IELTS Listening Practice Test 168
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 an interview with a researcher about the spread of a drug-resistant bacterium.
Questions 1–6
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Notes on a Research Interview
Study observations
- The newly identified clone had evidently displaced other
- Cases were increasingly recorded in infections as well as among older patients
- Data collection for the investigation ended in
Continuing work
- The team is still analysing freshly sequenced
Implications for public health
- Authorities must implement the right in order to curb transmission
- Further clones may be gathering and could pose the next threat
Questions 7–10
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a discussion between a researcher and a podcast host about the way epidemics have been represented in films.
Questions 11–15
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Social responses to epidemics in film
| Feature of the discussion | Detail |
|---|---|
Root cause of the first reaction | anxiety about |
Behaviours cited | blaming others, intolerance and |
Originator of the concept | an American |
Contagion: earliest case | a from Macao |
The Painted Veil: role of the rural settlement | the of infection |
Questions 16–20
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a researcher talking about a study of a virus found in flying foxes.
Questions 21–26
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 27–28
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Questions 29–30
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a talk about reducing the risk of future disease outbreaks.
Questions 31–35
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Prevention Measures
The authors outline five areas for intervention. Alongside protecting forest habitats, they recommend raising wellbeing and for communities in high-risk regions. They also call for tighter infection control in , stricter oversight of , and broader to identify outbreaks swiftly. Because no single discipline can deliver these measures alone, implementation depends on .
Questions 36–40
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Strategic Balance and Future Risk
Balance of strategies
- Current debate prioritises readiness over .
- Medical countermeasures are frequently .
- Avoiding outbreaks particularly assists populations in .
- A is required, combining both approaches.
Future risk
- Reappearance of diseases such as shows fragility.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tracking an Emerging Resistant Infection | 1–10 | Note completion, Short-answer questions |
| 2 | Epidemics on Film | 11–20 | Table completion, Multiple choice |
| 3 | Surveying a Wildlife Virus | 21–30 | Multiple choice, Multiple choice (choose more than one) |
| 4 | Preventing Future Disease Outbreaks | 31–40 | Summary completion, 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: Multidrug-Resistant MRSA, Rio de Janeiro (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 2: Epidemics in Movies (CDC podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 3: Novel Hendra Virus Variant in Black, and Grey-Headed, Flying Foxes, Australia (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 4: Interventions to Reduce Risk for Pathogen Spillover and Early Disease Spread to Prevent Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)