Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Listening Test 2

• 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 19 Academic Listening Test 2 offers the familiar four-section progression from social to academic English, and the difficulty curve here is steeper than it first looks. Section 1 features a service enquiry between two speakers; Section 2 moves into a briefing for new volunteers; Section 3 shifts into a discussion between students about a coursework project; and Section 4 closes with a wildlife conservation lecture about bears.

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

During the previews, decide for each gap whether the answer will be a number, a person's name, a place, or a common noun, and write the hint above the line. Avoid panic-erasing during the audio — keep the booklet messy and tidy it during transfer. Re-read every plural ending before you commit to the answer sheet. Band 7 is mostly about not losing easy marks.

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.