Raw score

0/40

Estimated band

–

By section

–

Estimated with the standard Listening conversion. Every question below now shows the correct answer and what confirmed it — and the full transcript is open at the bottom so you can trace anything you missed.

Try another test

Your browser has no English speech voices available, so the audio cannot play. Try Chrome or Edge on desktop, or check your system's text-to-speech settings.

IELTS Listening — Practice Test 16

0/40 answered

40:00

Section 1 A caller arranges boarding for his cat at a cattery · Receptionist, 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: 07452 688 ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

3Diet: must be fed ______ only

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

4Length of stay: ______ nights

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

5Document to bring: the cat's ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

6Optional service declined: ______ (£12)

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

7Total cost: £ ______

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.

8At what time will Mr Leyden collect his cat?

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

9Where exactly should the caller park when he arrives?

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

10What does the receptionist suggest bringing to help a nervous cat settle?

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

Section 2 A tour manager briefs passengers joining a three-day coach tour · Tour manager

Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

11Why has the lunch stop been moved away from Saltford?

A The market square is being repaved. B A festival is taking place in the square. C The cafés there have closed down.

12What does Denise say about the maritime museum visit?

A It has been cancelled by the museum. B The group will enter later than planned. C The group will be split into two parties.

13What should passengers do with their valuables at the stops?

A leave them hidden on the coach B hand them to the driver C carry them when they get off

Questions 14-17

Where on the coach are the following facilities? Choose the correct letter, A–F, from the plan description below.

Plan of the coach — the driver sits at the front; the toilet steps are at the rear.

A = on the shelf behind the driver's seat B = at the front, beside the courier's seat C = halfway down on the left, by the emergency exit D = at the rear on the left, next to the back steps E = across the back row of seats F = in the luggage bay under the coach

A on the shelf behind the driver's seat
B at the front, beside the courier's seat
C halfway down on the left, by the emergency exit
D at the rear on the left, next to the back steps
E across the back row of seats
F in the luggage bay under the coach

14first-aid kit

15guidebooks for sale

16hot drinks machine

17toilet

Questions 18-20

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

18Lunch will now be taken in the harbour town of ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

19The group will now enter the museum at ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

20For the cliff-top walk, passengers should bring a ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

Section 4 A lecture on the rise of citizen science and the reliability of volunteer data · Lecturer

Questions 31-40

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

31Galaxy Zoo began because a telescope produced more ______ than the team could classify.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

32Citizen science was transformed by the spread of ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

33Records uploaded through apps automatically include an exact ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

34Comparing volunteer records with professional ones at the same sites is called ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

35Many apps require ______ so that identifications can be verified later.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

36Software holds back ______ records for checking by experts.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

37Most volunteer errors were traced to badly written ______ rather than to the volunteers.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

38After contributing to research, the next strongest motivation is ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

39Volunteers keep contributing longest when a project provides ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

40Volunteer data now feeds directly into government ______.

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 arranges boarding for his cat at a cattery

Receptionist:Good afternoon, Willowbrook Cattery, Karen speaking. What can I do for you?

Caller:Hi, yes — we're going away next month and I need somewhere for my cat to board. A neighbour of ours recommended you.

Receptionist:That's always nice to hear. Let me open a booking form. Could I take your surname first?

Caller:It's Leyden.

Receptionist:Is that L-A-Y-D-E-N?

Caller:Not quite — it's L-E-Y-D-E-N. An E after the L, not an A. Everyone does that.

Receptionist:L-E-Y-D-E-N, thank you. And a contact number we can reach while you're away?

Caller:My mobile's best. It's oh-seven-four-five-two, six-double-eight... three-one-seven. Oh — hang on, sorry, that's the old SIM. It ends three-one-nine now. So oh-seven-four-five-two, six-eight-eight, three-one-nine.

Receptionist:Zero seven four five two, six eight eight, three one nine. Got it. And the cat's name?

Caller:Biscuit. He's a four-year-old tabby, very soft, a bit nervous with strangers.

Receptionist:Plenty of those here. And which dates were you thinking of?

Caller:We fly out on the fourteenth of July, so I'd drop him off that morning, and we're back on the twenty-first.

Receptionist:Fourteenth to the twenty-first — that's seven nights. Now, one thing we do insist on: every cat must be up to date with its injections, and you'll need to bring the vaccination record with you — the paper booklet from your vet. Without it we can't admit him, I'm afraid.

Caller:That's fine, his booster was done in March. I'll dig the booklet out tonight.

Receptionist:Perfect. Any special requirements with food? We provide standard pouches.

Caller:He's got a sensitive stomach, actually. The vet's put him on chicken only — no fish at all, it really upsets him.

Receptionist:I'll write that on his diet card: chicken only. You're welcome to bring his usual brand if that's easier. Now, the pen itself is eight pounds a night. We also offer a grooming session while cats are with us — a brush-through and a nail trim — that's an extra twelve pounds.

