IELTS Listening – Practice Test 26

Section 1
Questions 1-10
Complete the form below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH
Booking Form
Example
Performance: The Impostor
Date: Saturday 1 ______
Time: 2 ______
Tickets: three adults and one child
Seats in: the 3 ______
Seat row/number(s): 4 ______
Method of delivery: post
Total payment: £39
Card details:
Type: 5 ______
Number: 6 ______
Name: Mr J. 7 ______
Address: 8 ______ Street, London
9 ______
Additional requests: put on the mailing list
book 10 ______

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Section 2
Questions 11-17
Label the plan of the rock festival site below.
Choose SEVEN answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-I, next to
questions 11-17.
Complete the notes using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
A art exhibition
B band entrance
C car park
D craft fair
E exhibitors' entrance
F fringe stage
G lock-up garages
H main stage
I restaurant

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Questions 18-20
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
18 To show you are an official visitor, you have to wear the _____ provided.
19 Cars blocking paths could prevent access by _____ in an emergency.
20 To reclaim items from storage, you must show your _____.

Section 3
Questions 21-23
Choose THREE tetters, A-G.
Which THREE factors does Marco's tutor advise him to consider when selecting a course?
A possibility of specialisation
B relevance to future career
C personal interest
D organisation of course
E assessment methods
F range of topics
G reputation of lecturer

Questions 24-27
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
24 Why does Marco's tutor advise him to avoid the Team Management course?
A It will repeat work that Marco has already done.
B It is intended for students at a lower level than Marco.
C It may take too much time to do well.
25 Why does Marco want to do a dissertation?
A He thinks it will help his future career.
B He would like to do a detailed study.
C He has already done some work for it.
26 What does Marco's tutor think about the dissertation outline?
A The topic is too narrow to be useful.
B The available data may be unsuitable.
C The research plan is too complicated.
27 What does Marco decide to do about his dissertation?
A contact potential interviewees
B change to another topic
C discuss it with Professor Briggs

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Questions 28-30
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Practical details
28 A first draft of the dissertation should be completed by the end of _____
29 The dissertation should be registered with the _____of the department.
30 Marco should get a copy of the statistics software from the ______

Section 4
Questions 31-33
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONL Y for each answer.
The Tiger Shark
• Origin of name: its dark bands
• Size: 6.5 metres (maximum)
• Preferred habitat: near to the 31 ______
• Typical food: other sea creatures but also 32 ______ produced by humans
• Raine Island area: studies show tiger sharks are mainly found here during
the 33 ______ (when turtles are nesting)

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Questions 34-38
Complete the flow-chart below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Questions 39, 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
39 The purpose of the research was to understand the tiger sharks'
A reproductive patterns.
B migration patterns.
C feeding patterns.
40 Observations showed that, in general, tiger sharks
A change depths frequently.
B usually avoid the surface of the water.
C often spend long periods on the ocean floor.

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Answer Keys
Listening Section 1 Listening Section 2
1. (the) 26th 11. D
2. 7.00 12. F
3. circle 13. I
4. A21 -/to (A)24 14. B
5. Mastercard 15. E
6. 3290 5876 4401 2899 16. A
7. Whitton 17. G
8. 42 South 18. arm band
9. SW2 5GE 19. an ambulance/ambulances
10. headphones/earphones 20. yellow ticket(s)
Listening Section 4
Listening Section 3
31. coast(s)/shore
21-23. (IN ANY ORDER)
32. garbage/rubbish/waste
B, D, F
33. summer
24. A
34. fish
25. B
35. checked
26. C
36. boat
27. A
37. camera
28. March
38. released/freed
29. secretary
39. B
30. computer office
40. A

Tapescripts
The part of the text containing the answer is underlined with the question number given in square brackets
[]. If you still struggle with IELTS Listening tests, please refer to IELTS Listening tips.

