listening tour of london british council

• Preparing for IELTS
• Practice tests
• IELTS on computer preparation
• Practice tests for IELTS on computer

IELTS on computer - Academic / General Training Listening test

Get experience of the IELTS on computer Listening test with the six different types of example questions below.

To check your answers, see the ‘Answers and transcripts’ section at the bottom of the page. Full transcripts are provided with the answers.

For each question you will listen a recording about a particular topic, click on the link and follow the instructions. You will have some time before the recording starts to read over the question.

1. Multiple choice with one answer

You will hear an extract from a recording in which a student called Judy is discussing her research with her tutor and fellow students.

  See sample question 1 .

2. Multiple choice with more than one answer

You will hear an extract from a recording in which two people are discussing a guide to a library.

  See sample question 2 .

3. Matching

You will hear an extract from a recording in which a woman is talking to new staff at a children’s summer camp.

See sample question 3 .

4.  Labelling on a map

You will hear an extract from the test in which a tour guide describes different places in a US town.

See sample question 4 .

5. Fill in the gaps

You will hear an extract from a recording in which two people are discussing second-hand furniture. 

See sample question 5 .

6. Fill in the gaps: short answers

You will hear an extract from a recording of the test in which a representative from a clothing company is giving a talk to high school students.

See sample question 6 .

7. Form Completion

You will hear an extract from a Part 1 recording in which a customer is talking to an agent at a company which ships large boxes overseas.

See sample question 7 .

8. Sentence Completion

You will hear an extract from a Part 3 recording in which two friends are discussing studying with the Open University.

See sample question 8 .

9. Table Completion

You will hear an extract from a Part 4 recording in which a university lecturer is giving a talk about research into ‘learner persistence’.

See sample question 9 .

10. Flow-chart Completion

You will read an extract from a Part 3 recording in which two biology students are comparing their research on evidence of life on Earth and other planets.

See sample question 10 .

Answers and transcripts

• She wanted to understand her own background.
• organising what she had collected

Transcript: 

M1: Right, Judy, this week it’s your turn to bring us up to date on your dissertation. So?

F1: I’ve finished the basic research and planning, and the first draft, and hopefully I can

start writing the final version now.

M1: Good. Not everyone knows your subject, so you’d better introduce it.

F1: Oh, I’ve chosen to study everyday life in the East End of London in the early

twentieth century. Lots of books have been published about the East End, covering

everything from health to how roads and districts got their names, so you might

think it’s an obvious subject to pick. But in fact I was brought up there, and I’ve

always been interested in finding out how the area shaped my upbringing.

F2: What materials did you use in your research?

F1: As I said, a lot’s been written about the area, and I used some of it to get an idea of

what to cover. But the bulk of my work is based on the elderly people from the area

who I managed to contact and arrange to meet, and then recorded as they talked to

me. And when they referred to any specific events, I looked them up in local

newspapers from the time.

M2: Was it difficult to get enough source material?

F1: Not a bit. The problems started when I thought I had enough material, and sat

down to devise a workable filing system. It took ages, but I was really glad of it

when I came to writing the draft; otherwise it would have been impossible.

In any order:

• book reservation
• location of room

Transcript:

F1: I’ve finished the basic research and planning, and the first draft, and hopefully I can start writing the final version now.

F1: Oh, I’ve chosen to study everyday life in the East End of London in the early twentieth century. Lots of books have been published about the East End, covering everything from health to how roads and districts got their names, so you might think it’s an obvious subject to pick. But in fact I was brought up there, and I’ve always been interested in finding out how the area shaped my upbringing.

F1: As I said, a lot’s been written about the area, and I used some of it to get an idea of what to cover. But the bulk of my work is based on the elderly people from the area who I managed to contact and arrange to meet, and then recorded as they talked to me. And when they referred to any specific events, I looked them up in local newspapers from the time.

F1: Not a bit. The problems started when I thought I had enough material, and sat down to devise a workable filing system. It took ages, but I was really glad of it when I came to writing the draft; otherwise it would have been impossible.

• Kids’ Counselling

Good morning everyone. Welcome to all our staff on this summer’s Kids’ Camp. It’s nice to see some familiar faces back from last year. Let’s hope this year’s camp is as much fun for the kids as last year.

