Full IELTS Listening Practice Test 2026 with Answers for Effective Preparation

Full IELTS Listening Practice Test 2026 with Answers for Effective Preparation

This video provides an IELTS listening practice test from 2026 with full answers. The test includes typical conversations and monologues, helping you improve your listening skills for the exam.

IELTS Listening Practice Test 2026 with Answers | 29.07.2026. | Transcript:

The test is in four part. Part one, part two, part three, and part four. Now, look at part one. You are going to hear a customer inquiring about different types of radio. First, you have some time to look at questions one to four. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions one to four. Yes, madam. How can I help you? I want to buy a radio. It's a present for my daughter.

One moment, madam. I'll show you what models we have in stock. Thank you. Uh this one is very popular. The Club Tropicana. It's certainly very colorful, isn't it? The colors are very popular with children. It comes in pink, orange, and green. Oh, yes. I think she'd like that. And it's got a CD player and a clock. Does the clock have an alarm? My daughter is terrible at getting up in the mornings. Yes, it does. It's a bit big. That's because it has four built-in speakers, madam.

How much is it? Well, it usually retails at $59.99, but it's on special offer this week. So, I could let you have it for $39.99. $39.99? Hmm. Not bad. Anything else? Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 5 to 10. There certainly is. Uh introducing our top of the range model, the night owl. Available only in black, but packed with extra features, such as a clock, and it has a television, complete with 10 cm screen. And this makes it perfect for the

bedside table, a built-in reading light. Very clever. Yes, it's ideal for use both indoors and out. The batteries last for 100 hours. Sounds good. Who's it made by? Parker, madam. They're a British company. Very good quality. Parker. How much is this one? $79.99 plus tax. That's a bit expensive. Do you have anything cheaper? Uh Here. This is the cheapest, smallest, and lightest one we do.

It's tiny. And it's round. That's really unusual. Yep. It's called the Olympic. You wear it round your neck with this special strap. See? Oh. It's like a medal. An Olympic medal. That's why it's gold. And you get a free pair of headphones, so you can listen to it wherever you are. And you never have to replace the batteries. Really? Why not? There aren't any. Oh. It runs on solar power. Does it really? And I suppose it's expensive. $18, madam.

I'll take it. Certainly, madam. Now, cash, check, or credit card? That is the end of part one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Part two. You will hear two conversations. All based on the following conversation, the answer should be appropriate to the content of this conversation. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now, listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15. Oh, hi Dave. Long time no see.

Hi Maria. I just settled down. I thought I'd drop by. Come on in, take a seat. Would you like anything to drink? I have Sprite and orange juice. Sprite would be fine. Oh, so how have you been? Oh, not bad. And you? Oh, I'm doing okay, but school has been really busy these days and I haven't had time to relax. And by the way, what's your major? Hotel management. Well, what do you want to do once you graduate? Um I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'd like to work for a hotel or travel agency in this area. How about you?

Well, when I first started college, I wanted to major in French, but I realized I might have a hard time finding a job using the language. So, I changed my major to computer science. With the right skills, landing a job in the computer industry shouldn't be too difficult. So, do you have a part-time job to support yourself through school? Well, fortunately for me, I received a 4-year academic scholarship that pays for all of my tuition and books. Wow, that's great. Yeah, how about you? Are you working your way through school? Yeah, I work three times a week at a restaurant near campus.

Oh, what do you do there? I'm a cook. How do you like your job? It's okay. The other workers are friendly and the pay isn't bad. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20. Now listen to and answer questions 16 to 20. Several days later, Dave and Maria met on campus. So, what do you want to do tomorrow? Well, let's look at this city guide here. Um here's something interesting. Why don't we first visit the art museum in the morning?

Okay, I like that idea. And where do you want to have lunch? How about going to an Indian restaurant? The guide recommends one downtown, a few blocks from the museum. Now, that sounds great. After that, what do you think about visiting the zoo? Well, it says here that there are some very unique animals not found anywhere else. Well, to tell the truth, I'm not really interested in going there. Yeah, why don't we go shopping instead? There are supposed to be some really nice places to pick up souvenirs.

No, I don't think that's a good idea. We only have a few traveler's checks left, and I only have $50 left in cash. No problem. We can use your credit card to pay for my clothes. Oh, no. I remember the last time you used my credit card for your purchases. Oh, well. Let's take the subway down to the seashore and walk along the beach. Now, that sounds like a wonderful plan. That is the end of part two. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Part three.

You'll hear a tutor and a student talking about the history of the scientific method. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25. Hello Simon. Come in. Take a seat. Now, I wanted to talk to you about your assignment. Yes, the one on the scientific method. That's right. I just wanted to see how you were getting on. Well, I think it's fine. I mean, I haven't done a huge amount of work on it because I've been working on other things. But what I've read so far seems fine.

How many of the references that I gave you have you managed to get hold of? Not too many, I'm afraid. It seems that everyone else is working on the same things at the same time. And every time I look, the books are checked out from the library. Right. Well, I think that we can go over the main ground together now. That way, even if you don't manage to go through all the references in detail, you'll still have an overview. What has helped you most so far? I've managed to have a look at three of them. I thought that Johnson made some good points, but it was hard to follow the line of her argument.

Bradman was simple and straightforward, and I felt as if I got a lot out of that. I wish I could say the same for Whitaker. To be honest, I didn't get very far with that. Okay. That's more or less what I'd expect. So, tell me, what have you learned so far about the role of the Egyptians and the Babylonians? Yes. Well, there's evidence that the basic components of the scientific method, examination, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis were being used in the early 1600s BC, especially in the treatment of certain illness.

