IELTS Academic Listening practice test 3

Listen and answer questions 1 to 10.

1. • Date: Thursday {{1}} October

2. • Speaker: Dr Ruth {{2}}, a university astronomer

3. • Location: the {{3}} on the ground floor

4. • Start time: {{4}} p.m.

5. • Visitors should bring a {{5}} for the path up to the roof

6. • Adults: £{{6}}

7. • Lower price for {{7}} (ID needed)

8. • Parking: use the {{8}} next to the village hall

9. • Number of tickets: {{9}}

10. • Caller found out about the event from a {{10}} at the swimming pool

Listen and answer questions 11 to 20.

11. Helen says the Kelby Speakers' Circle was first set up because

A) a local college stopped running its public speaking course

B) people at a residents' meeting felt unable to say what they wanted

C) a group of friends wanted to practise for job interviews

12. From now on, the club's weekly meetings will be held on

A) Tuesday evenings

B) Thursday evenings

C) Wednesday evenings

13. What does Helen say about the first talk that new members give?

A) It is given to a small group rather than the whole club

B) It is recorded so that the speaker can watch it later

C) It must be about a personal experience

14. Which part of each meeting does Helen think is most useful?

A) the feedback from other members

B) the presentations by guest speakers

C) the short unprepared talks

15. Which TWO things are new members given when they join?

A) a printed guide to giving feedback

B) an experienced member as a partner

C) a discount on the weekend workshop

D) a free first month of membership

E) a notebook for planning talks

16. Which TWO things are new members given when they join?

A) a printed guide to giving feedback

B) an experienced member as a partner

C) a discount on the weekend workshop

D) a free first month of membership

E) a notebook for planning talks

17. Which TWO events has the club definitely planned for next year?

A) a storytelling evening open to the public

B) a debate with a club from another town

C) a speech competition for school pupils

D) a course on speaking at work meetings

E) a session on giving speeches at weddings

18. Which TWO events has the club definitely planned for next year?

A) a storytelling evening open to the public

B) a debate with a club from another town

C) a speech competition for school pupils

D) a course on speaking at work meetings

E) a session on giving speeches at weddings

19. Which TWO pieces of advice does Helen give about raising an issue at a public meeting?

A) Try to speak before anyone else does

B) Write down your main point in one sentence beforehand

C) Bring documents to hand out to the audience

D) Stop once you have made your point

E) Ask a friend to speak in support of you

20. Which TWO pieces of advice does Helen give about raising an issue at a public meeting?

A) Try to speak before anyone else does

B) Write down your main point in one sentence beforehand

C) Bring documents to hand out to the audience

D) Stop once you have made your point

E) Ask a friend to speak in support of you

Listen and answer questions 21 to 30.

21. What first attracted Leah to the Fernbrook Grocers case study?

A) the large number of extra days staff were offered

B) the fact that managers could not refuse a request

C) the size of the company that introduced the scheme

22. According to Marcus, the main aim of the scheme was to

A) stop unhappy staff from affecting customers

B) reduce the number of staff leaving the company

C) cut the cost of sickness absence

23. What do the students agree is a weakness of the published evidence about the scheme?

A) It covers too short a period

B) It does not compare Fernbrook with other chains

C) It was gathered by the company itself

24. What surprised the students about how staff used the days?

A) Fewer days were taken than expected

B) Staff tended to take the days all together

C) Most requests were made around public holidays

25. Leah thinks a similar scheme might not work well in a UK shop mainly because staff

A) would resent covering for absent colleagues

B) would expect managers to ask for proof

C) would worry about seeming unable to cope

26. What do the students finally decide to do in their presentation?

A) compare the scheme with a similar one elsewhere

B) concentrate on one store's experience of the scheme

C) ask the audience to vote on the scheme

27. Flexible start times

A) This is often promoted more than it is used

B) This is pointless unless senior managers follow it up

C) The benefits of this are hard to measure

D) This is too expensive for small firms

E) This can make problems worse if handled badly

F) This is more suited to office workers than shop staff

28. Quiet rooms in the workplace

A) This is often promoted more than it is used

B) This is pointless unless senior managers follow it up

C) The benefits of this are hard to measure

D) This is too expensive for small firms

E) This can make problems worse if handled badly

F) This is more suited to office workers than shop staff

29. Mental health training for supervisors

A) This is often promoted more than it is used

B) This is pointless unless senior managers follow it up

C) The benefits of this are hard to measure

D) This is too expensive for small firms

E) This can make problems worse if handled badly

F) This is more suited to office workers than shop staff

30. Annual staff wellbeing surveys

A) This is often promoted more than it is used

B) This is pointless unless senior managers follow it up

C) The benefits of this are hard to measure

D) This is too expensive for small firms

E) This can make problems worse if handled badly

F) This is more suited to office workers than shop staff

Listen and answer questions 31 to 40.

31. • main fear: harm to their {{31}}; also legal action

32. • most anxious about the response of their {{32}}

33. • altered voice pitch can be undone, so a different {{33}} may read out the transcript

34. • blurring: identity can still be revealed by a person's {{34}}

35. • digital face replacement: volunteer's appearance on screen, but witness's {{35}} retained

36. • animation: suitable when there is no {{36}} of an event

37. • witnesses to view final version prior to {{37}}

38. • viewers to be informed if a face or voice is {{38}}

39. • statements from unnamed sources to be verified using {{39}}

40. • hidden speakers may receive less {{40}} from viewers