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IELTS Listening — Practice Test 9

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40:00

Section 1 A student phones to sign up for a university language exchange programme · Coordinator, Ana

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

2Student number: SB ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

3Language offered: ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

4Language to learn: ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

5Level in this language: ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

6Preferred session format: ______

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

7Date of launch meeting: ______ October

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.

8In which building will the launch meeting take place?

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

9What must Ana bring to the meeting?

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

10How will Ana receive her partner's details?

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

Section 2 A coordinator gives an orientation talk to new hospital volunteers · Coordinator

Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

11According to Sandra, what is the most important part of a volunteer's role?

A helping staff with simple medical tasks B spending time with patients C serving in the hospital shop

12Where should volunteers now collect their identity badges?

A the main reception desk B the security office C the volunteer office

13Before going onto a ward, volunteers must take off

A their wristwatch. B their identity badge. C their fob watch.

Questions 14-17

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

Plan of St Luke's Hospital — the main entrance is on the south side, with the reception desk straight ahead as you enter.

A = beside the main entrance B = at the end of the ground-floor corridor, through the double doors C = on the second floor, directly above reception D = in the basement E = in a separate building across the courtyard F = on the first floor, next to the lifts

A beside the main entrance
B at the end of the ground-floor corridor, through the double doors
C on the second floor, directly above reception
D in the basement
E in a separate building across the courtyard
F on the first floor, next to the lifts

14Volunteer office

15Training sessions

16Staff canteen

17Garden

Questions 18-20

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

18Volunteers must use the ______ at every ward entrance, both entering and leaving.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

19After a sickness bug, volunteers must stay away until they have been clear for ______ hours.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

20At every shift, volunteers must record their hours in the ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER

Section 4 A lecture on the economics of tourism in small island states · Lecturer

Questions 31-40

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

31On some islands, tourism provides over half of all ______ and a similar share of government revenue.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

32The outflow of tourist spending to pay for imports and foreign owners is called ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

33The largest single channel of leakage is usually imported ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

34All-inclusive ______ increase leakage because guests pay a foreign operator in advance.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

35Because of seasonality, workers face months of ______ every year.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

36On islands, the environmental limit that usually bites first is the supply of fresh ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

37The hardest limit to measure is the ______ limit — when residents turn against tourism.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

38Cruise passengers spend little ashore because they sleep and eat on the ______.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

39A better measure than arrivals is total visitor ______, considered with length of stay.

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

40Some islands now cap visitor numbers and charge each visitor a daily ______.

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 student phones to sign up for a university language exchange programme

Coordinator:Language Exchange office, Ben speaking.

Ana:Oh, hi. I saw the poster about the language exchange programme — is it too late to join for this term?

Coordinator:Not at all, sign-ups are open until Friday. I can take your details now if you like. Full name first.

Ana:Ana Ferreira.

Coordinator:Let me get the surname right — is that F-E-R-E-I-R-A?

Ana:Almost — there's a double R in the middle. F-E-R-R-E-I-R-A.

Coordinator:F-E-R-R-E-I-R-A, got it. And you're a current student? I'll need your student number.

Ana:Yes, second-year economics. It's SB two-oh-four-five-eight-oh... oh, hang on, I'm reading the wrong line — that's my library code. The student number is SB two-oh-four-five-oh-eight.

Coordinator:SB two zero four five zero eight. Good. Now, the exchange works on a simple swap: you teach your language, and you learn theirs. What would you be offering?

Ana:Portuguese — I grew up in Porto. I speak fairly decent Spanish as well, my grandmother's Spanish, but I wouldn't feel right teaching it.

Coordinator:We'll register you for Portuguese then — there's quite a demand for it this year, actually. And what do you want to learn?

Ana:My first choice would be Japanese. I'm hoping to apply for the exchange year in Osaka.

Coordinator:Ah. I have to be honest with you there — Japanese is our longest waiting list. Nine people are queuing already, and you wouldn't get a partner before January.

Ana:January's too late for my application, unfortunately. Okay — then let's say German. That was my other option; I did it at school for five years.

Coordinator:German I can match within a week or two. Now, how would you rate your level? Do be honest — it makes the pairing work.

Ana:Not a beginner, definitely. I can hold a conversation if people are patient with me — call it intermediate.

Coordinator:Intermediate, lovely. And how do you want the sessions to run? A lot of pairs meet online — half an hour on a video call, very flexible.

Ana:I did wonder about online, with my timetable... but no, actually, you lose too much on a screen. I'd rather meet face-to-face.

