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IELTS Academic Listening practice test online, with an instant band score

Exam style IELTS Academic Listening questions across every type: note completion, multiple choice, matching, map labelling and more. Your first full test is free, with a full explanation on every question.

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Writing feedback, Band 7.5, four criteria

9:41

SAMPLE QUESTION Interactive sample

Recording: Greenfield Recycling Centre Question 1 of 40

"Rumours that we belong to a private waste management firm are not the case. Others assume an operation this size must be run by the local council. Neither is correct. We are a registered not for profit organisation."

Who manages the recycling centre?

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Around 30 Minutes

4 Parts • 40 Questions

~10 questions per part

11+ Question Types

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1,715+ Questions

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How to approach IELTS Listening

1Read ahead in the gaps: Use every pause to read the next set of questions before that section plays.
2Predict the answer: Decide what kind of word each gap needs, such as a name, a number or a place.
3Listen for the paraphrase: The questions reword the audio, so follow meaning rather than waiting for matching words.
4Catch spellings and numbers: Names are often spelled aloud and numbers said clearly, so write them as they come.
5Never dwell on a missed answer: If you miss one, let it go and focus on the next, or you will miss two.
6Respect the word limit: Going over the stated number of words is marked wrong even when the meaning is right.

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Practice by question type

View all question types

Note Completion381 questions Form Completion158 questions Table Completion99 questions Sentence Completion135 questions Summary Completion132 questions Flowchart Completion87 questions Multiple Choice318 questions Multiple Choice with Multiple Answers167 questions Matching139 questions Map Labelling84 questions Short Answer Questions15 questions

Free First TestReading and Listening, band included

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Student stories

Real students. Real bands.

Real, permission approved students who prepped on the platform, with 20+ more growing. Individual results vary.

RahilWriting 7.0★★★★★

My Writing went from a 6 to a 7. Getting band feedback on Task 1 and Task 2 separately, with the exact reason for each criterion, finally showed me what an examiner is looking for.

SASamanyuReading 7.5★★★★★

Reading used to wreck my timing, but I got to 7.5. The AI explains why each answer is right, not just the key, so the question types finally clicked.

DiyaListening 7.5★★★★★

Listening was my weakest skill and I scored 7.5. The practice covers every accent, and the section breakdown showed me precisely where I was dropping marks.

RaviSpeaking 7.0★★★★★

The Speaking practice gives instant feedback on fluency, pronunciation and grammar, exactly like a real examiner. It built my confidence and I scored a 7.

RahilWriting 7.0★★★★★

My Writing went from a 6 to a 7. Getting band feedback on Task 1 and Task 2 separately, with the exact reason for each criterion, finally showed me what an examiner is looking for.

SASamanyuReading 7.5★★★★★

Reading used to wreck my timing, but I got to 7.5. The AI explains why each answer is right, not just the key, so the question types finally clicked.

DiyaListening 7.5★★★★★

Listening was my weakest skill and I scored 7.5. The practice covers every accent, and the section breakdown showed me precisely where I was dropping marks.

RaviSpeaking 7.0★★★★★

The Speaking practice gives instant feedback on fluency, pronunciation and grammar, exactly like a real examiner. It built my confidence and I scored a 7.

RSRahul S.Writing 7.5★★★★★

Writing always confused me until the AI started marking Task 1 and Task 2 criterion by criterion. I hit 7.5, and the model answers showed me exactly how to lift my responses.

TanishaReading 7.5★★★★★

I reached a 7.5 in Reading. Unlimited realistic passages plus the per question review after every test meant I could see exactly where I went wrong and fix it.

SPSpandanListening 7.5★★★★★

The Listening mocks with full transcripts and answer review pushed me to 7.5. Being scored in about a minute meant I never had to wait to know where I stood.

HiyaSpeaking 6.5★★★★★

Practising Speaking with instant AI feedback after every answer made a huge difference to my confidence. I reached 6.5 and finally stopped freezing up in the test.

RSRahul S.Writing 7.5★★★★★

Writing always confused me until the AI started marking Task 1 and Task 2 criterion by criterion. I hit 7.5, and the model answers showed me exactly how to lift my responses.

TanishaReading 7.5★★★★★

I reached a 7.5 in Reading. Unlimited realistic passages plus the per question review after every test meant I could see exactly where I went wrong and fix it.

SPSpandanListening 7.5★★★★★

The Listening mocks with full transcripts and answer review pushed me to 7.5. Being scored in about a minute meant I never had to wait to know where I stood.

HiyaSpeaking 6.5★★★★★

Practising Speaking with instant AI feedback after every answer made a huge difference to my confidence. I reached 6.5 and finally stopped freezing up in the test.

Try one of each, with full explanation

Note Completion

381 questions in the pool

Part 1 recording

"One course focuses on landscape work, and the other covers portrait work. Which were you interested in?"

Complete the notes. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.

Type of course: ______ photography

Form Completion

158 questions in the pool

Part 1 recording

"Your full name?" "Leah Whitaker. W. H. I. T. A. K. E. R."

Complete the form. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.

Student surname: ______

Table Completion

99 questions in the pool

Part 1 recording

"First, piano. The class does not run at the weekend, it is on Friday afternoons, four o’clock."

Complete the table. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.

Piano lesson day: ______

Sentence Completion

135 questions in the pool

Part 4 recording

"By connecting points of equal elevation into a single line, cartographers could represent three dimensional terrain on a flat sheet."

Complete the sentence. Write ONE WORD ONLY.

Cartographers use contour lines to join points sharing the same ______.

Summary Completion

132 questions in the pool

Part 4 recording

"Students who are blind can now read technical journals and sit mathematics examinations on equal terms with sighted peers."

Complete the summary. Write ONE WORD ONLY.

