IELTS Listening Test - Complete Official Format Spoken Script

Test Introduction

Section 1 - Questions 1-10

[Announcer - Female British accent, clear and formal]

This is the International English Language Testing System, Listening Test. You will hear a number of different recordings, and you will have to answer questions on what you hear. There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work. All recordings will be played only once.

The test is in four sections. Write all your answers on the question paper. At the end of the test, you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

Turn to Section 1 of your question paper.

[Announcer] Section 1. You will hear a conversation between a student and a receptionist at a sports center about joining the center.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

[Announcer]  Now, Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.

[Receptionist - Female Australian accent] Good morning. Can I help you?

[Student - Male British accent, young] Yes, I'd like some information about joining your sports center. I'm particularly interested in the pool facilities because I love swimming.

[Receptionist] Excellent choice! Swimming is definitely one of our most popular activities here. Many of our members come specifically for the swimming facilities. Are you looking at any particular type of membership?

[Student] Well, I'm a full-time student at the local university, so I was wondering if you have any special rates for students?

[Receptionist] We certainly do. We offer a student membership which gives you access to all facilities at a reduced rate. The monthly fee for student membership is thirty-five dollars. It's quite popular with university students like yourself.

[Student] That sounds very reasonable compared to other places I've looked at. Are there any additional fees I should know about?

[Receptionist] Yes, there is a one-time joining fee of fifty dollars when you first sign up. This covers the cost of your membership card, locker assignment, and includes a complimentary fitness assessment with one of our trainers.

[Student] I see. And what are your opening hours? I'm hoping to swim early in the mornings before my classes start.

[Receptionist] Perfect timing for you then! We open at 6 AM every day and stay open until 10 PM, so you'll have plenty of flexibility with your schedule.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] Now look at questions 6 to 10.

[Pause: 20 seconds]

[Student] That's ideal. How do you keep the pool? I mean, is it heated? Some pools are quite cold, especially in winter.

[Receptionist] Don't worry about that at all. We maintain the pool at a comfortable twenty-eight degrees Celsius throughout the year. It's heated constantly, so whether it's summer or winter, the temperature stays consistent.

[Student] Wonderful. I sometimes like to bring friends along for motivation. Is that possible?

[Receptionist] Absolutely! Each member is allowed to bring up to two guests at any time. There's a small daily fee for guests, but it's very reasonable.

[Student] Great! Now, I usually drive to places - what's the parking situation like?

[Receptionist] We have excellent parking facilities. There are one hundred and twenty parking spaces in our car park, and parking is completely free for all members. We rarely have any problems with availability.

[Student] That's convenient. Though I should ask - I don't drive every day. What's the nearest train station in case I want to use public transport?

[Receptionist] The closest would be Central Street station. It's very convenient - only about a five-minute walk from our front door. Many of our members use that station regularly.

[Student] Perfect. Before I make my decision, could I get a contact number? I might have more questions after I think about it.

[Receptionist] Of course. Our main reception number is five-five-five, zero-one-nine-nine. Feel free to call anytime during business hours if you need any additional information.

[Student] Thank you so much for all the information. This has been very helpful.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] That is the end of Section 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

Section 2 - Questions 11-20

[Announcer] Now turn to Section 2.

Section 2. You will hear a tour guide giving information about a historical building.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

Now listen and answer questions 11 to 15.

[Tour Guide - Male American accent, professional and engaging] Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Heritage House. My name is David, and I'll be your guide today as we explore one of our city's most magnificent historical buildings.

Before we begin our walking tour, let me give you some essential background information about this remarkable structure. Heritage House has quite an interesting history that spans over 150 years.

This beautiful building was originally constructed as a private residence back in the nineteenth century. The wealthy Morrison family commissioned it as their family home, and they spared no expense in creating what was considered one of the finest houses in the region at that time.

Construction was a major undertaking. Work began in 1855, and the building was finally completed in 1857. So it took exactly two years to finish, which was quite impressive considering the level of craftsmanship and detail involved.

The architect responsible for this masterpiece was William Patterson, a renowned designer of the era. Patterson was particularly famous throughout the region for designing railway stations, and if you look carefully at the building's architecture, you can definitely see his distinctive style in the grand arches and the impressive high ceilings that we'll see as we walk through.

