IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-02-27

**Narrator:** Now turn to section one. You are going to listen to a conversation between two people, a customer and a representative of a company which rents cars. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6. Now the test will begin. Remember you will hear the recording only once. So answer the questions as you listen. Now listen to the first part of the conversation and answer questions 1 to 6.
**Automated Voice:** Thank you for calling Carline. So that we can best help you, can you please press the star button on your phone now. Thank you. Now, choose one of the following four options by pressing the buttons on your telephone. Press one if you would like to make a car reservation. Press two if you would like to talk to someone about a car reservation. Press three if you would... Please hold while we put you through to one of our assistants.
**Melanie:** Good morning. Melanie speaking. How can I help you?
**Mr. Maxine:** My name is Mr. Maxine and I booked a car several days ago to be picked up from Heathrow Airport in London and I'd like to change the booking.
**Melanie:** I see. Have you got a reference?
**Mr. Maxine:** Yes, I have it here somewhere on a piece of paper. Uh ah here it is. It's A for Alpha, C for Charlie, F for fox trot, Y for...
**Melanie:** Yeah.
**Mr. Maxine:** Yes. The number 15, uh 15, A for alpha, and G for go.
**Melanie:** Let's see. Can I just check that? A C F Y 15 A G. Yes, Mr. John Maxine.
**Mr. Maxine:** Yes, that's it.
**Melanie:** Okay. So, how can I help you?
**Mr. Maxine:** I booked a car for 3 days from this Friday at 6:00 p.m. to Monday at 6:00 p.m.
**Melanie:** Yes, a manual.
**Mr. Maxine:** I'd like to change it for a larger car and an automatic rather than a manual. And I'd also like to book it for five rather than 3 days.
**Melanie:** Okay, let's have a look. M we have an estate which is automatic.
**Mr. Maxine:** Yes, that would be perfect.
**Melanie:** There is a difference in price though... for the extra two days.
**Mr. Maxine:** Yes.
**Melanie:** But also for the size of the car. The estate is £15 more expensive per day than the saloon car you have already booked.
**Mr. Maxine:** Okay. And how much extra is it altogether then?
**Melanie:** That makes it an extra £165.
**Mr. Maxine:** H. It seems rather expensive. Uh, the last time I hired one, it wasn't so much.
**Melanie:** When was that?
**Mr. Maxine:** Um, several weeks ago.
**Narrator:** I see. Before the speakers continue their conversation, look at questions 7 to 10. As you listen to the rest of the dialogue, complete the numbered spaces 7 to 10.
**Melanie:** Well, it's basically because the rates change daily according to the cars available. The estate is the last automatic we have for hire for that period. We have a manual estate which is cheaper if that would help.
**Mr. Maxine:** No, it has to be an automatic.
**Melanie:** Okay. Shall I debit your card for the extra £165?
**Mr. Maxine:** Is it possible for me to pay the extra in cash when I pick up the car at the airport?
**Melanie:** I'm afraid that isn't possible as there are no facilities for handling cash at that time of the day.
**Mr. Maxine:** That seems odd.
**Melanie:** It's because the money can't be banked in the evening and for security reasons, no cash is held on the premises.
**Mr. Maxine:** Okay, you can debit my card. You'll have to give the number to me again.
**Melanie:** Is it logged on the screen?
**Mr. Maxine:** For security reasons, it doesn't come up on the screen when we look at the booking. Any changes? And it has to be entered again.
**Melanie:** I see. It's 34591...
**Mr. Maxine:** 34591425...
**Melanie:** 425...
**Mr. Maxine:** 750...
**Melanie:** 750.
**Melanie:** Okay, that has now been authorized. Shall we send the receipt to your Park Veil address?
**Mr. Maxine:** Yes. Uh, number 40.
**Melanie:** Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Maxine?
**Mr. Maxine:** No, nothing else. Thank you.
**Melanie:** Have a nice trip.
**Mr. Maxine:** Thank you. Goodbye.
**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 are going to hear a radio interview about giving up smoking. First look at questions 11 to 13. As you listen to the first part of the interview, answer questions 11 to 13.