Good. Yes, that's right. And the point, of course, is that represented a considerable advance over relatively simple, non-empirical approaches, which usually attributed anything unknown to the actions of the gods, etc. Of course, the Egyptians and Babylonians did this as well, but what we see emerging here is a willingness to base opinion on systematic study of the real world, which is at the root of the scientific method. I see. Right. Yes. And then that reappears later. Yes, although don't get carried away with the idea that it was a simple process of development.

By the time we get to ancient Greece, let's take the period towards the middle of the 5th century BC, the rules governing the scientific method were practiced on a widespread scale, but there were still many people who believed that real truth could only be acquired by pure rational thought. Plato, of course, had a great influence on the development of the scientific method during this period. Through his academy? That's right. But then, as we know, a great deal of understanding of the scientific method disappeared as the old world order collapsed.

It wasn't until the Middle Ages, sometime before the 11th century, that several versions of the scientific method emerged from the medieval Muslim world, all of which stressed the importance of experimentation in science. Right. I think I've got the historical timeline. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30. The other thing I'm struggling with slightly is actually pinning down precisely what we mean by the scientific method.

I wonder if you could give me some pointers on that. Sure. Well, it's best to think of the scientific method as a series of steps in a process, which allows us to find answers to questions about the world around us. So, the first step is to identify the problem. What is it that you want to know or explain? And then, I think the next step is designing an experiment. Hmm, but you can't design an experiment unless you know what you want your experiment to tell you. Oh, yes. You need to form a hypothesis to be tested before you design the experiment. So, there's a very clear relationship between hypothesis and experiment.

Having designed the experiment, then of course you go on to carry out the experiment. The particular procedure you follow, the protocol, will differ from experiment to experiment, but the underlying principle is the same. You analyze the data from the experiment in order to confirm or disprove your hypothesis. Assuming the experiment is accurate. Oh, yes. If there's anything unusual about the data, or if the results are at all surprising, then you need to ask yourself whether the experiment could be flawed, and whether the data could be unreliable. If the answer is yes, then it may be necessary to modify the experiment and go through the process again. So, once you have reliable, valid results, then the final step is to communicate them.

The wider scientific community needs to know about the results, and publication in journals is the accepted way. Okay. I think I've got the basics. It's going to get more complicated as we begin to look at some people who have criticized the scientific method. So, you need to make sure that you understand things up to this point. Let me know if you have any further problems with it. That is the end of part three. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part four. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now, listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. Hello and welcome. My name's Carolyn Tan. Just as there are a great number of different courses and places to study here, the teaching methods used and the skills you need will vary depending on the subject you study and the college or university you attend. All courses vary, but most include some of the teaching methods I'm going to talk about today. Generally speaking, in some subjects, you will have timetabled classes for most of the week. In others, you may only have a few hours

timetabled and will be expected to work independently for a substantial amount of time. Working independently is crucial at university. I'm going to go over the three main types of teaching method you will have here. These are lectures, seminars, and tutorials. There other methods that you will come across, like workshops, group work, and practical work, but I'll describe the three main types for now.

I'll briefly describe what they are and try to give you some helpful advice in dealing with them. Let's start by looking at lectures. These are large classes, usually lasting around 1 hour, where a lecturer or tutor talks about a subject and the students take notes. On some courses, there can be over 100 students in a lecture. Unfortunately, there is usually little or no opportunity to ask questions during the lecture. Lectures are usually intended to do three things.

Firstly, to guide you through the course by explaining the main points of a topic. Secondly, to introduce new topics for further study or debate, and thirdly, to give you the most up-to-date information that may not be included in textbooks. So, as you can see, it's essential to go to lectures. Of course, you need to take notes in lectures. Remember, you don't need to write down everything the lecturer says. Try to concentrate on the main points and important details. Most lecturers use stories, examples, and even jokes to illustrate a point, and you shouldn't write these down. When you take notes in lectures, abbreviations and symbols for common

words and terms can help you write faster. If there is something you don't understand, make a note to ask after the lecture or in a tutorial. Most students try to write up their notes after a lecture. It's a good idea to try to be organized. Keep your notes from your lectures in order in a file, but don't just file the notes away until your exams. Read through them regularly, as this will help you with your revision. It's really important to go over your lectures. As an international student, the lecturer will recognize that you may need more help in lectures and that you may want to record the lecture on a digital recorder.

If you do want to do this, ask the lecturer's permission first. They will usually agree. Finally, don't worry if you find it difficult to understand the lecturer at first. This will get easier as you get used to their style and as your English improves. Okay, that's enough about lectures. Let's have a look at seminars now. Seminars are smaller classes where students and a tutor discuss a topic and they often last about the same time, if not longer than lectures. You will know in advance what the topic is and the tutor will usually ask some students to prepare a short presentation for discussion.

Seminars are usually meant to encourage debate about an issue. This means different opinions will be expressed by the tutor and students. The aim is not for students to be told the correct answer, but to understand different arguments and make judgments about them. This process helps you learn to analyze topics critically. Some international students find that seminars can be a bit frightening, especially if they're not used to this kind of teaching.

Don't worry. Many other students feel the same at first. Participating actively in seminars is an important part of the learning process. So, try to contribute, even if it seems difficult at first. It is best to do some reading before each seminar so that you are familiar with the topic and can follow and contribute to the discussion. It may help you to make notes before the seminar of any points you would like to make. If you're having difficulty in seminars, discuss this with your tutor. And finally, I'll give you information on tutorials.

Tutorials are meetings between a tutor and an individual student or small group of students. These usually last between 15 and 30 minutes. In a tutorial, the tutor will give you advice and guidance on a piece of work you are doing or a piece of work you have completed or even a problem you may be having with a topic or with study methods. You should try to ask questions during tutorials about your work or about topics raised in lectures and seminars. Well, that's all for teaching methods. I'll go on now to talk about the different kinds of examination. That is the end of part four.

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

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