Now, maintaining a building of this age and significance is an ongoing challenge. When we undertook a major restoration project five years ago, we discovered that different parts of the building required different levels of attention and investment. Interestingly, the most expensive part of the entire renovation turned out to be the roof. The original slate tiles had deteriorated over time, and each one had to be individually assessed, and many had to be completely replaced with matching period materials.

Today, Heritage House serves the community in several ways. While we offer public tours like the one you're taking today, the building has been adapted for modern use as well. The beautifully restored rooms are now available for business meetings and corporate events, making it a unique venue that combines historical atmosphere with modern facilities.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] Now look at questions 16 to 20.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

[Tour Guide] As we move through the building during our tour, you'll have the opportunity to see our impressive art collection. We have a wonderful collection of historical paintings that date back several centuries. These paintings were generously donated by various local families over the years, and they really help to give you a sense of the artistic tastes and cultural life of the period.

Our library is truly special and is often considered the highlight of many visitors' tours. This room contains books that are over two hundred years old, including several rare first editions that are quite valuable. I must remind everyone that these books are for viewing only - please don't handle them, as they are extremely fragile and irreplaceable.

When we step outside to the gardens, you'll see another wonderful feature of Heritage House. The garden was designed by a famous landscape gardener who came all the way from England specifically for this project. He specialized in the Victorian garden style that was fashionable at the time, and the garden has been carefully maintained to preserve his original design.

Before I forget, let me mention our photography policy. We do allow photography, but only in the courtyard area outside. Inside the building, photography is strictly prohibited to help preserve our artifacts and paintings from potential damage caused by camera flashes.

Finally, before you leave today, I encourage you to visit our gift shop, which is located on the ground floor near the main entrance. We sell a variety of handmade souvenirs that are created by talented local artisans. It's a wonderful way to take home a piece of Heritage House, and I should mention that all the proceeds from gift shop sales go directly toward maintaining and preserving this historic building for future generations.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] That is the end of Section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

Section 3 - Questions 21-30

[Announcer] Now turn to Section 3.

Section 3. You will hear part of a discussion between two students, Sarah and Mike, about their research project on renewable energy sources.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

Now listen and answer questions 21 to 25.

[Sarah - Female Canadian accent] Hi Mike! How are you getting on with the research for our environmental science project? Have you managed to find enough material on renewable energy?

[Mike - Male British accent, Northern English] Hi Sarah! Yes, I think I've got plenty of information now. I'm really glad we decided to focus on renewable energy for our project. Since we're both interested in the environment and sustainability issues, it's made the research much more engaging and meaningful for both of us.

[Sarah] I completely agree. It's so much easier to stay motivated when you're working on something you actually care about. Though I have to say, I did run into some challenges while researching. Finding reliable and comprehensive information about solar panels was more difficult than I expected.

[Mike] What kind of problems did you encounter?

[Sarah] Well, a lot of the technical data and research studies I found seemed incomplete. There were significant gaps in the efficiency statistics and performance data, which made it hard to draw solid conclusions about the technology's effectiveness.

[Mike] That's interesting. I had some similar research challenges, but with wind energy. The main problem that kept coming up in all the literature I read was weather dependency. Wind turbines obviously need wind to generate electricity, but wind patterns are unpredictable, which makes the power output quite variable and unreliable.

[Sarah] That's a significant limitation when you're trying to plan an energy system. Speaking of our project, have you given any thought to how we should present our findings to the class next week?

[Mike] Actually, yes. I think instead of just doing a standard PowerPoint presentation with slides, we should demonstrate a model of some kind. It would be much more engaging for our classmates and would help illustrate the concepts we've been researching.

[Sarah] That's a brilliant idea! A hands-on demonstration would definitely make our presentation more memorable. Now, I just want to double-check the timing - when exactly is our presentation due?

[Mike] I confirmed with Professor Williams yesterday. Our presentation is scheduled for next Friday, not next Monday as I originally thought. So we have a bit less time than I initially calculated.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] Now look at questions 26 to 30.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

[Sarah] Right, we'd better keep moving then. Let me share some of the key findings from my research. I learned that solar energy systems are most effective and efficient in areas that have constant sunshine throughout the year. Places like Arizona or Southern California are ideal locations because they have reliable, intense sunlight.

