Free

IELTS Listening Practice Test 3 (free, with answer key)

Last updated September 16, 2026

Short answer: Listening Test 3 is a full IELTS-format Listening test: four recorded sections (community hall, aquarium, field trip, tea), 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 3
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 3 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 3 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 Meadowbank Community Hall: Event Booking 1 to 10 Form completion (Q1 to 10)
Section 2 Seabridge Aquarium: Visitor Briefing 11 to 20 Map labelling (Q11 to 15), multiple choice (Q16 to 20)
Section 3 Tutorial: Geography Field Trip Planning 21 to 30 Multiple choice (Q21 to 25), matching (Q26 to 28), note completion (Q29 to 30)
Section 4 Lecture: A Short History of Tea 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: Meadowbank Community Hall: Event Booking

Form completion, questions 1 to 10

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

  1. Surname: HARGREAVES
  2. Type of event: WEDDING (also accepted: wedding reception)
  3. Date: 18 OCTOBER (also accepted: eighteenth of october, 18 oct, oct 18)
  4. Number of guests: 120 (also accepted: a hundred and twenty, one hundred twenty)
  5. Room booked: GARDEN ROOM (also accepted: the garden room)
  6. Start time: 6 PM (also accepted: six, six pm, 6pm, 18:00)
  7. Catering: OWN (also accepted: own catering, their own, bring their own)
  8. Equipment needed: PROJECTOR (also accepted: a projector)
  9. Deposit (£): 150 (also accepted: £150, a hundred and fifty, 150 pounds)
  10. Booking reference: CH2291 (also accepted: ch 2291)
Show the answers for Section 2: Seabridge Aquarium: Visitor Briefing

Map labelling, questions 11 to 15

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

  1. Touch pool: E
  2. Shark tank: G
  3. Café: C
  4. Cloakroom: B
  5. Gift shop: H

Multiple choice, questions 16 to 20

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. On which day does the aquarium close early? B, Monday
  2. What time does the penguin feeding take place? B, 11:30
  3. What is the rule about photography? B, No flash near the tanks
  4. What does annual membership include? B, A café discount
  5. What is the main safety instruction? B, Don't lean over the tanks
Show the answers for Section 3: Tutorial: Geography Field Trip Planning

Multiple choice, questions 21 to 25

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. Where have the students decided to go? B, to a river valley
  2. What is the main focus of their study? A, erosion
  3. What will they borrow from the department? B, GPS units
  4. What do they see as the main risk? B, the weather
  5. How long will the trip last? B, two days

Matching, questions 26 to 28

Who will do each task? Write A (Sam), B (Nadia) or C (Dr Okafor).

  1. Measuring the river: A (Sam)
  2. Interviewing local farmers: B (Nadia)
  3. Arranging the transport: C (Dr Okafor)

Note completion, questions 29 to 30

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

  1. Report due date: 15 NOVEMBER (also accepted: fifteenth of november, nov 15)
  2. Maximum group size: 8 STUDENTS (also accepted: eight students, eight, 8)
Show the answers for Section 4: Lecture: A Short History of Tea

Note completion, questions 31 to 40

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

  1. Tea plant originally native to: CHINA
  2. For trade, leaves compressed into: BRICKS (also accepted: brick)
  3. Brought to Europe mainly by ___ traders: DUTCH (also accepted: the dutch)
  4. Made fashionable in Britain by a: QUEEN (also accepted: a queen)
  5. Heavy ___ led to smuggling: TAX (also accepted: taxes, a tax)
  6. The 1773 protest: the Boston Tea ___: PARTY (also accepted: tea party)
  7. British grew tea themselves in: INDIA
  8. Fast tea ___ raced to London: SHIPS (also accepted: clippers, tea clippers, sailing ships)
  9. Distinctive British habit: adding: MILK
  10. Country drinking most tea per person: TURKEY

Quick answers

Is this Listening test free?

Yes. Listening Test 3 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 3 Listening Practice Test 4 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. Before the test, the spelling and form rules that decide whether an answer counts are in IELTS Listening Spelling Rules: Plurals, Numbers, Dates.