IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-01-17

**Narrator:** Now turn to section one. Section one, you will hear a conversation between a welfare tutor of student union and two overseas students, Claudia and Bastito. They are talking about their life and study in Leeds University. Now you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.
**Claudia:** Excuse me. Is this welfare office of student union? We've wandered outside for a long time.
**Welfare Tutor:** Yes, this is the welfare office.
**Claudia:** We're students from architecture faculty. Our professor Thompson asked us to come.
**Welfare Tutor:** Ah, yes. You must be Claudia and Batist. How are you? Your professor has mentioned your names through the telephone.
**Claudia:** Fine, thank you.
**Welfare Tutor:** As a welfare tutor, my job is interviewing overseas students and help. Therefore, your arrival doesn't mean you will tackle the problems alone. I have a lot of things to ask you. I want to know how you feel about life in Leeds University. Who will be first? Oh, Claudia, please.
**Claudia:** Okay.
**Welfare Tutor:** Um, this is the first semester, isn't it? Could you please tell us what is your first impression about the Leeds University?
**Claudia:** Well, when I first came to this university, I was struck by how quiet it is here in the evening. The shops close so early. In the States, you can always buy what you want in the evening. But here, shops close before 5.
**Welfare Tutor:** Yes, Leeds is supposed to be a quiet place. Where did you live when you first came here?
**Claudia:** I went to the student hostel. It has a big lounge, recreation room, and most important, I don't have to cook for myself.
**Welfare Tutor:** How is the food there? Do you like English food?
**Claudia:** It is too bland, but healthy. You can't complain too much when you study abroad.
**Welfare Tutor:** Yes, right. Oh, dear. How are the local students?
**Claudia:** To be frank, it is difficult for me to make many friends with British students. They're rather reserved and cold, not friendly. They seem to keep themselves.
**Welfare Tutor:** Oh, it is a pity. Well, how about the academic courses in the architecture faculty?
**Claudia:** Well, I'm doing my master's degree in this department.
**Welfare Tutor:** All right. How are you finding your courses?
**Claudia:** I really love my work. I did pretty well. I've enjoyed the courses, but the lecturers are very busy and you hardly have contact with them.
**Welfare Tutor:** Well, that doesn't sound good. What is your suggestion to improve your course?
**Claudia:** Well, in my opinion, I think it is advisable to have regular meetings with lecturers. For example, once a week or a fortnight.
**Welfare Tutor:** Regular meetings. That sounds great. Thank you, Claudia. We will come back to you in a minute and then we will ask Batisto. Now you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10. Now listen carefully and answer questions 6 to 10.
**Welfare Tutor:** Batisto, are you from the Philippines?
**Batisto:** Manila to be exact.
**Welfare Tutor:** And how did you feel about the Leeds University when you first came here?
**Batisto:** Interesting. It is an interesting place. The city is beautiful. Everywhere is green and lush. It is very cool in summer. I like summer here, but the winter is awful. The drizzle is terrible. Everywhere is cold and wet.
**Welfare Tutor:** How about your accommodation? Do you like it?
**Batisto:** Well, at first I lived with a family. They are friendly. They have twins. They are of the same age as me, and we all like soccer very much. However, it is noisy and difficult to study. Oh, I see. 2 months ago, I moved out of the family and now live in the student dormitory with another three students. It is much cheaper. They are very friendly and I like to live there.
**Welfare Tutor:** And what about your courses? Do you like it?
**Batisto:** I am doing my bachelor degree.
**Welfare Tutor:** Apart from language difficulties, how do you find out about your studies?
**Batisto:** The main difficulty for me is that the computer center closes so early and it is always busy and crowded. Students are fussy about it. It is very difficult for me to practice my work.
**Welfare Tutor:** You are not the only person in that position. But can you reserve the computer room?
**Batisto:** No, we cannot. But it would help if we could reserve the computer time.
**Welfare Tutor:** Yes, I'll look into that and see if we can improve the things over there. Now, let's go back to Claudia.
**Narrator:** That is the end of section one. You will have 30 seconds to check your answers. Now turn to section two.

**Narrator:** Section two. You will hear a tour guide talking to a group of tourists who are visiting a historic town on the east coast of the USA. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 17. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 17.
**Tour Guide:** Right. So here we are in Fair Haven and we have a couple of hours to spend in this historic center before we carry on to our motel. And as you'll know from the itinerary of our trip, we're visiting Fair Haven because of its historical links with a man called Manurro Nakahama. So I'll begin by giving you a brief overview of his life and then you can explore the town at your leisure.
