Free

IELTS Listening Practice Test 2 (free, with answer key)

Last updated September 16, 2026

Short answer: Listening Test 2 is a full IELTS-format Listening test: four recorded sections (leisure centre, community garden, urban noise, beekeeping), 40 questions, about 30 minutes on the exam clock, each recording played once as in the real exam, and your raw score, estimated band and per-section breakdown the moment you submit. Free, no sign-up. Take the test first, then check the answer key below; reading it before the test makes the band meaningless.

Start Listening Test 2
4
recorded sections, from a two-person conversation to a lecture
40
questions, scored automatically and converted to an estimated band
0
sign-up, email or card to take the test and see your band

This page describes what is in Listening Test 2 and gives the answer key for its 40 questions. The test itself runs on the ParrotTalk Listening page: the button above opens it with Test 2 already selected. The recordings are produced by ParrotTalk, with distinct voices for each section, and follow the shape of the IELTS Listening test, from a booking conversation to a lecture. This is not an official IELTS test.

What is in this test

SectionTopicQuestionsQuestion types
Section 1 Harbourview Leisure Centre: Membership 1 to 10 Form completion (Q1 to 10)
Section 2 Riverside Community Garden: Volunteer Induction 11 to 20 Map labelling (Q11 to 15), multiple choice (Q16 to 17), note completion (Q18 to 20)
Section 3 Tutorial: Urban Noise Project 21 to 30 Multiple choice (Q21 to 23), matching (Q24 to 27), note completion (Q28 to 30)
Section 4 Lecture: The Rise of Urban Beekeeping 31 to 40 Note completion (Q31 to 40)

Allow about 30 minutes: the test clock runs for 30 minutes plus 2 minutes to check your answers before submitting, as in the computer-delivered exam. In exam mode the audio of each section plays once, without pause, the questions appear as the recording reaches them, and Section 2 unlocks only after Section 1 has been played. Your progress is saved in your browser, so a reload does not lose your answers.

Answer key

Take the test first. The answer key is here so that you can check your work afterwards; if you read it before you start, the band you get at the end tells you nothing about your level.

The answers below are the ones accepted by the automatic scoring, including the accepted variants where the recording allows more than one wording. ParrotTalk does not publish the transcripts of the recordings: the practice is in the listening, and the questions themselves are on the test page once the audio starts.

Show the answers for Section 1: Harbourview Leisure Centre: Membership

Form completion, questions 1 to 10

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  1. Family name: PELLETIER
  2. Type of membership chosen: OFF-PEAK (also accepted: off peak, offpeak)
  3. Membership begins on: 3 MARCH (also accepted: third of march, 3rd march, march 3)
  4. Amount paid each month (£): 29 (also accepted: twenty-nine, £29, 29 pounds)
  5. Main activity of interest: SWIMMING (also accepted: swim)
  6. When he plans to attend: EVENINGS (also accepted: evening, after work)
  7. Referral source: NEIGHBOUR (also accepted: a neighbour, neighbor)
  8. Refundable locker deposit (£): 5 (also accepted: five, £5, five pounds)
  9. Emergency contact surname: WALSH
  10. Membership ID: HV5163 (also accepted: hv 5163)
Show the answers for Section 2: Riverside Community Garden: Volunteer Induction

Map labelling, questions 11 to 15

Label the map below. Write the correct letter, A-H, next to each feature.

  1. Compost area: F
  2. Tool shed: B
  3. Pond: D
  4. Greenhouse: G
  5. Herb beds: A

Multiple choice, questions 16 to 17

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. When do most volunteers attend? B, Saturday mornings
  2. What must volunteers bring themselves? B, Gloves

Note completion, questions 18 to 20

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  1. Source of water for the plants: RAINWATER TANK (also accepted: rainwater, the tank)
  2. Best way to report an absence: TEXT (also accepted: a text, text message)
  3. Recommended footwear: BOOTS
Show the answers for Section 3: Tutorial: Urban Noise Project

Multiple choice, questions 21 to 23

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. Where have the students decided to focus? B, near the schools
  2. Over what period will they collect readings? A, two weeks
  3. What concerns them most about the fieldwork? B, the wind

Matching, questions 24 to 27

Who will carry out each task? Write A (Tom), B (Maya) or C (Dr Hollis).

  1. Recording the noise levels: A (Tom)
  2. Interviewing residents: B (Maya)
  3. Drawing the site map: A (Tom)
  4. Providing the sound meter: C (Dr Hollis)

Note completion, questions 28 to 30

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  1. A reading is logged every: 15 MINUTES (also accepted: fifteen minutes)
  2. Length of the write-up: 2000 WORDS (also accepted: two thousand words, 2000)
  3. Submission deadline: 12 MAY (also accepted: twelfth of may, may 12)
Show the answers for Section 4: Lecture: The Rise of Urban Beekeeping

Note completion, questions 31 to 40

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  1. City where the trend began: PARIS
  2. How far bees travel to feed: 5 KILOMETRES (also accepted: five kilometres, 5 km, 5km)
  3. Cities warmer due to the ___ effect: ISLAND (also accepted: heat island)
  4. Quality city honey is praised for: FLAVOUR (also accepted: flavor, taste)
  5. Biggest danger to city bees: PESTICIDES (also accepted: pesticide)
  6. Maximum bees in one hive: 50000 (also accepted: fifty thousand, 50,000)
  7. Must register hives with the local: COUNCIL (also accepted: local council)
  8. Direction to face the hives: SOUTH-EAST (also accepted: southeast, south east)
  9. Season when colonies split: SPRING (also accepted: in spring)
  10. Planned bee-friendly ___: CORRIDORS (also accepted: corridor)

Quick answers

Is this Listening test free?

Yes. Listening Test 2 is completely free, with no sign-up, no email and no card, and you can run it as many times as you like. The four sections, the 40 questions, the automatic scoring and the band are all included.

Is the audio played once, like in the real exam?

Yes, by default. In exam mode each section plays once, with no pause and no rewind, the questions appear progressively as the recording reaches them, and the next section unlocks once the previous one has been played. A practice mode, chosen before you start, allows pausing and replaying; the page then warns that the score is not comparable to exam conditions.

How is the Listening band calculated?

From your raw score out of 40, converted to a band with the official-style table, which is the same for Academic and General Training. The raw score, the band and a per-section breakdown appear the moment you submit. The full conversion table is on the band score calculator.

Is this an official IELTS test?

No. It is practice material in the format of the IELTS Listening test, with recordings produced by ParrotTalk, and the band is an estimate to track your progress, not an official result. ParrotTalk is independent and not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge English.

Start Listening Test 2 Listening Practice Test 3 All Listening practice tests

ParrotTalk is free, with no sign-up. Bands are estimates, not official IELTS results. See the band score calculator for the full raw score to band table, and read how to practise IELTS Listening online for free for the mistakes that cost the most marks.