IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-01-20

**Narrator:** Now turn to section one. You will hear a telephone conversation between a hotel receptionist and a caller making a reservation. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 7. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.
**Receptionist:** Silver Tulip Hotel. Good afternoon. How can I help you?
**Caller:** Ah, yes. Good afternoon. I'd like to book a room for next Friday.
**Receptionist:** Certainly, sir. How many nights will you be staying?
**Caller:** Just one, please.
**Receptionist:** And would you like a single or double room?
**Caller:** A double room, please.
**Receptionist:** A double room. And would you like twin beds or a king-size bed?
**Caller:** A king-sized bed, please.
**Receptionist:** Let me see. Yes, we do have a double room available for next Friday. Would you like me to book it for you?
**Caller:** Yes, please.
**Receptionist:** Could I have your name, please?
**Caller:** Yes, it's Edward Francis.
**Receptionist:** Is that F-R-A-N-C-E-S?
**Caller:** No, it's F-R-A-N-C-I-S.
**Receptionist:** F-R-A-N-C-I-S.
**Caller:** Yes, that's right.
**Receptionist:** And your home address, please, sir?
**Caller:** Yes, it's 23 Cypress Avenue, Cambridge.
**Receptionist:** Is that C-Y-P-R-U-S?
**Caller:** No. C-Y-P-R-E-S-S like the tree.
**Receptionist:** Oh, I see. And your post code is?
**Caller:** CB3 9FJ.
**Receptionist:** And it's just for one night.
**Caller:** Yes, that's right.
**Receptionist:** We can reserve a parking space for you. Are you coming by car?
**Caller:** Actually, I'll be taking a taxi from the station.
**Receptionist:** That's fine. And one last question. Would you like dinner and breakfast?
**Caller:** No dinner, thank you. But I'd like breakfast.
**Receptionist:** Just breakfast. So, to confirm, you're arriving on Friday the 16th of April and leaving on Saturday the 17th. That's one night in a double room with a king-size bed with breakfast.
**Caller:** That's right. Thank you very much.
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 8 to 10. Now listen carefully and answer questions 8 to 10.
**Receptionist:** And could I have your mobile number, please?
**Caller:** Yes, it's 07976 12597. Oh, uh, no, sorry, it's been changed. It's 07961 21597.
**Receptionist:** 07961 21597. Thank you. Is there anything else I can help you with?
**Caller:** Yes, I'm having dinner with a friend. Could you recommend a good restaurant nearby?
**Receptionist:** That would be the Winston Churchill. It's about a mile from here.
**Caller:** Perfect. Could you please make a reservation for 7:00 p.m. and leave a message with the details for my friend when he arrives?
**Receptionist:** Certainly. What is the gentleman's name?
**Caller:** Mr. Aloui. That's A-L-A-O-U-I.
**Receptionist:** No problem. We look forward to seeing you next week.
**Caller:** Thank you.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part one. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

**Narrator:** Now turn to section two. Section two. You will hear a talk at an open day at an alternative health club. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15.
**Harry Wilkinson:** Good morning and welcome to the open day of our new alternative health club here at Chelsea Bridge. I have to say it is very pleasant to have so many people turn up. My name is Harry Wilkinson and I work as one of the nine permanent staff members employed here at the club. The main aim of the open day is to give you a quick tour of the building. But before we do that, I'd like to introduce you to a few people employed at the club. Not all of us are here at the same time. In case you need to contact any of us, our contact details are here on the notice board below the photographs. First of all, this is Shaun Bond who is the technical manager and his job is to supervise equipment like computers and all the electrical equipment. And this is Margaret Lloyd. Her main function is to oversee training and she is therefore in charge of all the full and part-time therapists. The next important person I need to introduce you to is James Todd. He is our liaison officer. What he does is manage bookings for the club rooms and equipment as they are open to different organizations from the local college to corporate clients like banks and so on. Last but not least is our physiotherapist Edward Marx who works part-time Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Edward plays an important part in the life of the club. His main role is to prevent injuries.
