Section №1

Listening

Recordings with IELTS-style questions and transcripts.

№1Asking for DirectionsA1section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№2Buying a Bus TicketA1section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№3Ordering at a CaféA1section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№4Getting a Library CardA1section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№5A Message About a PicnicA1section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№6Changing a Train BookingA2section 1 · 6 questions · medium · begin →№7Gym Induction TalkA2section 2 · 7 questions · easy · begin →№8Checking In at a HotelA2section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№9Museum Visitor InformationA2section 2 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№10City Sports Centre MembershipA2section 1 · 6 questions · easy · begin →№11Community Garden Volunteer BriefingB1section 2 · 7 questions · medium · begin →№12Introduction to an Evening Cooking ClassB1section 2 · 7 questions · medium · begin →№13Booking a Holiday CottageB1section 1 · 8 questions · medium · begin →№14Calling the Lost Property OfficeB1section 1 · 7 questions · medium · begin →№15Riverside Park Summer FestivalB1section 2 · 6 questions · medium · begin →№16Discussing a Flexible Working TrialB2section 3 · 7 questions · hard · begin →№17Lecture: A Short History of TeaB2section 4 · 7 questions · hard · begin →№18Lecture: Bees in Urban EnvironmentsB2section 4 · 7 questions · hard · begin →№19Planning a Group PresentationB2section 3 · 6 questions · medium · begin →№20Tutorial: Planning a Research ProjectB2section 3 · 7 questions · hard · begin →№21Lecture: A Short History of CoffeeC1section 4 · 6 questions · hard · begin →№22Lecture: The Bilingual BrainC2section 4 · 6 questions · hard · begin →

Notes on technique

Predict Before You Listen

Use the time before each section starts to read the questions and predict what you will hear. For every gap, ask yourself: what type of word fits here — a name, a number, a date, a place? If question 3 says ”£___ per month”, your brain is already primed to catch a price, and you won’t be distracted by other numbers mentioned nearby.

Watch out for distractors: speakers in IELTS recordings routinely correct themselves (“Thursday — no, sorry, Friday”) or mention several options before settling on one. The answer is almost always the final version. Never write the first plausible thing you hear and stop listening.

Finally, remember that answers come in order. If you realise the conversation has moved past your current question, let it go and catch up — losing one answer is recoverable; losing your place for a whole section is not.