IELTS Listening Practice Test 71
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 a podcast host speaking with an Air Force general and a NASA astronaut about their organisations.
Questions 1–5
Complete the form below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Air Force Chief of Staff Responsibilities
Role Overview
Total personnel under command:
Ability to operate with allied forces:
Approximate scale compared with IBM: times larger
Key area defended:
Future capability priority:
Questions 6–10
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Air Force and NASA: Key Details
| Aspect | Information |
|---|---|
Collaboration with space agency started | |
University commission year | |
Initial guiding principle | |
Principle of selflessness | |
Commitment to maximum achievement |
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a science news report about a rock sample collected on Mars.
Questions 11–15
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Questions 16–20
Complete the flowchart below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Scientific examination and future work
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a conversation between a host and Philip Baldwin about NASA's Near Space Network.
Questions 21–26
Choose the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 21–26.
- A It accounts for roughly half of the current support.
- B It necessitates worldwide coverage to observe all sky regions.
- C Its diameter is approximately eighteen metres.
- D It relies on human operators for oversight and intervention.
- E It is dispatched through terrestrial fibre networks to various endpoints.
- F It is retained for a period of seven to thirty days as redundancy.
- G It is entirely government-owned and operated.
- H It functions without any on-site personnel.
Questions 27–30
Complete the summary below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
The ground stations function on a basis, with personnel continuously present on . Because spacecraft emergencies can arise , staff must be prepared to promptly.
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a podcast interview about testing a lunar rover at several NASA centres.
Questions 31–35
Label the diagram below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
NASA Glenn test apparatus and rover features
Apparatus with an adjustable incline for provoking controlled sliding:
Container holding minute rounded particles instead of genuine lunar soil:
The small round objects inside that container, which do not adhere to one another:
Movable connections enabling the wheels to be angled or repositioned:
Different patterns of movement developed after observing the rover’s abilities:
Questions 36–40
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Military and Civilian Research Cooperation | 1–10 | Form completion, Table completion |
| 2 | Analysing a Collected Rock Sample | 11–20 | Short-answer questions, Flow-chart completion |
| 3 | Managing a Communications Network | 21–30 | Matching features, Summary completion |
| 4 | Testing a Vehicle Across Research Sites | 31–40 | Note 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: Air to Space (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: NASA Rover Captures Rock Showing Possible Signs of Microbial Life. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: Space Communications (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: VIPER (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)