In our orientation programme this morning I will introduce you to all the people you need to know at the camp. They each have a different responsibility in the centre so it’s a good idea to make a note of who does what.

Well first of all, you all know me, Jill Andrews. I am the co-ordinator here. The next person you need to know is Mary Brown; she’s our accommodation officer, so she deals with all the housekeeping matters concerning both the children’s dormitories and your own accommodation wing.

Next, we have John Stevens, who is our catering manager and he organises all the menus. If you have any special dietary requirements, speak to John and he’ll do his best to accommodate you. We sometimes find that the children complain about not liking certain meals so if there’s a real problem, you should get John involved.

Then we have Alison Jones. She plans all the excursions and does all the bookings for the tour buses etc. Alison also accompanies the children on the excursions and is responsible for making sure that the same number of children return to the centre as leave it!

Tim Smith is in charge of physical education. He’ll organise the big athletics carnival that we have at the end of the camp, but he’ll also plan the individual training sessions for the kids. We have to remember that exercise is one of the key features of this camp.

Last but not least is our wonderful Jenny James. She looks after any of the children who are homesick or have problems getting on with other kids here. So don’t feel you have to deal with those problems yourself, a chat with Jenny usually does the trick. You’ll notice that this year we don’t have a resident first aid person; instead we have a qualified nurse on call at all times should anyone fall ill.

All right, those of you who want to go on the ride, please just wait a moment while I give some directions to the rest of the group.

You’ll notice that the Welcome Centre, where we are, is located on the southwest corner of Elm and Main Streets. For those of you interested in doing a little shopping ... on the other side of Main Street you can see a wonderful quilt shop. These are handmade blankets which are usually made from patches of left over material. They make wonderful gifts, but let me warn you, it will be hard to leave that shop, so you may want to save that for last.

The next street up Main is Ash Street. On the Southside of Ash, is a handicrafts museum worth a look. You’ll be amazed at the variety of handmade crafts there. On Main Street, in the middle of the block past Ash but before Oak Street is a traditional one-room school house. Please be as quiet as possible and do not take photographs, as school is in session.

• 1.20 metres

F: Oh hello… I’m calling about your advertisement in the local paper.

M: Oh well, there were two ads actually. Was it the one for second-hand furniture?

F: That’s right, yes. Last Thursday…

M: Oh yes… Some of it’s already gone I’m afraid, but… what exactly were you interested in?

F: Mainly the dining room furniture, specially the table. Has that gone yet?

M: Not yet.

F: Oh good. Can you tell me a bit about it?

M: Well, it’s round. I’m not sure of the exact measurements, but it’s medium sized. It seats about six.

F: And how old is it?

M: Mmmm. Mm let’s see…ten years? No it must be twelve by now.

F: And the advertisement said you were asking £25 for that?

M: That’s right.

F: And do you still have the dining chairs?

M: Yes. It’s a set of four chairs – there were two more but over the years a couple have disappeared.

F: What are they like?

M: Quite nice – they’ve got upholstered seats – you know they’re covered in material to make them more comfortable to sit on. That’s green – but you could change it of course, if you wanted something different.

F: What sort of condition are they in?

M: I’d say reasonable – they’ve had a bit of wear. And we’re asking £20 for those.

F: Right. And the other thing I wanted to ask about was the desk. Can you tell me roughly how long the top is, so I know if it’ll fit in my room?

M: Let’s see…It’s 75 cm high I know, and the length’s err 1 metre 20. And it’s 40 cm deep. It’s got 3 drawers – the top one’s got a lock so you can keep your valuables there.

F: And you were asking £50.00 for that?

M: Yes, it’s a bit more because it’s in good condition. But if you want to take the other things too, I could let you have it for forty.

• scientist(s)
• engineer(s)
• accountant(s)

Good afternoon everybody and thank you for giving me your time today. Firstly I’d like to talk to you about a career in the fashion industry, then about the kind of people we’re looking for at Pacific Clothing, and finally I’d like to tell you what we offer you if you come to work for us.