Well, Manduro Nakahama, as he was then known, was born in 1827 in a village by the sea in what is now Tashima Zoo in Japan. And like many people in that town, he became a fisherman when he was just a youngster. One day in 1841, when he was just 14 years old, he and some others were fishing far off the coast of Japan when they were caught in a storm and shipwrecked on a small deserted island. They had to wait for 6 months before they were rescued by an American whale ship that had stopped at the island by chance. Four of the five Japanese were put ashore in Hawaii. But Manduro had become friends with a captain, William Whitfield, who came from the town of Fair Haven, where we are now, and he chose to remain aboard and return with the boat to the USA.
So, Mangro unwittingly became the first Japanese ever to set foot on American soil. He came back right here to Fair Haven with Witfield and stayed with the Whitfield family who paid for his education here in the town. He studied mathematics and geography as well as ship building and navigation. But he missed his mother and his own country and eventually he went back to Japan where he had a responsible position as a university teacher and also served an invaluable role as interpreter during the initiation of relations between Japan and the United States in the middle of the 19th century.
But the most interesting thing is that the links between Toshishimizu and Fair Haven have remained and grown stronger over the years in spite of the distance between them. And in fact, the two places now have the official status of sister cities. Both places are ports. So in fact, the inhabitants have a lot in common. There have been a number of visits by the inhabitants of Toshushima Zoo in particular at the time of the festival which is held every 2 years here in Fair Haven to celebrate the life and achievements of John Mangurro. It takes place in the fall and there's an ever growing program including drumming, singing, martial arts and stalls selling Japanese and American food. So if you're going to be in the region around then, it's really worth a visit.
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 18 to 20. Ready? Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20.
**Tour Guide:** Now many of the buildings that Manurro Nakahama knew in Fair Haven are still standing today. And so if you just like to hand some copies of this map, I'll suggest the best route to follow to see them. Okay.
So if you look at the bottom of the map, you can see the Millisent Library and that's where we are now. Now, to follow the John Manurro Trail, you go out of here along Center Street and then head up Main Street until you get to Pilgrim Avenue. Go down there and turn right at the end. Go straight on and just on the corner with Oxford Street, you'll see a twostory house. This is the Witfield family house, and this is where Manguro first stayed when he came to Fair Haven. It's still a private residence, so please respect the owner's privacy.
Okay. Now, if you carry on along Oxford Street, then turn left at the end, you'll come to North Street, and about halfway down there is what's known as Old Oxford School. This was the very same school that Manurro attended when he lived here. It was considered to be the best school in town because of the quality of the building. Unusually, it was built of stone and the quality of the teaching. Nowadays, it's usually closed except on special occasions.
Go on to the end of North Street and turn the corner onto Adam's Street. If you follow the road down back towards the library, you go around a couple of sharp bends. And on the second of these, you can see the school of navigation, which Manurro also attended. And if you follow the road on, you'll soon find yourself back here at the library. And I'd suggest you spend some time looking around that, too, if you have any time left. Right now, does anyone have any questions?
**Narrator:** That is the end of section two. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now turn to section three.

**Narrator:** Section three, you are going to hear a conversation among Dr. Archer, Larry, and Judy talking about the new term. Now you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.
**Dr. Archer:** Okay everybody, welcome back to the new term. I hope you've all had a good break and that you're keen to start on your research project. What I'd like to do this morning is to give you a chance to ask questions about the project, requirements, ways of approach, how to get help if you need it. Today is informal. It may be already written on paper, but it's nice to have an opportunity to have it confirmed. So, any questions?
**Larry:** Dr. Archer, is there a confirmed due date yet to hand it in?
**Dr. Archer:** Yes, I can now confirm that it's 16th of July, not 15th as first advised. Okay.
**Larry:** And what about the word limit?
**Dr. Archer:** Well, there is some flexibility on this, but in general, it's 8 to 10,000 words.
**Larry:** Ah, I see. And you can choose your topic. Anything from years 2 and three.
**Dr. Archer:** Yes.
**Judy:** I still can't work out what I want to do it on.
**Dr. Archer:** Um, in that case, you should see your course tutor to agree on your final topic. And you should also be aware that there is special assistance available at the library on library resources if you need help on that.
**Larry:** Can I just check on the deadlines for everything?
**Dr. Archer:** Certainly. Look, let me write it on the board when each stay should be completed. First of all, you've got to work on your basic project outline, and that's due in to your course tutor by 21st of February, which is only 2 weeks away. So, you need to get cracking on that.
**Judy:** Do we have to include a full reference list by then, too?
**Dr. Archer:** No, your reference list is due on 6th of April, which is 1 week later. So, you have time to discuss this with your tutor.
**Larry:** And when should we be doing the research?
**Dr. Archer:** Well, that's over a 1-month period, essentially. April to May and the write up. Well, you need to do quite a bit of research before you get going on your writing. So, that's really May to July with a due date for handing in on the 16th. Any more questions?
**Narrator:** Now, look at questions 27 to 30. Listen to the second part of the talk. Now listen carefully and answer questions 27 to 30.
