IELTS Listening Practice Test 129
4 parts · 40 questions · about 31 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 a conversation about an airfield used by several organisations and the preparation of personnel for demanding flights.
Questions 1–5
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Aviation Site Register
| Unit, aircraft or facility | Relevant detail |
|---|---|
Principal jet for preparation programme | |
Classification of the shared site | |
Other military branch present | |
Aircraft type used by Air Force National Guard | |
Civilian training provision |
Questions 6–10
Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Personnel Preparation Record
Reports to:
Overall aim: achieve
Key team skill: and communication
Maintenance task: turning
Repair requirement: work
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a short radio programme about expressions people use when describing how one event causes another.
Questions 11–15
What does the speaker say about each of the following? Choose the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 11–15.
- A The people involved had anticipated what would follow.
- B A single dispute put an end to the relationship.
- C It is a phrase that has become part of everyday language.
- D Its fragile construction makes it easily harmed.
- E One small push toppled the entire arrangement.
- F It halted after employees acted collectively.
- G It is the eventual outcome of a tiny change elsewhere.
- H Its consequences are confined to one small area.
Questions 16–20
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a podcast interview about the problem of debris in the ocean.
Questions 21–25
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 26–30
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Impacts of debris
Marine debris causes a range of ecological harm. Animals may become Drop or choose answer in debris, while bulky items such as abandoned fishing gear can Drop or choose answer sensitive habitats. When wildlife consumes microplastics, laboratory research indicates possible delays in Drop or choose answer and impaired reproduction. Lost fishing equipment can continue to trap species, a phenomenon known as Drop or choose answer. Debris may also transport organisms to new locations, potentially creating Drop or choose answer problems.
- A tourism
- B funding
- C entangled
- D disease
- E smother
- F propellers
- G invasive species
- H developmental stages
- I ghost fishing
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a talk by a marine scientist about the techniques used to survey the ocean floor.
Questions 31–35
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Complete the summary below.
Large stretches of the ocean floor remain uncharted, and even where surveys exist the records are often decades old. Early crews lowered a rope fitted with a in order to establish how deep the water was, a method that yielded very few readings. Present-day vessels, by contrast, gather roughly measurements in a single day. Modern sonar equipment transmits several frequencies: higher ones deliver denser data but cannot so far down into the ocean. Each fan-shaped pulse contains around three hundred separate of sound, and the returning echoes are used to build up a picture of the seabed's , showing whether it is flat, ridged or sloping.
Questions 36–40
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Complete the table below.
| Technology or comparison | What it shows or represents |
|---|---|
Backscatter | gives the of the sound sent back by the seabed |
Tiles in a shower | illustrate a hard surface such as coral that most of the signal |
Garments in a closet | act as material that soaks up the signal |
Depth data plus echo strength | together generate detailed maps in dimensions |
3D visualiser | lets researchers lay the backscatter data over a of the seabed |
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Managing a Shared Aviation Facility | 1–10 | Table completion, Form completion |
| 2 | How Small Actions Trigger Chain Reactions | 11–20 | Matching features, Sentence completion |
| 3 | Tackling Marine Debris | 21–30 | Multiple choice, Summary completion (word list) |
| 4 | Charting the Ocean Floor with Sound | 31–40 | Summary completion, Table 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: Airspace (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: Exploring the 'Butterfly Effect'. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: Marine Debris - Talking Trash (NOAA Ocean Podcast). NOAA National Ocean Service, NOAA Ocean Podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 4: Finding Fish Hotspots and Mapping Coral Reefs (NOAA Making Waves podcast). NOAA National Ocean Service, Making Waves podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)