IELTS Listening Practice Test 73
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 interview about an engineer's early training and career choices.
Questions 1–6
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Early Training and Rotations
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
Degree subject | |
High-school programme – duration of placement | |
Co-op scheme – approximate delay to graduation | |
First rotation – section | |
Second rotation – section | |
Third rotation – section |
Questions 7–10
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a report about the effects of the pandemic on education.
Questions 11–15
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below. Write the correct letter, A–I, next to Questions 11–15.
Learning Loss and Attendance
Since the pandemic began, students have continued to feel the effects of school closures, and experts fear the Drop or choose answer may last a long time. In many districts, Drop or choose answer has become more common, and some pupils disappeared from attendance records during the pandemic. At the same time, Drop or choose answer has entered classrooms, with some schools banning chatbots while others use the technology to support learning. In a national test for 13-year-olds, scores fell sharply, and the decreases were the largest recorded since Drop or choose answer. International PISA results also showed an unprecedented drop, although science and reading scores had been falling even before the pandemic; the OECD suggests factors such as Drop or choose answer and teachers' pay levels influence results.
- A school closures
- B learning loss
- C chronic absenteeism
- D chatbots
- E artificial intelligence
- F 1973
- G teacher shortages
- H class sizes
- I investment in education
Questions 16–20
Answer the questions below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear two researchers discussing how different areas of health research are being brought together and applied to patients on Earth.
Questions 21–22
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Questions 23–24
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Questions 25–30
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
A Predictive Model of Performance
Tom explains that figures gathered from earlier funded studies are being assembled into a that can forecast how radiation, changed gravity and stress combine. The model should show which region of the is involved, enabling researchers to foresee a in performance. It should also establish the of performance that are deemed tolerable. Aaron adds that, as findings converge, the various need to be consistent with one another, since something helpful in one respect, such as a , may prove damaging in another.
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a talk about a robotic laboratory used in chemical research.
Questions 31–35
Complete the flowchart below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Experimental Sequence
Questions 36–40
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Future Research and Consequences
Future research and consequences
- Forthcoming trials will examine additional Martian .
- Projected production is roughly grams of oxygen per square metre hourly.
- Extensive deployment might eliminate the requirement to oxygen from Earth.
- The equipment can operate without a break over multiple .
- Catalysts may be produced for processes that assist the of vegetation.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Career Path in Engineering | 1–10 | Table completion, Multiple choice |
| 2 | Pandemic Effects on Schooling | 11–20 | Summary completion (word list), Short-answer questions |
| 3 | Coordinating Research on Human Performance | 21–30 | Multiple choice (choose more than one), Summary completion |
| 4 | Automating Catalyst Discovery | 31–40 | Flow-chart completion, Note 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: African American History Month (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: Three Years after Pandemic, Students Still Far Behind. Dan Novak wrote this story for VOA Learning English.
- Part 3: The Human Element (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: Study: AI Robot Finds Way to Produce Oxygen from Water on Mars. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain