IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-02-22

**Registration Officer:** Good morning.
**Melanie:** Good morning. Can I help you?
**Registration Officer:** Yes. Is this where we register for the Beyond 2000 conference?
**Melanie:** Yes. What's your name? And I'll get your conference bag.
**Registration Officer:** Well, I haven't actually registered yet. I was told I'd be able to register today, so I hope that's okay. I've just arrived in Melbourne.
**Melanie:** That should be fine if you're a student. I'll need to take your details though. So, can I have your full name?
**Registration Officer:** Yes, sure. It's Melanie Mitchell.
**Melanie:** Is that M I T C H E D L?
**Registration Officer:** Yes, that's right. And that's Miz, not Miss.
**Melanie:** Okay, fair enough. And what's your address, Melanie?
**Registration Officer:** I live in student accommodation at Sydney University. So, my address there is room 66, Women's College, New Town.
**Melanie:** Okay. And which faculty are you studying in?
**Registration Officer:** I'm in the faculty of education. I'm doing a master's in primary school teaching.
**Melanie:** Right. And may I see your student card because I need to verify that you're a current student.
**Registration Officer:** Yes, sure. Here it is. My number is D.
**Melanie:** Okay. Now, do you want to attend all three days? The conference runs from Thursday to Saturday.
**Registration Officer:** Yes, I think so. If I can afford it. What does it cost?
**Melanie:** Well, you're eligible for a student discount, which makes it $15 for a day registration or $40 for the 3 days, though it is possible to register for half a day only.
**Registration Officer:** I'll register for all three days, please.
**Melanie:** Good. Now, will you be requiring accommodation while you're here in Melbourne?
**Registration Officer:** Yes, I suppose I will. What's available?
**Melanie:** Well, we have several levels of accommodation. You can share a room with another student for $25 a night. Or you can have your own room but share the bathroom. I believe it's just down the corridor. That's $45. Or you can have a single room with your own bathroom.
**Registration Officer:** I don't mind sharing a room. On second thoughts, yes, I do. I'll have my own room, but I'll share the bathroom.
**Melanie:** Right now, the conference fee does not include meals, though you do get tea and coffee in the breaks. Shall I put you down for lunch? That's an extra $10 a day. And there's the conference dinner on Friday night, which is $25. Oh, and what about breakfast?
**Registration Officer:** Hang on a minute. It's all starting to sound rather expensive. Um, I'll have the lunch, but not the dinner or breakfast, if that's okay.
**Melanie:** Perfectly okay. Now, a couple of other things. There are a number of special interest groups organized. They're known as SIGs and you're asked to nominate your preference. They'll take place on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, but they're filling up quickly which is why you need to nominate now.
**Registration Officer:** Right. What are the six?
**Melanie:** Well, there are six altogether. Let's see. On Friday, you have a choice between computers in education or teaching reading skills, or a session on catering for the gifted child.
**Registration Officer:** Oh, they all sound interesting, but technology in the classroom is really my area of interest rather than reading. So, I'll go for that. I can probably read up on the gifted child topic myself.
**Melanie:** Right. And then the Saturday options are a session on cultural differences or there's music in the primary curriculum or you could go to the one on gender issues in the classroom.
**Registration Officer:** Wow, can I go to them all? They all sound fascinating.
**Melanie:** Afraid not.
**Registration Officer:** Well, I'm really interested in how boys and girls behave differently, even when they are very young. So, I'd better opt for the third session, even though the cultural differences see, is probably really interesting, too.
**Melanie:** Right. And the music option would be interesting. And how would you like to pay? We accept most credit cards or bank checks, but not personal checks, I'm afraid. Been caught out too often before. And cash, of course. We never say no to cash.
**Registration Officer:** I'll have to put it on my card cuz I don't have enough cash on me right now.
**Melanie:** That's fine. Enjoy your time here with us in Melbourne.

**Introducer:** Good afternoon. I'm glad you all found your way here. Now I'd like Dr. Wallace to introduce us to the Arboretum.
**Dr. Wallace:** Good afternoon. Although at first glance the Arboretum may look like a park, it is a research and teaching facility that also provides a place for people to develop a positive relationship with nature. When the University of Wisconsin Madison purchased the land, mostly during the 1930s, much of it bore little resemblance to its presettlement state. Instead, it had been turned into cultivated fields and pastures that had fallen into disuse. The university's Arboretum committee decided early on to try to bring back the plants and animals that had lived on the land before its development. Though they may not have anticipated it at the time, the committee's foresight resulted in the Arboretum's ongoing status as a pioneer in the restoration and management of ecological communities. In focusing on the reestablishment of historic landscapes, particularly those that predated large-scale human settlement, they introduced a whole new concept in ecology, ecological restoration, the process of returning an ecosystem or piece of landscape to a previous, usually more natural condition.
Madison was a fast growing city in the 1920s. Fortunately, some leading citizens recognized the need to preserve open space for Madison's residents. Most of the Arboretum's current holdings came from purchases these civic leaders made during the Great Depression. In addition to inexpensive land, the depression brought a ready supply of hands to work it. Between 1935 and 1941, crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps were stationed at the Arboretum and provided most of the labor needed to begin establishing ecological communities within the Arboretum. Efforts to restore or create historic ecological communities have continued over the years with the result that the Arboretum's collection of restored ecosystems is not only the oldest but also the most extensive such collection. In addition to these native plant and animal communities, the Arboretum, like most Arboreta, has traditional collections of labeled plants arranged in garden-like displays. These horticultural collections featuring trees and shrubs of the world are the state's largest woody plant collections.

