IELTS Listening Mock Test 2

A: Welcome to Greenwood Nature Reserve. I'm Tomas. How can I help you today? B: Hi Tomas, I'm calling to enquire about the weekend photography workshop. My name is Aisha Al-Mansoori. That's A-L, hyphen, M-A-N-S-O-O-R-I. A: Thanks Aisha. Let me just type your surname into our booking system: A-L, hyphen, M-A-N-S-O-O-R-I. Got it. Now, we have a couple of dates available. Are you looking at the one on the 14th of October? B: Actually, I have a family event that day. I'd like to book the one on the 28th of October instead. A: Perfect, October 28th. That's our Landscape Masterclass. It runs from 1:30 to 5:00 in the afternoon. We used to finish at 4:30, but we've extended the session to give people more time. B: That sounds great. What's the price for the session? A: The standard fee is 85 pounds, but we have a student discount which makes it 65 pounds. B: Excellent, I have a valid student card, so 65 pounds is perfect. Can I give you my phone number for the registration? It's 07700 900342. A: Let me read that back: 07700 900342. Got it. And please remember you'll need to bring a tripod. We provide other equipment like professional lenses, but everyone must bring their own tripod. B: I have one of those, so that's fine. Is any food provided during the afternoon? A: Since it's an afternoon session, lunch isn't included, but we do offer a free snack. You can choose either a fruit platter or a slice of chocolate cake. B: Chocolate cake, definitely! I can't resist that. A: Excellent choice. For the workshop, we'll meet at the Lakeside Cafe. Don't go to the Visitor Centre, as that's where the morning session gathers. Also, since we'll be doing long exposures of the waterfall, make sure you wear waterproof boots as the path gets very wet. And it's a good idea to wear a warm jacket because it gets quite cold by the water. Don't bring an umbrella, though, as it gets in the way of the camera gear. B: Got it. Waterproof boots and a warm jacket. No umbrella. Thanks so much for your help, Tomas! [Q1] Surname: ________

(Shared with Q1.) [Q2] Date of workshop: ________

(Shared with Q1.) [Q3] Price: £________

(Shared with Q1.) [Q4] Contact number: ________

(Shared with Q1.) [Q5] Essential equipment to bring: a ________

(Shared with Q1.) [Q6] What time does the afternoon photography session finish?

(Shared with Q1.) [Q7] Which complimentary snack does Aisha choose?

(Shared with Q1.) [Q8] Where will Aisha's photography group meet?

(Shared with Q1.) [Q9] What is the main subject Aisha's group will photograph?

(Shared with Q1.) [Q10] Which TWO items of clothing or gear does the booking agent recommend bringing or wearing?

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the newly renovated Marigold Heritage Centre. I’m Amara, the head coordinator here, and I'm absolutely delighted to show you around our fresh new space today. Before we head off, let me give you a quick layout of the building so you don't get lost. Currently, we are standing in the main entrance foyer. As you step through the main entrance doors, the first room you'll see directly on your left, which used to be the old ticket booth, is now our newly designed Information Desk. Please head there to collect your maps and programmes. Now, right in the centre of the building, completely open to the sky, is our stunning Courtyard Garden, which is a lovely spot to sit and relax. If you walk just past the Information Desk, continuing along that left-hand wall towards the back, you'll find our expanded Gift Shop—we originally planned a multimedia room for that space but decided the shop needed more room for local crafts. On the opposite side of the building, occupying the entire long wing on your right-hand side, is the Local History Exhibition. We did think about putting the Children's Play Area there, but we really needed a vast area to display our historic artifacts properly. If you walk straight down the central corridor, passing right by the central garden, you'll reach the very back of the building. We initially planned to put the audio-visual theatre there, but instead, we've installed our brand new Cafeteria. Actually, let me correct myself, the theatre is actually in the quiet room next door to it on the left, but the room directly at the end of that main central corridor is indeed where you can sit down for a warm meal. Now, a bit about our journey... [Q11] Position 1 — the room immediately on your left upon entering

(Shared with Q11.) [Q12] Position 2 — the open area in the very centre of the building

(Shared with Q11.) [Q13] Position 3 — the space directly past the Information Desk, along the left-hand wall

(Shared with Q11.) [Q14] Position 4 — the entire long wing on the right-hand side of the building

(Shared with Q11.) [Q15] Position 5 — the room situated directly at the far end of the central corridor

(Shared with Q11.) [Q16] What was the main purpose of the recent six-month closure?