All kinds of people work in a wide range of jobs in the clothing industry, from drivers to office workers and artists. At the moment we’re looking to recruit new staff from several professions. Right now we’re on the lookout for scientists, particularly to work with the dyes we use to colour fabrics. And to design the patterns and choose the colours which are going to appeal to consumers, we have a strong design team. We’re not looking for any new designers at present but vacancies may arise in future. However, at the moment we are looking for engineers to work in the production department. Just like any company, we too need practically-minded people to make sure that we’re not spending more than we’re earning, so we’re currently recruiting accountants. They’re not usually associated with fashion but let me tell you, they perform a vital task. But that’s not to say that, if you have qualifications in another field, such as management or sales, we won’t be needing someone like you in the future.

4. 0.75 m/metre(s)/meter(s) (wide) / three(-)quarter(s) (of) (a) metre/meter (wide) / ¾ m (wide) / 75 cm(s) (wide)

5. 0.5 m/metre(s)/meter(s) (high/deep) / (a) half (a) metre/meter (high/deep) / ½ m (high/deep) / 50 cm(s) (high/deep)

6 &7. in either order

(some) books

(some) toys

8. (£)1,700

A Good morning Packham’s Shipping Agents. Can I help you?

B Oh yes, I’m ringing to make enquiries about sending a large box, a container, back home to

Kenya from the UK.

A Yes, of course. Would you like me to try and find some quotations for you?

B Yes, that’d be great. Thank you.

A Well first of all, I need a few details from you.

A Can I take your name?

B It’s Jacob Mkere.

A Can you spell your surname, please?

B Yes, it’s M-K-E-R-E.

A Is that ‘M’ for mother?

A Thank you. And you say that you will be sending the box to Kenya?

B That’s right.

A And where would you like the box picked up from?

B From college, if possible.

A Yes, of course. I’ll take down the address now.

B It’s Westall College.

A Is that W-E-S-T-A-L-L?

B Yes, ... college.

A Westall College. And where’s that?

B It’s Downlands Road, in Bristol.

A Oh yes, I know it. And the postcode?

B It’s BS8 9PU.

A Right ... and I need to know the size.

B Yes, I’ve measured it carefully and it’s 1.5 metres long ...

B 0.75 metres wide ...

B And it’s 0.5 metres high or deep.

A Great. So I’ll calculate the volume in a moment and get some quotes for that. But first can you

tell me, you know, very generally, what will be in the box?

B Yes there’s mostly clothes.

A OK. [writing down]

B And there’s some books.

A OK. Good. Um ... Anything else?

B Yes, there’s also some toys.

A OK and what is the total value, do you think, of the contents?

B Well the main costs are the clothes and the books – they’ll be about £1500 but then the toys are

about another two hundred – so I’d put down £1700

1. motivation

2. time(-)management

4. summer school(s)

Paul: The other thing I wanted to ask you was, did you find it hard, studying with the Open University?

Rachel: You mean, because you’re studying on your own, most of the time?

Rachel: Well, it took me a while to get used to it. I found I needed to maintain a high level of motivation because it’s so different from school. There’s noone saying, ‘Why haven’t you written your assignment yet?’ and that sort of thing.

Paul: Oh dear.

Rachel: You’ll learn it, Paul. Another thing was that I got very good at timemanagement because I had to fit time for studying round a full-time job.

Paul: Well, I’m hoping to change to working part-time, so that’ll help.

Rachel: What makes it easier is that the degree is made up of modules, so you can take time off between them if you need to. It isn’t like a traditional three- or four-year course, where you’ve got to do the whole thing of it in one go.

Paul: That’s good, because I’d like to spend six months travelling next year.

Rachel: Huh, it’s all right for some. Then even though you’re mostly studying at home, remember you’ve got tutors to help you, and from time to time there are summer schools. They usually last a week. They’re great because you meet all the other people struggling with the same things as you. I’ve made some really good friends that way.

Paul: Sounds good. So how do I apply?

1. challenge

4. interests

5. tutor(s)

The second section of my questionnaire looked at learner persistence under three main headings: social and environmental factors, other factors, and intrinsic or personal characteristics. I identified three levels of importance for each of these. At the first level – those points identified by participants as most important in learner persistence – for social factors, many respondents said how crucial it had been to have good support, though there was no one specific source; it could be family or friends. As regards other factors, students are heartened not so much by high grades but by what they regard as success in study. And for personal characteristics, many respondents reported that they took pleasure in challenge and that this was regarded as very significant.

