Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Listening Test 1

• Each audio plays once. You CANNOT pause or rewind during the exam.
• Take notes on the question section as you listen.
• After audio ends, you have 10 minutes to review and finalize answers.

Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Listening Test 1 starts gently and sharpens quickly — the gap from Section 2 to Section 3 is where this paper separates band 6.5 from band 7. Section 1 features a travel-agent enquiry about a self-drive holiday; Section 2 moves into a tour inside a leisure facility; Section 3 shifts into a tutorial about a design-competition entry; and Section 4 closes with a wildlife conservation lecture about bears.

Section 1 uses note completion plus table completion; Section 2 uses multi-answer multiple choice plus note completion; Section 3 uses multiple choice plus note completion; Section 4 uses note completion. The transition between Section 2 and Section 3 catches most candidates: the speaker count doubles and the vocabulary tightens, so reset your concentration during the preview rather than carrying momentum across.

Use the preview to predict not just word class but also the likely topic vocabulary in each gap's sentence. When the audio runs ahead of you, abandon the lost item and pivot to the next gap immediately. Spend the last ten minutes transferring with a fresh pair of eyes, treating each answer as if it were new. A controlled band 7 comes from rhythm, not from speed.

New to this skill? Read the Listening question types guide for tactics, scoring rules, and frequency analysis across Cambridge 10–20. Or browse all Listening practice tests.

Looking for written strategy? See the IELTS Blog for in-depth posts.