[Mike] That makes perfect sense. And from my research on wind power, I found that wind turbines work best in consistently windy areas. Coastal regions and open plains are particularly good because there are fewer buildings and trees to block or disrupt the wind flow.

[Sarah] Right. And hydroelectric power has its own geographical requirements. It needs access to flowing water sources like rivers or streams to generate electricity effectively. You can't just build a hydroelectric plant anywhere.

[Mike] Absolutely. But here's something encouraging I discovered during my research. The government actually provides subsidies and financial incentives for renewable energy projects. This support makes it much more economically attractive for businesses and individuals to invest in clean energy technologies.

[Sarah] That's definitely a positive development. Based on everything we've researched, what do you think should be our main recommendation in the conclusion?

[Mike] I think our most important recommendation should be investing in battery technology for energy storage. This is crucial because it addresses the intermittency problems we discussed with solar and wind power. Better batteries would allow us to store energy when it's being produced and use it when it's needed.

[Sarah] Excellent point. That should definitely be the centerpiece of our conclusion.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] That is the end of Section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

Section 4 - Questions 31-40

[Announcer] Now turn to Section 4.

Section 4. You will hear part of a lecture about marine biology, focusing on coral reefs and their ecological importance.

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

[Pause: 60 seconds]

Now listen and answer questions 31 to 40.

[Professor - Female British accent, academic and authoritative] Good morning, everyone. Today's lecture will focus on coral reefs, which are among the most fascinating and critically important ecosystems on our planet. Despite being one of the smaller marine ecosystems in terms of area, coral reefs have an significance that far exceeds their size.

Let me begin with some striking statistics that illustrate just how remarkable these ecosystems are. Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor worldwide. That's an incredibly small area when you consider the vastness of our oceans. However, despite occupying such a tiny fraction of marine space, coral reefs support approximately twenty-five percent of all marine species. This makes them among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, comparable to tropical rainforests in terms of species diversity.

The most famous and largest coral reef system in the world is, of course, the Great Barrier Reef, located off the northeastern coast of Australia. This massive reef system stretches over 2,300 kilometers and is so large that it can actually be seen from space. It's often described as the largest living structure on Earth.

To understand why coral reefs are so ecologically important, we need to examine the fundamental biological processes that make them function. At the heart of every coral reef are coral polyps, which are tiny animals that build the reef structure. These polyps have developed a fascinating symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae.

This symbiotic partnership is absolutely crucial for the survival and growth of coral reefs. The algae live inside the coral tissues, where they are protected from predators and have access to the compounds they need. In return, the algae provide corals with essential nutrients and oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. This relationship is so important that corals simply cannot survive without their algae partners.

Unfortunately, this delicate symbiotic relationship is easily disrupted by environmental changes. When water temperatures rise even by just a degree or two above normal levels, corals experience what we call bleaching. This occurs when stressed corals expel their algae partners as a survival response. Without the colorful algae, the corals appear white or "bleached," and if the stress continues, the coral will eventually die.

Climate change poses another serious threat through ocean acidification. This process is caused by increased carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere. As oceans absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere, the water becomes more acidic, which makes it extremely difficult for corals to build and maintain their calcium carbonate skeletons.

Human activities also create significant problems for coral reef ecosystems. Overfishing is particularly damaging because it disrupts the delicate balance of the ecosystem. When we remove key species, especially fish that help control algae growth by eating it, the algae can grow unchecked and eventually smother the corals.

Fortunately, there are conservation efforts underway to protect these vital ecosystems. Marine protected areas help preserve coral reefs by restricting fishing and other potentially harmful activities in critical reef areas. These protected zones allow ecosystems to recover and maintain their natural balance.

Scientists and marine biologists are also working on innovative technological solutions to help coral reefs survive in our changing world. One of the most promising approaches involves developing heat-resistant coral varieties through careful selective breeding programs. The goal is to create coral strains that can survive in the warmer water temperatures that are becoming increasingly common due to climate change.

The future of coral reefs ultimately depends on our ability to address the root causes of climate change while simultaneously protecting existing reef systems through conservation efforts and scientific innovation.

[Pause: 10 seconds]

[Announcer] That is the end of Section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

[Pause: 30 seconds]

That is the end of the Listening Test.