IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-01-22

**Narrator:** Now look at part one. Part one, you will hear a man called Ken talking on the phone to a friend called Liz about holiday accommodation. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to six. 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 six.
**Ken:** Hello.
**Liz:** Hi Liz, it's Ken here.
**Ken:** Hi Ken. Nice to hear from you. Are you—
**Liz:** This is just a quick call, but Mary and I have just been talking about our summer holiday. We haven't booked a place yet, and we've left it a bit late. We were just wondering if you know of any holiday rentals in your area. It's so nice there.
**Ken:** Well, yes. I can think of two or three places that are very nice. What dates have you got in mind?
**Liz:** the 10th of July to the 22nd of July.
**Ken:** Oh yes, that is quite soon, isn't it? Well, there's a place near here called Moon Fleet.
**Liz:** Is that M—
**Ken:** But it's got fields all around it, so it's very pretty.
**Liz:** H sounds okay. Can you tell me a bit more about it?
**Ken:** Well, it's an annex to the owner's house, and it's an apartment with two bedrooms and an open plan living area.
**Liz:** Well, I like the sound of it. Is there anything we might not like about it?
**Ken:** Well, it's quite a distance from the nearest shops, that's all.
**Liz:** Okay. And well, I'll tell Mary, but I don't think she'd mind that. But do you know how you book it?
**Ken:** You have to book on the internet. There's a web address. It's www.summerhouses.
**Liz:** One word.
**Ken:** Yes. Then.com. You'll be able to look at a photograph on that.
**Liz:** Okay. And what about the others? Where are they?
**Ken:** The second one I'm thinking of is called Kingfisher. And that's even more rural. It's a really beautiful location. In fact, it's by the river and it's got nice views. It overlooks woodland on the other side.
**Liz:** Is that an apartment?
**Ken:** No, it's a three-bedroom house and that's got a dining room as well as a separate living room and a kitchen, but I expect it's more expensive. You'll have to check the prices. H. It's probably a bit bigger than we need, but our nephew might be joining us. We're not sure yet. How do you book Kingfisher?
**Liz:** You have to phone the owner directly. Shall I give you the number? I've got it here in my phone book. It's 0175269218.
**Narrator:** Right. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 7 to in Now listen and answer questions 7 to 10.
**Liz:** Right. And you mentioned a third place.
**Ken:** Yes. There's a house that my sister stayed in last year. It's called Sunny Banks.
**Liz:** Nice name.
**Ken:** And the location of that one is rather different. It's in the center of the village, but it's a very small and quaint place.
**Liz:** Did your sister like it?
**Ken:** Oh, yes. It's by the sea, so her children really loved it.
**Liz:** What's the accommodation like?
**Ken:** I'm not sure about the number of rooms because I haven't been in it myself, but I think she said it's quite spacious and I know it's got its own garden. It's not very big, but it's not shared with anyone else and it's supposed to be very pretty.
**Liz:** Any snags, problems?
**Ken:** The only other thing I can think of is that there's nowhere for parking. The streets are too narrow, so you have to leave your car somewhere else and then walk to the house. It's only about 10 minutes away, but—
**Liz:** Okay. Well, I don't think it matters personally. How do you book it?
**Ken:** There's an agent you have to contact. I don't know his details, but I can ask my sister and let you know tomorrow.
**Liz:** Thanks, Liz. That would be great. I'll talk to Mary and see what she says. Thanks for your help.
**Ken:** That's okay, Ken. I'll speak to you again tomorrow. I hope you find what you're looking for.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part two.

**Narrator:** Part two. You will hear a student union officer explaining about the union's functions and services to a group of new university students. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15.
**Officer:** Hello everyone. Now here you all are new university students and the first question you probably have is what is a student union? Another question is do I have to join? Well, regarding this second question, let me say that membership used to be compulsory in the past, but that did cause some controversy, particularly from students who wanted to remain free and unaffiliated, and this university responded. So, joining up is no longer compulsory. It's totally up to you. Although I'll admit there is a fairly strong obligation to join since all students benefit from the large variety of services that we offer. We do understand, however, that many might be unwilling to join because of a supposed political slant to the union. Traditionally, student unions have been seen as being dominated by the left, and I suppose that's still true to a large extent. here. However, at this university, our union discourages such one-sided viewpoints and students across the whole political spectrum are welcome. Thus, if you feel that you are a conservative type, in other words, leaning to the right, you are particularly urged to join to provide a more balanced representation. Now, let me move back to the first question. What are we? We are a formal organization but totally independent of the educational body. We make our own rules, rent our own premises and organize ourselves as we wish. And our mission is basically to help you. For example, do you remember how you all arrived in late February to have an orientation week? That gave you an invaluable induction into life here, right? Well, the student union organized all the festivities at the end of that, the barbecues, partying and drinking, and even the musical entertainment as well. We'll do that again on occasions. And as always, those events take place on the football ground. Now, do you have any questions before I move on?
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20. Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20.
**Officer:** Now let me tell you more about the student union and its basic functions. In general there are three social, organizational and representational. Let's look at the first one. Basically, the union provides many social outlets for you to relax and have a better life at university. If you go to our union office, you'll find a list of the many clubs and societies we have where you can make many friends with people who share a common interest. So, after class, sit with them in the cafeteria and discuss whatever takes your fancy. We also maintain sporting facilities and even our own gym, allowing you to relieve some of that pressure and worry after a particularly hard session in the classroom. And we have some small shops and other places where you can buy clothes and sporting gear. In other words, some retail outlets. And if you flash your student union card, you'll get up to 20% discount at the bookshop. But unfortunately, there are no discounts at the Union cafeteria. Sorry, no cheap cappuccinos. Finally, there's a student union newspaper, and you're welcome to contribute or put in advertisements if you're buying and selling goods or textbooks. You can also place notices of a more personal nature on the notice board of the union office itself. All right, let's move on to our more serious functions which are helping you get through life here as well as representing you in times of trouble. Regarding the second issue, if you have a problem or a grievance or if you feel under pressure or depressed for reasons both inside and outside the university, for example, perhaps a dispute with your landlord or the people in your local gym, then come to us. We have a range of counselors and helpers and even some lawyers who you can meet in the conference room. So just sip a cup of tea or coffee with them and tell them your troubles and they'll be all ears. Basically, there's every reason to join the student union since whatever you need, whether it be social or representational, we will help you.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part two. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part three.

