Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Listening Test 3

• 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 3 is a strong choice for your final week of practice because the audio pace and accent variety mirror the live exam closely. Section 1 features an enrolment dialogue for a class or course; Section 2 moves into a briefing for new volunteers; Section 3 shifts into students discussing a research study; and Section 4 closes with an arts lecture.

Section 1 uses form completion; Section 2 uses multi-answer multiple choice, multiple choice and completion; Section 3 uses multiple choice plus completion; Section 4 uses note completion. Section 1's word-limit warning is the silent killer here — three-word answers in a TWO WORD AND/OR A NUMBER task are scored zero even when the content is right, so circle the limit instruction before the audio begins.

Spend the preview seconds underlining the keyword in each gap and pencilling a word-class hint above it. Resist over-correcting in real time — if you miss an answer, leave it and rejoin at the next signpost. Use the ten-minute transfer window to clean up capitalisation, plurals and word limits. For band 7, accuracy on the last ten questions usually decides the score.

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.