Coordinator:Face-to-face it is — most people say the same, to be fair. Now, we hold a launch meeting where you meet your partner and agree some ground rules. It's normally the first Wednesday of term — that would have been the second of October — but the room's being redecorated that week, so this term it's moved to the ninth.

Ana:The ninth of October. And where's it held?

Coordinator:That's the other change, actually. It used to be in the Main Hall, but with the refurbishment going on, the whole event has shifted to the Carter Building — the glass one behind the sports centre. Room fourteen, on the ground floor.

Ana:Carter Building, room fourteen. Do I need to bring anything with me?

Coordinator:Just your student card — security won't let you into the building without it, since it's an evening event. And there's no fee, by the way; the programme's completely free.

Ana:Even better. How will I find out who my partner is?

Coordinator:We'll send you a text message a couple of days beforehand, with their first name and the languages confirmed. So keep an eye on your phone.

Ana:Brilliant. Thanks so much for your help.

Coordinator:See you on the ninth, Ana.

Section 2 — A coordinator gives an orientation talk to new hospital volunteers

Coordinator:Good evening, everyone, and thank you for signing up as volunteers here at St Luke's. I'm Sandra, the volunteer coordinator. By the end of this half hour you'll know where everything is and what the rules are.

Coordinator:First — what you'll actually be doing. New volunteers sometimes imagine they'll be helping with medical tasks. You won't, ever; that's strictly for clinical staff. Some of you will run the library trolley, and some will help at mealtimes, but the heart of the role — the reason the wards keep asking for you — is simply keeping patients company. A conversation, a game of cards. Never underestimate it.

Coordinator:Now, your identity badges. Until last month, badges were issued at the main reception desk, and I'm afraid some of the older leaflets still say that. Please ignore them. Badge collection has moved to the security office, which is beside the staff entrance on the east side of the site. Bring photo ID the first time you go; after that, the badge itself gets you in.

Coordinator:Let me walk you around the site plan up on the screen. The main entrance is on the south side, and as you come in, the reception desk is straight ahead of you. The shop, which is run by our friends' association, is just beside the main entrance.

Coordinator:The volunteer office — my office, where you'll start and finish every shift — is on the second floor, directly above reception. There's a lift, or the blue staircase.

Coordinator:Your monthly training sessions won't be in the main building at all. They happen in the Elm Annexe, which is the separate building across the courtyard — follow the covered walkway from the west door.

Coordinator:When you need a break, the staff canteen is down in the basement. Volunteers eat at staff prices, and on Sundays the soup is free — one of our better perks.

Coordinator:And do discover the garden. Go along the ground-floor corridor to the very end and out through the double doors. Patients love being taken out there, weather permitting — just check with the ward sister first. There's also a chapel on the first floor, next to the lifts; it's open to everyone, all faiths, around the clock.

Coordinator:Right — hygiene, which is the part I'm strict about. The rule on any ward is bare below the elbows. Short sleeves or rolled-up sleeves, no bracelets, and please take off your wristwatch before you go in — you can pin a fob watch to your top instead if you like. At every ward entrance you'll find a dispenser of gel: use it going in, and use it coming out, every single time, even if you think you've touched nothing.

Coordinator:And if you've had any sort of sickness bug yourselves, stay away until you've been completely clear for forty-eight hours. Ring me and we'll cover your shift.

Coordinator:Two housekeeping points to finish. If you drive, ask me for a parking permit — it's free for volunteers and covers the west car park. And because our funding depends on the hours you give, every shift, please write your times in the logbook on my desk. Not on scraps of paper, not on your phone — in the logbook.

Coordinator:Right — tea and biscuits next door, then the tour.

Section 3 — Two students review the results of their survey on campus food waste

Tom:Right, I've finally cleaned up the tray data from the dining hall. Two full weeks, every lunchtime — one thousand two hundred trays in the end.

Hana:That's a decent sample. So what's the headline?

Tom:Well, the total didn't shock me — about a quarter of all the food bought was thrown away. That's roughly what the national studies find for canteens.

Hana:It's the breakdown that got me. When we sorted the waste, I was expecting mostly half-eaten plates — people misjudging how hungry they were. But such a big share of what was binned had never been touched at all. Sealed yoghurts, wrapped sandwiches, whole apples. That's the genuinely surprising bit.

Tom:Agreed, that's our finding. My first thought was portion sizes — the kitchen does pile the plates pretty high, so maybe people just give up.

Hana:That was my assumption too, but the data won't support it. The hall sells half portions and full portions, remember, and when I split the trays by portion type, the waste rate was almost identical for both. If portions were the problem, the full plates should be far worse.

Tom:Fair — so we drop that explanation. Then what's driving all the untouched items?