**Interviewer:** And now, let's hear what Mr. Gold has to say about kicking the habit of smoking. It was connected with wanting to change your life and your desire to become an actor. Is that right, Mr. Gold?
**Mr. Gold:** Um, yes.
**Interviewer:** So, can you tell our listeners a bit more about how you managed to give up?
**Mr. Gold:** Um, well, I I enrolled on a variety of evening courses where I found I wasn't able to do the warm-up sessions. Bending down to touch my toes made me breathless. Even though I hated to admit it, the problem wasn't so much my sitting around all the time, but my 15 to 20 a day smoking habit. If I'd been able to limit myself to three or four cigarettes a day, that have been no problem. But I was seriously addicted. And I'm talking about waking up at 3:00 a.m. dying for a cigarette, or in the days before 24-hour shopping, driving across London at night to buy a packet of cigarettes when I ran out. But above all, my addiction meant making sure I never ran out at the expense of everything else, including necessities.
**Interviewer:** So, what did you do? The thought of all my past attempts to give up just wouldn't go away. This was something that had constantly been on my mind, especially first thing in the morning with the chest pains, coughing fits, and headaches, not to mention the frequent colds and throat infections. But I couldn't imagine life without smoking. I also enjoyed my life. But the thing I longed for most was to escape the trap of a job I was bored with. I knew what I wanted, and I understood something else, too. This time, I was going to keep my little plan a secret.
**Narrator:** Now, look at questions 14 to 20 as the interview continues. Now listen carefully and answer questions 14 to 20.
**Mr. Gold:** On the 1st of July, I managed to get through 24 hours without a single cigarette. The next day, I got to 48 hours. Then I aimed for 100, 500, a thousand. Easy. It was my own little private game and I was winning it. If anyone mentioned they hadn't seen me smoking, I simply said I was cutting down. I had to be sure of success. Eventually, a month passed and I felt safe enough to come out. I'd lost count of the number of hours I'd gone without a cigarette. All I suffered was a couple of bad headaches and then I was set for my most healthy year ever. Not one single cold for over 12 months. I now realize that the secret of my success was to look upon this as an exciting adventure, a way of helping me to become an actor. And because nobody knew what I was up to, I never once feared the accusation of having no willpower if I failed. With the right attitude, the whole thing turned out to be a lot easier than expected. I finally did get into much better physical shape, go to drama school, and become a professional actor.
**Interviewer:** Very interesting indeed. I'm sure we all wish we had Mr. Gold's determination. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Gold. And I hope our listeners will learn from the experience you and our other guests have talked to us about today and perhaps find their own road to success.
**Narrator:** That's the end of section two. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
---

**Narrator:** Now it turns to part three. Part three. You are going to hear a conversation between an interviewer and a professor. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Now listen to the tape and answer questions 21 to 26.
**Interviewer:** Today I'm here with Professor Nitic who is our new university president. He has been a professor for 20 years and teaches many of the best classes on campus. I know many of you have had him as a teacher and know of his brilliance. Good morning, Professor Nitic. Thank you for stopping by the student station.
**Professor Nitic:** Thank you for having me here. It is always great to get to meet many of the students who are involved with our school. I haven't been here since 2 years ago.
**Interviewer:** Yes, I remember at that time you were still teaching every semester. 2 years later, you're only teaching every once in a while. But it seems like you are still always busy. The administration world is just as busy as the teaching world for you. How do you stay in touch with the university even with the change in your everyday duties?
**Professor Nitic:** I try to stay in touch with what is popular with the university students. I usually spend time with as many students as I can. They usually give me insight into what the new concerns and beliefs are for the new generation. On top of that, I try to be as youthful as I can. I consider myself to be youthful, at least for my age. So, I always have a good time and try to stay young. I try my best to not just be a teacher, but also participate in university life.
**Interviewer:** Interesting. So, are you still doing lots of academic work or are you mostly concentrating on administrative affairs?
**Professor Nitic:** Well, I mostly do administrative affairs now, but that doesn't mean that I still don't have a very deep interest in academic matters. I often visit other campuses around the world and meet other professors in my field. I learned the most by traveling and seeing the different places of the world and the different fields of thought. I even did a television program last month in Manchester.
