IELTS LISTENING PRACTICE TEST 2026 WITH ANSWERS | 16.02.2026

You will hear a new student, Stefan, talking to an assistant, Anna, at the Student Union about his membership.

You now have 30 seconds to read questions 1 to 6.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 6.

Hi, can I help you?

Um, yeah, I hope so. Um, this is the first time I've been down to the Union. I'm a new international student and I just wondered what to do.

Oh, right. Well, normally, we ask international students to fill out this form, and we put your details on the wall by reception. Then other students can contact you. It's a way for everybody to get to know each other. It can be a bit lonely otherwise.

Oh, I see.

What's your name? I'm Anna, by the way.

It's Stefan Unger.

Okay. Well, just write that there next to name and then fill in the rest.

All right.

Um, what does it mean degree program?

Oh, just if you are an undergraduate or a postgraduate, or maybe you're just here for a short course.

I'm a postgraduate.

Do I need to say what in?

Not really. It's too much detail, but you should put your department so people who have the same interests or problems as you can get in touch.

So, I'm studying marine construction, so for department, do I put down the science faculty then?

Uh, just your actual department. That must be engineering, no?

Oh, I see. Yes.

Then if you list what you like doing in your free time, not that we ever get any when we're studying, and maybe you can meet up with someone socially or to join a club or something.

Well, I like lots of things. Shall I just list them?

Um, my advice is to just put one or two, like football and films or whatever. Otherwise, you'll get so many invitations, you won't get any time to work.

Okay.

I think I'll just list computer games as that's my big interest. I haven't played football for ages. I may start to play once I get settled.

Now, let's see. Next thing is languages.

Yes, we find many of the international students get a bit tired of speaking English all the time. Sometimes they like to speak to someone in their own language.

It's up to you.

That is a good idea.

I presume I don't need to put English down.

Oh, no. I put Italian and French.

I can only speak German, my mother tongue.

Okay, well, that's fine. Just put that.

Uh, what does accommodation mean? Is that my address?

We're trying to find similarities between people, and some people live in hall, some are in flats, some are in bed sits. So it helps if you say.

I'm in hall, though I'd like to be in a flat, but that won't happen till the end of the first term.

Put where you are now. You can always change it later.

Uh, then finally, just put your phone number.

I haven't really got one. I haven't sorted out a mobile yet.

Well, it's going to be difficult for people to contact you then, isn't it?

Why don't you put the Union one, and we'll take messages for you?

Okay.

It's 02950659003. Have you got that?

Uh, yes.

Okay then.

You now have 30 seconds to read questions 7 to 10.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 7 to 10.

Oh, I had a couple more questions about the services you've got here.

Um, it says there's a photocopier here.

Yes, you need to get a card from the shop, and then it's available to all students in the mornings. The Union uses it after 1:00 p.m.

Okay.

I see also the Union organizes loads of events. Are they always held here in the Union building? It looks big enough.

If you're interested in something, you should check the poster or our website. In fact, we normally use the Round Theatre opposite the conference center for most events because the sound system is better.

Right. I'll do that.

Also, I wanted to hire a van. Can I do that through you?

Um, no, you need to present a case really. They're not just available for hire to anyone. The person you need to see is the Transport Secretary.

She's on the second floor.

Okay, thanks.

The other thing is, are all the discounts we get with our Union card listed on the back of the card? I thought there might be more.

No, that's it, I'm afraid. Mainly books, clothes, and music. Though we are currently negotiating to get one on newspapers.

So that should be valid from next term.

Okay. Thanks a lot for your help.

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16.

Now, listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

Everyone knows that we have achieved a huge amount in terms of space exploration. The space race between ourselves and Russia went on for nearly 20 years, but we were the first to land a man on the moon.

At that time, the space race was very close, and the Russians very nearly got to the moon before us.

For me, the most exciting invention, and the invention that really showed we were ahead in the space race, was the reusable space shuttle. It was first successful in 1981 and has since been used on many missions.

The reusable shuttle can carry astronauts on space missions and can serve as a laboratory in which to conduct experiments. It can be used to transport equipment to space stations or to collect or repair satellites.

The shuttle carries between five and seven crew members.

When a mission is complete, the shuttle fires thrusters, which propel it back into the Earth's atmosphere. It then glides down to make its landing.

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20.

Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

Although the remains of very early ovens have been found in many parts of the world, it was here that they were first used frequently in people's homes. In ancient Greece and in other parts of Europe and Turkey, people used ovens to bake bread.

But it seems there was only one large oven that everyone shared. Here, the remains of villages from 5,000 years ago show that each mud brick house was constructed with an oven, and that baking bread and perhaps cooking meat was very common.

The ovens were made of clay and shaped like a beehive. Inside they had shelves, so that a number of loaves could be cooked together, and an opening at the bottom from which ash could be removed.

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

You'll hear a student, Sandra, talking to a student adviser about her approaching exam. First, you'll have half a minute to look at questions 21 to 24.

Now listen carefully to the conversation and answer questions 21 to 24.

I've got an exam tomorrow and I'm worried about how it will go. Do you have any tips? I think I'm well prepared. I've done all the revision and I've been practicing lots of exam questions, but I still feel nervous about the exam itself.

I know what you mean. But if you're well prepared, you should be fine. You just need to stay calm and keep reminding yourself that you are prepared.

That's easy to say, but in an exam, unexpected things happen.

Well, there are a few things that I've found helpful. You don't want to run out of energy or feel sleepy during the exam, so make sure you eat something beforehand.

