🎧 IELTS Listening & Speaking Practice: Malala Yousafzai’s Inspiring Story

Preparing for IELTS? Want to improve your English skills while learning about an inspiring woman? 💜 This IELTS Listening Practice & Speaking lesson is perfect for you!

In this post, you’ll find a Speaking Part 2 model answer and a Listening activity based on the story of Malala Yousafzai, a courageous activist who has dedicated her life to fighting for girls’ education.

🔹 For Students: You’ll practice key vocabulary related to gender equality and education while improving your listening comprehension with an IELTS-style short-answer and summary completion task.

🔹 For Teachers: This activity is ideal for engaging students with a real-world topic, encouraging meaningful discussions, and preparing them for IELTS exam tasks.

Malala Yousafzai

📌 Activity Overview

🕒 Time: 30-40 minute

📍 Level: B1+ / B2

🏫 Class Type: Suitable for groups, large classes, and one-on-one lessons

💻 Mode: Face-to-face / Online

🤝 Interaction: Individual / Pair work / Group discussion

📄 Materials:

✔ Worksheets (Listening tasks: Pre-listening, Summary Completion & Short-Answer Questions)

✔ Audio (YouTube video: Malala Yousafzai’s Story)

✔ Speaking Model Answer (IELTS Part 2)

Let’s get started! 🎧🗣️

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🗣️ Pre-Listening Activity: Think & Discuss

Step 1: Warm-Up Discussion (Pair or Group Work)

Discuss the following questions with a partner or your group:

1️⃣ What challenges do women and girls face when trying to access education in some countries?

2️⃣ Have you ever heard of Malala Yousafzai? What do you know about her?

3️⃣ Why do you think education is important for both boys and girls?

Step 2: Predicting Content

Look at the following words and phrases from the listening passage. What do you think the story will be about?

📝 Key Words & Phrases:

• Activist

• Gender equality

• Right to education

• The Taliban

• Speech

• Bravery

• Nobel Peace Prize

  
  

Based on these words, what do you think happened to Malala? Write down 2-3 sentences predicting her story.

🎧 IELTS Listening Practice

📌 Instructions:

1️⃣ Watch the video once without subtitles and try to understand the main idea.

2️⃣ Answer the following questions based on the information from the video.

Step 1: General Understanding

1️⃣ What is the main message of the video?

a) Education is not important for girls.

b) Education can change the world.

c) Only boys should go to school.

2️⃣ How does Malala react to the challenges she faces?

a) She gives up and stops fighting for her rights.

b) She becomes stronger and continues advocating for education.

c) She moves to another country and forgets her cause.

Step 2: Short-answer Questions

📌 Instructions:

Listen to the video carefully and answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.

1️⃣ At what age did Malala start speaking about girls’ education? _______________

2️⃣ What happened to Malala as a result of her activism? _______________

3️⃣ What is the name of the organization Malala created to support girls’ education?_______________

4️⃣ Where was Malala taken for treatment after the attack? _______________

5️⃣ In which year did Malala win the Nobel Peace Prize? _______________

✨ Tips for IELTS Success:

✔ Read the questions before listening to predict possible answers.

✔ Focus on key words and listen for synonyms.

✔ Keep answers short and within the word limit.

Step 3: Summary Completion

📌 Instructions:

Fill in the blanks with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the video.

Malala Yousafzai is a well-known advocate for girls’ __________ (1). She was born in __________ (2), a country where the Taliban restricted education for young girls. From an early age, Malala spoke out about the importance of education and started writing a __________ (3) for the BBC under a pseudonym.

In __________ (4), Malala was attacked by the Taliban while traveling home from school. She was taken to the UK for treatment and later continued her activism on a global scale. In 2014, at the age of __________ (5), she became the youngest person ever to receive the __________ (6).

Malala has since established the Malala Fund, which works to ensure that all girls have access to __________ (7). She continues to inspire millions with her message that one child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can __________ (8).

✨ Tips for IELTS Success:

✔ Read the summary first to predict possible answers.

✔ Focus on key words while listening.

✔ Remember to check spelling and word limits.

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🗣️ IELTS Speaking Practice: Part 2

✨ Tips for IELTS Success:

✔ In this part of the test, you will be asked to speak individually about a familiar topic. You will be given 1 minute to prepare your answer. You have to speak for about 2 minutes.

✔ It is very important to structure your answer clearly, with an introduction, development and conclusion.

✔ Include a wide range of vocabulary related to the topic. This will help you get a higher mark.

1️⃣ Look at the following exam prompt and analyze the sample answer below. Pay attention to how the key vocabulary learnt in the Listening activities is used to talk about Malala Yousafzai.

📌 Prompt: 

Describe a woman you admire. You should say:

• Who she is

• What she does

• Why you admire her

🗣 Sample Answer:

“A woman I truly admire is Malala Yousafzai. She is a courageous activist who fights for girls’ education and gender equality. Malala became famous after surviving a terrible attack because she spoke out about the importance of education for girls in her country. Instead of being afraid, she became even stronger and continued her mission.

What I admire most about her is her determination and resilience. Despite facing so many challenges, she never gave up on her beliefs and values. She also won the Nobel Peace Prize, which shows how much she has contributed to the world.

I find her incredibly inspiring because she proves that one person can make a big difference. She encourages young women to be confident, ambitious, and fearless. Her story reminds me that women’s voices matter and that we should always fight for equal rights and opportunities.”

2️⃣ Think about another woman you admire. She might be someone who, like Malala, fights for women's rights. Plan your answer trying to use some of the key vocabulary learnt. Share your answer with your teacher and/or classmates.

3️⃣ You may use a voice recording app to record yourself. You may then listen to it to self-assess your work and review this topic in the future.

✨ Recommended voice recording app:

https://online-voice-recorder.com/

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🎧 IELTS Listening Practice – Answer Key

🔹 General Understanding

1️⃣ B

2️⃣ B

🔹 Short-Answer Questions

1️⃣ At what age did Malala start speaking about girls’ education?➡️ 11 years old

2️⃣ What happened to Malala as a result of her activism?➡️ She was shot / She was attacked

3️⃣ What is the name of the organization Malala created to support girls’ education?➡️ Malala Fund

4️⃣ Where was Malala taken for treatment after the attack?➡️ United Kingdom / UK

5️⃣ In which year did Malala win the Nobel Peace Prize?➡️ 2014

🔹 Summary Completion

1️⃣ education

2️⃣ Pakistan

3️⃣ blog

4️⃣ 2012

5️⃣ 17

6️⃣ Nobel Peace Prize

7️⃣ schooling / education

8️⃣ change the world