IELTS Listening Section 1

You will hear a conversation between a customer and a booking officer at a theatre.
Woman: Hello, Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Man: Oh hello - I'd like to make a booking, please.
Woman: Yes. What is it you want to see?
Man: The Impostor.
Woman: Right. And which day did you want to come?
Man: Friday the 25th.
Woman: Just a moment and I’ll check availability on the computer. Oh, sorry, we're fully booked for that
performance.
Man: Oh dear. What about the following day then?
Woman: The 26th? Yes, that's OK. [1] We've got two performances on that day, one at 3.30 and one at 7.
Which would you prefer?

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Man: Oh, the later one, please. [2]

Woman: How many people?
Man: Well, there are four of us.
Woman: Are there any concessions, any children?
Man: I'm not sure. My daughters are 15 and 12. Do they get concessions?
Woman: Only the 12-year-old I'm afraid. So that's one child and three adults. Any idea where you'd like to
sit? Stalls or circle?
Man: Er...
Woman: Tickets for the stalls are a bit more expensive - £12 for adults and £8.50 for children. The circle
costs £10.50 and £6.50.
Man: Do you get a good view from the circle?
Woman: Oh, yes. And in fact we've got some seats left at the front, if you'd like those.
Man: Right, we'll go for those then. [3]
Woman: Right. That's seats A 21 to 24 then. They're very good seats.
Man: That sounds fine. [4]
Woman: So let's see. That comes to £38 altogether for the tickets. How do you want to collect them? Shall I
put them in the post? They'd be sent today by first class mail, and there'd be an additional charge of £1 to
cover postage and administration. Or do you want to get them from the box office yourself?
Man: Oh yes. Could you send them please?
Woman: No problem. That'll be £39 altogether. Could I just take your card details? What kind of card is it?
Visa? Switch?
Man: Mastercard. [5]
Woman: OK. And the number?
Man: It’s 3290 5876 4401 2899. [6]
Woman: 28 double 9. OK. And the name on the card please?
Man: It's Mr J Whitton - W-H-I-double-T-O-N.
Woman: N for 'never' or M for 'mother'?
Man: N for 'never'. [7]
Woman: Thank you. And now, I've nearly finished, but I just need your address and post code.
Man: Yes. It's 42 South Street. [8]
Woman: OK. Is that Plymouth?
Man: London.
Woman: And the post code?
Man: It's SW2 5GE. [9]
Woman: That's fine then. The tickets should be with you tomorrow. Is there anything else I can do for you?
Man: Yes. I was wondering if I could get regular information about what’s on.
Woman: Certainly. I can just add your name to our mailing list. Would that be OK?
Man: That would be very good. Yes please. Oh, and there is something else, sorry. One of our group is hard
of hearing and I've heard that you can supply special headphones.
Woman: That's right. As long as you tell us in advance, we can always do that. [10] I'll book those for you

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now, and you can just collect them from the box office before the show.
Man: Thanks very much for your help.
Woman: No problem. Thank you for calling.
Man: Thank you. Bye.

IELTS Listening Section 2

You will hear the organiser of a rock festival talking to the exhibitors and performers at a planning meeting.
Good evening, everyone!
I'm glad you could all make this planning meeting for what promises to be the biggest and most colourful
free rock festival ever held in the south-east! So whether you're a performer, a craft exhibitor or an artist, we
all extend a big welcome to you.
Could we turn first to the plan so I can familiarise you with the layout of the site - which as you know is an
old football stadium - we're really lucky to have so much space this year. You can see the main gate at the
bottom of the plan - have you found it? - that's where most visitors will enter. It's also the entrance for those
taking part in the craft fair: we've set the stalls just inside the gate on the left, in a circle. [11]
If you walk straight ahead from the gate along the path without turning right, you'll come to some steps up
to the football stadium. On the left of the steps is the Fringe Stage. [12] This is for alternative artistes - they
include folk singers, poets and other acts which are more suited to a smaller stage - and they should also
enter by the main gate. On the opposite side of the steps is a restaurant, and adjoining that is the main
festival information point. [13] Here you can get extra programmes and up-to-the-minute information about
events, and you can discuss any last-minute problems - although we hope everything will be running
smoothly when the festival opens.
Right, coming back to the plan, you go up the stairs to the stadium. The entrance for the rock bands is on
the far side, and on your right is the main stage [14], which will have powerful illumination and
amplification throughout the weekend. There will probably be TV vehicles adjacent - that's in this area only
- for recording purposes.
If you look at the outside of the plan, you can see a third gate for exhibitors opening onto a side path. [15] A
little way down the path, before you get to the trees, is the building where the Art Exhibition's being housed.
[16] Then finally there’s just one more building marked on your plan - quite near the main gate. It's divided
into lock-up garages. [17] So I hope you now feel quite familiar with the main festival area.
We also hope that you'll have received your welcome pack. In it, you should find two parking tickets for
yourself and anyone assisting you, an arm band to indicate that you are an official visitor [18], one of our
brilliant yellow badges with the new festival logo, a festival programme, and several sheets of information
that we'd ask you to study carefully before the event.
Please could you note that all setting up of stalls, displays and so on should be completed by 9.30 a.m. and
that unfortunately we won't be able to allow any vehicles to enter the festival area after that time. Yes, it's a
big site - but even a few vehicles parked in the wrong place can block the paths. With crowds of people -

