IELTS Listening Practice Test 5

Listening Practice Test 5

SECTION 1               Questions 1-9

Questions 1-7

Listen to the conversation between Megan and Ken about how they will spend the evening. Circle the appropriate letter.

Example: What is Thomas’s new home phone number?

A 9731 4322               B 9813 4562               C  9452 3456              D 9340 2367

1. What will Ken and Megan do this evening?
2. 

2. Where is Entertainment City?
3. When will Ken leave?

A         now

B         in ten minutes’ time

C         at 10 o’clock

D         in 30 minutes

4. How will Megan travel to Entertainment City?

5. How many people will they meet there?

A         none

B         three

C         two

D         a group

6. How much will the evening cost?

A         nothing

B         just the fares

C         less than $40.00

D         more than $40.00

7. What time does Megan plan to come home?

A         before midnight

B         after midnight

C         on the last bus

D         on the last train

Questions 8 – 9

Write ONE NUMBER for each answer.

Which telephone button will Ken press:

Example:         If he wishes to order a crab now?       _____1______

Which telephone button will Ken press

8. if he wishes to order a cab for later? ______________
9. if he has lost something in a cab? ______________

SECTION 2               Questions 10 – 20

Questions 10 – 15

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR NUMBERS for each answer in the spaces provided.

The plane will leave Gatwick Airport at (10)______________ in the morning. The transport from Athens Airport will be by (11) ______________ . The hotel is booked for (12) ______________ nights. During our stay, the group will visit the National Archaeological Museum in the morning. Group members will then have free time on (13) ______________ evening. The group will see the Greek Islands and will travel by (14) ______________ . Traditional (15) ______________ will be part of the package.

Questions 16 -18

Circle TWO letters

16. The organiser would like to thank

A         the Greek government

B         the travel agent

C         British Airways

D         staff at the British Museum.

17. People should bring to the party

A         photographs

B         food

C         camera

D         drinks.

18. The members of the group share an interest in

A         Greek culture

B         studying old societies

C         fine food

D         travel.

Questions 19 – 20

Complete this baggage label.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in the spaces provided.

19 ____________________ 20 ____________________

SECTION 3               Questions 21 – 31

Questions 21 – 26

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR NUMBERS for each answer.

21. When did the Language Learning Centre enter its new building?
22. Which country do most of the students come from now?
23. What were the Indonesians studying at the Language Learning Centre?
24. How long should students stay at the Language Learning Centre?
25. What is the most common class size?
26. Who does Dr Robinson consider to be the best promoters of the Centre?

Questions 27 – 31

Complete the table showing which activities are available. Tick (✓) in the column if an activity is available.

Activity	all students	beginners	advanced students
Example Soccer club	✓
(27) Non-English language courses
(28) Jazz club
(29) Drama society
(30) Choral group
(31) Special conversation group

SECTION 4               Questions 32 – 40

Questions 32 – 37

Circle the appropriate letter A-D

32. Most postgraduate students are studying

A         courses that feature vocational training

B         full-time courses

C         part-time courses

D         research-based courses.

33. Postgraduate students are advised to

A         take as many diverse subjects as possible

B         accept an intellectual challenge

C         be sure to have a definite goal

D         have already completed training.

34. The speaker says that where you study

A         is of minimal importance

B         must be somewhere you like

C         must be reasonably priced

D         should be based on your course.

35. Choosing an institution should be mainly based on

A         the quality of the housing for postgraduate students

B         the reputation of the department they work in

C         the reputation of the organisation they attend

D         the quality of the supervision they receive.

36. These facilities are the most important to the speaker:

A         libraries and laboratories

B         computer facilities

C         secretarial support

D         recreational organisations.

37. Postgraduates can avoid feeling alone by

A         joining associations of their peers

B         developing outside interests

C         participating in the outside community

D         making friends outside the university.

