IELTS Listening Practice Test with Answers for June 2026

IELTS Listening Practice Test with Answers for June 2026

A full IELTS listening practice test with answers, covering conversations, lectures, and monologues to improve English listening skills.

IELTS Listening Practice Test 2026 with Answers| 02.06.2026 | ielts listening test. | Transcript:

Part one. You will listen to a conversation between a tourist named John and his guide during their trip. Listen to it and answer questions one to 10. It's very quiet here. It's not so quiet. Listen. I see what you mean. Of course there are no cars. No trucks, no motors, no computers, no people. Where are the nearest people? We're about 20 miles from the nearest small town. That's where we're going. How far have we come this morning? Maybe five or six miles. Our camp last night was just over that hill. That doesn't look so far. Is it really five miles over there?

It isn't if you walk over the hill, but the river goes around the hill. How long have we been going? About an hour and a half. But we stopped several times while I took pictures. Does this river go beyond the town? Yes, the river runs into a lake. How far is the lake? About 20 miles. The town is on the lake. It's on the other side of the lake, but it's built on the lake. The river runs into the lake, then it runs out the other side of the lake.

Do you live in the town? I live near the town. I live beyond the lake about 3 miles. Do you live in the forest? Yes, but I live beside the river, too. My brothers and I have houses there. How many brothers do you have? I have five brothers and three sisters. That's a village. Almost. My sisters don't live there. They are married and live in the city. What work do your brothers do? We all do the same. We hunt and fish. We are guides most of the year. Who do you guide?

You mean people who just want to see the wilderness. Many. When I was young, we had only hunters and fishermen. Now we have most people who just want to look. Where do you take them? We hike to the large lakes. We canoe in the rivers. Many people like to visit the waterfalls in the area. We have six large falls. Where are they? Not too far. One is near where we camped last night. It's the other way up the river. Can we see some of the falls? Tomorrow, there is one after the town, down the river about 10 miles.

We'll see that one. It's on a stream that runs into the river beyond the town. It's very peaceful here. Do you ever get bored? No, I don't. Some people do. I get bored in cities. I used to work in the city. I didn't like it. I came back here. Was this your home? I mean, is this where you were born? No, I was born in the city. I went to school there. My father was like me. He didn't like the city. When my brothers all finished school, the family moved here beside the lake.

My father never went to the city again. What about your mother? Was she bored? We're Indians, you know. She had a lot of friends here. There are a lot of Indians living around here. Across the ridge is an Indian town. My mother likes to go to the city to see her daughters, but she likes it here in the forest. How far is the Indian town? Walking over the ridge, maybe 10 or 12 miles, but we can drive from the lake. How long does it take to drive? Just a few minutes. It's a good road. Can we go there? Why? There's nothing there. I would like to talk to the people. That's what I do. I talk to people and write stories about them.

We can go if you want. I would like to. Most people want to see mountains, rivers, trees, wild animals. I like those things, too. There's a small river around the next bend. It comes from the mountain. How far is that? Only a mile or so. Are you hungry? We could have lunch there. We didn't bring any lunch. I thought we were going to have lunch in town. We could catch some fish and cook them. It's a good place to fish. That sounds wonderful.

It's a beautiful spot. Look up there. Can you see that brown rock above the trees? Yes, it's so beautiful. Can you see a stream in the sun beside the rock? Yes, it looks very, very small from here. It's not very big. That's the beginning of the small river we're going to. It comes down the mountains into the river. It looks very far away. It is. Have you been up there? Of course. Look ahead. You can see the river now. What a beautiful place. Let's definitely stop here to fish for our lunch.

Do you enjoy this? I love it. I thought you liked people. I do, but I like being outdoors. I like the mountain, the river, the forest. It's perfect. Do you like what you do? Yes, it's not really work. What do you mean? I do it without pay. It's what I do in my free time. I live outdoors. I fish, I hunt, I go down the river in my canoe. Thanks for a wonderful week. That is the end of part one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. You will hear a guide talking about a tourist program.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14. Listen carefully to the first part of the talk and answer questions 11 to 14. Welcome to all of you. Can everyone see me and hear me? Good. My name's Cathy and I'm here to tell you about the special program of events going on here at the Royal Observatory. Yes, it's Doors Open Day here in Edinburgh, and we're delighted that you have chosen to make this very special building part of your own Open Doors Day experience.

