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IELTS Listening — Practice Test 13

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40:00
Section 1 A caller enquires about an airport shuttle service · Agent, Caller
Questions 1-7

Complete the form below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

1Surname: ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
2Mobile number: 0779 502 ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
3Pickup point: outside the ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
4Pickup time: ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
5Included luggage: one suitcase and one small ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
6Charge for a second suitcase: £ ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
7Fare to be paid (single): £ ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Questions 8-10

Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

8Who will take the caller home after her return flight?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
9Which method of payment does the agent say is easier for the driver?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
10What must the caller show the driver when boarding?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Section 2 The supervisor explains the rules at a household recycling centre · Site supervisor
Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

11What is completely new at the site since the rebuild?
12Which item do visitors most often put in the wrong place?
13What does the supervisor say about the new online van permit?
Questions 14-17

Where should the following items be taken? Choose the correct letter, A–F, from the plan description below.

Plan of Hollowbrook Recycling Centre — you drive up the ramp onto a platform where the bays run round in a horseshoe; the site office is below the platform and the exit gate is beyond it.

A = first bay on the left, at the top of the ramp   B = first bay on the right, opposite A   C = straight ahead, at the far end of the horseshoe   D = down the slope, behind the site office   E = beside the exit gate   F = next to the reuse shop

  • A first bay on the left, at the top of the ramp
  • B first bay on the right, opposite A
  • C straight ahead, at the far end of the horseshoe
  • D down the slope, behind the site office
  • E beside the exit gate
  • F next to the reuse shop
14garden waste
15wood
16electrical items
17mattresses
Questions 18-20

Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

18Chemicals and paint are only accepted in their original ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
19At present, the reuse shop only opens at the ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
20Visitors may be asked to show proof of ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Section 3 A student discusses his dissertation literature review with his tutor · Dr Lin, Tom
Questions 21-24

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

21What is Dr Lin's main criticism of Tom's reading list?
22Why does Dr Lin advise against using the Berkfield Index?
23Why should the review be limited to the last ten years?
24How does Dr Lin want the chapter to be organised?
Questions 25-27

Who suggests each of the following? Choose A or B. NB You may use any letter more than once.

  • A Tom
  • B Dr Lin
25focusing the review on sleep
26recording how each study relates to the research question
27keeping a record of search terms used
Questions 28-30

Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

28Tom will record each study as one row in a shared ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
29Tom must send a one-page ______ to Dr Lin by Friday.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
30The next meeting will take place on ______ at 11.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Section 4 A lecture on the psychology of colour in marketing · Lecturer
Questions 31-40

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

31Shoppers register a package's colour before they notice any ______ on it.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
32Popular guides wrongly claim that each colour has a single universal ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
33Wearing red has helped competitors win more often in ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
34Students who saw red before a test achieved consistently ______ scores.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
35Because a colour takes its meaning from the situation, researchers speak of ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
36In parts of East Asia, white is associated with ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
37One stable cross-cultural finding: blue is generally the most ______ colour.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
38Long-term consistent colour raised correct brand ______ by up to 80%.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
39Colour only helps memory when it fits expectations of the product ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
40Overall, well-designed studies show colour effects that are genuine but ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

Audio script / transcript

Trace every answer back to the exact words. Distractors — changes of mind, corrections, rejected options — are part of the recording, so read the whole exchange, not just one line.

