IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-02-23

**Narrator:** Now turn to section one. You will hear a man called Tim and a woman called Laura discussing preparations for their holiday. 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.
**Tim:** Our plane tickets arrived this morning. It reminded me how much there is to do before we go.
**Laura:** Let's write everything down, shall we? So we don't forget anything.
**Tim:** Yes. And last time we went away, we almost forgot to collect our currency from the bank. So let's start with that.
**Laura:** Good thinking. And wasn't there an appointment you said you'd got to cancel?
**Tim:** Yes, the hairdresser. Thanks for reminding me. Can you write that down, too? The shop will be closed now, but I'll do it first thing on Monday.
**Laura:** Okay. Then starting on Tuesday, we've got to take the tablets we got from the pharmacy. We really mustn't forget to do that. We're not protected against malaria till we've been taking them for at least 7 days.
**Tim:** No. So, that's really important.
**Laura:** And what about shopping? There's still a few things we've got to buy the next time we're in town. We need some more sunblock, don't we? We've only got that factor 10 stuff. It won't be strong enough.
**Tim:** I've already bought that. But what we do still need to get is sunglasses. The ones I've got aren't good enough. And I don't think yours are either.
**Laura:** Okay. I've noted that down. And I think I'm going to get another bag, too. Just a small one. We always seem to come back with more things than we take.
**Tim:** Should we get an extra lock for our suitcase as well, just in case the one we've got breaks? They don't seem to last long.
**Laura:** Yes, they are a bit flimsy. Okay. Right. Oh, yes. And we need an adapter for our electrical things. Your hair dryer and my shaver. The plugs on them are bound to be the wrong type.
**Tim:** We could get one at the airport. They always have them there.
**Laura:** Well, I'd rather get it beforehand, so I'm writing it down. And then I think that's it, isn't it?
**Tim:** I think so, as far as shopping's concerned. But we also need to order a taxi to take us to the airport. We should do that well in advance. My sister left it too late and she had to take the train with that huge suitcase of hers.
**Laura:** I know. She really struggled with it.
**Narrator:** Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 7 to 10. Now listen and answer questions 7 to 10.
**Laura:** Now let's see. Your mother said she'd come in regularly while we're away. So what do we want her to do? I'll write some instructions and we can give them to her tomorrow.
**Tim:** Good idea. Well, the cat's the main thing.
**Laura:** Okay. Feed the cat.
**Tim:** We ought to leave her the vets's details as well, just in case there's a problem.
**Laura:** Yes. Have you got them handy?
**Tim:** Hang on. I'm just looking. Yes. His name's Colin Jeffrey.
**Laura:** Is that spelled with a G?
**Tim:** Actually, it's J E F F E R E Y. Quite an unusual spelling, isn't it?
**Laura:** H. And whose number?
**Tim:** 07594128. It's a mobile.
**Laura:** Okay.
**Tim:** And you should write down where it is. It's 4 Street. Not sure what number, but it's next to the bus stop, isn't it? That's not a very good landmark, but it's on the other side of the road to the church, so I'll tell her that. Let's hope she won't need a vet anyway.
**Laura:** Yes. Right. Apart from that, there are the plants to water. Ask her to make sure they don't dry out.
**Tim:** Oh, yes. And I've already mentioned the problem with the boiler, and your mom said she'd come round to meet the heating engineer and let him in.
**Laura:** Yes. It's a lot for her to do, but we really need to get the problem sorted out. And the earliest date I could get an appointment was April the 30th.
**Tim:** Isn't it the day after we go?
**Laura:** Yes, we leave on the 29th. And she'll have to hang around till the job's finished.
**Tim:** Oh, well, she won't mind. I'm sure she likes helping people out.
**Laura:** Yes, she does.
**Tim:** Okay, that's it then, I think. Unless you can think of anything else.
**Laura:** Not at the moment. Leave the list there and I'll add to it.
**Narrator:** That is the end of section one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part two.

**Narrator:** Part two. You will hear the director of a new art center speaking to a group of local people who have come to hear what the new art center will be offering. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Listen carefully to the first part of the talk and answer questions 11 to 15.