**Larry:** Well sir, just some advice really. It's about the research approach. Would you advise us to use some case studies?
**Dr. Archer:** Well, Larry, I know these can be difficult to arrange sometimes, but I really feel they are of great benefit in this subject. You can always talk to your tutor if you're having difficulty.
**Judy:** Yes, I've looked over some previous research projects that are in the library. Is that a good idea, sir?
**Dr. Archer:** Okay. I don't think you should go through them in detail, especially at this early stage, or you might end up being influenced by them more than you realize. But yes, it really is about the best guide you can have to what's required in the to what's expected in this type of project. Sorry, Judy, I battered in on you.
**Judy:** That's all right. It's just that I noticed one project was a joint one. They work together as a pair. Is that a good idea?
**Dr. Archer:** Yes, I remember that paper. Working in a pair can have some advantages, but to be frank, this is meant to be an individual project, so it's best to work on your own.
**Larry:** About using subjects, is it okay if we use family members, your own relatives?
**Dr. Archer:** I don't see why not. They probably offer some advantages in terms of availability, although you need to guard against possible effects on your research outcomes. So, you can if you want. Perhaps you should discuss this with your tutor if you plan to use relatives so you can approach it in the best way.
**Larry:** Okay, thanks.
**Dr. Archer:** Okay, then. Well, I hope we've been able to sort out a few things. You're welcome to see me at any time or drop me a note if you have any more queries.
**Judy:** Fine. Thanks.
**Narrator:** This is the end of section three. Now you have half a minute to check your answers. Now turns to part four.

**Narrator:** Part four. You will hear a student giving a presentation about some ways of dealing with the problems of urbanization and city growth. Now you have some time to look at questions 31 to 33. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 33.
**Student:** Well, Adam's just been talking about some of the problems that have resulted from the rapid growth of cities in the last 100 years. Things like housing, sanitation, crime, and so on. For my presentation, I'd like to look at some examples of what cities are doing to try to solve some of these problems.
As part of its healthy city program, the World Health Organization, the WH, has come up with a set of criteria for a healthy city. The WHO says that amongst other things, a healthy city must provide a clean environment which is also safe. It mustn't be dirty or dangerous for its inhabitants. As well as that, the WH says a healthy city has got to be able to satisfy its inhabitants basic needs. That's all its inhabitants, not just the rich ones or the ones with jobs. Everyone who lives there. A third thing, a third criterion is that it's got to have health services which can be used by all the inhabitants and which they can access easily. The final points to do with local government. The WH says this is something that the whole community should be involved in, not just a few powerful politicians or businessmen. So a healthy city is not just a matter of avoiding illness, that sort of healthiness. It's the way that the whole city works together for the benefit of its population.
Okay. So, what I'd like to do now is to look at some projects in different cities around the world where cities have tried to meet these criteria to make their cities healthy ones.
**Narrator:** Now, you have some time to look at questions 34 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 34 to 40.
**Student:** Right. The first project I'm going to discuss took place in Sri Lanka and this project was called the community contract system. Its aim was to improve the places where the poorest section of the population lived, the squatter settlements. Basically, the problem was lack of infrastructure, things like drains, paths, wells for water and so on. So, a program was set in place to construct this infrastructure. But what was different about it was that the residents did this, the people who actually lived there, not people from outside. And this meant that not only did the people end up with improved housing and infrastructure, but also because they had contracts with the community, it improved their chances from an economic point of view. So that's a way the lives of people in one urban environment were improved.
The next project I'd like to discuss took place in the capital city of Mali in West Africa. This project involved setting up a cooperative to try to solve the problems of sanitation in the old central quarters of the city. One of the main problems was a lack of a system for garbage collection which meant that there were a lot of insects and this was causing disease. And again, it's interesting to look at who was involved in dealing with this problem. In this case, the cooperative involved students who had graduated from secondary school in getting a system going. As well as that, the cooperative set up a campaign to educate the public about the importance of good sanitation through showing films and setting up discussion groups among the local people, especially women and adolesccents. And the outcome was an increased environmental awareness which led to changes in household behavior as well as improved living conditions.
Okay. The third project was in Egypt just outside the capital Cairo which is a city that's grown very rapidly in the last few decades. This project was based in a women's center in a poor area called McA. The aim of the project was to support girls, young women from the area from poor families. So these were women who had no education. They'd never been to school. So they were totally illiterate and they had no chance of getting jobs. At the women's center, they were shown how to sew and how to weave. And once they'd learned these skills, they were given the equipment, a sewing machine or a loom so that they could make things to sell and had a chance of earning their own living. And this project has meant that these young women have greater status in the community. But as well as that, they can enjoy a better quality of life.
So I don't think the problem is that cities are bad. This world and its cities have the resources to provide for the population that lives there. What it takes is a stronger will and a better distribution of resources.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part four. You now have half a minute to check your answers.