IELTS Listening Practice Test 60
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 conversation between a host and two guests about their careers in STEM.
Questions 1–6
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Career Backgrounds
Kris Brown
- When she began in engineering, women represented less than percent of the workforce.
- She was often the sole female engineer in the .
- Most of her influential early were male.
Emily Calandrelli
- Originally considered studying due to her interest in art and math.
- Attended a state school because of its low .
- Found that engineering graduates had the highest starting .
Questions 7–10
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a radio report about cell phone restrictions in American high schools.
Questions 11–15
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Policies and teacher survey findings
| State / source | Key detail |
|---|---|
Virginia | Local school systems must adopt guidance by |
Florida | Schools must block social media on their |
Oklahoma, Vermont, Kansas | Recently introduced so-called legislation |
Pew Research Center | Most high school teachers identify phone use as a major |
Pew Research Center | Only six percent of elementary teachers consider phone use |
Questions 16–20
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a radio presenter in conversation with two people who work for a music station connected with a space agency.
Questions 21–26
What does the speaker say about each of the following? Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 21–26.
- A It involved being seconded from another body.
- B It has risen and fallen in popularity.
- C It requires representing listeners who lack expertise.
- D It draws on how rapidly broadcasting can respond.
- E It has never been abandoned as a personal favourite.
- F It stemmed from a close family tie.
- G It pairs discovering new music with acquiring knowledge.
- H It calls for recognised scientific credentials.
Questions 27–30
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–H, below.
Reviewing the station's tenth year, Donna recalled how delighted she had been at the outset by a mere Drop or choose answer followers on social media. Since then the audience has grown dramatically: the station now estimates a minimum of Drop or choose answer listener connections annually, and average listening time has risen to five hours. Securing a two-hour presenting slot for the astronaut Scott Kelly struck her as the realisation of a Drop or choose answer, and for the coming decade she would welcome more Drop or choose answer.
- A 100
- B 20,000
- C 30 million
- D 30,000
- E dream
- F travel
- G five hours
- H anniversary
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a talk about an expandable spacecraft module tested on the International Space Station.
Questions 31–35
Label the diagram below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
The expandable module
Questions 36–40
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STEM Career Paths | 1–10 | Note completion, Multiple choice |
| 2 | Cell phone restrictions in U.S. high schools | 11–20 | Table completion, Short-answer questions |
| 3 | Radio Waves: ten years of a space-agency radio station | 21–30 | Matching features, Summary completion (word list) |
| 4 | Expandable Spacecraft Module | 31–40 | Diagram label completion, Sentence 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: Her Passion for STEM (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: US States Push for Cell Phone Ban in High Schools. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: Radio Waves (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: BEAM and Expandable Spacecraft (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)