Now, I'll make a start with giving you some background information about the Doors Open event. Doors Open takes place every year in September. And the observatory is one of the many buildings, 112 of them in fact, that open their doors to visitors for one weekend. And yes, there's absolutely no charge. It's all completely free. The observatory has been involved in this event for more than 20 years. And every year, we attract more and more visitors, like you, who want to find out more about great buildings in the city. And hopefully, you'll leave with a better understanding of the universe, too. Okay. Now, let's run through today's program of events.

There are many activities to choose from, so make sure you make the most of your visit. Now, there will be planetarium shows throughout the day. Now, these will run four times, both today and tomorrow, Sunday. These are popular, so please note that we're operating a booking system for these shows. Tickets for the two shows we're running this morning, the first showing at 10:30 and the second at 11:30, will be available on a first come, first served basis here at the information point. Tickets for the two afternoon shows at 2:00 p.m. and then at 3:00 p.m. will be released later on at midday. So, booking is essential as spaces go very quickly.

Now, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20. Now, listen to the next part of the talk and answer questions 15 to 20. We also have some special tours of the observatory available. These include a tour of the telescope dome, and visitors will even have the opportunity to get onto the roof. I hope that those of you who are interested are wearing your most comfortable shoes, and that you can keep up the pace. It will be worth the effort of climbing all these stairs. You'll have stunning views over the city when you reach the top.

Now, for those of you who want to take things at a more leisurely pace, there will be an opportunity to visit the Crawford collection and learn about the instruments that have been built here, and there will also be some items from the collection on view. For those of you who don't already know, the Crawford collection is an astronomical library. And not only that, it ranks as one of the most important astronomical libraries in the world. You are promised a real treat here. And it's great to have so many younger visitors here today. Now, we have a craft workshop for children here in the visitor center where they can make their very own model of a telescope and color their very own planet.

Please note that all children must be accompanied by an adult. So, as you can see, it's a pretty full timetable and there's a lot going on. Now, any questions? You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now turns to part three. You will hear a local radio program giving information about jobs that are available in the area. First read questions 21 to 30. And after that touch of nostalgia from the 60s, it's coming up for a quarter to 11:00 and time for our morning job spot. And I hope you've got your notebook out and your pencil sharpened because here's Mandy. Good morning, Mandy. What's up in the employment world this morning?

Well, Simon, this morning I have five jobs that have come in and the first is for a dental assistant. That's located in Tunbridge and it's two and a half days a week. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings. You've got to be at least 25 and the salary is 2,080 pounds per annum. And you've got to be experienced. The second opening is for a florist and this is according to experience as to wage. And the age is open. The job is in Tunbridge Wells and the hours are from 9:00 to 6:00 Monday to Saturday. And because you're working Saturday, you get a day off in the week. Now, as that's a florist, you must be very experienced in all aspects of floristry and capable of working to a

very high standard. Previous managerial experience is an advantage as this job has actually got nice prospects um because there's a possibility of management for the right applicant. So, there's one for someone who's going places. What's next, Mandy? Next job then, Simon, is an evening job and it's for a cleaner. The wage is 25 pounds per week and the age is 30 plus. Hours for this, as it's an evening job, 6:00 to 8:30 Monday to Friday. So, that's a nice job for someone who wants to do something in the evening, Simon. Mhm. They must be fully experienced as an office cleaner, hoovering, dusting, and polishing, etc. And where's that one based?

Oh, yes. That one's in Tunbridge. The fourth job we've got lined up is for general catering assistant, based in Paddock Wood. The wage is £48.40 plus full board. So, that's full board, and it's 48.40. The age is 18 plus, and there are alternate shifts on this job. It's 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 11:30 to 7:30 p.m. And the job consists of cleaning, washing up the kitchen, as well as serving in the dining room, and all sorts of domestic duties. Experience is not necessary. So, for someone who's 18 plus, that's a nice little job there. And here's the punchline. 10 weeks holiday per annum.

