IELTS Listening Practice Test 194
4 parts · 40 questions · about 28 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 podcast interview about a study of an infection spread by rodents.
Questions 1–10
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Research Findings
| Aspect of the study | Key information |
|---|---|
Biological classification | The pathogen is a broad of related viruses. |
Mode of transmission | Excretion occurs through solid waste and . |
Reported frequency | In the United States, only around instances are recorded each year. |
Initial clinical signs | Early illness often mimics influenza, with fever and muscular . |
Severe outcome | In critical cases, fluid in the lungs can be fatal in approximately one of patients. |
Historical context | A major outbreak among military personnel took place in the . |
Region of the first recognised US outbreak | the United States |
Principal exposure setting | Most infections were acquired at . |
Specific household activity | A significant minority fell ill while spaces inhabited by rodents. |
Occupational risk | Nearly half of patients worked in sectors such as and ranching. |
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a public health podcast about recent measles and mpox outbreaks.
Questions 11–15
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Questions 16–20
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–G, below.
The mpox virus exists as two principal Drop or choose answer, with clade I responsible for a greater Drop or choose answer in severe illness than clade II. During 2023–2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded an unprecedented number of cases, the majority of which were Drop or choose answer . Since January 2023, the country has reported nearly 20,000 cases, and children under five made up Drop or choose answer of them. To help contain the virus, CDC is assisting the DRC by expanding capacity for Drop or choose answer and training local healthcare workers.
- A reported
- B clades
- C surveillance
- D proportion
- E 28%
- F suspected
- G testing
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a podcast interview about an infectious disease.
Questions 21–25
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–G, next to Questions 21–25.
- A can carry several disease agents at once
- B has not been shown to pass between people
- C is not effective against viral infections
- D was recently discovered to carry the virus
- E is widespread across the eastern half of the continent
- F often causes a secondary bacterial infection
- G responds well to antibiotic therapy
Questions 26–30
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Clinical Signs and Complications
Initial presentation
- Commonly begins with a high temperature and
- Patients may also complain of tiredness and
- Digestive upset, along with , is common
Later stages
- The infection may reach several
- Serious cases may lead to complications
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear part of a podcast in which a researcher discusses a type of bacterial infection with a presenter.
Questions 31–35
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 36–40
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
The speaker stresses that the upward trend is clearly in nature, so the explanations must be arranged into three broad areas. Looking first at the organism itself, too few historical samples exist to show whether it has become more aggressive, but much of the increase can be traced to one particular known as stG62647, which has become throughout Europe and also in Canada. Turning to societal factors, laboratories now classify the organism more accurately, and more are taken from patients, so more bacteria are detected. Even when allowance is made for these two influences, the figures keep climbing, and the speaker therefore concludes that a growing section of the population is to infection.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Investigating a Rodent-Borne Infection | 1–10 | Table completion |
| 2 | Infectious Disease Outbreak Response | 11–20 | Sentence completion, Summary completion (word list) |
| 3 | Clinical Signs of a Tickborne Virus | 21–30 | Matching features, Note completion |
| 4 | Why Infection Rates Are Rising | 31–40 | Multiple choice, Summary 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: Two Decades of Hantavirus (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: Week of May 13, 2024 (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: Comprehensive Review of Emergence and Virology of Tickborne Bourbon Virus in the United States (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: Streptococcus dysgalactiae Bloodstream Infections, Norway, 1999-2021 (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)