Cambridge IELTS 17 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 17 Academic Listening Test 1 is one of the more deceptive papers in the Cambridge 17 set — the early sections lull you, and the later ones punish any drift in concentration. Section 1 features a service enquiry between two speakers; Section 2 moves into a tour-guide briefing for a visiting group; Section 3 shifts into a supervision discussion about a dissertation; and Section 4 closes with a lecture on bees and pollination.

Section 1 uses note completion; Section 2 uses multiple choice plus multi-answer multiple choice; Section 3 uses multiple choice plus 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 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.