**Interviewer:** Will you be on television anytime soon then?
**Professor Nitic:** Well, you can call the television station and see if I will be on television anytime soon. Maybe I will be on the news report. I don't think it is really that significant, though.
**Interviewer:** Oh, really? That sounds great. I will remember to look out for you. Let's move on. With all your busy traveling recently, how do you find time for your personal life?
**Professor Nitic:** I try to keep my university life separate from my personal life. Sometimes it's hard to find time to just take my wife and three kids out for a family dinner, but usually we all manage to get together every few days. I'm taking a few weeks off next month to take my family down to South America to Brazil for a few days. I can't wait to just sit on the beach.
**Interviewer:** Wow, that sounds like a wonderful trip. Professor Nitik, could you tell the audience a little about what goes on in an average day of a university administrator?
**Professor Nitic:** H an average day. Oh, I don't think there is such thing as an average day for me. The last few weeks I've been traveling all the time. I can be in Los Angeles in the morning and in New York by the afternoon and back to Los Angeles by the evening. Sometimes I will spend the whole week at a new university showing the new administrators the ins and outs of running a university. Sometimes I can spend the whole day in the office on the phone. So there really is no average day for me. I guess that is because I do so many different tasks. Sorry to let all the viewers down, but that is the plain truth.
**Narrator:** Now look at questions 27 to 30. Now listen to the tape and answer questions 27 to 30.
**Interviewer:** Well, I guess I can sum it up for them. You are a busy man. That is probably a good description. So, are there any immediate plans for the coming few weeks?
**Professor Nitic:** Well, I'm in Los Angeles for the next 2 days and then I fly to Colorado to meet a new prospective professor for our university. I will be in Colorado for about a week. Then I go to Japan for the next 10 days to meet with our university branch in Japan about record sales there. After that, I returned to Los Angeles for a week, just in time for the graduation of the class of 2001. There you have it, my next month's schedule.
**Interviewer:** Thank you very much, Professor Nitic. I always enjoy having you on our show. We hope to have you back in our show next time.
**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, you will hear a lecture on the production and trade of rice. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
**Lecturer:** Good morning and welcome to our inaugural lecture on agricultural economics. Today's topic is the world's production and trade of rice. As you are all well aware, rice is the staple ingredient in the diet of much of the world's population. Its importance as a food cereal in the human diet cannot be underestimated. In fact, it's a close second to wheat. About 560 million metric tons of rice is grown each year compared with about 600 million metric tons of wheat. Coarse grains such as corn, sorghum, barley, oats, rye, and millet mostly go into animal feed, which by the way is seen by many as a wasteful and inefficient use of fertile land because around 4 kilos of grain is needed to produce about half a kilo of beef. Some 900 million metric tons of coarse grains are grown annually worldwide and a further 300 million metric tons of grain is produced for the oil in its seeds.
Now I'll return to the subject of rice production. What do we know about rice production? Well, firstly, rice produces more food energy per hectare than any other cereal grain and almost as much protein per hectare as wheat. Secondly, the production of rice has more than doubled in the last 40 years. How has this increase in production come about? Mainly as a result of improved field yields. The actual land area planted in rice has only risen by about 30%. As you know, rice is primarily grown in flooded fields and therefore cultivation area is restricted by the sort of soil and the availability of water. Although rice can be grown on dry land, it is essentially after all a type of grass. The yields and quality in this case are much lower and other grasses and weeds can easily overtake the rice. As yet, there are no herbicides that can selectively kill other grass types without killing the rice. Much of the world's rice is still grown and cultivated by hand. Because for mechanized farming, the land must be able to be drained and hold heavy equipment.
Let me now turn to the distribution of the total rice production. It's no surprise to learn that the greatest proportion by far is grown and consumed in Asia. You will see from the chart that the leading producers of rice are China at around 39% followed by India with a quarter of the total. Indonesia produces almost one-tenth and other countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and Brazil grow another 25 almost 26% of the total. As I said before, most rice is consumed in the countries where it is grown. That means that very little rice is actually traded and for this reason the market price is very volatile.
**Narrator:** That is the end of section four. You now have half a minute to check your answers.