Shadowing Practice: IELTS LISTENING PRACTICE TEST 2026 WITH ANSWERS | 01.10.2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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now look at part one part one you will hear a telephone conversation between an employer to pet insurance company
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and a customer you have 30 seconds to look at questions one to six
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 6.
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Pet Protect UK, how can I help?
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Oh, hello there.
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I'm calling to inquire about your pet insurance plans. Of course.
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Just give me a second, please.
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Sure.
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So, have you checked our website already to see the options we offer?
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I've had a quick glance, and I think I'm interested in the basic plan.
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Great.
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I need to just ask a few questions first, then.
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Is your pet a dog, a cat, or a rabbit?
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It's a dog.
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And is it a puppy, or...?
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No, he's three years old.
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Right.
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May I ask, has your dog been insured before?
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I just adopted him from the rescue centre last week, and I think he'd been there a while, so I doubt it.
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OK, so you've had him for a week then.
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That's correct.
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Great.
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I apologise for asking this, but your dog, what's his name, by the way?
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Fenton.
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Fenton.
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Is that spelt with an F?
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Yeah.
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F -E -N -T -O -N.
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Great.
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Thank you for that.
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So, according to the Rescue Centre, has Fenton ever attacked, bitten, or been aggressive towards a person or another animal?
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No, not at all.
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Excellent.
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And is he a guide dog, or...?
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No, just a house pet.
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Great.
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And you said he's three years old.
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Do you know the exact date of birth?
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Oh, yes.
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It's on the adoption certificate.
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Just give me a sec um it's May 19th 2013.
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And do you know has Fenton been neutered?
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Yes he's been castrated.
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Excellent and final question what type of dog is Fenton?
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Is he a pedigree, a crossbreed, or a mixed breed?
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A crossbreed I think.
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Right a crossbreed.
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Wait sorry what's the difference between the three a pedigree is
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a dog whose parents are of the same breed a cross breed is from two different breeds
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while a mixed breed is three or more then he's a mixed breed sorry about
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that right no worries
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so could i take your full name please my name is
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peter pischinger that's p -i -s -c -h -i -n -g -e -r right thank you for
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that and what's your address That's 27 Cherry Drive, NW -8, 3HD.
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3HD.
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And finally, a telephone number, please.
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020 -3634 -7957.
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Thank you.
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You now have 30 seconds to look at questions 7 to 10.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 7 to 10.
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Now, you said you were interested in the basic plan.
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Is that correct?
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Yes, that's correct.
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May I ask, are you planning to switch insurance providers after the first year of your pet insurance, or is there a possibility you might renew with us?
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I haven't really thought about it.
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Why?
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The reason I'm asking is because if you plan to renew with us, it might be worth considering our premium
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or ultimate premium plan with the basic plan you will have
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to pay the same fee of eight pounds per month regardless of how long you stay with us
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if you choose one of our other two plans though you
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will receive a discount for the first six months you'll only have to pay twelve pounds for premium
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and fifteen pounds for ultimate and then depending on your circumstances you might be eligible for further discounts
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after your first year depending on how many expenses you claim
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if you claim less than 300 pounds you'll have to pay the same as for the basic plan
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but receive the cover provided by the premium plan huh is
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that something you might be interested in i'll have to think about it
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is it possible to switch to one of the other plans later on yes of course you can always upgrade
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let's stick to the basic plan for now then and then i might call you back to switch No problem.
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So, what happens now?
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Well, first we would need you to come over with a little Fenton, so we can have a look at his documents and medical history.
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We'd also need you to get him to the vet for a quick check -up, all of this as standard procedure, before we can proceed with the insurance plan.
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And then, when all that's done, you can either set up a direct debit in person, or you can call us back and do it over the phone.
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Right.
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And the basic plan will cover...
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Well, the basic plan covers veterinary fees, obviously, plus a few more things such as boarding costs, loss by theft or straying,
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advertising and reward, death by accident or illness.
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You can find a comprehensive list on our website, or I could forward it to you via email if you prefer.
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Thanks.
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I'll check the website.
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No problem.
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So, shall we book you an appointment so you can come over?
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That is the end of part one.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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now turns to part two part two you are going to
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hear a lecture given by a counselor first you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15
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Now listen to the tape and answer questions 11 to 15.