Hana:Look at what they are: nearly all packaged extras. My bet is the meal deal. It's cheaper to take the third item than to leave it, so people grab a yoghurt they never intended to eat.

Tom:That fits, actually, because the untouched stuff spikes on the days the meal deal changes. Okay — presenting it. I was going to put the categories in a pie chart. It's the obvious choice for proportions.

Hana:I'd argue against a pie. We've got nine categories, and the whole point is comparing across the ten days — you can't show change over time in a pie. A grouped bar chart does both: categories side by side, one cluster per day.

Tom:Nine slices would be a mess, you're right. Bar chart it is — I'll draft it tonight and email you the chart by Thursday.

Hana:Thanks. One more thing, though. Everything we have comes from ordinary teaching weeks. If the meal-deal theory is right, the pattern should hold — or get even stronger — when people are stressed and grabbing food quickly.

Tom:So you want another round of counting during exam week?

Hana:Exactly — just three days, same method, so it's directly comparable. Are you in?

Tom:Go on then, it's only three lunchtimes. And I still think we should talk to the catering manager — she'd tell us how the meal deal is priced, and whether they'd ever let people swap the third item for a piece of fruit.

Hana:Yes, do that — an interview would give the discussion section some real weight. Right, numbers for the summary. Untouched food was... thirty-five per cent of everything binned.

Tom:Check the corrected sheet — I re-weighed the last two days. It's actually thirty-eight per cent. Thirty-five was before the re-weigh.

Hana:Thirty-eight, then — noted. And when do we show Dr Musa? We said Tuesday.

Tom:That's the thing — she emailed this morning. She's at a conference until Thursday, so the meeting's moved to Friday, eleven o'clock.

Hana:Friday works. Exam-week counts, one interview, one honest bar chart — that's a proper report.

Section 4 — A lecture on the economics of tourism in small island states

Lecturer:Today's lecture looks at the economics of tourism in small island states — the Maldives, the Seychelles, the smaller Caribbean nations — places where tourism isn't one industry among many but, effectively, the economy itself. On several islands, tourism supplies more than half of all jobs, and a comparable share of government revenue. That dependence makes the economics distinctive, so let's take the pieces in turn.

Lecturer:The first concept is leakage. Suppose a visitor spends a thousand dollars on an island holiday. How much of it stays? Money flows straight back out — to pay for foreign-owned hotels, expatriate managers, and above all for imports — and economists call this outflow leakage. On the smallest islands it is startlingly high: for every dollar spent, sixty or even eighty cents can leave almost immediately.

Lecturer:Imported food is usually the biggest single channel. Islands with little farmland end up feeding their tourists from ships and planes, so the hotel breakfast is, economically speaking, only partly local. And the structure of the holiday matters too: all-inclusive resorts tend to raise leakage, because guests prepay abroad, to a foreign operator, and then have little reason to spend anything in the village outside the gate. In most cases, the more the holiday is bundled, the less the island keeps.

Lecturer:Second, seasonality. Island tourism is tied to weather at both ends — the island's dry season and the visitors' winter. The result is a feast-and-famine rhythm: hotels full for four months and half-empty for the rest. For workers, this means months of unemployment every year; for the treasury, it means revenue that swings with the calendar. Some islands soften the cycle with conference tourism or festivals in the low season — with mixed success.

Lecturer:Third, carrying capacity — the limit on how much tourism a place can absorb. It has three faces. The physical limit is the obvious one: beds, runway slots, berths at the harbour. The environmental limit usually bites first, and on islands the classic case is fresh water: a resort guest can use three times the water of a local resident, and on coral islands the aquifer is shallow and easily exhausted. The third face is the social limit — the point at which residents feel crowded out of their own towns and turn against the industry. That one is the hardest to measure, but when it's crossed, you tend to know.

Lecturer:Which brings me to measurement, and a warning. The statistic every tourism ministry publishes — and celebrates — is arrivals. More arrivals, the assumption runs, must mean more income. It's an assumption the data frequently contradict.

Lecturer:Consider cruise tourism: a cruise passenger counts as an arrival, but she sleeps and eats on the ship, comes ashore for four hours, and typically spends a tenth of what a hotel guest spends in a day. An island can double its arrivals and barely move its income — while the crowding costs arrive in full. A far better guide is total visitor spending, considered alongside length of stay.

Lecturer:Hence the policy a few islands have adopted: rather than chase numbers, they cap visitor volume and charge each visitor a daily fee — betting on fewer visitors who each contribute more. Whether that model can spread beyond a handful of wealthy destinations is the question I'd like you to think about before the seminar.