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and we are expecting several thousand - this can merely be a nuisance; but if there's an emergency and
access for an ambulance is blocked, the situation will become not just annoying but also dangerous. [19]
And don't forget it could be your mother or your child who needs help.
Several exhibitors and craftspeople have asked us if any provision can be made for overnight storage of
tables, chairs and display items rather than having to take them home and bring them again. We're pleased
to say that a limited amount of space has been made available in the building near the main gate. You'll be
issued with a yellow ticket to reclaim your property [20] - similar to the red parking tickets, so do check you
bring the right one! - but please understand that this is entirely at your own risk as we can take no
responsibility for items lost or damaged.
I think that's all I have to say at this point but thank you all for your attention!

IELTS Listening Section 3

You will hear a discussion between a business student called Marco and his personal tutor about the courses
that Marco should take.
Tutor: Hi Marco, come in.
Marco: Thanks. I've got a bit stuck trying to select courses for next semester. Could you help me, please?
Tutor: Of course. Sit down. First of all, most people just go for the areas of business that they're interested
in, but - even if something doesn't look very stimulating - it's important that you can use it once you get a
job. It's not much good choosing areas that aren't going to be helpful later on. [21-23]
Marco: Right. I want to go into management, so I'll need to think about that. And should I start specialising
in a particular area yet?
Tutor: I don't think that's wise, at this stage. It's better to aim for a wide variety of subjects, especially as
management covers so many possibilities. You shouldn't be limiting your choices for later on. [21-23]
Marco: Yes I see.
Tutor: You should also look at how the course is made up - will you have regular seminars and tutorials, for
example, as well as lectures? [21-23]
Marco: OK. Some of the lecturers are quite big names in their fields, aren't they? Should I aim to go to
their courses?
Tutor: Well remember that the lecturers who aren't well-known may still be very good teachers! I'd say we
have a consistently high standard of teaching in this department, so you don't need to worry about it.
Marco: Good. Well that's a great help.
Tutor: Now last time we met, you mentioned doing Team Management, didn't you?
Marco: That's right. I'm still quite keen on the idea.
Tutor: The trouble is that because of changes in the content of various courses, Team Management overlaps
with the Introduction to Management course you took in your first year. So what you'd learn from it would
be too little for the amount of time you'd have to spend on it. [24]
Marco: I'll drop that idea, then. Have you had a chance to look at the outline I wrote for my finance
dissertation? I left it in your pigeonhole last week.
Tutor: Yes. Why exactly do you want to write a dissertation, instead of taking the finance modules? It'll be

