Cambridge IELTS 11 Academic Listening Test 4

• 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 11 Academic Listening Test 4 reads as a fairly standard Cambridge paper on the surface, but the question types it cycles through expose any weakness in your prediction routine. Section 1 features a service enquiry between two speakers; Section 2 moves into a guided introduction to a museum; Section 3 shifts into a discussion between students about a coursework project; and Section 4 closes with a lecture on climate science.

Section 1 uses table completion plus completion; Section 2 uses completion plus map labelling; Section 3 uses multi-answer multiple choice plus multiple choice; Section 4 uses note completion. Section 3's distractor lines often come from the second speaker correcting the first, so listen for hesitations like 'actually' or 'on second thoughts' as a signal that the answer has just changed.

Before each section, count the gaps and read them silently to fix the structure in your head. Track the speakers using the question numbers as a stopwatch — if you are still on question 14 when the speaker reaches the next topic, jump forward. Use the transfer window to verify spellings against the recording in your memory. Bands above 7 reward composure under time pressure.

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.