Free to start — no card
IELTS Listening practice test
Four parts, 40 questions, played once — because that is what the real test does. Never a recording you have already heard, and marked against the published band table.
Format checked against IELTS on .
The paper we run
IELTS Listening is four parts, 40 questions, about 30 minutes of audio, and it is the same paper for Academic and General Training candidates. Part 1 is an everyday conversation, Part 2 an everyday monologue, Part 3 an academic discussion, and Part 4 an academic lecture — getting harder as it goes.
The paper test gives you 10 further minutes to copy answers onto an answer sheet. The computer-delivered test does not, because there is nothing to copy — and neither do we, for the same reason. The clock here is the audio, then two minutes to check your answers, which is what the computer-delivered test gives.
It plays once, and that is the point
A mock that lets you replay the recording is rehearsing a test that does not exist. Ours plays once, with no pause and no replay, because the single hearing is the difficulty.
Section practice is different: there you get a play-once switch that is separate from the timer. Wanting the pressure of one hearing without a countdown, or a countdown while you still learn the question types, are two different choices and you should not have to take both.
All seven question types
- Form, note, table, flow-chart and sentence completion — the largest family, and the one where spelling and the word limit cost real marks.
- Plan, map and diagram labelling — Part 2's signature task, and the one candidates most often meet for the first time on test day.
- Multiple choice, matching and short answer.
- Summary completion.
Seven of seven, never the same paper twice. Nothing there is a stand-in.
Raw score to band
| Correct (of 40) | Band |
|---|---|
| 39 | 9 |
| 35 | 8 |
| 30 | 7 |
| 23 | 6 |
| 16 | 5 |
Listening and Reading are not the same table. At 26 correct you are band 6.5 in Listening and band 6 in Academic Reading — using one for the other costs half a band. Both are on the IELTS band score calculator.
IELTS says the marks needed “vary slightly from test version to test version”, so any table is a close guide rather than a promise.
What the audio is, said plainly
The recordings are synthesised and written for this product, along with the questions. That is what makes an unlimited bank possible, and why you are never served a recording you have already heard.
It also means the accent range is narrower than a real IELTS test, which deliberately mixes British, Australian, North American and New Zealand speakers. Accent variety is worth practising elsewhere as well, and a tool that did not say so would be selling you something.
Questions, answered
How many questions are in IELTS Listening?
Forty questions across four parts, in about 30 minutes of audio. In the paper test you then get 10 extra minutes to copy your answers onto the answer sheet; on the computer-delivered test you do not, because there is nothing to copy. Our practice has nothing to transfer either, so the clock is the audio and then two minutes to check your answers, as the computer-delivered test gives — and no more.
How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in IELTS Listening?
Thirty correct out of 40 is band 7 in Listening. Band 8 needs 35 and band 6 needs 23. Reading and Listening are close but not identical in the middle of the table: 26 correct is band 6.5 in Listening and only band 6 in Academic Reading, so using one table for both costs you half a band.
Can I replay the IELTS Listening audio?
In a mock, no. The real test plays each recording exactly once, so a mock that lets you replay is not a rehearsal of the thing you are about to sit. In section practice you choose: there is a play-once switch, separate from the timer, because those are two different decisions and you may want one without the other.
Is the IELTS Listening test the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Listening and Speaking are identical on both tracks, so this practice covers both. Only Reading and Writing differ, and of those we build Academic Reading and both Writing tracks.
Is the audio a real recording or a computer voice?
It is synthesised, and written for this product along with the questions. That is what makes an unlimited bank possible, and you are never served a recording you have already heard. It also means the accents are not the full range of a real IELTS test, which mixes British, Australian, North American and New Zealand speakers, so treat accent variety as something to practise elsewhere too.
Free to start — one section practice a day, no card.
The rest of the paper
Listening is one of four sections. The full IELTS practice test covers all of them, and IELTS Reading practice has its own page.
Sitting a different exam? TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test are all on the same subscription.