Section 1 — A caller enquires about an airport shuttle service

Agent:Skyline Airport Shuttle, Mark speaking. How can I help?
Caller:Oh, hello. I'm flying out of Westfield Airport a week on Tuesday, and a colleague told me you run a shared minibus that picks people up?
Agent:We do indeed. Let me set up a booking — can I start with your surname?
Caller:It's Reardon. Elena Reardon.
Agent:Reardon... R-E-A-R-D-E-N?
Caller:Nearly — it's D-O-N at the end, not D-E-N. So R-E-A-R-D-O-N.
Agent:R-E-A-R-D-O-N, got it. And a mobile number, so the driver can reach you?
Caller:It's oh-seven-seven-nine, five-oh-two, six-two-eight... no, wait, sorry — six-three-eight. I changed phones last month and I still get the two mixed up.
Agent:Six-three-eight. No problem. Now, where would we be collecting you from?
Caller:I'm at fourteen Bell Yard — the little lane behind the market.
Agent:Ah, Bell Yard. I know it, and I'm afraid the minibus can't turn in there — the lane's just too narrow. What we do for that part of town is pick up outside the Crown Hotel, on the corner of Market Street. That's about three minutes' walk from you.
Caller:Outside the Crown Hotel — that's fine, honestly.
Agent:Good. And what time is the flight?
Caller:Twenty to three in the afternoon — fourteen forty.
Agent:Fourteen forty. You'll want to be there two hours ahead, and the run takes about ninety minutes, so normally I'd say a quarter past eleven... Actually, hold on. They're digging up the bypass all of that week, so let's be safe and make it a quarter to eleven. Ten forty-five at the Crown.
Caller:Ten forty-five. A bit early, but better than missing the flight. What about luggage?
Agent:Each seat includes one suitcase in the trailer, plus one small bag you keep with you inside. If you have a second suitcase we'll take it, but there's a six-pound charge for that.
Caller:Just the one case for me. And how much is the fare?
Agent:A single to the airport is fourteen pounds. A return is twenty-two, which saves you six — shall I book the return leg as well? I'd just need your landing time.
Caller:No, don't bother with the return — a friend is meeting the flight when I get back and driving me home. Just the single, please.
Agent:Single it is, fourteen pounds. You don't pay anything now — the driver carries a card machine, so you can pay on board. He takes cash too, but card is easier for him first thing in the morning.
Caller:Card's fine by me. Do I get a ticket of some kind?
Agent:No paper tickets — I'll text you a booking confirmation this afternoon. Just show that message to the driver when you board; that's all he needs.
Caller:Show the confirmation, lovely. And what happens if those roadworks make you late?
Agent:If a pickup slips by more than ten minutes, the driver sends a text to everyone on his list. But honestly, we build the delays in — that's exactly why you're getting the earlier slot.
Caller:Perfect. Thanks very much, Mark.
Agent:Thank you, Ms Reardon. Tuesday week, ten forty-five, outside the Crown. Safe trip.

Section 2 — The supervisor explains the rules at a household recycling centre

Site supervisor:Morning, everyone — thanks for coming along to the open morning. I'm Dave, the site supervisor here at Hollowbrook Recycling Centre. Since we reopened after the rebuild the layout has changed quite a bit, so let me talk you through it before you have a look round.
Site supervisor:First, what's new. The thing we're proudest of is the reuse shop — that's completely new since the rebuild. Anything that comes in still working — furniture, bikes, tools — gets checked over by our team and sold at low prices, instead of being broken up for scrap. In its first three months the shop kept about forty tonnes of goods out of the skips.
Site supervisor:Now, the layout. Picture yourselves driving in: you come up the ramp, and the bays run around the platform in a horseshoe. The first bay on your left at the top of the ramp is garden waste — grass, hedge cuttings, small branches. No soil in there, please; soil has its own skip lower down.
Site supervisor:Directly opposite that, so the first bay on your right, is wood — fence panels, floorboards, flat-pack furniture that's past saving.
Site supervisor:Straight ahead of you, at the far end of the horseshoe, is general household waste — the stuff that genuinely can't be recycled. That bay should be your last resort, not your first stop.
Site supervisor:Electricals are different. Fridges, televisions, kettles — those don't go up on the platform at all. Follow the slope down behind the site office and you'll find the electrical bay there. A member of staff will help you with anything heavy.
Site supervisor:One change to note if you've used us before: mattresses. They used to go in with general waste at the far end, but we now collect them separately — the bay beside the exit gate, where they're baled up and the springs are recovered. Please don't drag them round to the far end any more; it undoes all the good work.
Site supervisor:A few rules while I have you. Chemicals and paint: yes, we take them, but they must stay in their original containers. We can't accept anything decanted into drink bottles, for reasons I hope are obvious. Batteries go in the yellow tubes by the office door.
Site supervisor:And what do people get wrong most often? Honestly — plastic film. Carrier bags, bubble wrap, cling film. People drop it in with the plastic bottles every single day, and it can't go there; it wraps itself around the sorting machinery and stops the whole line. Film goes back to the supermarket collection points, not here.
Site supervisor:If you drive a van or tow a large trailer, you currently need the paper permit from the council. Now, you may have read that we're switching over to an online permit this autumn — that was the plan, but the software isn't ready, so the changeover has been pushed back to January. Until then, paper permits, exactly as before.
Site supervisor:Last couple of things. The reuse shop is only open at the weekend for now — Saturday and Sunday, nine till four — though we hope to extend that next year. And remember this site is for Hollowbrook residents only, so do bring proof of address — a recent bill or your driving licence — because we check at busy times. Right — questions to me or anyone in a green hi-vis. Thanks very much.