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20. Now listen carefully and answer questions 16 to 20.
**Harry Wilkinson:** Now for the various amenities. You see that the club has quite a large capacity and is arranged over three floors. There is a lift by the reception and the stairs. On the ground floor, there are two large halls which are used for yoga, tai chi, pilates, and dance and fitness classes for different age groups with a shop and cafeteria. Over here on the first floor, we have a full range of fitness machines which are available in the large central hall around which there are various offices. The changing rooms are also on this floor. On the second floor, there is a series of small therapy rooms with waiting areas for clients. These may be booked by individual therapists. There are also three classrooms which are used for teacher training and group therapy classes. We have a very extensive therapy training program accredited to the University of Munich with training in counseling for which we have three programs at the moment as regards the various types of yoga, acupuncture and the Alexander technique. There are currently nine different training classes going on. Information about the training can be obtained from the brochure which you can pick up at reception and from the club website. There will be a chance to talk to trainers for those interested in counseling this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. for yoga etc. There will also be an informal gathering of trainers on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. So if you are interested in becoming involved, this is your chance.
**Narrator:** That is the end of section two. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

**Narrator:** Now turn to part three. Part three. John Houston, a student from London University, wants to know some information about a 21st conference. You'll hear a conversation between John and university staff. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.
**John:** University. Good morning.
**Receptionist:** Oh, good morning. Can you put me through to the School of Architecture, please?
**Operator:** Certainly. School of Architecture, Professor Dawson's office.
**Staff:** Oh, good morning. I was wondering if you could give me some information about the forthcoming architecture 21st conference, dates, enrollment procedures, costs, that sort of thing.
**Staff:** Certainly.
**John:** When exactly is the conference?
**Staff:** Well, the conference runs for 3 days from the 18th to the 20th of October.
**John:** Uh 18th to 20th of October. Oh, good. I'll still be here then. And um where exactly is it being held? Is it at the university as in previous years?
**Staff:** No, it's actually being held at the Pacific Hotel. We've rather outgrown the university conference facilities, so we've opted for this new venue.
**John:** Right. Paradise Hotel.
**Staff:** No, Pacific Hotel.
**John:** Right. And presumably we can get accommodation at the hotel.
**Staff:** Yes, but you'll need to contact them direct to arrange that. I'll give you the number for hotel reservations. Have you got a pen ready?
**John:** Yeah, go ahead.
**Staff:** It's area code 07 and then 9323.
**John:** Okay. And what's the registration fee?
**Staff:** Individual fees are $300 for the 3 days or $120 a day if you only wanted to attend for one day.
**John:** Are there any student concessions?
**Staff:** Oh, sure. There's a 50% concession for students and that's $150 for the 3 days or $60 a day.
**John:** And am I too late to offer to give a talk?
**Staff:** Oh, I'm pretty sure you've missed the deadline for that.
**John:** Oh, really? But I've only just arrived here in Australia. Is there any way I could have a paper accepted?
**Staff:** Well, you'd need to talk to Professor Dawson. He's the person organizing the conference this year. I can put you through if you like.
**John:** Oh, yes, please. That would be great. Oh, and uh can I just check the spelling of his name? Is that D-A-W-S-O-N?
**Staff:** Yes, that's correct.
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.
**Professor Dawson:** Professor Dawson speaking.
**John:** Oh, hello. My name is John Houston. I'm an architecture student at London University. I'm here in Australia for 3 months uh looking at energy saving house designs.
**Professor Dawson:** Right.
**John:** I'm interested in giving a talk on my research at the conference, but I believe I may have missed the deadline.
**Professor Dawson:** Well, strictly speaking, you have. The closing date was last Friday.
**John:** Oh, no.
**Professor Dawson:** But we may be able to include your paper if it fits into our program, but you'll have to be quick.
**John:** Okay. What do I need to do?
**Professor Dawson:** Send me an outline of your talk and make sure you'd include an interesting title for the talk. Something to attract the delegates attention.
