IELTS Academic Listening
The IELTS Listening test is forty minutes long and consists of four sections, each built around a different audio recording. You hear each recording once only, and you answer questions while the audio plays. There are forty questions in total, and every correct answer earns one mark — there is no penalty for wrong answers.
The four sections
Conversation
A dialogue between two people in an everyday social or transactional context — booking, enquiring, registering. Often involves form completion.
10 questions · ~5 min
Monologue
A single speaker in an everyday context — a tour guide, an announcer, or someone giving information about a service or facility.
10 questions · ~5 min
Discussion
A conversation between two or more people in an academic or training setting — students discussing a project, or a student meeting with a tutor.
10 questions · ~6 min
Lecture
An academic monologue — a university lecture or talk on a topic in science, history or social science. The most complex section.
10 questions · ~6 min
Scoring
Each of the forty questions carries one mark. The raw score out of forty is converted to a band score on the IELTS nine-point scale. The table below shows the approximate conversion used in official IELTS marking.
What this practice test covers
Each practice test contains all four sections with original audio recordings and forty multiple-choice questions. The audio plays once and cannot be rewound, matching real exam conditions. After submitting, you receive a score and can review every question with a full explanation.
Practise the test
IELTS Listening Practice Tests
Three full practice tests — four sections each, forty questions, original audio.
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