Questions 38 – 40

Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

38. Students should not forget to budget for their ________________
39. Students should check all study costs carefully because institutions may __________
40. Postgraduate students cannot get loans from ________________

Answer Key: General Training Practice Listening Test 5

 Section 1

1. A
2. B
3. D
4. A
5. D
6. C
7. A

Section 2

8. 3
9. 5
10. 8.25 (AM)
11. coach
12. 2
13. Friday
14. (sailing) boat
15. (Greek) music
16. B; D
17. A; B
18. B; D
19. Greek tour
20. AA3 (not aa3)

Section 3

21. 1987
22. Turkey
23. English for farming
24. 16 weeks / 4 months
25. 14 (students)
26. former / previous / old students
27. advanced (students)
28. all (students)
29. advanced (students)
30. all (students)
31. beginners

Section 4

32. A
33. C
34. B
35. D
36. B
37. A
38. Social life
39. Hide (extra) fees
40. The government

Tapescript: Practice Listening Test 5

Cassette 2 Side B

Narrator: Prepare for IELTS Practice Listening tests. Practice Listening Test 5. Turn to Section 1 of Practice Listening Test 5.

Section 1.

Megan and Ken are deciding how they will spend the evening. Look at section 1 of your listening test. You have some time to look at Questions 1 to 7 now. You will see that there is an example which has been done for you. The conversation relating to this will be played first.

Telephone rings

Megan: Hello. Megan speaking.

Ken: Hello Megan.

Megan: Hello Ken. I’m glad you called. Thomas asked me to give you his telephone number.

Ken: Is that his office number or his home number?

Megan: I can give you both. His new home number is 9452 3456. Would you like his office number?

Ken: I think I have it. Does 9731 4322 sound right?

Megan: That’s it. But the home number is 9452 3456. He moved in last week.

Ken: Good. I’ve got that. Now, what would you like to do?

Narrator: Thomas’s home telephone number is 9452 3456 so letter C has been circled. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the questions a second time. First, you have another chance to look at questions 1 to 7. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.

Telephone rings

Megan: Hello. Megan speaking.

Ken: Hello Megan.

Megan: Hello Ken. I’m glad you called. Thomas asked me to give you his telephone number.

Ken: Is that his office number or his home number?

Megan: I can give you both. His new home number is 9452 3456. Would you like his office number?

Ken: I think I have it. Does 9731 4322 sound right?

Megan: That’s it. But the home number is 9452 3456. He moved in last week.

Ken: Good. I’ve got that. Now, what would you like to do?

Narrator: Thomas’s home telephone number is 9452 3456 so letter C has been circled. Now we shall begin. You should answer the recording as you listen because you will not hear the questions a second time. First, you have another chance to look at questions 1 to 7. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.

Telephone rings

Megan: Hello. Megan speaking.

Ken: Hello Megan.

Megan: Hello Ken. I’m glad you called. Thomas asked me to give you his telephone number.

Ken: Is that his office number or his home number?

Megan: I can give you both. His new home number is 9452 3456. Would you like his office number?

Ken: I think I have it. Does 9731 4322 sound right?

Megan: That’s it. But the home number is 9452 3456. He moved in last week.

Ken: Good. I’ve got that. Now, what would you like to do?

Megan: Well, I’d like to go dancing, but Jane’s hurt her ankle so she’d rather not.

Ken: That’s a pity. I guess it means she doesn’t want to play tennis, either.

Megan: That’s right. She says it’s okay to go bowling if we don’t expect her to do well.

Ken: Okay, let’s do it! I guess we can go dancing another time.

Megan: Well, I booked us some time at the bowling alley of Entertainment City. Do you know it?

Ken: Is it on Smith Street, down near the university?

Megan: That’s right. It’s on the comer of Smith Street and Bridge Road.

Ken: What time did you book for?

Megan: The first booking I could get was 8 o’clock.

Ken: Okay. It’s 7 now. What do you want to do first?

Megan: Well, I think we should leave now. We can meet at the bowling alley.

Ken: I can’t be that quick. I have to call Thomas, to start with, and I need to get changed.

Megan: Okay. I think I’ll leave in ten minutes and meet you in there.

Ken: That makes sense. I’ll take my car, so I’ll be quite quick. I’ll be out of here in half an hour.

Megan: Okay. You’re so lucky to have a car! You can get around so easily.

Ken: Well, yes and no. I often spend ages driving around trying to find a park. The traffic can be very bad.

Megan: Well, that won’t be a problem for me, because I’ll take the bus. It goes right past my door, and I’ll have plenty of time.

Ken: Sounds good. Who else is coming?

Megan: I think nearly everyone from the afternoon class will be there.

Ken: Which class? The big maths class, or the afternoon tutorial?

Megan: The maths class. What’s more, we get a concession for large numbers!

Ken: That’s good. I’m trying to keep my expenses down this month.