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pretty demanding.
Marco: Well, I'm quite prepared to do the extra work, because I'm keen to investigate something in depth,
instead of just skating across the surface. I realise that a broader knowledge base may be more useful to my
career, but I’m really keen to do this. [25]
Tutor: Right. Well I had a quick look through your outline, and the first thing that struck me was that you'll
have to be careful how you set about it, as the way you've organised it seems unnecessarily complex. The
data that you want to collect and analyse is potentially valuable, but you'll need to narrow down the subject
matter to make the whole thing manageable. [26]
Marco: OK, I'll have another look at it. I was talking to Professor Briggs about it yesterday, and I got some
more ideas then. For part of the dissertation I was thinking of trying to persuade finance managers from
three or four companies to let me ask them about their company finances. If not I think I'll have to change to
another topic. [27]
Tutor: Well go ahead then. I could give you some names.
Marco: Thanks.
Tutor: Now let’s talk about practicalities. Your dissertation must be finalised by the end of May, so you
should aim to finish the first draft by the end of March. Is that feasible? [28]
Marco: Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll need to register for the dissertation, won't I? Is that with the
Registrar's department?
Tutor: No, it's internal to this department, so you just need to let the secretary know. [29] Do that as soon as
you're sure you're going to write the dissertation.
Marco: OK.
Tutor: Then to analyse your statistics, you're going to need some suitable software. If I were you, I'd drop
in to the computer office and ask them for a copy. [30]
Marco: Right. So if I revise my outline, can I...

IELTS Listening Section 4

Researcher: Good morning, everyone. Today, I'm going to talk about the research project I've been
involved in on the tiger shark. First of all, some background information. The tiger shark, also known as the
leopard shark, is often thought to have got its name from its aggressive nature, but in actual fact, it's called
that because it has dark bands similar to those on a tiger's body. It is a huge creature growing up to lengths
of six and a half metres. It can be found just about everywhere throughout the world's temperate and
tropical seas, but it is most often found along the coast, rather than the open sea. [31]
In terms of feeding, tiger sharks tend to be most active at night and are solitary hunters. Their preferred prey
includes other sharks, turtles, seabirds and dolphins, to name but a few. However, it's not uncommon to find
garbage in its stomach. [32] This is because it tends to feed in areas such as harbours and river inlets, where
there is a lot of human activity.
Now to the project itself. We are particularly interested in some studies that had been done in the Raine
Island area. Observations here have shown that there is a large population of tiger sharks present in the

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summer, during the turtle nesting season. [33] However, during the winter months the sharks disappear - so
we decided to do some of our own research there.
The first step was to tag a number of sharks so that we could follow their movements. To do this, we first
needed to catch the sharks. Early in the morning, we baited lines with large bits of fish and set them in
place. [34] These lines were then checked every three or four hours. [35] If no sharks were caught, the baits
were replaced. Once a shark had been caught on one of the baited hooks, it was pulled in close to the boat
and secured so that we could carry out a number of brief activities to aid our research. [36] This usually
took no more than about ten minutes and was carried out as carefully as possible to minimise any stress to
the shark. Each of the tiger sharks that we caught was measured and fitted with an identification tag and
also a small amount of tissue was taken for genetic studies. For some larger sharks over three metres long,
we also inserted into the belly a special acoustic tag capable of sending satellite signals, while on other large
sharks we attached a camera to the dorsal fin [37], to enable us to study the behaviour and habitat use of the
sharks. After this, the shark was released, and we were able to follow its movements. [38]
So what was the purpose of all this tagging? Well, while we were already familiar with some aspects of the
tiger sharks' behaviour and food sources, what we hoped to do in this project was to see exactly what factors
affected the migration patterns of tiger sharks [39] and whether it was in fact food, weather and
reproductive needs.
These are some of our findings: On February 21st a large female shark, whom we named Natalie, was
attracted to our research boat at the northern tip of Raine Island and fitted with one of the satellite tags I've
just mentioned. No transmissions were received from Natalie between April 2nd and April 29th indicating
that she didn't surface to feed during this period. The area in which she was last reported is very shallow,
suggesting that she may have changed her feeding preferences during this period to focus on prey found on
the sea floor.
We also made a number of other discoveries thanks to the various transmitters we used. It seems that tiger
sharks move back and forth between the ocean floor and the surface quite often. [40] This may help the
sharks conserve energy while they swim, but it probably also helps them hunt, since this movement back
and forth maximises its chances of not being detected by its prey until the last minute.
So far our findings have not been conclusive. However, we have gained some very interesting insights into
the behaviour of tiger sharks and are now hoping to develop our research further.

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