IELTS Practice Test Audioscript

Audioscript  $ 2•39 Agent:  Right, thanks. That’s all the personal and contact details.
SECTION 1 Now, I just need to fill in a couple more sections for our records
You will hear a young man who wants to find a temporary job here. The first one is your current situation – are you working
talking to someone at an employment agency. First, you have now?
some time to look at questions 1–7. Stephen:  No, I’m a full-time student at university.
You will see that there is an example that has been done for Agent:  Ah, OK. What are you studying?
you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will Stephen:  I’m in the second year of a three-year degree course
be played first. in economics.
Stephen:  Hi, I’m looking for a temporary job. Agent:  OK, I’ve made a note of that. Now, I need to get some
Agent:  OK, please take a seat. I’ll get some details from you and information about your availability for work. When would you
see what we can do. like to start, that sort of thing?
Stephen:  Thank you. Stephen:  OK, well, I’m looking for something from July to
Agent:  OK, so you’re looking for temporary work. Would that September, during the long summer holiday from university. If
be full-time or part-time? I can, I’d like to work for the whole of that period.
Stephen:  Well, I’d be happy with either at this point, but I’d Agent:  OK, fine. The last thing I need from you is what kind of
prefer full-time rather than part-time, really. work experience you already have. Just general information on
Agent:  OK, well I’ll put you down for that, then. what type of work you’ve done will be fine.
Stephen:  Fine. Stephen:  Well, I haven’t done much – I’ve been studying most
Stephen says that he would prefer full-time work and the of the time. But I worked for two months as a shop assistant in
agent says that she will register him for that, so full-time has a sports shop – selling sports equipment and clothing.
been written in the space. Now we shall begin. You should Agent:  OK, so some experience in retail. Anything else?
answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear Stephen:  Er, yes, I worked in a restaurant for three months.
the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer Agent:  OK, and some experience in catering. What did you do
questions 1–7. there?
Stephen:  Hi, I’m looking for a temporary job. Stephen:  Well, they actually employed me as a kitchen
Agent:  OK, please take a seat. I’ll get some details from you and assistant, but when I got there, they needed another waiter as
see what we can do. they were a bit short of them, so that’s what I did.
Stephen:  Thank you. Agent:  OK, I’ve got all that, and straight away I think there are
Agent:  OK, so you’re looking for temporary work. Would that two or three vacancies that might suit you. One second …
be full-time or part-time? Stephen:  That sounds good, I’ll make a note of them.
Stephen:  Well, I’d be happy with either at this point but I’d
prefer full-time rather than part-time really. Audioscript  $ 2•40
Agent:  OK, well I’ll put you down for that, then. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some
Stephen:  Fine. time to look at questions 8–10.
Agent:  Right, let’s get some details from you. First of all, your Now listen and answer questions 8–10.
full name. Agent:  Right, first of all, there’s a café in the town centre that’s
Stephen:  Stephen Morgan. looking for an extra assistant for the busy summer period.
Agent:  There are different ways of spelling Stephen. Which one That might work for you. There might be some evening work
is yours? involved in that – they work a shift system there as they stay
Stephen:  S-T-E-P-H-E-N. open in the evening.
Agent:  OK, thanks. And your surname is Morgan. So that’s M-O- Stephen:  OK. That sounds possible.
R-G-A-N? Agent:  Well, they’re holding interviews for that next week, so I
Stephen:  Yes, that’s right. could fix that up for you.
Agent:  OK, fine. I’ll just need a few more personal details from Stephen:  Great – thank you.
you and then we can look at the possibilities. So, next then, I Agent:  OK. I’ll let you know about interview dates and times
need your address and postcode, please. once I hear back from them.
Stephen:  It’s fourteen, Sycamore Avenue, that’s S-Y-C-A-M-O- Stephen:  Fine, thanks.
R-E Avenue. Agent:  Also, the tourist information office is looking for people
Agent:  And it’s number fourteen. Right? to do administrative work. It doesn’t involve giving any advice
Stephen:  Yes, that’s right. to the public – it’s in an office behind the scenes there. Would
Agent:  OK. And the postcode? that be of interest? It requires computer skills.
Stephen:  LM6 8PB. Stephen:  That’s not a problem. Yes, I’d be really interested in
Agent:  OK, I’ve got that. Next, I’ll need a contact number so that.
that we can get in touch with you if and when something Agent:  OK, I’ll email them your details. What else have we got?
suitable comes up. Please say it slowly. OK, finally, the new department store is looking for temporary
Stephen:  07438972 double 1 8. staff over the summer period – at the moment they’re looking