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Hi, I am your counselor for this year.
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Today we will visit the facilities available to you on our campus.
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As students, you should take advantage of everything you have available to you.
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How many of you like sports?
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Well, I hope most of you do, because our school has great sports facilities.
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We have an indoor gym with state -of -the -art equipment.
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First, I want to tell you about our basketball facilities.
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There are two basketball courts.
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Both are full court and open for student use.
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We offer basketball leagues that all students are invited to join just sign up with a team.
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Usually there are games on the courts but during league time only the teams are allowed to use the courts.
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The basketball courts are open 24 hours a day.
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If you want a job you can be a referee at the games.
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Next I want to tell you about the tennis facilities.
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We have five tennis courts available for student use.
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The tennis courts are open every day 8am until 10 in
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the evening you should call ahead to reserve a court
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because they are very popular and can often be booked weeks in advance there are rackets
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and balls available for rent at the front desk of the courts there is an olympic -sized swimming pool
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that is open for students and the general public
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there are also showers
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and locker rooms available the swimming pool is open every day
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9am until 7 in the evening there are openings for the position of lifeguards
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so if you are looking for a job in the sun, this might be good for you.
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Now look at questions 16 to 20.
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Now listen to the tape and answer questions 16 to 20.
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There are also two weight rooms and a gymnastics room.
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The weight rooms have all the standard equipment available.
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Please check with the gym to see the open hours because they vary from time to time.
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The gymnastics room is usually not open for individual users because there are almost always classes held in the room.
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However, if you are interested, you may sign up for gymnastics classes.
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Plus if you like martial arts and boxing, we offer classes for everyone from beginners to advanced students please
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check the schedule for availability there is everything available from chinese
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wushu to brazilian wrestling i will talk for a brief moment about our library system
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our campus has three libraries available to undergraduate students
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one additional graduate library
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and one faculty library the libraries are open daily until midnight except for during testing periods
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when the libraries will be open 24 hours Please look on a map to see where the libraries are located.
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All students with a valid ID can check out books, with a maximum of 10 books at a time.
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Books can be checked out for a two -week period and then renewed for one month maximum.
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After that, there is a $1 fine per week that the book is overdue.
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I will repeat that.
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There is a hefty $1 fine per week.
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So it is a good idea to return books on time.
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if you lose a book then you will have to repay the library for it plus a fine
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if you damage a book
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most likely you will have to repay the value of the book
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so please enjoy the library facilities
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but take care of the school's belongings the library is also
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equipped with 200 computers for student use they are all internet ready
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and available for use you must sign up at the library for one -hour time slots.
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You may sign up for up to three consecutive slots at a time.
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No one can use the computers without first signing in at the library.
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That is it for now.
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Thank you for your attention.
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This is the end of Section 2.
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You now have 30 seconds to check your answers.
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You will hear an interview with Professor Green from a local university
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which enrolls a large number of overseas students in its courses
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he is talking to indra a student representative about the importance
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of attending lectures first you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.
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Now, listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.
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Good afternoon, Professor Green.
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Thank you for your time today.
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I wonder
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if you could explain why you think it is important for us to attend lectures in a course that we're studying.
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Well, despite the increasing dependence on online communication these days, I do think it is important.
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Apart from delivering the content of the lecture itself,
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I believe that there are some general communication benefits from having large groups of students together in one place. For lecturers,
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it is an opportunity for us to address many students together
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at one time for students it helps you to feel part
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of the wider learning community who are following the course you can interact with each other both before
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and after the lecture to discuss the ideas and content networking with each other and comparing your notes
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but isn't most of this achieved as you said these days through online communication well Well, lecturers do communicate with students online,
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of course, but we usually only give a summary or notes of the lecture.
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So there are significant differences.
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When you go to lectures, you get more of an insight into what the lecturer considers important.
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We give additional commentary and anecdotes, and by voice emphasis, we can alert you to the key concepts, theories and issues of the subject.
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By not attending lectures, you might miss crucial information about what we are expecting in an assignment.
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You know these extra things can make a difference.
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OK, but there are tutorials.
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There is a lot of interaction between students and lecturers in tutorials.
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Can't all this be done in tutorial discussion groups instead of having lectures?
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Yes, to some extent.
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But during lectures, the lecturers can sensitise you to the debates and the controversies that are dealt with in the literature.
