Free

IELTS Listening Practice Test 4 (free, with answer key)

Last updated September 16, 2026

Short answer: Listening Test 4 is a full IELTS-format Listening test: four recorded sections (student lettings, library, café research, the bicycle), 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 4
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 4 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 4 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 Oakwood Student Lettings: Room Enquiry 1 to 10 Form completion (Q1 to 10)
Section 2 Northgate Library: New Member Tour 11 to 20 Plan labelling (Q11 to 15), multiple choice (Q16 to 17), note completion (Q18 to 20)
Section 3 Tutorial: Campus Café Market Research 21 to 30 Multiple choice (Q21 to 23), matching (Q24 to 27), note completion (Q28 to 30)
Section 4 Lecture: A Short History of the Bicycle 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: Oakwood Student Lettings: Room Enquiry

Form completion, questions 1 to 10

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

  1. Surname: ASHWORTH
  2. Type of room chosen: EN-SUITE (also accepted: ensuite, en suite)
  3. Weekly rent (£): 140 (also accepted: £140, a hundred and forty, 140 pounds)
  4. Move-in date: 1 SEPTEMBER (also accepted: first of september, 1 sept, sept 1)
  5. Length of tenancy: 9 MONTHS (also accepted: nine months)
  6. Deposit (£): 200 (also accepted: £200, two hundred, 200 pounds)
  7. Bill paid separately: ELECTRICITY (also accepted: electric)
  8. Distance to campus on foot: 15 MINUTES (also accepted: fifteen minutes)
  9. Preferred way to make contact: EMAIL (also accepted: by email, e-mail)
  10. Enquiry reference: OW3480 (also accepted: ow 3480)
Show the answers for Section 2: Northgate Library: New Member Tour

Plan labelling, questions 11 to 15

Label the plan below. Write the correct letter, A-H, next to each area.

  1. Returns desk: C
  2. Children's area: F
  3. Computers: A
  4. Quiet study room: G
  5. Café: D

Multiple choice, questions 16 to 17

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. On which day does the library open late? B, Thursday
  2. How many items can members borrow at once? C, twelve

Note completion, questions 18 to 20

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

  1. What new members must bring to join: ID (also accepted: identification, some id)
  2. Daily charge for an overdue book: 20P (also accepted: 20 pence, twenty pence)
  3. Free event on Saturday mornings: STORYTIME (also accepted: story time, storytelling)
Show the answers for Section 3: Tutorial: Campus Café Market Research

Multiple choice, questions 21 to 23

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. What is the main aim of the project? B, to attract more students
  2. What method will they use? B, an online survey
  3. What sample size do they want? C, two hundred

Matching, questions 24 to 27

Who will carry out each task? Write A (Jack), B (Leila) or C (Dr Bennett).

  1. Designing the questionnaire: A (Jack)
  2. Analysing the results: B (Leila)
  3. Promoting the survey: A (Jack)
  4. Approving the questions: C (Dr Bennett)

Note completion, questions 28 to 30

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

  1. The survey stays open for: TWO WEEKS (also accepted: 2 weeks)
  2. Length of the report: 1500 WORDS (also accepted: fifteen hundred words, 1500)
  3. Submission deadline: 20 MARCH (also accepted: twentieth of march, march 20)
Show the answers for Section 4: Lecture: A Short History of the Bicycle

Note completion, questions 31 to 40

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

  1. The 1817 machine had no: PEDALS (also accepted: pedal)
  2. Rough early model was nicknamed the: BONESHAKER (also accepted: bone shaker)
  3. Model with one huge front wheel: PENNY-FARTHING (also accepted: penny farthing)
  4. The safety bicycle had two equal: WHEELS (also accepted: wheel)
  5. Comfort improved thanks to air-filled: TYRES (also accepted: tyre, tires)
  6. Bicycles gave women a sense of: FREEDOM (also accepted: independence)
  7. Decade of the cycling boom: 1890S (also accepted: 1890)
  8. Modern frames made lighter using: ALUMINIUM (also accepted: aluminum)
  9. Most cycle-friendly city today: COPENHAGEN
  10. Fastest-growing type of bike: ELECTRIC (also accepted: electric bike, e-bike, e-bikes)

Quick answers

Is this Listening test free?

Yes. Listening Test 4 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.

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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.