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for people to work in the electronic goods department, the school. Here in the main hall, in the far left-hand corner
serving customers. Interested? as you look behind you, there are teachers from the music
Stephen:  Er, yes, that’s another possibility, I guess. department, who’ll tell you all about what they’ve been doing
Agent:  OK, I’ll email them your details, too. So we’ve got a in that department and you can find out about instruments
few possibilities and I’ll get in touch with you when I hear your children can learn and concerts they can take part in. In
something back from them. the opposite corner, you’ll find information about our healthy
Stephen:  That’s great, thanks very much. I’ll wait for your call, eating scheme, with details of the meals and snacks that we
then. provide.
As you leave the main hall through the doors at the back, on
Audioscript  $ 2•41 your right when you’re outside the hall you’ll find a variety of
SECTION 2 refreshments and while you’re there you’ll be able to chat to
You will hear a teacher talking to parents at the beginning of a other parents. If you continue along that area of the school,
parents’ evening at a school. First, you have some time to look on your left you’ll find a number of noticeboards with all sorts
at questions 11–15. of displays about what’s going on at the school, future events,
Now listen and answer questions 11–15. and lots of interesting news and information to look at.
Teacher:  Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the school – At the far end of that area, you’ll find a reception desk,
it’s great to see so many of you here. My name’s Jackie Payne where you can get information and ask questions about the
and I’m the Year 7 coordinator and organizer of the parents’ administrative aspects of the school, and get to know the
evening. As you know, we hold this event every year for staff that you’re in touch with when you contact the school
parents of new children who’ve just started. OK, I’m going to by phone or email, for example to report that your child is ill
kick things off by telling you something about the schedule for and can’t come to school. There, you can also register your
the evening. interest in volunteering to help at the school, perhaps with
So, starting in a few minutes, at 7, Mrs Forester, the head the organization of events to raise money through the parents’
teacher, who of course many of you have already met, will association, and you can have a chat with Helen Graham, who
be telling you all about things that will be happening at the runs that. She’ll be very happy to welcome any new volunteers!
school over the course of your children’s first year here. She’ll If you turn left before you get to the reception desk, you’ll be
explain about the tests that they’ll take during the year, and going into the corridor where the majority of the teaching staff
how students are divided into different classes for various will be waiting to greet you and answer questions about their
subjects. She’ll also be giving you general information about subjects. On the left of that corridor, you’ll find maths, science,
the school, such as the most recent exam results that our and IT, in that order, and on the right, you’ll find languages,
students have achieved, as well as telling you about certain history and geography, and art – again in that order. And at the
important dates during the school year. far end of that corridor, the head teacher and various senior
At 7.30, the deputy head teacher, Mr Francis, who again many members of staff will be waiting to discuss any issues you may
of you have met, will talk about some of the ways in which want to raise or any queries you may have.
the school is run and give you some information about recent OK? Well, that’s more than enough from me! I’d now like to ask
changes to the way things are organized. For example, we’ve Mrs Forester, our head teacher, to tell you about …
just introduced different arrangements for lunchtimes so that
we can avoid overcrowding and make it easier for everyone Audioscript  $ 2•43
to eat their meals without having to wait too long. He’ll also SECTION 3
give you details of our new guidelines and policies concerning You will hear two students, Liam and Holly, discussing an
behaviour. This is generally very good at this school, but we’ve assignment they are doing which involves studying the history
decided to introduce a few new rules to deal with one or two of a particular British national newspaper. First, you have some
issues that have come up recently. time to look at questions 21–24.
The final talk, from 7.45 to 8, will be given by a current student Now listen and answer questions 21–24.
at the school, and she’ll be telling you about some aspects of Liam:  So, how are you getting on with the newspaper
daily life here from the point of view of someone attending assignment, Holly?
it. She’ll also talk about the school trips that happen every Holly:  Yeah, pretty well. I think I’ve done all my research and I’m
year, specifically about the ones that your own children will just about ready to write it up. How about you?
be going on. And she’ll be showing you how your children Liam:  Yes, same as you. Must say I found it fascinating – there
will use certain websites a bit later in their first year. These were lots of things I hadn’t expected.
are connected with doing homework and with research for Holly:  That’s true. I mean, for example, the sales figures. It’s hard
projects they’ll be doing in their lessons, so we feel it’s a good to imagine now just how many people bought the paper a
idea for you to find out how these work so that you can help few decades ago.
your children to navigate their way around, and also for your Liam:  Amazing, isn’t it? But then of course there weren’t all the
own information, of course. other news sources back in those days.
Holly:  I know, but even so, the figures are incredibly high.
Audioscript  $ 2•42 Liam:  Way beyond what I would have thought, too. And of
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to course it’s very interesting to compare them with the sales
look at questions 16–20. since the arrival of the internet.
Now listen and answer questions 16–20. Holly:  Yeah, the way they responded to that – putting the
OK, when the talks have finished, there’ll be various things paper online free of charge – was, I guess, something that
that you can do and people you can meet around this area of couldn’t be avoided. Every other paper was doing it.