Braille notation now lets blind students sit ______ examinations on equal terms.

Flowchart Completion

87 questions in the pool

Part 4 recording

"Valentin Hauy produced embossed regular letters, pressing standard letterforms into thick paper so they stood up in relief."

Complete the flowchart. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.

Hauy’s method produced ______ raised letterforms that readers traced by hand.

Multiple Choice

318 questions in the pool

Part 2 recording

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Who manages the recycling centre?

Multiple Choice with Multiple Answers

167 questions in the pool

Part 3 recording

"The actual hand in date keeps shifting in my head, and that puts pressure on how long we can spend gathering measurements."

Choose TWO letters, A to E.

Which TWO concerns does Tom raise about the project?

Matching

139 questions in the pool

Part 2 recording

"The plant getting the most photographs at the moment is echinacea, the purple coneflower, currently in full bloom in the herb beds."

Match each plant with the garden zone. Choose A to E.

echinacea

Map Labelling

84 questions in the pool

Part 2 recording

"Directly ahead of you as you come through the entrance, that large area is the paper sorting hall, where our team processes all the cardboard and paper deliveries."

Label the map. Write the correct letter, A to H.

Which feature is directly ahead of the entrance?

Short Answer Questions

15 questions in the pool

Part 4 recording

"In the mid nineteen fifties a research group was established in Bombay, at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research."

Answer the question. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.

In which city was the research group set up?

Official IELTS sources

Exam facts on this page are written in our own words from information published by the IELTS partners. Confirm current test rules, dates and fees on the official sites:

What is in the IELTS Academic Listening test

The Listening test lasts about 30 minutes plus transfer time on paper, and has 4 parts with 10 questions each, 40 in total. Part 1 is a conversation about an everyday need such as booking or enrolling. Part 2 is a monologue about a community topic, often with a map or plan. Part 3 is a discussion between students or a tutor about an academic task. Part 4 is a lecture on an academic subject with no breaks.

The recordings play once only. Difficulty rises through the parts, so a strong Part 1 and Part 2 protect your band while you fight for the harder Part 3 and Part 4 marks.

Every one of our 39 full Listening tests follows this 4-part, 40-question structure, with the same question types you meet on exam day: form, note, table and sentence completion, multiple choice, matching, map and plan labelling, and short answer.

IELTS Listening band score table: raw score to band

Listening is marked out of 40 and converted to a band. The same table applies to IELTS Academic and General Training. This is the exact conversion our practice tests use, so the band you see after a mock is the band that raw score would earn.

The gap between 6.5 and 7.0 is 30 correct answers. For most students that is the target line: 30 out of 40.

Correct answers (out of 40)	Band
39 to 40	9.0
37 to 38	8.5
35 to 36	8.0
32 to 34	7.5
30 to 31	7.0
26 to 29	6.5
23 to 25	6.0
18 to 22	5.5
16 to 17	5.0
13 to 15	4.5
11 to 12	4.0

IELTS on paper vs computer-delivered Listening: what changes

The audio, question types and marking are identical. What changes is how you record answers. On paper you write on the question booklet and get 10 minutes at the end to transfer answers to the answer sheet. On computer you type answers directly and get only 2 minutes to check, with no transfer time.

Computer-delivered candidates wear headphones and can adjust the volume, and the questions appear on screen one part at a time, so scrolling and highlighting become part of the skill. On paper, the room speakers and your own handwriting speed matter more.

Our practice tests run in the browser with typed answers, which matches the computer-delivered format exactly. If you are sitting the paper test, practise here for the listening skill, then do at least two full tests on printed paper to rehearse the 10-minute transfer, where spelling and word-limit mistakes most often appear.

How to use these Listening practice tests

Start with one full sectional test under exam conditions: audio once, no pausing, 40 questions in a row. Your band and a per-question review appear immediately, with the transcript timed to each answer so you can hear exactly where a missed answer was said.

Then move to practice by question type. The review shows which type cost you the most marks. Pick that type from the grid above and drill only that type until it stops costing you.

Finish with a second full test a few days later. Two full tests plus targeted drills between them is the fastest route from 6.5 to 7.0 that we see in student data. Your first full Listening test is free on the DigiSurf Academy IELTS Academic portal, and Pro opens the rest of the library.

Frequently asked questions

Is the IELTS Listening practice free?

Your first full Listening test is free with an instant band score, and so is your first Reading test and your first full mock across all four modules. You can try a sample with no login. A free account opens the full sectional test. The rest of the Listening library is on Pro.

How many times do I hear the audio?

Once, exactly like the real exam. Each recording plays a single time, so reading ahead and predicting answers is the core skill.

How accurate is the band score?

Listening is graded automatically against the official answer key and mapped to the IELTS band scale, so it is an accurate reflection of how your raw score converts to a band.

Is this Academic or General Training?

The Listening test is the same for IELTS Academic and General Training. Our material is exam style and works for both. We also cover Academic Reading, Writing and Speaking.

Can I take an IELTS Listening practice test online for free?

Yes. Your first full Listening test runs online in your browser, free, with the audio played once and an instant band score. A free account keeps your history so you can see your band move between tests.

Is there an IELTS on paper Listening practice test?

The audio and questions are the same for paper and computer. Practise the listening skill here online, then rehearse the paper-only step, the 10-minute answer transfer, on a printed sheet before exam day.

Is a free IELTS Academic Listening mock test the same as the real exam?

Our full tests match the real structure: 4 parts, 40 questions, rising difficulty, recordings played once, and the same question types. Scores are practice estimates that use the official raw-score-to-band conversion, not official results.

How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in Listening?

30 out of 40 gives band 7.0, and 32 gives 7.5. Band 8.0 needs 35. The full conversion table is on this page.