To get the answer correct in fill in type of questions, there are more strategies than listening alone; which will be discussed in this article. Firstly, the instructions are to be read clearly, it may mention one word only or one word and a number or a number alone. We should always adhere to this as if we fail to do so, we will be penalised for it. For example, if the answer is a year, it should be mentioned as 1944 and not in words if the instruction says one word or a number. Secondly, if the speaker narrates a phone number or dictates the spelling of a name or word, we should be keen to expect some mistake in it, which will be rectified by the speaker themselves immediately. So the first time they narrate it, most of the time, it will end up being a wrong one.
Candidates then should check whether it is singular or plural the answer should be, because while listening, most of the candidate might miss the plural form of the word. This can be rectified by reading the sentence in which you got to answer, and thereby we can confirm it. Finally, we should also check for any spelling errors and since small font might hinder in representing the correct spelling to the examiner, capital font can be writing throughout the listening. At prestige institute, IELTS coaching classes are conducted on regular basis for the above strategies, so that the candidate can score band 9 in these types of questions.
References
https://study.com/academy/popular/ielts-listening-question-types.html
https://ieltsonlinetests.com/listening-tips/how-do-completion-type-ques…