Caller:Mmm... he hates being brushed by anyone he doesn't know, to be honest. I'll say no to the grooming — just the pen, thanks.

Receptionist:No problem at all. So seven nights at eight pounds — that comes to fifty-six pounds in total, payable when you collect him.

Caller:Fifty-six, fine. And collection on the twenty-first — I was thinking around ten in the morning?

Receptionist:Ah — normally ten would be lovely, but that morning we've got the vet in doing check-ups, so reception's closed until midday. Could you make it later in the day — say half past four?

Caller:Half four... actually yes, our flight lands at two, so that works better anyway.

Receptionist:I'll put collection down for four thirty, then. Two last things. When you arrive, please park in the gravel yard behind the main gate — not on the lane, the neighbours get twitchy about the lane. And it really helps a nervous cat to have something that smells of home, so do bring a blanket from wherever he usually sleeps.

Caller:A blanket, right. He actually sleeps on an old jumper of mine — would that do?

Receptionist:Even better. So that's Biscuit, arriving the morning of the fourteenth, collected on the twenty-first at four thirty. We'll see you both then, Mr Leyden.

Caller:Thanks very much, Karen. Bye now.

Section 2 — A tour manager briefs passengers joining a three-day coach tour

Tour manager:Good morning everyone, and welcome aboard. I'm Denise, your tour manager for the next three days on the Heritage Coast tour, and up front we have Bob, who's been driving this route for longer than he'll admit.

Tour manager:Before we set off, let me walk you round the coach, because you'll be living in it for a while. Right behind Bob, on the shelf behind the driver's seat, is the first-aid kit — plasters, bandages, that sort of thing. Do tell me if you use anything, so we can restock it.

Tour manager:Across the aisle at the front, beside my courier seat, you'll find the guidebooks — local guidebooks for sale at five pounds each, and no, I don't work on commission. Halfway down on the left, just by the emergency exit, there's the hot drinks machine: tea, coffee and hot chocolate at a pound a cup. Hold the cup firmly when we're moving, please — Bob's braking is gentle, the potholes are not.

Tour manager:The toilet is right at the rear on the left-hand side, next to the back steps. Please don't queue in the aisle for it — pick your moment. The back row of seats, by the way, is kept free for the walking-group leaders, so do leave that empty. And your large suitcases stay in the luggage bay underneath the coach — you'll only get at those in the evenings, so keep anything you need during the day up here with you.

Tour manager:Now, the plan for today, and I'm afraid there are two changes to the itinerary you were sent. First, timing: we leave the hotel at quarter to nine each morning — eight forty-five. Bob will wait for you; the traffic will not.

Tour manager:Second — lunch. Your itinerary says Saltford, in the market square. Unfortunately the square is completely dug up at the moment: they're repaving it ahead of the autumn festival, and there's simply nowhere for a coach to stop. A couple of you asked me at breakfast whether the festival itself was the problem — no, that isn't until September; it's the repaving work. So instead we'll take lunch in Melbury, the little harbour town about ten minutes further along the coast. That's M-E-L-B-U-R-Y. Plenty of cafés, and between us, the fish and chips there are better anyway.

Tour manager:Third — the maritime museum this afternoon. We were booked in at two o'clock, but the museum rang me yesterday: a school party of ninety is coming through at two, so they've moved our entry back to three fifteen. The good news is that gives you a longer, lazier lunch in Melbury. I'll hand your tickets out at the museum door, so nobody needs to queue at the desk.

Tour manager:A word about valuables. The coach is locked whenever we're all off it, but I can't guarantee it the way a hotel safe can. So when you leave the coach at the stops, take your cameras, wallets and phones with you — don't leave them on the seats, and please don't hand them to Bob, he has quite enough to look after.

Tour manager:And finally, tomorrow's cliff-top walk. The forecast is what the radio politely calls changeable, so do bring a waterproof jacket — the wind on that headland is a personality all of its own. Right — belts on, and let's see some coastline.

Section 3 — Two students plan corrections to a statistics assignment after tutor feedback

Hannah:Right, Liam — Dr Marsh's feedback on the statistics assignment. It's... not great, is it?

Liam:It could be worse. As far as I can tell, most of the marks we lost come from one thing.

Hannah:The exercise variable.

Liam:Exactly. The codebook says that column is exercise sessions per month, and we analysed it as sessions per week. So every figure we quote is four times too high. I still don't understand how we missed it.

Hannah:I do — we never actually opened the codebook. We just assumed from the column heading. From now on I'm checking the codebook before we run anything. First thing, every dataset.

Liam:Agreed. Okay, second problem: the test itself. We used a paired t-test.

Hannah:Which was wrong twice over. The two groups are different people — there's nothing paired about them — and the scores are heavily skewed anyway.

Liam:I did wonder whether the real issue was the sample size, but eighty responses is plenty. It's the shape of the data — nowhere near a normal distribution.