Section 3 — A student discusses his dissertation literature review with his tutor

Dr Lin:Come in, Tom. So — the literature review chapter. You sent me your reading list on Friday.
Tom:All forty sources — well, thirty-eight, actually, two turned out to be duplicates. I've been reading solidly for three weeks.
Dr Lin:That's plenty of reading. My worry is the shape of it. Your question is social media and student wellbeing, and at the moment the list covers everything from loneliness in retirement homes to advertising ethics. It isn't a review yet; it's a pile.
Tom:That's fair. I keep finding interesting things and just... following them.
Dr Lin:Every good student does. But a review has to be narrow enough to actually say something. Which part of wellbeing genuinely interests you?
Tom:The sleep studies, honestly. The ones on teenagers checking their phones at night — that's what I keep coming back to.
Dr Lin:Then make that the spine of the chapter: social media use and sleep in teenagers. Loneliness, advertising — out, unless they bear directly on sleep.
Tom:Okay. Though — should I still cover everything since two thousand? That's twenty-five years of studies.
Dr Lin:I'd cut much harder. Smartphones only really reached teenagers around two thousand and ten, so anything earlier is describing a different world. Limit the review to the last ten years.
Tom:Ten feels short... though I suppose the early social networking papers aren't really about the same behaviour at all. All right — ten years.
Dr Lin:Now, how are you finding your sources? Because this list smells like search-engine results.
Tom:Mostly ordinary searching online, yes.
Dr Lin:That's fine for following up references, but you need a proper database search you can describe in your methods section. There are two I'd normally suggest. The Berkfield Index is one — but for your topic I'd actually steer you away from it: its coverage is overwhelmingly North American, and you told me you want British and European studies. Use the psychology database as your main search instead, and keep a log of every search term you run, with the date and the number of results.
Tom:Right — and keep a search log. What about notes? At the moment I've got quotations pasted into one enormous document.
Dr Lin:Which becomes unusable at exactly the moment you need it most. Set up a shared spreadsheet — one row per study: sample, method, findings, and a final column for how the study relates to your own question. When you write, you'll work from the spreadsheet, not from the pile.
Tom:One row per study. I can build that this week.
Dr Lin:And when you draft the chapter, please don't march through the studies year by year. Group them by theme — sleep displacement, alertness before bed, fear of missing out — and let the themes argue with each other. Chronology is a filing system, not an argument.
Tom:By theme, not by date. Got it. Should I send you anything before we meet again?
Dr Lin:Send me the revised outline — one page is enough — by Friday. And about the meeting itself: I'm examining a viva on Thursday, so our usual slot is no good this week. Can you do Monday at eleven instead?
Tom:Monday at eleven works fine.
Dr Lin:Good. Bring the spreadsheet, even half-finished. A literature review is a conversation between studies, Tom — your job is to chair that conversation, not to transcribe it.

Section 4 — A lecture on the psychology of colour in marketing

Lecturer:Walk down any supermarket aisle and you make dozens of judgements before you consciously read a single thing. Colour reaches the brain fastest: studies of shelf scanning show that shoppers register a package's colour before they take in any text on it. Today I want to ask what marketing actually knows about colour — and to clear away what it only pretends to know.
Lecturer:Let's start with the pretending. Open almost any popular marketing guide and you'll find a chart: red means excitement, blue means trust, green means health — as if every colour carried one universal meaning, fixed for all people and all products. That chart is a myth, and the clearest demolition of it comes from experiments with the colour red.
Lecturer:Red genuinely changes behaviour — but in opposite directions depending on the setting. In sport, competitors and teams wearing red have won measurably more often across several tournaments. In examinations, though, the very same colour backfires: students shown red before a test scored consistently lower, apparently because in that setting red signals danger and failure rather than dominance.
Lecturer:So: one colour, two opposite effects. Researchers call this context dependence — a colour has no meaning of its own; it borrows its meaning from the situation, the product, and the person looking at it.
Lecturer:Culture is the largest part of that context. In much of Europe and America, white belongs to weddings. In parts of East Asia, it is the colour of mourning, worn at funerals — the same shade, attached to opposite occasions. Any brand selling across borders learns this quickly, and sometimes expensively. If you want one of the few genuinely stable findings, it's this: across almost every culture surveyed, blue comes out as the most popular colour. Beyond that, the map fragments.
Lecturer:Where colour really earns its keep is memory. Brands that use one colour consistently, over years, become easier to pick out: in recognition tests, long-term consistent colour raised correct brand identification by as much as eighty per cent. But there is a condition attached. The colour has to fit what buyers already expect of the product category. A consistent purple works beautifully for chocolate; the same purple on toothpaste confused participants, and recognition collapsed. Fit first, consistency second.
Lecturer:And what about a new brand, with no memory to draw on? There, the evidence favours contrast. On a crowded shelf, an unexpected colour attracts attention — the eye goes to whatever breaks the pattern. It's why a single orange package in a wall of white ones gets picked up, turned over, considered.
Lecturer:Finally, let me be honest about effect sizes, because this is where the field oversells itself badly. Across the better-designed studies, colour effects are genuine but modest — a few percentage points, not the doubling of sales that consultancy slides like to promise — and they are often short-lived, fading as the novelty wears off. Colour buys you the first second of a shopper's attention. What the brand does with all the remaining seconds matters far more.
Lecturer:Next week we move from the eye to the ear: sound, jingles, and why you can still sing advertisements you hated thirty years ago.