IELTS Listening Practice Test 124
4 parts · 40 questions · about 34 minutes of audio. Below are all the questions. Take the test in your free dashboard to play the recordings, answer as you listen, and get your band score with the transcript of every answer.
Part 1: Questions 1–10
You will hear an interview about how research findings are turned into products for industry.
Questions 1–10
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Technology Transfer Process
| Stage | Key point |
|---|---|
Early development | The original idea was introduced during the . |
Industry involvement | A private firm subsequently built a working module. |
Design advantage | Designers value it for increasing usable within carrier craft. |
Licensing terms | A licence is often linked to a . |
Continued input | Agency specialists stay involved in the technology's . |
Reporting | Inventors submit a formal to the transfer office. |
Review | The office consults its on whether protection is feasible. |
Selection rate | Only around of reports proceed to application. |
Novelty check | An assessment is made of existing . |
Market test | Market is also assessed. |
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a radio programme about expressions connected with colours and personality.
Questions 11–15
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Questions 16–20
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–I, next to Questions 16–20.
Origins of the Expression
The idiom is believed to have originated in the eighteenth century within the domain of Drop or choose answer. Vessels used colored flags to signal the nation to which they were formally Drop or choose answer. Pirates would initially sail beneath a Drop or choose answer so that other ships would not become suspicious. Once sufficiently close to launch an assault, they would Drop or choose answer their authentic colors. A related expression concerns an individual’s stripes; under pressure, Marisa revealed hers when she Drop or choose answer others instead of acknowledging her own faults.
- A concern
- B raise
- C white flag
- D sailing ships
- E attack
- F blamed
- G stripes
- H friendly flag
- I registered
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a podcast discussion between a host and two scientists about an environmental monitoring programme.
Questions 21–25
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 26–30
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Long-term monitoring is difficult because techniques evolve, so the programme stresses consistent monitoring and integrated assessments. Quality assurance procedures safeguard the of results across years. Attention has moved from banned legacy substances to chemicals whose low-dose effects are not well understood. Besides chemical analysis, the programme studies bivalve health, including the parasite in their tissues. As oceans warm, parasite communities may shift towards the , and such evidence can illuminate and its consequences for marine life.
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a podcast interview about the science behind accurate mapping and navigation.
Questions 31–40
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Notes on Measuring the Earth
Shape and early navigation
- Earth is classified as an
- Maps covering extensive areas must allow for the planet's
- Before modern systems, travellers judged direction using the
Origins and complexity
- The term's Greek root refers to splitting the planet into
- The discipline merges other sciences, especially
Modelling gravity
- Gravitational readings help produce a
- A geoid resembles a
- The geoid permits accurate measurement of
Practical applications
- Surveying helps resolve questions about
- Individual nations create their own for better local maps
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercialising Public Inventions | 1–10 | Table completion |
| 2 | Colorful Idioms and Identity | 11–20 | Sentence completion, Summary completion (word list) |
| 3 | Using Mussels to Track Pollution | 21–30 | Multiple choice, Summary completion |
| 4 | The Science Behind Accurate Maps | 31–40 | Note completion |
How to use it
- Open the test in your dashboard. Each part has its own track with the spoken instructions and the time to read the questions, as in the real exam.
- For exam practice, play each part once at 1× speed. To train your ear, slow it down or replay sections.
- Select words in a question to highlight the keywords you are listening for.
- After submitting, use “Show in transcript” to see exactly where each answer was said.
Audio sources
The recordings are real, copyright-free audio. The questions are written by Sprechify, and the spoken instructions use a synthetic voice.
- Part 1: NASA Tech in the World (NASA Houston We Have a Podcast). NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston We Have a Podcast (NASA audio is generally not subject to copyright in the US)
- Part 2: What Are Your ‘True Colors’?. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: The Microplastic-Mussel Connection: Part One (NOAA Ocean Podcast). NOAA National Ocean Service, NOAA Ocean Podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 4: Geodesy: The Invisible Backbone of Navigation (NOAA Ocean Podcast). NOAA National Ocean Service, NOAA Ocean Podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)