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Prepare for the IELTS Listening exam with realistic practice tests, authentic audio recordings, and exam style questions designed to match the actual test format. Submit your answers to receive an instant estimated IELTS band score calculated using the official IELTS raw to band score conversion.
16 tests · Test 1 is free
The IELTS Listening test is 30 minutes of audio plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers. Forty questions span four sections - a social conversation, a monologue on everyday topics, an academic discussion among 2–4 speakers, and a university-style lecture. Both Academic and General Training candidates take the same Listening paper, and the same official raw-to-band conversion applies on this site as on test day.
Multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion, sentence completion, and short-answer questions. Our practice tests rotate through all of them in each set, so you build pattern-recognition for the trickier formats - particularly map labelling and the summary completion type that catches most candidates out at band 6.5.
Listening is auto-graded the moment you click submit. The official conversion: 39–40 correct = band 9.0, 37–38 = 8.5, 35–36 = 8.0, 32–34 = 7.5, 30–31 = 7.0, 26–29 = 6.5, 23–25 = 6.0. Below that, the band drops half a point per 2–3 missed answers. We use the official table - no grade inflation.
1) Skim the questions in the 30 seconds before each section starts - knowing what to listen for is half the battle. 2) Write answers as you hear them; do NOT wait until the section ends. 3) For map labelling, orient yourself with the compass + main entrance before audio starts. 4) For matching, mark off used options. 5) Spell carefully - a misspelled answer is wrong even if you heard it right. The transfer time exists for exactly this kind of cleanup.
Band 7 (30+ correct) is achievable with consistent practice on the standard formats. Band 8 (35+) requires also nailing the synonym-paraphrase trick - the audio almost never uses the exact word from the question. If you're stuck at 6.5–7, the breakthrough usually comes from active vocabulary work: noting paraphrases as you review wrong answers and adding them to a personal lexicon you revisit weekly.
All sixteen Listening tests on this site mirror the real IELTS Listening paper in length, accent variety (British, Australian, American, Canadian), and question distribution. Test 1 is free. Take a fresh attempt anytime, and your raw score, band, and per-question accuracy are saved if you sign in.
The IELTS Listening test takes 30 minutes plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers. It has 40 questions across four sections: a social conversation, a monologue on an everyday topic, an academic discussion among 2 to 4 speakers, and a university-style lecture. Both Academic and General Training candidates take the same Listening paper, and our practice tests use the same official raw-to-band conversion table that the British Council, IDP and Cambridge English use on test day.
Yes. Listening Test 1 is free with no sign-up, and you get the same auto-graded band score and per-question accuracy review that paid subscribers get. Audio is the authentic accent mix used in the real exam (British, Australian, American, Canadian), and submissions auto-grade the moment you click submit using the official 2026 raw-to-band table.
The official IELTS Listening conversion table is identical for Academic and General Training: 39 to 40 correct = band 9.0, 37 to 38 = 8.5, 35 to 36 = 8.0, 32 to 34 = 7.5, 30 to 31 = 7.0, 26 to 29 = 6.5, 23 to 25 = 6.0, 18 to 22 = 5.5, 16 to 17 = 5.0. You can plug your own raw score into the IELTS score calculator for an instant band.
Most universities in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand ask for at least IELTS Listening 6.0 at undergraduate level and 6.5 at postgraduate. Russell Group, Ivy League, U15 Canada and Group of Eight institutions frequently require Listening 7.0 or higher; Medicine, Nursing and Teaching often require 7.0 to 7.5 in Listening specifically. See the IELTS score requirement by university for the verified Listening minimum at your target institution.
Canada's IRCC scores Listening via the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). CLB 7 (Canadian Experience Class floor) needs Listening 6.0. CLB 9 (competitive Federal Skilled Worker) needs Listening 8.0. The UK Skilled Worker and Health & Care visas require CEFR B1 (IELTS for UKVI Listening 4.0). Australia's Department of Home Affairs awards 0 visa points for Listening 6.0 (Competent), 10 for Listening 7.0 (Proficient) and 20 for Listening 8.0 (Superior) in skilled-migration routes.
Listening is auto-graded the moment you click submit. Each correct answer scores one mark out of 40, with no penalty for wrong answers, and the raw score is converted using the official IELTS table published by the British Council, IDP and Cambridge English. Spelling counts: a Listening answer with a misspelt word is marked wrong even if you heard it right, exactly as in the real exam.