Also, it's a good idea to leave home early to allow for any traffic jams or parking problems. You don't want to arrive late or even worse, miss the exam altogether.

That's good advice. But if I get there too early, I might start getting nervous while I'm waiting.

That can happen, especially if you start talking to others about the exam. You know how they can start saying things like, there's bound to be a question on such and such, or most people failed this subject last year.

I found that this kind of talk can just make you panic. So if you arrive very early, read through your notes while you are waiting. I think you'll find it helps you to stay calm.

Okay. What about during the exam? I keep thinking about the things that can go wrong.

Well, I think the most important piece of advice would be to read the instructions and questions carefully.

Make sure you know how many questions and sections there are so that you don't miss any. Then make sure you know how you're expected to answer them.

Yeah, it would be terrible to fail because I missed a whole question or section.

That's right.

Now you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 25 to 30.

Timing is also important. You don't want to miss a question because you run out of time either.

Allocate a time for each question and stick to it. And because timing is vital during an exam, I always wear a watch just in case there isn't a clock in the exam room. It helps to keep you on track.

Also, if you see that time is running out, briefly answer or just guess the answer to as many of the questions as you can.

Yes, especially for multiple choice questions, I could be lucky and select the correct one.

True.

Even if you don't know the answer, you could still gain valuable marks by guessing. Another important thing is to write the number of words required for an essay question. If your essay is too long or too short, you could lose a lot of marks. You could also waste a lot of time. And I have seen students do badly because they spent too much time on one essay, then didn't have enough time left to complete another one. So look to see how many marks are allocated for each essay and divide your time accordingly.

Thanks. Look, this is all terrific advice, but what if I suddenly start to panic or get a memory block in the middle of the exam?

Well, you have to think positively. You know you are prepared and you know that you can pass. As soon as you feel yourself starting to get panicky, relax and take slow deep breaths. You should allow yourself to take a few seconds to stretch your arms, legs, neck, and back occasionally too. I found that this helps.

It can also be useful if you start to feel physically tired during the exam.

Yes, I can see how that could help. I'm feeling more relaxed as we speak.

Good.

Oh, and one more thing. It's not a good idea to leave the room before the time is up, even if you have finished all the questions. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes can make a difference to your marks, so try to leave some time at the end for checking your answers.

I don't think I'll be leaving early somehow.

Look, you've been really helpful. I'm very grateful.

Not at all. You're welcome.

Just remember that you've worked hard on your preparation and you are familiar with the exam. Think positively and stay calm. I'm sure you will do well. Good luck for tomorrow.

Thank you very much.

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Now turns to part four.

You will hear a historian giving a presentation about techniques to identify the origin of handwritten books from the Middle Ages.

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

Now listen and answer questions 31 to 40.

My presentation today is on how the science of genetics is being used to shed light on the origin of manuscripts, anything written by hand, produced in the medieval period, that is, the period between the 5th and 15th centuries AD.

As many of you know, thousands of medieval handwritten books still exist today. Some of them have a clear provenance, that is, we know exactly where and when they were written, but the origin of many manuscripts has been a complete mystery, that is, until 2009, when geneticists started using DNA testing to shed light on their origins.

But before looking at the new research, I need to explain something about the way the manuscripts were produced, particularly what they were written on.

Virtually all were written on treated animal skins, and there were essentially two types.

The first was parchment, which is made of sheepskin. It has the quality of being very white, but also being thin. It has a naturally greasy surface, which meant it was hard to erase writing from it. This made it much sought after for court documents in medieval times.

The second type is vellum, which is calfskin. This was most often used for any very high status documents because it provided the best writing surface, so scribes could achieve lettering of high quality.

So, once the animal hides had been chosen, they had to be prepared. Where the right materials were on hand, the skins were put into large barrels or vats of lime, where they were agitated or stirred frequently. But if lime wasn't available, then the hides were buried. Both these techniques were designed to cause the hair to slough off and the skins to become gelatinous and therefore, more flexible.

The next stage was to put the hides on stretcher frames and pull them very tight. While on the frame, they were scraped with a moon-shaped knife in order to create a uniform thickness. For parchment, that was the end of the process.

But for vellum, there was an additional stage, where it was bleached in order to achieve the desired color.

So, what does all this preparation mean for the quest to identify the origins of mystery manuscripts?

Well, until recently, the only way historians and other academics were able to guess at origins was either through the analysis of the handwriting style or from the dialect in which the piece was written. But these techniques have proven unreliable for a number of reasons.

It was thus decided to try to look at the problem from a different angle, to start from what is known, that is, the small number of manuscripts whose origins we do already know. Because these parchments and vellum are both made from animal hides, it was possible to subject them to DNA testing and to identify the genetic markers for the date and location of production.

The next stage was to test the mystery manuscripts, finding their DNA characteristics, and then making comparisons between the known and the mystery scripts. Genetic similarities and differences enable the scientists to gain more information about the origins of the many manuscripts we had known virtually nothing about up to that point.

Now, you might ask, what are the potential uses of this new information?

Well, obviously, it can shed light on the origin of individual books and manuscripts.

But that's not all. It can also shed light on the evolution of the whole of the manuscript production industry in medieval times. And because that was such a thriving business, involving very large scale movements right across the globe, the new data in turn help historians establish which trade routes were in operation during the whole millennium.

Now, if anyone has any questions,

You now have half a minute to check your answers.