Hannah:So the t-test is out. Dr Marsh's note suggests the Mann-Whitney instead, and I actually ran it last night. The difference between the groups is still there — it's just smaller than we claimed.

Liam:Good, that's honest at least. Now, the resubmission rules — I read the module handbook at lunch. We can't rewrite the whole report. We're only allowed to change the analysis section; the introduction and the literature review have to stay exactly as submitted.

Hannah:And we have to attach a cover sheet listing every change we've made, otherwise they won't remark it.

Liam:A cover sheet, fine. When's it due — Thursday, isn't it?

Hannah:Thursday at— no, hang on, sorry, I'm thinking of the draft last term. It's Friday. Friday at twelve noon, uploaded to the portal.

Liam:Friday at twelve, okay. Now — the charts. I think we should redo all six of them. If the numbers were wrong—

Hannah:But they weren't all wrong. Only figures two and five use the exercise variable. The other four are attitude data, and nothing in the feedback touches them.

Liam:Hmm. I just don't want the report to look inconsistent, half old and half new.

Hannah:Redoing charts that were already right wastes the two evenings we've got. And changing untouched sections might even break the resubmission rules you just read out.

Liam:...Yeah. All right, you've convinced me — just the two affected ones.

Hannah:Good. Should we see Dr Marsh before we submit, to check we've understood the feedback?

Liam:I'd rather ask in person than guess, but her usual Wednesday office hour is cancelled this week — she's away at a conference. The department's moved her hour to Thursday morning, half past nine.

Hannah:Thursday at nine thirty. That's cutting it fine before a Friday deadline.

Liam:It's enough. And look — I'll email her today with our list of corrections, so if we've misread anything she can reply before we even meet.

Hannah:Do that. And one more thing from me: we add a short limitations paragraph, openly saying the original analysis misread the units and how we fixed it. Examiners respect that far more than quietly patching it.

Liam:Fine by me. So: you rerun the two figures, I draft the cover sheet tonight, email goes off this afternoon...

Hannah:And Thursday, nine thirty, Dr Marsh's office. Let's not be late twice in one term.

Section 4 — A lecture on the rise of citizen science and the reliability of volunteer data

Lecturer:This morning I want to talk about citizen science — research in which members of the public, not paid scientists, collect or analyse the data — and about the question that always follows it around: can data gathered by amateurs actually be trusted?

Lecturer:Let's start with the project that made the field famous. In two thousand and seven, a survey telescope was producing far more images of galaxies than the astronomy team behind it could ever hope to classify — millions of them. So the team put the images on a website, Galaxy Zoo, and asked the public to sort spirals from ellipticals. Within a year, more than a hundred and fifty thousand volunteers had classified every image many times over. And crucially, when the results were checked, the crowd's classifications agreed with professional astronomers' in over ninety per cent of cases.

Lecturer:Galaxy Zoo needed a desktop computer, though. The change that really transformed citizen science was the spread of smartphones. Suddenly every volunteer carried a camera and a satellite receiver in one pocket, so a record uploaded through an app arrives with an exact location attached automatically. That's why the biggest biodiversity databases in history have been built in barely fifteen years.

Lecturer:Now, the obvious objection. If anyone can submit a record, surely the dataset fills up with mistakes? Projects answer this in three main ways. First, they compare a sample of volunteer records against records made by professionals working at the same sites — a procedure known as ground truthing. Second, many apps now require photographs with each sighting, so that experts, or indeed other users, can verify the identification later. And third, software automatically flags unusual records — a bird reported far outside its normal range, say — and holds them back for expert review.

Lecturer:Which brings us to the myth I most want to bury: the idea that amateurs are inherently unreliable. Plausible — and, on the evidence, largely wrong. Reviews across dozens of monitoring projects find that once volunteers have had even a short training session, their identifications match those of professionals closely — in most studies the agreement is comfortably above ninety per cent. More telling still: where errors did cluster, researchers traced them mostly to badly written instructions — ambiguous protocols that confused everyone — rather than to the volunteers themselves. The fix, in other words, is better project design, not fewer amateurs.

Lecturer:So why do people give up their evenings to count moths or measure rainfall? Surveys of many thousands of volunteers keep returning the same answers. The strongest motivation is contributing to genuine research — people want their effort to matter. Close behind comes learning: about wildlife, about the night sky, about their own neighbourhood.

Lecturer:Points, badges and prizes, interestingly, rank near the bottom in almost every study. And the single best predictor of whether a volunteer is still contributing a year later is whether the project gives them feedback — tells them what their records showed and what the science found. Silence, it turns out, is how projects die.

Lecturer:The results speak for themselves. One bird-recording scheme alone now holds hundreds of millions of observations, and volunteer data of this kind feeds directly into government policy — the drawing of protected-area boundaries, water-quality rules. Next week we'll look at the ethics of all this unpaid labour — who owns the data, and who gets the credit.