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Liam:  But the paper came to regret it, and probably still does, Holly:  Definitely. It’s unrecognizable today compared with how
because that decision had such a negative financial impact. I it looked even twenty years ago.
find it hard to believe that they didn’t at least try to charge for Liam:  Very noticeable, everything about it – size, layout, even
it online from the start. the design of the name at the top.
Holly:  Hmm, I can see why they did it in the context of the
time. One aspect that did strike me as extraordinary was Audioscript  $ 2•45
finding out how influential that paper has been over the Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some
ages. It seems to have played a significant role in shaping time to look at questions 28–30.
government policy on occasions … Now listen and answer questions 28–30.
Liam:  Yes, and social attitudes, too. Holly:  OK, so now we need to have a general section about
Holly:  I hadn’t realized that a single paper could have so much British newspapers over the last few decades. What are you
influence. planning to say in that?
Liam:  Really? I think you’ll find that it still does. It’s always been Liam:  I’m going to focus on the way a lot of British people
the paper read by what they call ‘opinion formers’ and people form their opinions of other people on the basis of which
in high places, so that was what I expected to find. newspaper they read. It’s one of the ingredients that
Holly:  What did you make of its coverage of those major makes people decide what sort of person someone is. It’s
historical events we looked at? a very British thing, that, and I’m going to write about the
Liam:  That was fascinating, to read about such huge events as assumptions that people make of the readers of various
they were reported at the time when they happened. It was papers.
great to read contemporary accounts of things that are now Holly:  That’s really interesting – nice idea! I’m going to look at
part of history. the issue of loyalty to a particular paper. I’m going to look at
Holly:  Yeah, I really enjoyed doing that, too – seeing how why people might change from reading one paper to another
reporters at the time described these things that we all know as they get older, whether price changes have any significant
about. impact on sales, that sort of thing. It seems to me that the
Liam:  One other thing that struck me was how interesting it key point here is that while some people stick with the same
was to look at the cartoons … paper all their adult lives, others change the paper they read as
Holly:  Yes, I think so, too. I was actually shocked by some of their own lives change. So I’m going to look at the kind of life
them. I hadn’t realized how satirical and critical they could be. changes that result in a change of paper.
They showed public figures in ways that I don’t think you’d be Liam:  That’s a really good idea. Wish I’d thought of it! Anyway,
allowed to today. it’s been enjoyable doing this project, hasn’t it?
Liam:  I don’t know about that. I felt that they weren’t so Holly:  Mmm.
different in tone from a lot of the cartoons in the paper today. Liam:  I think it was great that the main focus was on one
particular paper, rather than all of them, which would have
Audioscript  $ 2•44 been too big a topic to tackle for the whole project.
Before you hear the next part of the conversation, you have Holly:  Yes, it meant we could look at one thing in depth rather
some time to look at questions 25–27. than just a superficial view of a lot of them.
Now listen and answer questions 25–27. Liam:  It’s one of the better things we’ve done on the course.
Holly:  OK, so that brings us to the section of our report that has Holly:  Definitely.
to cover major changes in the paper over the last few decades.
Liam:  Yes, well, its politics can’t be said to have changed much. Audioscript  $ 2•46
In my view, it’s been pretty consistent in that area all the time. SECTION 4
Holly:  Right. Although the issues have changed, its general You will hear a lecturer talking about Tower Bridge in London.
position has remained the same. First, you have some time to look at questions 31–34.
Liam:  I found its coverage of famous people interesting – the Now listen and answer questions 31–34.
way it hasn’t really got involved in the so-called celebrity Lecturer:  Tower Bridge is, of course, one of the best-known
culture that’s grown over the last few decades. landmarks in London today. When it was built, it was actually
Holly:  It certainly hasn’t jumped on that bandwagon; hasn’t one of many great engineering achievements in Britain in
‘dumbed down’, as they say. But sport, for example, is a whole the 19th century – a period when all sorts of inventions and
different matter. That used to be just a relatively small section innovations were being made to modernize the country and
and now it’s a massive part of the paper. to solve particular problems of the day.
Liam:  And its approach isn’t the same either … In this case, the problem was how to provide another way of
Holly:  Hmm, instead of dry match reports and articles, as it crossing the river Thames in that area of the river – the East
used to have, it moved into a lot more interviews and opinion End of the city. That part of London had become a very busy
pieces. port and it was densely populated. The nearest bridge at
Liam:  Yes, I spotted that. It was also interesting to look at its the time was London Bridge, to the west of the port area. To
handling of social issues. It has a strong reputation for that provide a way of crossing the river in this part of the city, Tower
today but, in fact, it was always an important feature that Subway was built in 1870. This contained an underground
distinguished it from other papers. railway, one of the world’s first, but it didn’t last for long.
Holly:  Yeah – it was campaigning on social issues just as much After three months, it closed and Tower Subway was then
then as it does now. re-opened as a pedestrian tunnel, with users paying a toll to
Liam:  Of course, one major feature we shouldn’t ignore is the walk through it. Public demand for another crossing to be built
way it looks. grew, as it was taking both pedestrians and vehicles a long