**John:** Okay. Interesting title, right?
**Professor Dawson:** The outline should be no more than 300 words, though, right?
**John:** I should be able to keep it down to 300 words, but would 400 be okay?
**Professor Dawson:** No, not really, because we have to print it in the proceedings and we just don't have the space.
**John:** Sure, I understand. And also, can you send me a short CV? The usual stuff, name, age, and qualifications, that sort of thing.
**John:** Right. Include a brief CV. Actually, you can email it to me. That would be quicker.
**Professor Dawson:** Sure. What's your email address?
**John:** Well, the best thing would be to send it to the conference administrative officer. The address is admin in lowercase, you know, in small letters, right? So, that's [email protected].
**Professor Dawson:** Right, I'll do that straight away. Thank you very much. You've been very helpful.
**John:** Okay. Well, we hope to see you in October then.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part three. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

**Narrator:** Now turn to section four. Section four. In this section, you'll hear an introduction on the adventure class. First, you have some time to read questions 31 to 40. Now listen to the conversation and answer questions 31 to 40.
**Coordinator:** Welcome to adventure class. I'm the coordinator of the class. During the course of this morning, I hope to give you a clear idea of what we offer in our class. Before my lecture, listen to the comments on the class. Today, we sailed into a group of whales. Class takes place in the middle of elephants, giraffes, and hippos. Yesterday's lecture was at the Great Barrier Reef. Do these comments sound like your typical classroom? Probably not. These accounts come from students studying in adventure classes. An adventure class is a unique type of program that combines textbook learning with real life exploration. Students and teachers travel together for a program in discovery and exploration. The class is provided by the Australian University's international program aiming at promoting students awareness of international communication and global environment.
Here are three popular adventure classroom programs that are available to you, college students from the freshman to senior students.
The first one is called Australia Short Program. The 3-week course begins with several days in Cairns. There we hold classes on coral protection, how the corals are formed, what are their functions, and what are the threats corals are facing. Students then spend the next 2 weeks on a study tour of Queensland. Known for its sunny beaches, rainforests, and remote outback, Queensland provides a rich learning environment. The highlight of the program is the tour to the Great Barrier Reef. Activities include hiking, bird watching, and boating. By experiencing local culture up close, students explore the connection between local people and the environment. Six semester credits are given by the Australian university's international program and the tuition fee is $1,950.
African Safari program is another popular class. Kenya's stunning wilderness becomes the classroom for students in the African Safari program. The 5-week course is set on the beautiful 20 acre campus of Australia International University in Nairobi. University professors combine classroom instruction with hands-on experience to teach wildlife management. In addition to classwork, students take trips to famous places such as Mount Kilimanjaro and Victoria Falls. Students also experience African culture through trips to local villages and Nairobi's city center. But for most students, the safaris are the highlight of the course. The program includes three or four safaris. During each safari, participants camp outdoors for up to six days. One of the most popular destinations is the Masai Mara Game Reserve. An amazing collection of wildlife lives on the reserve. Students study elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, and other exotic animals in their natural habitat. Those who take the course gain many wonderful memories and a greater appreciation for the Earth's natural resources. Students earn eight college credits for the program. The cost of tuition is $4,950.
The last on the list is Sea Education Association, SEA. The SEA program is a one-of-a-kind opportunity where students live and learn aboard a tall ship. The course combines ocean research with instruction and personal experience in sailing. After careful instruction, both on shore and at sea, the participants begin practicing what they've learned. Everyone on board takes turns operating and navigating a 134 ft sailing ship that is the most outstanding. Life at sea is non-stop, so everyone is assigned to a watch. During that time, students work in the lab, in the kitchen, on deck, or in the engine room. Each watch group includes eight people who rotate throughout a 24-hour schedule. They learn how to live at sea and how to work together as a team. Students can choose from three programs in different locations, each about 3 weeks long. College credit is awarded and the cost is $3,600.
Is an adventure classroom for you? If the idea of learning through adventure interests you, you might want to apply. It would certainly be an experience you would never forget.
**Narrator:** That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.