IELTS Listening · Practice test
Thornbury: IELTS Listening practice test
Joining a choir, a village solar scheme, a bridge-building competition and a lecture on bamboo.
- 4 parts
- 40 questions
- About 35 minutes
Part 1 · Questions 1–10
Joining a community choir
You will hear a conversation between a woman and the secretary of a community choir.
Questions 1–5
Complete the form below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
New Member
Questions 6–10
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Before the first rehearsal
Part 2 · Questions 11–20
A village energy scheme
You will hear a member of a village energy group explaining a community solar scheme at a public meeting.
Questions 11–14
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
- 11The four buildings were chosen mainly because
- Athey use electricity during the day.
- Btheir roofs face south.
- Cthey are owned by the village.
- 12Under the scheme, the panels will be owned by
- Aeach individual building.
- Ba company that villagers invest in.
- Cthe parish council.
- 13What does the speaker emphasise about the four per cent return?
- AIt is guaranteed for twenty years.
- BIt is only paid after year six.
- CThe money invested could be lost.
- 14Any money left over after investors are paid will
- Ago into a fund for local projects.
- Bbe used to buy more panels.
- Creduce the village's electricity bills.
Questions 15–20
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
The four sites
| Site | Size | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Village hall | 15 kW | ready to start; permission granted in February |
| Primary school | 20 kW | waiting for the county council to sign a 16 |
| Cricket pavilion | 17 kW | included mainly because it will be 18 from the road |
| The old dairy | 25 kW | postponed: the roof 19 need strengthening, at a cost of £20 |
Part 3 · Questions 21–30
A bridge-building competition
You will hear two engineering students, Leo and Sana, discussing their entry for a bridge-building competition.
Questions 21–26
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
- 21What have the students realised about the scoring?
- AThe lightest possible bridge is best.
- BThe strongest bridge always wins.
- CThe span matters more than the mass.
- 22Why do they reject the cable-stayed design?
- AIt would take too long to build.
- BIts towers add mass that carries no load.
- CIt is not permitted by the rules.
- 23Sana's main reason for choosing the truss is that
- Athe forces in it can be calculated.
- Bit uses the least material.
- Cit looks the most impressive.
- 24According to Leo, most bridges in last year's competition failed
- Ain the middle of the span.
- Bat the joints.
- Cwhere they rested on the supports.
- 25What do they decide to do with the materials they have?
- Abuild one bridge very carefully
- Bbuild two and break the first
- Cbuild three and enter the best
- 26How will they test the bridge?
- Ausing the laboratory rig
- Bby gradually adding sand to a bucket
- Cby standing weights on the deck
Questions 27–30
What do the students decide about each of the following parts of the entry? Choose the correct letter, A–F, next to questions 27–30.
Decisions
- ALeo will do it on his own.
- BSana will do it while the work goes on.
- CIt must be completed before anything else.
- DThey will leave it out.
- EThey will ask another team for help.
- FThey will do it together at the end.
- 27the technical drawing
- 28the calculations pack
- 29the presentation on the day
- 30the workshop risk assessment
Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Building with bamboo
You will hear part of a lecture about bamboo as a building material.
Questions 31–40
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Bamboo as a building material
What bamboo is
Why it is strong
Four problems