Megan: So am I. I expect tonight ‘ll cost about $20. Ken: You must be good with money. I expect it to come to… um … nearly $40! So how are you going to manage that?

Megan: Well, the bus is cheap, and if I come home early I won’t have time to spend too much! In any case, I have to be up early tomorrow morning, so I’d really better try to get home by about 11.

Ken: That reminds me. I have to phone the taxi company for my mother. Goodbye, Megan. I’ll see you later.

Megan: Goodbye, Ken.

Sound of phone hanging up.

Narrator: Ken calls the taxi company. Listen and be ready to answer questions S and 9. Now listen to the telephone call and be ready to answer questions 8 and 9.

Sound of somebody dialling, plume ringing

Man’s voice: Hello, this is Acme Cabs. Please follow the instructions on the tape.

If you wish to order a cab now, press 1.

If you have placed an order previously, press 2.

If you wish to make an advance order, Press 3. Please be ready to tell us your street number and name.

If you wish to speak to the radio room supervisor, press 4.

If you want to enquire about lost property, press 5.

If you want to order a taxi equipped to carry wheelchairs, press 6.

Your call is very important. Please stay on the line for the next available order taker.

Click lo indicate a real person is there.

Ken: Hello. I think I left something in one of your cabs on Thursday. It was a brown paper package with an address written on it in green ink. Has anyone handed it in?

Narrator: That is the end of Section 1. You now have some time to check your answers.

Now turn to Section 2.

Section 2.

You are going to hear some announcements made to a group of people who are planning a trip to Greece. First look at questions 10 to 15. As you listen to the first part of the talk answer questions 10 to 15. Write no more than three words or numbers for each answer.

Tour organiser: Good morning everyone. I’m getting very excited about this trip to Greece, and I’m sure you are too. As you know, we didn’t have all the details at our last meeting, but I can give them to you now.

We’ll leave London Gatwick Airport on British Airways next Wednesday. Please be sure to be at the airport by 6.30.1 know’ it’s early, but our departure time is 8.25 AM. We’re quite a large group, and we don’t want to have any hassles. Please be sure to have all your travel documents ready. We’ll arrive in Athens at 2.25 in the afternoon, and there’ll be a vehicle there to meet us. It’ll be a full sized coach so everyone can travel together.

We’ll spend three full days in our hotel in Athens, although we’re only being charged for two nights’ accommodation, which is good news. The second day we’ll go to the National Archaeological Museum to see the enormous collection of ancient Greek works of art, antiques, statues – a brilliant display. We’ll eat out at a typical Greek restaurant on Thursday night. It’s going to be a very busy time in Athens! Friday morning and afternoon we’ll visit historic sites, but we have nothing planned for the rest of the day.

On Saturday we’re off to the islands, the Greek islands of ancient myth and modern romance. Now, the big news! At first we thought we’d take the ferry, but we’ve been very lucky to secure a sailing boat which is big enough for all of us. I’m really excited about this part of the trip, because we’ll see the islands to the best advantage, and we’ll be able to cruise around and sleep on board. We’ll get off at different islands and for one part of the trip we’ll have people playing Greek traditional music actually on board with us. Now I’ll pass out a brochure with all the details. Narrator: Now look at questions 16 to 18. As the talk continues answer questions 16 to 18.

Tour organiser: A lot of work has gone into organising this tour, and I’d like to thank in particular the travel agent who got us a really good deal and the people at the British Museum who offered us such good advice. Trips like this only happen because of the hard work of really expert people.

As you know, we have planned a gathering for when we return. I have a list of things which the committee would like you to bring to the party. They are: your pictures and something to eat for everyone to share. You are almost bound to have people ask what we have in common, and why we are travelling as a group. I suppose the answer is that we are interested in learning about old societies and vanished cultures, and we all enjoy travelling. Of course, we enjoy fine food too, but that’s not as important!

Narrator: Now look at questions 19 and 20. As the talk continues answer questions 19 and 20.

Tour organiser: I nearly forgot the last piece of information. You will see there are labels which I have passed around for you to put on all your luggage. Could you fill them in, please? On the top line please write “Greek tour” and on the lower line, write, in block letters, I mean upper case, the letters A A and the number 3 – that’s AA3.

We need to have these labels clearly displayed to help the baggage handlers keep our luggage together on the different parts of our trip, so please don’t take them off.

