Identifying and Addressing Listening Barriers in IELTS among Pakistani Students: A Multidimensional Analysis
Abstract
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) remains a critical gateway for Pakistani students aspiring to pursue higher education and professional opportunities abroad. Despite years of formal English instruction, a significant proportion of Pakistani candidates consistently underperform in the listening module of the test. This persistent underachievement not only limits individual mobility but also highlights systemic gaps in Pakistan’s English language pedagogy. The present study explores the listening barriers faced by Pakistani IELTS test-takers and proposes evidence-based strategies to address these challenges through a multidimensional analysis.
The research begins by situating the problem within the Pakistani educational context. Secondary and higher secondary curricula prioritize grammar, reading comprehension, and rote memorization, while listening is rarely assessed or explicitly taught. Consequently, students who sit for IELTS encounter unfamiliar accents, rapid-paced speech, and test-specific design features such as distractors for the first time. Literature indicates that listening is a neglected skill in second language pedagogy (Field, 2008), while accent variation (Flowerdew & Miller, 2005) and psychological stress (Horwitz, 2001) further complicate learner performance. Within Pakistan, these global issues are intensified by local conditions such as unequal access to quality preparation courses, cultural distance from authentic English speech, and an exam-centric mindset that exacerbates test anxiety.
To address this gap, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach. Quantitatively, a sample of 200 Pakistani IELTS test-takers completed two simulated listening tests under exam conditions. Their responses were categorized into error types including vocabulary misinterpretation, accent miscomprehension, distractor confusion, spelling and transcription errors, answer transfer mistakes, and anxiety-induced lapses allows the creation of a small-scale error corpus. This corpus provided frequency-based evidence of the most recurrent mistakes. Qualitatively, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 IELTS instructors and 20 high-scoring candidates (Band 7.0 or above) to capture perceptions of learner barriers and effective strategies. Thematic analysis of these interviews enriched the empirical findings, providing a deeper understanding of the cognitive and psychological dimensions of listening difficulties.
Findings confirm that Pakistani learners face multifaceted listening barriers. Linguistic problems dominate: approximately one-quarter of errors involved vocabulary recognition and paraphrasing, while nearly one-fifth stemmed from difficulties processing unfamiliar accents such as Australian or British English. Cognitive obstacles were also significant. Distractors accounted for about 18% of errors, spelling mistakes 15%, and answer transfer issues 10%, highlighting limitations in memory, prediction skills, and test mechanics. Psychological barriers were equally critical, with around 7% of responses omitted due to anxiety or concentration lapses. Students frequently described a “snowball effect,” whereby misunderstanding a single phrase caused subsequent loss of information. Interview data reinforced these findings, with instructors acknowledging that most preparatory courses rely on repetitive drills rather than explicit training in strategies such as note-taking, prediction, or accent adaptation. High scorers, in contrast, attributed their success to independent practices such as listening to podcasts, watching English documentaries, and simulating test conditions.
The study concludes that listening difficulties among Pakistani IELTS candidates cannot be reduced to a single factor; rather, they represent an intersection of linguistic, cognitive, and psychological challenges shaped by systemic educational neglect. The implications are both pedagogical and policy-oriented. For educators, the study recommends incorporating accent exposure exercises, explicit training in recognizing paraphrased vocabulary, spelling practice, and distractor awareness into preparatory courses. For students, immersive listening practices through English media, online platforms, and peer interaction should be encouraged. For policymakers, integrating listening comprehension into the national secondary curriculum is essential to build foundational skills early and reduce reliance on last-minute test preparation.
By combining empirical error analysis with experiential insights, this research provides the first multidimensional account of IELTS listening barriers in Pakistan. Its contributions lie not only in categorizing common errors but also in proposing a structured toolkit for learners, teachers, and policymakers. Ultimately, the study emphasizes that improving listening proficiency is not merely about raising IELTS scores but about empowering Pakistani students with communicative competence necessary for academic and professional success in global contexts.
Keywords: IELTS Listening, Listening Barriers, Pakistani Students, Language Proficiency, Multidimensional Analysis