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This can help you think more critically about the subject.
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So then, when you come to the tutorial, you'll be able to come with some questions and ideas for discussion.
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The result of this is that the tutorial class will be more beneficial for everyone who attends.
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Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.
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Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
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I see your point.
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However, surely this also depends on whether students are able to understand and follow the lecture well.
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What strategies do you recommend to help students get the most out of lectures?
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I would say that, first of all, it is important to do some pre -reading.
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By doing this, you get an orientation to the topic.
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You'll become familiar with the key terms and you'll be able to follow the lecture points more easily.
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I also think it is good to arrive early to collect handouts
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and to find a seat where it is easy to see
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and hear what is going on then importantly during the lecture
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itself you need to be attentive i know from experience
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that it is often difficult to be attentive what can students
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do to improve their attentiveness during the lecture i think that there are two keys to following a lecture successfully
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using the visual cues and using active listening techniques by maintaining eye contact with the lecturer
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and following how the lecturer makes use of the slides whiteboard
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and so on you are using the lectures visual cues
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which help make the structure of the information clear
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and give you a sense of what's important then using active
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listing techniques will also help you to process the information what
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do you mean by active listening techniques well you need to
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pay attention to the methods the lecturer uses to highlight important
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information as i said before in the spoken language of a
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lecture we get the benefit of things such as stress
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and intonation use of examples
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and anecdotes as well as the language signals used to show
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relationships between ideas yes i see what you mean these things will be missing in written summaries
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and what about taking notes does that help taking notes helps you to concentrate
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so i would certainly advise you to do that it's difficult to listen
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and write good notes at the same time
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so it does take some training yes taking notes needs a
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lot of practice i've found do you have any other advice
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well i can't finish without stressing the importance of formulating questions
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while you are listening during the lecture you You should ask yourself questions about the content of the lecture
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and the points you are following.
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Ask questions like, what are the benefits or problems?
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What other examples are there?
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How does it work?
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Why does this happen?
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This will keep you focused and actively engaged in the content of the lecture.
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Professor Green, thank you very much for your valuable tips and your time today.
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You are very welcome.
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That is the end of part three.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now, turns to part four.
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Part four.
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In this section, you'll hear a lecture about Iron Age in Britain.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Now listen carefully to the message and answer questions 31 to 40.
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Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
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Today I'm going to introduce to you a special age in Britain, the Iron Age.
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People at that time, you may be surprised to hear that,
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seem close to the men and women of today because archaeologists discovered that they tried to vary their diet improve their homes,
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and follow fashions.
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The period known as the Iron Age lasted in Britain for about 800 years, from 750 BC to 43 AD.
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There had been several dramatic changes by the end of the Iron Age, including coinage, wheel -thrown pottery,
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etc. People had started to live in larger and more settled communities.
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Furthermore, because of the differences in climate and geography, someone living in Yorkshire or Ireland would have eaten different food,
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worn different clothing, and lived in different housing conditions from someone living in southern Britain.
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Caesar commented that Britain was a land of small farms, and this has been proven by the archaeological evidence.
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Since Iron Age society was primarily agricultural,
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it is safe to presume that the daily routine would have revolved around the maintenance of the crops and livestock.
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Small farmsteads were tended by and would have supported isolated communities of family or extended family size.
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They produced enough to live on and a little extra to exchange for commodities
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that the farmers were unable to provide for themselves.
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For those farms, harvested crops were stored in either granaries that were raised from the ground on posts, or in bell -shaped pits two to three meters deep.
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Some 4 ,500 of these storage pits have been found within the hill fort interior at Dainbury in Hampshire,
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and if they were all used to store crops, this would have essentially made the site one large fortified granary.
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Although the archaeological evidence shows that cattle and sheep would have been the most common farm animals, it is known that pigs were also kept.
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The animals would have aided the family, not only with heavy farm labour in the case of the cattle, such as the ploughing of crop fields,
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but also as a valuable form of bull or hide and food products.
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Horses and dogs are also observed in the archaeological evidence from both faunal remains and artifacts.
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Horses were used for pulling two or four -wheeled vehicles, carts, chariots, while dogs would have assisted in the herding of the livestock and hunting.
