Cambridge IELTS 15 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 15 Academic Listening Test 3 packs the four classic IELTS contexts into roughly thirty minutes of audio, and the second half is where most candidates leak their easiest marks. Section 1 features a job-related telephone enquiry; Section 2 moves into a briefing for new volunteers; Section 3 shifts into students discussing an upcoming assignment; and Section 4 closes with an archaeology lecture.

Section 1 uses note completion; Section 2 uses multiple choice plus multi-answer multiple choice; Section 3 uses note completion plus completion; Section 4 uses note completion. In Section 2, the multiple-choice items rely on paraphrase rather than direct repetition, so the option that contains an exact word from the recording is usually the distractor, not the answer.

Use the thirty-second preview before each section to read every gap and predict word class — noun, plural, number, name. During the audio, write only what the speaker actually says, not what you expect. Reserve the final ten minutes for transferring answers to the answer sheet, double-checking spelling and singular/plural forms. A solid band 7 here is built on disciplined prediction, not on faster reading.

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.