IELTS Academic Listening Practice Tests
18 IELTS Academic Listening practice tests in the real format, timed like the exam, with answers when you finish. Four sections, about 30 minutes, 40 questions: everyday conversations and academic talks, heard once.
IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 1 with Answers
A free, interactive IELTS Academic Listening practice test with answers, about 30 minutes.
TopicsHoneybee navigationThe history of urban parksThe psychology of remote work
This IELTS Academic Practice Test 1 has 1 paper — Listening. Choose a paper below to start; your browser will load the interactive version automatically.
Listening
Listening Part 1 — Questions 1-10
You will hear a telephone conversation between a man and a receptionist at the Riverside Leisure Centre. Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. You will hear the recording once only.
- Listen and write: 1. Surname:
- Listen and write: 2. Phone number: 0796 6315 ___
- Listen and write: 3. Membership type:
- Listen and write: 4. Monthly fee: £___
- Listen and write: 5. Beginner class day:
- Listen and write: 6. Bring for registration: a ___
- Listen and write: 7. Joining fee: £___
- Listen and write: 8. Weekend opening time: ___
- Listen and write: 9. Free first-week session with a ___
- Listen and write: 10. How he heard about the centre: a ___ recommended it
Listening Part 2 — Questions 11-20
You will hear a tour guide talking to visitors at Greenacre Country Park. Choose the correct answer, A, B or C. You will hear the recording once only.
- Where should visitors park this week? (A) the overflow car park (B) the main car park (C) on the road outside
- When did the park open to the public? (A) in the 1700s (B) in 1925 (C) in 1955
- Which walk does the guide recommend? (A) the woodland trail (B) the hilltop trail (C) the lakeside trail
- What can visitors buy at the café today? (A) only drinks and cakes (B) hot meals (C) nothing at all
- Who can enter the park free of charge? (A) students (B) children under five (C) nobody
- Where must dogs be kept on a lead? (A) everywhere in the park (B) in the lower meadow (C) near the deer enclosure
- Which event is the most popular? (A) the autumn fair (B) the summer concerts (C) the spring market
- When can visitors see the water mill? (A) every day (B) only at weekends (C) never
- Where should visitors shelter if it rains? (A) the bandstand (B) under the trees (C) the visitor centre
- Where does the guided tour start? (A) the main gate (B) the café (C) the car park
Listening Part 3 — Questions 21-30
You will hear two students, Priya and Tom, discussing a project with their tutor. Choose the correct answer, A, B or C. You will hear the recording once only.
- What have the students already done? (A) collected survey data (B) written the conclusion (C) interviewed a planner
- What does Priya suggest for presenting the data? (A) detailed tables (B) clear graphs (C) a written summary
- What limitation does Tom identify? (A) the survey was too short (B) the data was lost (C) the sample was only students
- What surprised the students most? (A) cost mattered less than reliability (B) everyone preferred cycling (C) no one used buses
- Where did price come in the results? (A) first (B) third (C) second
- How does the tutor react to the unexpected finding? (A) she is concerned (B) she is doubtful (C) she is pleased
- Who do the students still need to interview? (A) a transport planner (B) a bus driver (C) another student
- Why might they change who they interview? (A) the planner refused (B) the council contact hasn't replied (C) they ran out of time
- What does Priya say about the university option? (A) it is impossible (B) it is already arranged (C) it is a possible alternative
- What has changed about the deadline? (A) it was moved to the 14th (B) it was cancelled (C) it was brought forward a week
Listening Part 4 — Questions 31-40
You will hear part of a lecture about the history of artificial light. Complete the notes. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer. You will hear the recording once only.
- Listen and write: 31. For thousands of years the main portable light was the ___ .
- Listen and write: 32. Early candles were commonly made from ___ (animal fat).
- Listen and write: 33. Gas lighting made city streets much ___ at night.
- Listen and write: 34. The key electrical invention was the light ___ .
- Listen and write: 35. Early bulbs wasted most energy as ___ .
- Listen and write: 36. Modern LED lights are very ___ .
- Listen and write: 37. A downside of cheap light is light ___ .
- Listen and write: 38. Artificial light at night disturbs ___ , especially migrating birds.
- Listen and write: 39. Light at night can suppress the hormone ___ .
- Listen and write: 40. Light pollution is easily ___ by switching off unnecessary lights.
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IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 2 with Answers
Coral reef restorationThe history of the printing pressThe science of sleep
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 2 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 3 with Answers
Monitoring the world's glaciersThe history of the tea tradeThe psychology of crowds
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 3 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 4 with Answers
Farming in the desertThe Silk RoadMusic and the brain
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 4 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 5 with Answers
Plastic-eating bacteriaThe history of lighthousesThe benefits of bilingualism
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 5 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 6 with Answers
Wildlife in citiesHow the Romans made concreteThe science of procrastination
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 6 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 7 with Answers
Rewilding rivers with beaversThe history of map-makingHow taste perception works
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 7 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 8 with Answers
Vertical farmingThe invention of the telegraphMemory and ageing
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 8 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 9 with Answers
Migratory birds and artificial lightThe history of coffee housesThe science of creativity
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 9 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 10 with Answers
How ocean currents workThe history of paper moneyHow children acquire language
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 10 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 11 with Answers
Volcano early-warning systemsThe history of the bicycleHonest signals in animals
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 11 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 12 with Answers
Seed banks and crop diversityThe Trans-Siberian RailwayDecision fatigue
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 12 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 13 with Answers
Antibiotic resistanceThe mystery of cave artThe science of sport
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 13 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 14 with Answers
Mangrove forestsThe elevator and the modern cityThe science of humour
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 14 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 15 with Answers
Citizen scienceThe history of the spice tradeHandwriting versus typing
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 15 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 16 with Answers
Smart electricity gridsThe history of the newspaperWhy animals play
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 16 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 17 with Answers
Drought-resistant cropsThe history of clocks and timekeepingCrowd-funding scientific research
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 17 →IELTS Academic Listening Practice Test 18 with Answers
Microplastics in riversThe history of the postal systemBirdsong and human language
Listening · about 30 min
Start Test 18 →
About the IELTS Listening paper
Four sections, about 30 minutes, 40 questions: everyday conversations and academic talks, heard once.
How IELTS is scored
IELTS is reported as a band score from 1 to 9. On 7ESL, Listening and Reading give an instant practice score, while Writing and Speaking come with Band 7, 8 and 9 sample answers and examiner-style commentary so you can see exactly what raises a band. 7ESL Pro members can also have each Writing task marked by the AI examiner, with an estimated band for each criterion.
Other IELTS papers
IELTS Academic Reading practice tests · IELTS Academic Writing practice tests · IELTS Academic Speaking practice tests. Or sit a full IELTS practice test.
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7ESL practice material written in the official IELTS Academic format. 7ESL is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the IELTS partners. IELTS is a registered trademark of the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Writing and Speaking are not auto-marked (the optional AI examiner for Pro members gives an estimate only); Band 7–9 sample answers with commentary are provided instead.