IELTS Listening Practice Test 40
4 parts · 40 questions · about 32 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 an astrobiologist about his career and the search for life's origins.
Questions 1–7
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Astrobiologist's Background
Early life
- Childhood collection included rocks and various
- Year of internship:
Key discovery
- The meteorite suggested that life on Mars was
Research focus
- Research focuses on space rocks
Building blocks of life
- Amino acids form proteins as well as
- A further substance found in nucleic acids:
- Substances that make up cell boundaries:
Questions 8–10
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a radio report about the Rolling Stones and their singer.
Questions 11–15
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–G, next to Questions 11–15.
- A a positive assessment from critics
- B a sense of being more youthful
- C a need for several concerts to reach peak form
- D a gap of nearly twenty years
- E possible shows in other parts of the world
- F a two-hour spell on stage
- G a guest appearance by a famous musician
Questions 16–20
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear an interview with an engineer about two small satellites built at NASA.
Questions 21–28
Complete the flow-chart below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
From two satellites to a constellation
Questions 29–30
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a talk about a NASA programme that supports health research for space missions.
Questions 31–36
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Space Health Swap
Exchange scheme
- The exchange programme started operating .
- Scientists may spend their based at a NASA centre.
- Dorit describes the initiative as a kind of holiday for .
Industry funding
- An upcoming call for proposals, scheduled for the , is aimed at businesses.
- Start-up firms can produce goods for very little .
- The next call will concentrate mainly on health.
Questions 37–40
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Long-duration spaceflight
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
Maximum time in spacecraft | years |
Living space | very small |
Crew selection | colleagues chosen by the astronaut's |
Signs of low mood | sleeping longer and using more language |
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | An astrobiologist's story | 1–10 | Form completion, Short-answer questions |
| 2 | A rock band still on tour | 11–20 | Matching features, Multiple choice |
| 3 | Building two tiny satellites | 21–30 | Flow-chart completion, Multiple choice (choose more than one) |
| 4 | Health research for long space missions | 31–40 | Note 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: The Blueprint of Life (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: Mick Jagger Teases Album, More Touring for Rolling Stones. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: NACHO Average Experiment (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 4: Space Health Technologies (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)