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time to cross the river – the sheer volume of traffic and people was open. Ships going through the bridge also had to display
was so great that people were delayed for hours when trying signals. In the daytime, they had to display a black ball high
to use the available crossings. up in the ship, and at night they had to have red lights in the
Eventually, in 1876, the Special Bridge or Subway Committee same place.
was formed, to produce a solution, and a public competition Well, the bridge today is much the same as it was when it was
was set up to choose the best design. There were over 50 first built, but the process for raising the bascules has changed
entries, and a considerable amount of controversy over which quite a lot. The bascules are still operated by hydraulic power
to select, until in 1884 a design submitted by Horace Jones, the but the engines are now driven by oil and electricity, not
City Architect, was chosen. Construction began in 1886, and it steam. And the Bridge Operator now works in a different
involved five major contractors and 432 construction workers location, in the control cabin in the North Tower of the bridge.
until the bridge was finally completed and opened eight years The system of signals is no longer used, and today ships have
later in 1894. to give 24 hours’ notice that they will require the bridge to be
The key issue when it came to the design of the bridge was opened.
that it wasn’t possible to build a traditional fixed bridge in that
location as such a bridge would have prevented ships with
tall masts from gaining access to the port facilities in that part
of the river. So a type of bridge called a bascule bridge was
devised. This involved two towers built on piers in the centre
of the bridge, with two equal bascules between them. These
bascules were pieces that could be raised and separated from
each other so that ships could pass through the bridge. On
each side of the towers, piers, and bascules, there were two
suspension bridges. Between the central towers were high-
level walkways for the use of pedestrians when the bridge was
open.

Audioscript  $ 2•47
Before you hear the next part of the lecture, you have some
time to look at questions 35–37.
Now listen and answer questions 35–37.
Right, now let’s have a detailed look at how the bridge was
raised for ships to pass through it. This is a slide showing a
diagram of the bridge, and here you can see at the far end of
the south side of it are the original engine rooms, which you
can visit today if you take a tour of the bridge. In here, there
was a boiler which was powered by coal. This boiler produced
steam, which powered two big engines, and these engines
produced pressurized water which was stored in six containers
called accumulators. This was sent via pipes to some more
accumulators in each of the two piers in the central section of
the bridge. When it was time to open the bridge, the Bridge
Operator, situated at the bottom of the tower on the south
side, pulled a set of levers to set in motion the opening of
the bascules. This action started engines in each of the two
piers, each of them operating one of the two bascules. Gears
attached to these two engines, which were called the driving
engines, would then turn, causing the bascules to rise and
open. The bascules rose to an angle of 86 degrees, providing
enough room for ships to get through the central part of the
bridge. Although the process was quite complex, it actually
took only about a minute for the bascules to rise to their
maximum height.

Audioscript  $ 2•48
Before you hear the rest of the lecture, you have some time to
look at questions 38–40.
Now listen and answer questions 38–40.
A number of rules were used for controlling the passage of
ships through the bridge at different times. In the daytime, red
flags were used to signal to ships, and these were placed on
both bridge piers. At night, coloured lights were used – red
to show that the bridge was closed and green to show that it

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