(Shared with Q11.) [Q17] What is required of participants in the new volunteering scheme?

(Shared with Q11.) [Q18] What makes the upcoming 'Living History' workshops distinctive?

(Shared with Q11.) [Q19] When is the outdoor sculpture trail now expected to open?

(Shared with Q11.) [Q20] Which TWO activities can children do at the heritage centre today?

A: Welcome, Aisha, Lukas. Today we're reviewing the five core readings on research methods for your sociology project. Let's start with Patel's paper. How did you find it? B: Well, Dr. Ingrid, I initially thought it was going to be about ethical reviews because of the introductory chapter, but actually, it turned out to be an incredibly practical guide on how to design survey questionnaires. It really cleared up how we should phrase our open-ended questions. C: Yeah, I agree with Aisha. I thought it might help us select sample sizes, but the questionnaire design section was definitely its strongest point. We should definitely use it for that. A: Excellent. What about Gomez's study? Lukas? C: Gomez was quite dense. It had a long section on historical literature, which didn't feel very relevant to our modern project. But then it had these amazing case studies showing how to analyze qualitative interviews—you know, coding the transcripts and finding key themes. That's what I got out of it. B: Absolutely. I was struggling with how we'd handle our interview transcripts, and Gomez made the analytical process so clear. Let's definitely earmark that for qualitative interview analysis. A: Good. Now, Nguyen's chapter. That one is often a student favorite. B: Oh, it's brilliant for understanding data visualization. It has all these charts showing how to represent complex statistics visually. Lukas, didn't you think it was more about sampling? C: Well, there's a brief mention of sample sizes at the end, but yes, the core value is definitely how to present statistical data visually. The diagrams were so clear. So, yes, visualization is the main takeaway. A: Right. Moving on to Smith's article. Aisha, did you find that useful? B: To be honest, I got a bit lost. It covers a lot of ground—questionnaires, interviews... but then, wait, actually, they have a whole section dedicated to the ethical reviews process, which is mandatory for our university approval. I initially thought it was just general advice, but it really drills down into getting ethical clearance. C: Actually, Aisha, I think you're confusing Smith with O'Connor's report. Smith's article is the one that really focuses on selecting sample sizes mathematically. It had all those formulas for how many participants we need. The ethical part in Smith was just a minor appendix. B: Oh, silly me! You're totally right, Lukas. Smith is the math-heavy one about sample sizes. I got them mixed up because they both have blue covers. Yes, Smith is for sample sizes. A: And that leaves O'Connor's report. C: Right, so O'Connor must be the one Aisha was thinking of. It really focuses on the ethical side, doesn't it? B: Yes, sorry about that earlier. O'Connor's report is crucial for conducting ethical reviews. It details all the consent forms and participant protection guidelines we need to submit to the academic board. A: Excellent. Now that we've mapped those out, let's talk about your project timeline. You have the draft proposal due next Friday. How are you progressing with the primary data collection planning? C: We wanted to start interviewing local business owners next week, but we realized we need to finalize our pilot study first. We had originally planned to do a pilot with five people, but our tutor—oh, sorry Dr. Ingrid, you suggested three would be enough to test the questions. So we're doing a three-person pilot this Thursday instead. B: Yes, and once the pilot is done, we need to gather our secondary sources. I was going to use the university's digital archive, but it's offline for maintenance all of next week. So we've decided to head over to the city library's physical archives instead, even though it's a bit of a trek. Lukas thought about buying the digital databases online, but that's way too expensive. A: Good choice. A physical archive can be very rewarding. Now, what about your main theoretical framework? Are you sticking with the post-structuralist approach we discussed last month? C: We actually shifted away from that. We briefly flirted with critical theory because it's very popular right now, but after reading more deeply, we realized a constructivist framework aligns much better with our research questions on community identity. It allows us to focus on how participants construct meaning. A: A constructivist framework is perfect for community identity. Just make sure you don't overcomplicate the analysis. What are your thoughts on how to present the final findings? The department offers two options: a traditional written report or a poster presentation accompanied by a short talk. B: Well, we initially wanted to do the poster because it sounded easier, but we found out the poster session is open to the public, which makes me incredibly nervous! Lukas suggested we write the traditional report instead, and actually, I think that's a safer bet for us to get a high grade, even if it's longer. C: I agree. Although a poster would let us practice our public speaking, the written report lets us explain our methodology in much greater detail, which is our strength. So we've officially registered for the written report option. A: That sounds like a wise decision. Now, before our time is up, what are the next steps you need to complete before you submit the draft proposal next week? B: Well, we definitely need to get our supervisor's signature on the ethics form—though we can't do that until we draft the participant consent letter. That's a priority for tomorrow morning. And Lukas, you were going to email the business owners to request their participation, right? C: Yes, I'll send those recruitment emails out tomorrow. I was going to update our literature review section too, but since we decided to change our theoretical framework, we have to rewrite that entire section first, which will have to wait until the weekend. Oh, and we also need to print out the final draft for your review, Dr. Ingrid. A: Actually, please don't print anything. Just email me the digital copy. It saves paper! But do make sure you have formatted your bibliography correctly according to the department style guide. B: Right, no printing then. We'll make sure to double-check the bibliography formatting before we upload it. [Q21] Patel's paper