Oh, ho, I might put in for that myself. I can just see you up to your elbows in the washing up, Simon. Uh, last vacancy is for an office job. That's secretary and personal assistant based in Tunbridge. The wage is £4,298 per annum. Now, there's a little bit of detail I must give here. It's part-time to start with, 3 days a week for 3 months. So, for the part-time, it's 3/5 of £4,298. And then after 3 months, it goes to a full-time job, 9:00 to 5:00. That's for someone 21 plus. And the job consists of work as a secretary come personal assistant to social workers. You need fairly good shorthand, and good typing speeds required. And it's also related to clerical work, answering the phone and reception, etc. And um, because it's

working for social workers, you need a responsible attitude and common sense. So, if you're interested in any of these jobs, get in touch with Tunbridge Job Centre on Tunbridge 55499 and ask for extension 30. And that's it, Simon. Thank you very much indeed, Mandy. By the way, that's your day's work done. You can just sit back now and do absolutely nothing. Wouldn't that be nice, Simon? Haha, if only I could. That is the end of part three. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

You will hear part of a lecture about animals. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Listen carefully to the lecture and answer questions 31 to 40. In today's lecture, I'm going to talk about avoiding predation. What does that mean, I hear you say? Well, you probably know the word predator. I'm sure you've all seen Predator the movie. Well, a predator is any animal that hunts and kills another animal. That animal, and I was going to say that smaller animal, but it's not always the case, is the prey.

An owl, for example, is a predator, and a mouse is its prey. A lion is a predator, and a much bigger animal, a buffalo, for example, is its prey. So, when I say avoiding predation, what I mean is not being caught and eaten. For many small animals, not being caught and eaten is pretty much a full-time job. Many animals that are predators themselves may be the prey of another, usually bigger, animal. This is what we popularly call the food chain. So, how do animals avoid predation? Well, they have what we call defense mechanisms.

These are ways in which the species has adapted over time to give it an advantage over its predators. Any adaptation of this kind increases the species' chances of survival. Over time, species that have not adapted, that is, developed some sort of defense mechanism, have met with extinction. There are various forms of defense. The first is probably very obvious, and that's speed. Predators can't feed on what they can catch. Running away is a very effective defense mechanism, as some of you can probably remember from primary school.

Flight is even more effective. Species which have developed the ability to fly over time have an enormous advantage. Far more birds would be a meal out in the wild if they couldn't fly. The second mechanism is protective coloration. You might hear the word camouflage used, too, but I personally find that too simple a term when it comes to the animal kingdom. Protective coloration includes a number of slightly varied mechanisms within the overall term. Some [snorts] animals blend in with their background.

A chameleon is a good example. It sits on a tree, and it looks like the branch of that tree. Butterflies have what we think of as beautiful patterns, not to be beautiful, but to confuse and warn off potential assailants. They blend in with the flowers around them, but may also look like something else. Some butterflies have patterns that look like huge eyes, and a would-be predator is scared off. There are all sorts of stories about how the zebra got its stripes, and not many people really know what the stripes are there for.

Well, that type of coloration is called dazzle camouflage. A zebra stands out when alone and stationary, but when zebras move rapidly in a herd, their stripes create motion dazzle, a confusing, flickering mess to the eye of a lion or cheetah that might be giving chase. Selecting a target becomes far more difficult. [snorts] Now, of course, animals are caught. They're frequently caught, but that might not mean the game's up. Some animals make themselves difficult or horrible to eat.

Hedgehogs have sharp spines that deter a predator from tucking in, even when it's captured its prey. The predator is very likely to give up when a spine gauges an eye or gets lodged in its throat. Numerous species of creature, turtles or snails, for example, have developed a tough outer shell that makes it almost impossible to devour. One of my favorite creatures is the skunk, which emits a repulsive smell on being cornered, enough to send any attacker herring back into the undergrowth. In a similar way, some sea-dwelling mollusks can emit an ink cloud that

fills the surrounding water, concealing it from a predatory fish that may be circling. There are frogs that go one step further. They're so poisonous that even if a predator does try and eat them, it'll probably keel over and drop dead first. Now, you'll probably be surprised, but I'm going to go on to talk about plants. Yes, many plants have defense mechanisms in exactly the same way as animals. You've probably all been stung by a nettle at some time.

You now have half a minute to check your answers. That is the end of the listening test. In the IELTS test, you would now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

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