Narrator That is the end of section 2. You now have some time to check your answers. Now’ turn to section 3.

Section 3.

You are going to hear Dr Joanne Robinson, the course director of a Language Learning Center, answering questions from reporters from the student newspaper. First look at questions 21 to 26. As you listen to the first part of the talk, answer questions 21 to 26. Write no more than three words or numbers for each answer.

Course Director Welcome to the Language Learning Center. I’m Joanne Robinson. You must be the reporters from The Examiner. Please come in and sit down.

Cheryl: Hello Dr Robinson. Yes, we’re from The Examiner. I’m Cheryl Perkins and this is Don Klim. May I start with a question? Did this college really start with Brazilian students?

Course Director It did. The language Learning Center was founded in 1985 to look after a group of students from Brazil who wanted to study here. Those twenty students soon grew to 60, and, as you can imagine, we had severe accommodation problems.

Don: Somebody said you were in the old amenities block, right near the engineering school.

Course Director: They have a good memory! Yes, we were there, because the university hadn’t believed we would expand so quickly. The problem wasn’t solved until we moved into these new premises in Bancroft House in 1987.

Don: When did you start taking students from other countries?

Course Director: About 1990. We now have students from 13 different countries enrolled, and we expect a large group from Turkey next month.

Cheryl: Yes, we’ve noticed a lot more advertisements for Turkish restaurants in our advertising section. Course Director: Well, 40% of our students come from Turkey, by far the largest single national group, and I believe there’s been an influx to the rest of the university. There are a lot of Turkish students studying hospitality.

Cheryl: Do you offer anything special to the students? Course Director: Yes, we do. There are several things which make us rather different from other language schools. English is certainly not restricted to English for academic purposes here! Sometimes we have extra classes for students who have particular courses in mind, and we have just said goodbye to a group of thirty Indonesian students who were preparing for a university course in agriculture. They came to us for English for farming, and they were with us for a long time. We miss them!

Cheryl: How long do students usually stay at the Language Learning Center?

Course Director: It varies, so I’ll talk about the average. Most of our courses last for five weeks, but to make any real progress a student needs to be here for at least three terms, that’s fifteen weeks. The students do better if they have a little time to settle in at the beginning of the course, and we offer an orientation course that lasts a week. Most students take it. It helps them to settle down, and it gives us plenty of time to test them and place them at the right level.

Don: How many people are in each class?

Course Director: We sometimes go up to 18, but our average class size is 14 students, and some classes have as few as seven participants. It depends on the needs of the group.

Cheryl: You were saying that you miss your students when they go. How do you attract students? I mean, how do they hear about the language Learning Center in the first place?

Course Director: We’re included in the university advertising and marketing, and we have our own website. The thing which works best for us, though, is word of mouth. Students who leave us often send us their friends. In fact, a student who arrived today was carrying a photograph for me of a former student and his baby!

Cheryl: It sounds like a nice place to be!

Course Director: It is! A lot of our students make lasting friendships while they’re here.

Narrator: Now look at questions 27 to 31. As the talk continues, answer questions 27 to 31.

Cheryl: Making friends with other students sounds special enough! I’d like to emphasise that in the student newspaper.

Course Director: We do try to get our students to be part of the wider university.

Don: How do you do that? Do you encourage them to join the Sports Center, for instance?

Course Director: Indeed we do! The Sports Center is always looking for active participants, particularly in soccer. Oh, and something else. You might like to mention that we don’t teach just English here. I mean, we’re a language center, not an English language center. You may learn Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian here, and we can sometimes offer other languages. This means we can have some students who are native speakers of those languages as conversation partners for English-speaking students. Cheryl: Who can do those courses?

Course Director At this time, any native speaker of English.

Cheryl: What about the people who are learning English? Can they do a non-English language course? Course Director At this time, only if they’ve almost finished their English language course. You see, we try very hard to involve students who are native speakers of English as conversation leaders and we encourage our students to join groups on the campus. For instance, if they enjoy music, there is an active jazz group available to everyone, and that’s a lot of fun. On the other hand, elementary students can’t go to the drama group, their English just isn’t ready for that sort of activity, but the university choir welcomes all the singers it can find. They often do large productions that need a lot of voices.

Cheryl: I imagine the special conversation groups are open to all your students …

Course Director: I wish they were. I’m sorry to say they’re a special service we provide for elementary students only. Is there anything else I can tell you? (pause) I’d be really pleased if you could write about the courses we offer in foreign languages.