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Besides agriculture and stock raising, the architecture in Iron Age is also worth mentioning a very
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well preserved settlement has been discovered at the site of chiselster
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in cornwall it was made up of individual houses of stone
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with garden plots in wessex the typical building on a settlement
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would have been the large round house all of the domestic
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life would have occurred within this the main frame of the round house would have been made of upright timbers
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which were interwoven with coppice wood, usually hazel, oak, ash, or pollarded willow to make wattle walls.
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This was then covered with a daub made of clay, soil, straw, and animal manure that would weatherproof the house.
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The roof was constructed from large timbers and densely thatched.
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The main focus of the interior of the house was the central open hearth fire.
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This was the heart of the house to provide cooked food, warmth, and light.
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Because its importance within the domestic sphere, the fire would have been maintained 24 hours a day.
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Beside the fire may have stood a pair of fire docks, such as those found at Baldock in Herefordshire,
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or suspended above it a bronze cauldron held up by a tripod and attached with an adjustable chain.
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The ordinary basic cooking pots would have been made by hand from the local clay and came in varying rounded shapes,
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occasionally with simple incised decorations.
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As for eating, bread would have been an important part of any meal, and was made from wheat and barley.
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The dough would have then been baked in a simple clay -domed oven, of which evidence has been found in Iron Age houses.
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The barley and rye could also have been made into a kind of porridge.
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In addition to this, the grain was also fermented to make beer, and the surface foam that formed was scraped off and used in the bread -making process.
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The interior of the house was an ideal place for the drying and preservation of food.
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Smoke and heat from the constant fire would have smoked meat and fish, and would have dried herbs and other plants perfectly.
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Salt was another means of preserving meat for the cold winter months, but this was a commodity that could not be made at a typical settlement.
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Well, you can see that Iron Age people lived a decent life, didn't they?
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I'm going to introduce their culture and leisure time next time.
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Thank you.
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That is the end of Section 4.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you.
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Oh Give
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it only, give it to me Give it only,
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give it
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to me Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
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yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
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yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
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yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 292 sentences and 3349 words to shadow. The speech runs for 28:02. The speaker talks at a steady 119 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- lecture /ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/ (noun) — A spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group.
- breed /ˈbɹiːd/ (verb) — To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
- carefully /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ (adverb) — With care; attentively, circumspectly.
- premium /ˈpɹiː.miː.əm/ (noun) — A prize or award.
- crop /kɹɑp/ (noun) — A plant, grown for it, or its fruits or seeds, to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or fuel or for any other economic purpose.
- lecturer /ˈlɛkt͡ʃəɹə/ (noun) — A person who gives lectures, especially as a profession.
- tennis /ˈtɛnɪs/ (noun) — A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets.
- clay /kleɪ/ (noun) — A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
- vary /ˈvɛəɹi/ (verb) — To change with time or a similar parameter.
- tutorial /ˌtjuːˈtɔːɹɪəl/ (noun) — A self-paced learning exercise; a lesson prepared so that a student can learn at their own speed or convenience.
- renew /ɹɪˈnjuː/ (verb) — To make (something) new again; to restore to freshness or original condition.
- archaeological (adjective) — Relating to the science or research of archaeology.
- gymnastics /d͡ʒɪmˈnæs.tɪks/ (noun) — A sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness.
- rescue /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/ (verb) — To save from any violence, danger or evil.
- tape /teɪ̯p/ (noun) — Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- live in (verb) — To reside on the premises of one's employer (used especially of domestic staff such as nannies, cooks, maids, etc.)
- book on (verb) — To register (for duty).
- build on /bɪldɑn/ (verb) — To add additional elements or components to (a framework, a concept, a device, etc.) in order to extend it.
- check out (verb) — To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
- check up (verb) — To verify through brief investigation or revisit for assurance that there are no problems.
- come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
- come over (verb) — To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 24 contractions and reduced forms, such as you'll, I'm, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, furthermore /ˈfɜː(ɹ).ðə(ɹ)ˌmɔː(ɹ)/, theft /θɛft/, warmth /wɔɹmθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/, sheep /ˈʃiːp/
- Long words — get the stress right: commodity /kəˈmɑdəti/, primarily /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.ɹə.li/, successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/, architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like lecture, breed, carefully.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have you checked · I've had · you've had |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been insured · been neutered · been castrated |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.