At the second level of importance, in the first category, a sizeable percentage talked about the fact that they had enjoyed themselves in school as an important social factor. In the second column, other factors, a number of people said that what was of most importance was decent health – this had a fairly strong influence on their persistence in their studies. And then under the heading of personal characteristics, there were quite a large percentage of respondents who mentioned they felt it was important to have lots of interests in their everyday lives. This gave them a depth and sense of perspective which less persistent learners might lack.

And then onto the third level. Under social factors, several respondents talked about good relationships with their tutors. For other factors, they mentioned lack or absence of any problems in their families. And finally under column three, they identified an ability to juggle several roles – what we might call their capacity for multi-tasking.

Question 10

2. radiation

4. microbes

A So we’ve talked about how we find evidence of past life on earth, and in the second part of our presentation, we want to demonstrate in a practical way how to find out if there has ever been life on other planets in the solar system.

B Yes, and I thought we could present the information in the form of a flowchart.

A Great idea. So, the procedure begins by sending a spacecraft to land on the planet.

B Right, then a vehicle, called a rover, is sent out from the spacecraft. This is a small machine which travels over the planet. The rover needs to find a good range of organic material so they direct it to a site that’s likely to provide this. Then the rover drills down under the surface to collect a sample.

A Why does the sample have to come from underneath? Why not just scoop up some soil from the top? Is it to stop contamination from the rover? I’ve heard that can be a problem.

B No, the rover is clean. It’s actually because of the atmosphere. Unlike our planet, the surface might be exposed to high levels of radiation and that could kill anything living on the surface.

A I see. But something could still be present underneath the surface.

B Yes. It’s possible.

A So at this point the soil and rocks that have been collected would need to be analysed, to see if there are any signs of fossils.

B Right. Just as we do on Earth. It’s unlikely that there’d be anything that large, but it’s an essential step.

B Once that’s been done, the sample is crushed into a fine powder.

A Why is that? Doesn’t that destroy everything?

B Well, luckily, no. And in the next stage of the analysis, the sample has to be exposed to heat, and then run through a mass spectrometer.

A We’ll need to explain that this is an instrument used to measure the weight and concentration of atoms and molecules.

B Yes. This level of analysis is necessary to search for microscopic signs of life, much smaller than fossils, such as microbes.

A So once all this has been done and the results sent back to Earth, what happens next? Can they do anything with the results?

B Yes. They can compare them with data from similar studies done on large bodies of water or desert soils from Earth.

A Fascinating. Let’s make a start on our presentation slides, shall we?

B1 listening

Are you a learner at B1 English level (intermediate) ? This section offers listening practice to help you understand the main points of clear, standard speech about everyday or job-related topics. Situations include phone calls, meetings and interviews.

Each lesson has a preparation task, an audio recording and two tasks to check your understanding and to practise a variety of listening skills. Make a start today!

Choose a listening lesson

A phone call from a customer

Listen to the phone call from a customer to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about A phone call from a customer

A student discussion

Listen to two students comparing Mars and Earth to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about A student discussion
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A team meeting about diversity

Listen to a team meeting about diversity to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about A team meeting about diversity

A weather forecast

Listen to a weather forecast and answer the questions to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about A weather forecast

An interview about listening skills

Listen to the English teacher talk about listening to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about An interview about listening skills

An introduction to a lecture

Listen to the introduction of a psychology lecture to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about An introduction to a lecture

Arriving late to class

Listen to the conversation between two students to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about Arriving late to class

At the chemist

Listen to a conversation at a chemist's to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about At the chemist

Chatting about a series

Listen to two friends chatting about a television series to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about Chatting about a series

Making a decision

Listen to a meeting in which colleagues make a decision to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about Making a decision

Meeting an old friend

Listen to the conversation between two old friends to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about Meeting an old friend

Work–life balance

Listen to a radio interview about maintaining a good work–life balance to practise and improve your listening skills.

• Read more about Work–life balance

Learn to listen with confidence

Our online English classes feature lots of useful learning materials and activities to help you listen and respond with confidence in a safe and inclusive learning environment.

Practise listening to your classmates in live group classes, get listening support from a personal tutor in one-to-one lessons or practise by yourself at your own speed with a self-study course.

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