IELTS Listening Practice Test 178
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 a researcher discussing a method for forecasting influenza outbreaks with a podcast host.
Questions 1–6
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Forecast Benefits and Study Scope
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
Healthcare planning | forecasts help with |
Hospitals | preparing resources |
Public advice | possible need for |
First evaluation | covered a period in one small county |
What was needed next | a longer evaluation on |
Period of this evaluation | 2009 to |
Questions 7–10
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a podcast talk about scientific ideas concerning interdependence and disease monitoring.
Questions 11–15
Complete the summary below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
An Argument about Interdependence
The speaker argued that human survival is not limited to the microscopic units within us; it depends on the whole planet and its atmosphere. He suggested that Earth resembles a living , whose sky acts as a protective . He further noted that DNA’s capacity for minor is vital for biological diversity. These variations can originate during replication or via mobile genetic . Once a mutation creates a novel pattern, that pattern is inherited by each when it divides.
Questions 16–20
Choose five answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 16–20. NB You may use any letter more than once.
- A It is cited as an illustration of an interim technological fix.
- B It shows that owners may become ill while their animals stay well.
- C It demonstrates contamination reaching people with contrasting incomes.
- D It links cases separated by both locality and age group.
- E It involves a process that is unavoidably protracted.
- F It relies on comparing bacterial genetic material.
- G It proves that identical strains always produce clear connections.
- H It requires coordination between health and agricultural laboratories.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a researcher talking with a podcast host about a tick-borne infection in the United Kingdom.
Questions 21–25
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 26–30
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Clinical Features of the Infection
Recognising the illness
- Typical early indication: a spreading rash around the or elsewhere on the body
- This is also called a rash
- Roughly of patients fail to notice any rash
- Other possible presentations include fever, , or neurological symptoms
- Exact of bacteria is seldom isolated from clinical cases
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a podcast talk about the worldwide effects of influenza and the difficulty of assessing them.
Questions 31–35
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Questions 36–40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Prevention and Monitoring
Immunisation is widely viewed as the most Drop or choose answer means of averting influenza. Besides lowering case numbers, it can prevent Drop or choose answer and reduce absenteeism from work or school. For people who become ill, antiviral drugs can shorten the Drop or choose answer of symptoms. Nevertheless, both vaccines and antivirals remain Drop or choose answer in low- and middle-income settings. Almost every country therefore conducts Drop or choose answer to track the virus and share findings internationally.
- A length
- B surveillance
- C vaccination
- D cost-effective
- E hospitalizations
- F immunity
- G complications
- H underused
- I treatment
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forecasting Seasonal Influenza Locally | 1–10 | Table completion, Short-answer questions |
| 2 | Interdependence and Disease Surveillance | 11–20 | Summary completion, Matching features |
| 3 | Recognising a Tick-Borne Illness | 21–30 | Multiple choice, Note completion |
| 4 | Estimating Influenza's Global Burden | 31–40 | Sentence completion, Summary completion (word list) |
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: Nowcasting Influenza Locally in Sweden (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: Lives of a Cell: 40 Years Later, A Third Interpretation (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 3: Lyme Disease in Treeless Islands of Scotland (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: Progress and Remaining Gaps in Estimating the Global Disease Burden of Influenza (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)