IELTS Listening Practice Test 98
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 with a scientist about his professional background and a research project.
Questions 1–4
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Questions 5–10
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Research Project Notes
Study aim
- Establish whether internal microbes are escaping and persisting in a state outside the station.
Regulatory context
- Connected with measures designed to avoid cross-contamination.
Existing hardware
- External vents and ports are presently .
Future habitat risk
- Gas and water discharge could form a around a Martian base.
Engineering questions
- Identify the permissible for microbial release.
Eventual output
- Provide engineers with for a redesigned system.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a language programme about expressions used to describe hot weather.
Questions 11–16
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Hot Weather Vocabulary
| Description | Term or expression |
|---|---|
To become less warm | |
Sound of food frying in oil | |
Words that imitate sounds | |
A sound like escaping steam | |
Mechanical devices that spray grass | |
Sound of sweat falling |
Questions 17–18
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Questions 19–20
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a radio interview about how ocean currents are studied.
Questions 21–25
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 26–30
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below.
Contemporary current-measuring equipment
Modern monitoring depends on far more sophisticated equipment. A present-day drifter takes the shape of Drop or choose answer which can remain beneath the surface for long stretches, surfacing periodically to relay its readings. The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, in service for roughly two decades, is typically fixed to the seabed or the hull of a vessel and releases a pulse of sound that rebounds off Drop or choose answer held in the water. Applying the Doppler principle allows the device to establish the Drop or choose answer of the current. In addition, Drop or choose answer apparatus installed on land uses the same principle to judge whether water is approaching or retreating; combining readings from two or more antennas lets researchers assemble Drop or choose answer of surface flow across a vast coastal region.
- A a submerged sensor
- B a map
- C the seabed
- D particles
- E an acoustic signal
- F a buoy
- G shoreline-based
- H a radio antenna
- I velocity and heading
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a talk about the purpose and international growth of marine conservation zones.
Questions 31–35
Complete the summary below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Marine Protection Summary
Certain no-take zones permit access yet ban the and damage of natural or cultural assets. Some are intended to safeguard areas or places where young develop. Others function as a enabling managers and scientists to compare conditions. A site’s Conservation Focus influences planning, dimensions, scale and approaches. In fact, under one per cent of American waters lie within zones.
Questions 36–40
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
International Development of Marine Protection
Marine protected areas around the world
- The United States has employed these zones as a regulatory instrument for .
- New Zealand and Australia have run similar schemes for more than .
- Canada and Mexico now cooperate with the USA to build a across the continent.
- The partnership sets up joint that cut across different areas.
- Such work matters because many species are and cross national boundaries.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microbial Leakage Experiment | 1–10 | Short-answer questions, Note completion |
| 2 | Expressions for Hot Weather | 11–20 | Table completion, Multiple choice (choose more than one) |
| 3 | Measuring the Movement of Seawater | 21–30 | Multiple choice, Summary completion (word list) |
| 4 | Marine Conservation Zones | 31–40 | Summary 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: Science in a Spacesuit (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: Talking about Hot Weather Around the World. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: What are Currents? (NOAA Diving Deeper podcast). NOAA National Ocean Service, Diving Deeper podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)
- Part 4: What are marine protected areas? (NOAA Diving Deeper podcast). NOAA National Ocean Service, Diving Deeper podcast (work of the US federal government, public domain)