**Director:** Well, good evening everybody. Thank you all for turning out on this cold, wet evening. Welcome to our new art center. I'm delighted that so many people are interested in finding out about the facilities and events that we'll be offering. I'll start with the regular evening events that we've scheduled so far. Sunday night will be film club night. Each week we'll be showing a classic film from the 40s, 50s or 60s. Films will start at quarter to 7 and afterwards there will be an opportunity to discuss the film in the cafe bar for anybody who'd like to. Tickets for the film will be £5, but the discussion afterwards is free, although anybody who wants to buy me a drink is welcome to do so. On Thursday evenings at 7:30, the auditorium is given over to productions by touring theater companies. This coming Thursday, we're very excited to be welcoming Pizzazz, a drama company featuring both able-bodied and physically handicapped actors. They'll be performing a rather special version of William Shakespeare's The Tempest featuring music and dance as well as dialogue. Fridays and Saturdays will be music nights starting at 8:00 p.m. with classical or traditional music on the Fridays and pop rock on the Saturdays. However, as the sound system hasn't yet been fully installed, these events won't be starting for another few weeks. As well as evening performances, various events will take place during the day. So far, a mother's and toddler session has been arranged for Monday afternoons. And of course, anybody can drop in for a coffee or a sandwich. The cafe bar will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 11:00 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and Sundays. Lunch will be served from 12 till 2 and light snacks will be available all day. Of course, this program is just the start and we expect to be announcing many additional events in the near future.
**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.
**Director:** Now I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you about becoming a member. Membership benefits include reduced price tickets, priority bookings, and a monthly newsletter which will feature the latest details of forthcoming events, plus details of other arts events in the local area. The cost of membership is just £15 a year, which I think is very reasonable. To get a membership card, you'll need to provide us with a passport-sized photo, plus payment, of course, by cash or check. We can't accept credit cards, I'm afraid, at least not for the moment. We hope to have credit card payment facilities available in the not too distant future. Then when you want to buy reduced price tickets, you simply show your card at the box office or quote your membership number if you're making a telephone booking. Generally, a membership card will save around 20% on the full ticket price. So, it really is very good value. Now, we come to the most important part, your suggestions. It's your art center, so we want to hear what you'd like to see.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part 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 on rivers. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen to the tape and answer the questions.
**Interviewer:** Please tell me about the current state of the Amazon.
**Expert:** We have increased deforestation, increased human population relating to deforestation and a role of fire in the Amazon on a scale that's never been seen in history. At the same time, you can see progress in trying to counter that negative trend.
**Interviewer:** How do you see this?
**Expert:** We see this in the creation of national parks and indigenous areas and efforts to fund sustainable development activities for locals. We see both good and the bad and it's going to be a race to finish.
**Interviewer:** I understand that you started the minimum critical size of ecosystems project. Could you tell me about it?
**Expert:** A number of years ago, it became apparent that those practicing conservation didn't have the scientific information available to properly design a conservation area.
**Interviewer:** They didn't know how big it had to be, right?
**Expert:** People were learning that as forests fragment, the fragments begin to shed species after they become isolated, so they end up becoming poor examples of what they had been. This relates to the size of the fragment.
**Interviewer:** Do people still study this?
**Expert:** Yes, there is a rich sub field of conservation biology that looks at the efforts of fragmentation. One of the consequences is a general policy response to set up protected areas that are fairly large, something on the order of 1,000 km.
**Narrator:** Now look at questions 26 to 30. As the talk continues, answer questions 26 to 30.
**Interviewer:** Can you talk a little bit more about the forest fragmentation?
**Expert:** As habitats are destroyed, they are accompanied by habitat fragmentation. So when 50% of a forest is lost, the remaining 50% is not one large block but smaller pieces, which makes the conservation problem even worse than saying that 50% has been lost.
**Interviewer:** And this affects not just forest but species diversity.
**Expert:** Correct. In terms of species loss, we can't give you precise numbers about how many species are lost because of these fragmented landscapes, but we're beginning to get close to where we can make that estimation. And so, one of the policy responses to all of this beyond just trying to create large protected areas is to try and reconnect the fragments.
**Interviewer:** You've been active in many projects studying the Amazon region over the years. Can you tell us about that process of understanding the Amazon?
**Expert:** When people first started looking at conservation priorities, there was not much information about the geography of plant and animal species. One of the first clues was an analysis done in 1969. This looked at bird species and found geographic clusters of species which occurred nowhere else. And those are priority areas for conservation.
**Interviewer:** Was this when people began prioritizing refugees?
**Expert:** Yes, it was the first time that someone looked basinwide at priorities, giving priority to so-called refugee areas.
**Interviewer:** Is this when the new trend to use geographic information systems or a GIS started?
**Expert:** That was in 1990 after we worked out a whole set of biological and conservational priorities and produced a big map using GIS.
**Interviewer:** What are some of the things that GIS does?
**Expert:** Well, there are several advantages of using a geographic information system. First, you can continually update the system so that it's now a constantly changing picture. You can actually watch changes. Then you can include large amounts of data including information about the vectors of development, roads, railroads, pipelines, hydroelectric projects, etc. And finally, because it is accessible on the internet, it makes this information available to anyone who's interested.
**Narrator:** This is the end of section three. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part four.

**Narrator:** Part four, you will hear part of a career's advice talk on working freelance. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
**Speaker:** Working for an employer in a 9-to-5 job has long been the accepted norm. However, this could soon be set to change. A rising level of unemployment combined with a sense of disillusionment amongst employees with their workday lives is at the root of this modern-day revolution in the workplace. Now, there is a growing trend amongst people of all ages and from all walks of life to opt for freelance work rather than working for an employer. It sounds a risky option and a potentially stressful one, but on the whole, the benefits of freelancing seem to vastly outweigh those of working for someone else. In fact, recent research has shown that those who quit their jobs to work for themselves are the country's happiest and most productive workers. A study conducted by Dr. Jonathan Sats from Brighton University's Business School in conjunction with the Arts and Humanities Research Council looked at a total of 34 freelancers who were pursuing a range of professions in southern England. They found that far from struggling to get by, many were not only doing well, but excelling in their new professions. So, what are the advantages of freelancing? Well, there are many. One of the most obvious benefits is not having to be answerable to a boss and having to face criticism or unfair demands. In addition, not being based in an office or shared workplace with competitive or difficult colleagues is another bonus. But what is probably the most attractive pull of working freelance is the freedom to determine your own work schedule. You are no longer at the mercy of a timetable dictated to you by your employer. If you have family commitments, these can easily be fitted around your working hours. Furthermore, if you have an off day one day, it's easy to make up time another day without having to face your employer's wrath when you are being less productive than usual. Those who work in creative and digital industries stand to benefit most from working freelance. In these fields, workers are at liberty to choose their ideal working location as they are not restricted to working in a set place. It really is an ideal lifestyle that many would aspire to if they were more aware of the options available to them. Lastly, to add to an already convincing list of benefits from doing freelance work, there is the financial reward. Freelancers typically work a 38-hour week and earn a median wage of £43,000, well above the national average of £25,000, and are happier than other workers. It seems that people are now catching on to the myriad benefits that come with working as a freelancer. Currently, there are about 31 million people in work in Britain and already 4.66 million are self-employed, thereby displaying the vitality of the freelance economy. In fact, so popular is freelancing becoming that it has even been suggested that the government needs to devise a new tax and other policies to support freelancers. Freelancing would seem to be the future of employment and the way forward. It is certainly well worth considering freelancing if you are doubtful about committing to working in a structured environment.
**Narrator:** That is the end of part four. You now have half a minute to check your answers.