**Tutor:** Hi Alex, come in. I gather you wanted some help with writing essays.
**Alex:** Yes, I'm finding this first term difficult and I'm worried about the assignments we have to do for January.
**Tutor:** Well, let me see if I can help. You shouldn't panic about it because essay writing is a very straightforward process really. What it involves is organizing the information that you want to include. You shouldn't have more than you can easily manage within the word count. Make sure you haven't got too much or anything irrelevant. You need to look at that and work out what you need and what you don't need before you start. And then you just have to think about how you're going to put forward your argument.
**Alex:** Oh, that sounds very straightforward when you put it like that. But I'm worried I haven't got the necessary skills for writing an effective essay because English is my second language.
**Tutor:** Well, perhaps you misunderstand the skills you need. You need to be able to analyze your data. And then I would say the skills of interpretation and expressing yourself are important. Perhaps it's this last one that bothers you. But the more essays you write, the more you will develop these skills.
**Alex:** Yes, and I don't quite know how to improve at that. Though, as you say, I know practice will help. And I need to make sure I've got everything ready before I start.
**Tutor:** Yes. What is vital to good essay writing is preparation. So, make sure you build in enough time to do the research you need.
**Alex:** Are there any other sources I can use to help me with essays?
**Tutor:** Yes, you should go to the library and look through the reference section because there are books that focus on the style we use in academic writing and those will help you a lot. The other thing that you should think about is what happens when you've actually written your essay. Too many students just complete their work and hand it in. Whereas what you should be doing is making sure that you edit it as thoroughly as possible.
**Alex:** Oh yes, that's a good idea. Then I'd pick up any mistakes and also see if it reads logically.
**Tutor:** Exactly. The other thing is again what a lot of students do is get their essays back, look at the marks, then just file it away. They don't realize that if they checked it through and looked at what the tutor had written, then they can learn from their old essays.
**Alex:** Yeah, I can see that's a good idea. So, is that okay? You can always come back to me.
**Tutor:** Actually, there were a couple of other things I wanted to ask you about essay writing. I had had a few thoughts of my own about what I should do, such as really taking good notes when I'm reading because that helps, doesn't it?
**Alex:** I think it improves your knowledge rather than your actual writing. But one tip I can give you is to try and not read too much. Otherwise, you end up including irrelevant material in your essay. Remember to stay on task.
**Tutor:** Yes, sometimes I have problems interpreting the questions correctly or the whole question seems overwhelming to me.
**Alex:** What I try to do is highlight the key parts and divide it into smaller chunks so I can manage it.
**Tutor:** Well, you might find it useful to break it down even further by making sure you understand all the words perfectly before you start. Things like assess or comment and such like.
**Alex:** Yes, I see. Sometimes after an objective analysis, the question actually asks you for a subjective opinion, but you must remember to support your arguments if that's the case.
**Tutor:** Um, one final comment I can make is about using your own words. You must try to do this as far as possible. You're expected to summarize what you've read, not just string together a list of quotations. In fact, you shouldn't have too many. Just use them where it's really important.
**Alex:** Okay, thanks. Do you read other students essays when you finished?
**Tutor:** No. Why is that a good idea?
**Alex:** Well, you can confuse each other, so I'd advise against it, but it's up to you.
**Tutor:** Okay. Thanks very much for your time and your...

**Lecturer:** Good morning. Today we'd like to talk about wild rice. Contrary to what many people believe, wild rice is not rice at all, but a grass. Much of it sold in the world today is not even wild, but rather cultivated varieties that do not occur naturally. Wild rice is really an annual aquatic seed found mostly in the upper freshwater lakes of Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in North America.
Indians gathered wild rice before any explorers set foot on the North American continent. Early explorers were greatly impressed with the strength and hardiness of the woodland Indians and attributed their vitality to their ample servings of wild rice.
Wild rice can grow in water as shallow as 3 or 4 feet along marshes and muddy waters. A tall plant. It grows to a height of 8 to 10 ft with a long flower cluster that reminds one of a narrow broom. The grains in their husks on the tall stalk look somewhat like oats.
Truly, wild rice is a challenging crop to grow. Even today, it's very susceptible to failure due to weather conditions. If a heavy windstorm comes along just before harvesting, the seeds can be blown into the water, ruining an entire crop. Harvesting at just the right time becomes a matter of beating the birds to it since wild rice is considered a delicacy by many birds living in the area. Other challenges include insects, disease, poor drainage, and high waters. If the grains are too green, they are difficult to thresh or beat out of their husks. If left on the plant too long, even a few days too long, they fall off the plant into the water.
Airboats have brought about recent improvements in commercial harvesting of the wild rice. While newer techniques for parching, winnowing, and hulling have been a help in saving time and labor. Still, it takes about 3 lb of grass seed to yield one pound of wild rice.
Buyers should be aware of two types of wild rice, gathered and commercial. Foraged or hand-harvested wild rice is gradually being pushed out of the market by hybrid commercial varieties. Hand-harvested wild rice makes up less than 20% of the market today. Heirloom varieties of this foraged grain still exist. In fact, it is the only heirloom grain sold commercially. However, package labels can be deceiving. Though the label may read Indian harvested or organic, the product may be hybridized wild rice placed in freshwater lakes and gathered by Indians in airboats. Hand-harvested, organic, and from the Great Lakes region is the real thing with superior flavor and aroma, but it may be difficult to find.
Though wild rice is one of the most expensive grains, it goes a long way. Some say that one pound of the grain can feed 30 people. To compensate for its high cost, try combining wild rice, half and half, with brown rice. For a truly colorful presentation, try 1/3 of each. White rice, brown rice, and wild rice.