**Narrator:** Part three. You will hear a discussion between two students and their teacher on a planned charity event. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.
**Teacher:** So are you making any progress with your plans for our annual charity event? I guess first things first, have you decided what charity it will be in aid of this year?
**Mark:** We're thinking about Help the Children Africa.
**Laura:** Well, that's Mark's idea, sir, but I myself prefer a local charity called the Meals on Wheels.
**Teacher:** I'd have to agree with Laura on this one, Mark. After all, we're supposed to be giving back to the local community. And although helping African children is a very worthy cause, it's a little outside our remit, that settles it, I guess. Moving on from the beneficiary question, have you made a decision on what type of event it will be?
**Mark:** Yes, we plan on doing something a little different this year. We're calling the event Balloonathon. Basically, we're going to offer balloons for sale to all the students.
**Teacher:** Balloons? I don't see where you're going with this. Why would they want to buy a balloon?
**Mark:** Well, here's the thing. We don't actually give them the balloon. Instead, we'll write their name on it along with the special phone number, and then we'll release all the balloons into the air. When they fall to the ground, if a person finds one and rings a special number, then both he and the student who've bought the balloon will win a gift voucher.
**Teacher:** That sounds like an excellent idea, guys. Well, this balloonathon has a real novelty value attached to it, don't you think?
**Mark:** Exactly what we said, sir.
**Teacher:** The only drawback is that the gas you put into the balloons is rather expensive. How much?
**Mark:** about £20 per canister and we'll need about 10. And how many balloons are you planning to blow up?
**Laura:** Well, there are over a,000 students in the school. So, if even 1/3 of the students buy one, we'd need about 350 balloons. We've decided to order 500 so we don't run out. The good thing is we can return the canisters of gas if we don't use them. And the balloons aren't expensive, so there's no real risk of us spending a lot of money without getting a good return.
**Teacher:** You two have really thought this one out. I'm impressed.
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. now. Listen and answer questions 26 to 30.
**Mark:** Thank you, sir.
**Teacher:** So, how much money do you think we can raise?
**Mark:** Well, each balloon costs about 1 P. And when it's filled with gas, it's going to cost us about 50. We reckon that if we sell our balloons at a price of £150 and we sell all 500 of them, we'll end up making a profit of £1 per balloon. So that's £500 in total.
**Teacher:** That's fantastic. And it gets better, sir. We've secured a sponsor for our event who's going to give us £1,000.
**Mark:** How did you find a sponsor?
**Laura:** The balloon company we approached about buying the balloons asked us if we'd be interested in letting them sponsor us, too.
**Teacher:** What's in it for them?
**Mark:** They're going to print their logo on every balloon.
**Teacher:** I think you've done a good deal there.
**Mark:** Thank you, sir. So, do we have your approval to confirm our order?
**Teacher:** Absolutely. But, you know, I think we can sell more balloons if we set our minds to it. So, why not order double the amount, 1,000 instead of 500?
**Mark:** We're going to need more than 10 canisters of gas. Then,
**Teacher:** double the amount, presumably.
**Mark:** Correct.
**Teacher:** Okay, let's go for it. Let's make this year's charity event our most successful ever.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part three. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part four.

**Narrator:** Part four, you're going to hear a talk on two famous American presidents. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
**Lecturer:** John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln lived in different times and had very different family and educational backgrounds. Kennedy lived in the 20th century while Lincoln lived in the 19th century. Kennedy was born in 1917 whereas Lincoln was born more than 100 years earlier in 1809. As for their family backgrounds, Kennedy came from a rich family, but Lincoln's family was not wealthy. Because Kennedy came from a wealthy family, he was able to attend expensive private schools. He graduated from Harvard University. Lincoln, on the other hand, had only one year of formal schooling. In spite of his lack of normal schooling, he became a well-known lawyer. He taught himself law by reading law books. Lincoln was, in other words, a self-educated man. In spite of these differences in Kennedy and Lincoln's backgrounds, some interesting similarities between the two men are evident. In fact, many books have been written about the strange coincidences in the lives of these two men. For example, take their political careers. Lincoln began his political career as a US congressman. Similarly, Kennedy also began his political career as a congressman. Lincoln was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1847. Kennedy was elected to the House in 1947. They went to the Congress just 100 years apart. Another interesting coincidence is that each man was elected president of the United States in a year ending with the number 6. Lincoln was elected president in 1860 and Kennedy was elected in 1960. Furthermore, both men were president during years of civil unrest in the country. Lincoln was president during the American Civil War. During Kennedy's term of office, civil unrest took the form of civil rights demonstrations. Another striking similarity between the two men was that, as you probably know, neither lived to complete his term in office. Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated while in office. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas after only 1,000 days in office. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, a few days after the end of the American Civil War. It's rather curious to note that both presidents were shot while they were sitting next to their wives. These are only a few examples of the uncanny and unusual similarities between the destinies of these two American men who had a tremendous impact on the social and political life of the United States and the imagination of the American people.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part four. You now have half a minute to check your answers.