academic environment. However, there are a lot of documentaries that can support your journey to ace the IELTS listening score chart.

1. How much time do we get to score full marks on the IELTS listening score chart?

The IELTS listening session is dedicated to 25 to 30 minutes.

1. Why should I not put subtitles on while watching documentaries?

We recommend putting the subtitles off while watching documentaries. It helps you focus on the words better, helping your marks get up on the IELTS listening score chart.