(Shared with Q21.) [Q22] Gomez's study

(Shared with Q21.) [Q23] Nguyen's chapter

(Shared with Q21.) [Q24] Smith's article

(Shared with Q21.) [Q25] O'Connor's report

(Shared with Q21.) [Q26] What is the students' current plan for their pilot study?

(Shared with Q21.) [Q27] How do the students plan to access secondary sources?

(Shared with Q21.) [Q28] Which theoretical framework have the students chosen for their project?

(Shared with Q21.) [Q29] Why did the students decide to choose the traditional written report?

(Shared with Q21.) [Q30] Which TWO tasks do the students plan to complete tomorrow?

Good morning, everyone. Today, we're looking at a remarkable botanical adaptation in arid ecosystems: the Vesperis shrub. Now, you might expect desert plants to compete fiercely for water, but the Vesperis actually forms underground root networks, fusing their roots together in a process called grafting. Initially, researchers in 1998 hypothesized this was purely to share moisture during droughts. However, a landmark study led by Sofia in 2012—actually, wait, no, it was 2014, my apologies, the 2012 study was on soil microbes—showed that these connections primarily distribute nitrogen, a vital nutrient. Interestingly, this sharing isn't equal; the parent plants actively redirect nutrients to younger, struggling seedlings rather than healthy adult neighbors. While some botanists worried this network might make the plants more vulnerable to soil pathogens, recent field trials proved the opposite: the grafted system actually transmits early warning chemical signals, allowing distant plants to boost their defenses. To investigate this further, researchers monitored three distinct zones, which they labeled Zone Alpha, Zone Beta, and Zone Gamma. In Zone Alpha, they simulated an insect attack by pruning leaves, and observed an immediate chemical response in neighboring plants. In Zone Beta, they restricted water completely to observe hydraulic redistribution. Finally, in Zone Gamma, they introduced a non-harmful tracer dye to map the precise pathway of nutrient flow. Surprisingly, the dye traveled much faster than anticipated, proving that these networks function as highly active conduits rather than passive filters. [Q31] What was the primary focus of the 2014 study led by Sofia?

(Shared with Q31.) [Q32] Which plants are the primary recipients of nutrients in the Vesperis network?

(Shared with Q31.) [Q33] What did recent field trials show regarding the threat of soil pathogens?

(Shared with Q31.) [Q34] Why did the lecturer correct herself when mentioning the year 2012?

(Shared with Q31.) [Q35] What was the key finding from the experiment using tracer dye?

(Shared with Q31.) [Q36] Which TWO benefits of root grafting in Vesperis shrubs does the lecturer highlight?

(Shared with Q31.) [Q37] Pruning leaves to simulate an attack by insects

(Shared with Q31.) [Q38] Restricting the water supply entirely to observe distribution

(Shared with Q31.) [Q39] Introducing a harmless dye to map nutrient pathways

(Shared with Q31.) [Q40] Severing the roots of plants to measure signal speed