Cheryl: I think our readers would be very interested in that. Thank you for your time. Dr Robinson.

Don: Yes, thank you very much.

Course Director: Goodbye. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about the center. It’s always good to let the rest of the students at the university know what goes on in our classrooms, and outside them! After all, many of our students leave us and then study for degrees in various disciplines on this campus. Narrator: That is the end of Section 3- You will now have some time to check your answers. Now turn to Section 4.

Section 4

You will hear a talk about the pitfalls and pleasures of being a postgraduate student.

Look at questions 32 to 37. Listen to the speaker’s advice and answer questions 32 to 37. Circle the correct letter.

Speaker Postgraduates are about as easy to define as catching steam in a bucket Courses can be vocational, for training, as research, as a preparation for research, or a combination of these. Also you can choose between full-time and part-time. Increasingly, the approach to postgraduate study is becoming modular. The vast majority of postgraduates are doing short, taught courses, many of which provide specific vocational training. Indeed, there has been a 400% increase in postgraduate numbers in Britain over the past 20 years. Current figures stand at just under 400,000.

People undertake postgraduate study for many reasons. These may be academic (intellectual challenge, development of knowledge), vocational (training for a specific career goal) or only vague (drifting into further study). It is essential that you determine the reasons you want to become a postgraduate. If you have clear goals and reasons for studying, this will enhance your learning experience and help you to remain focused and motivated throughout your course.

Where you study should be based on much more than the course you want to do. For some courses you are likely to be there for several years, and it is important that you are happy living there. Check also what type of accommodation is available and whether the institution provides any housing specifically for postgraduates.

Choosing an institution and department is a difficult process. To determine quality, do not rely on the reputation of an institution, but find out what ratings are from the most recent assessment exercises. Find out about the staff, their reputation, competence, enthusiasm and friendliness. Visit the department if possible and talk to existing postgraduates about their experience, satisfaction, comments and complaints. Be very careful to check how they feel about their supervisors.

Also, check what facilities are available, both at an institutional level (for example libraries, laboratory and computing facilities) and in the department (for example study room, desk, photocopying, secretarial support etc.). Everyone will have their own priorities here: I am always anxious to check the computer support available, and regard it as slightly more important than library access. Your working environment and the support available to you plays an essential part in making your work as a postgraduate a positive experience.

Life as a postgraduate can be very different to your other experiences of education. Things that can distinguish your experience are the level of study» independence of working, intensity of the course, the demands on your time, and often the fact that you are older than the majority of the students.

These factors can contribute to making you feel isolated. However, there are several ways you can make sure that this is either short-lived or does not happen at all.

Many student unions have postgraduate societies that organise social events and may also provide representation for postgraduates to both the student union and the institution. Departments can also help to create a sense of identity and community, and often have discussion groups available. Don’t be afraid to talk to staff about any difficulties you might be having. Of course universities provide counselling services but we have found that the best advice comes from talking to other postgraduates who may have faced similar difficulties.

Narrator: Look at questions 38 to 40. Write no more than three words or numbers for each answer. Speaker: Financial planning is essential, since the government excludes postgraduates from student loans, and it can be difficult to maintain your student status with banks. This has implications for free banking and overdraft facilities. Do not underestimate your living costs, including food, accommodation and travel, and be careful not to budget for everything except a social life.

Funding a course is one of the most challenging things people face when considering postgraduate study. Most postgraduate students are self-financing. They pay (often very large) fees to the institution and receive no maintenance income to support their study. Make sure you know exactly what your costs will be – institutions often hide extra fees like laboratory costs behind tire headline fee rate advertised.

Funding can come from various sources. Research councils, charities, trust funds, institutional scholarships, local education authorities and professional bodies and organisations all offer

various levels of funding. As I said before, the government excludes postgraduates from student loans, so it is essential you look to other sources. Career development loans are available from high street banks. The best advice on funding is to be proactive, persistent and patient.

The postgraduate community in Britain is multinational, has a wide range of experience of life and work and an exciting mix of goals, both career and academic. Being a postgraduate student should be a productive and fulfilling thing to do, and you will become part of a diverse and motivated social group.

Narrator: That is the end of Section 4. You now have some time to check your answers.

That is the end of Listening Practice Test 5.