Shadowing Practice: Recent IELTS Listening Test 2026 | Construction Materials - Learn English Speaking with Video
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42 sentences
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You will hear part of a lecture about the use of different building materials.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Thank you.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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Good morning, everybody.
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Can you all hear me?
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Good.
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Well, today I'm going to be talking about construction materials, where they come from and what their properties are.
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First of all, then, what are the sources of the materials we use in construction?
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Well, many of them are manufactured.
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Plastic is one example.
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Others are natural.
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But even naturally occurring materials usually require processing before they can be used.
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Wood, for instance, is rarely used directly from trees.
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Instead, this natural material is first cut into required lengths and then seasoned to remove the excess moisture.
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The result is what we call timber.
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And then timber itself is often treated with preservatives before use, especially if it's going to be used on the outside of a building.
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In a similar way, stone needs to be cut to shape and may also be polished before being used for building.
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Of course, the more processing that's required, the more expensive the material becomes.
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What about selection?
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When we're deciding which kind of material to use, cost is not the only consideration.
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It's important to consider the effect on the environment, too.
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The problem is, large amounts of energy are used.
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For example, it takes huge amounts of energy to produce aluminium, and materials like timber need a lot of energy to transport because of their weight.
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Well, that's enough about sources.
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Let's move on to material properties, and let's first consider appearance.
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Now, there's a vast range of materials used in the building industry, and they vary tremendously in their appearance.
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Even for any single building material, appearance may vary greatly.
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For example, brick and stone come in a very wide range of colours, and can be smooth or very rough.
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And timber is especially interesting because the grain patterns on each piece, even from the same tree, are unique.
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But properties have to be described very accurately for construction purposes, and that usually involves the use of mathematical formulae.
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It isn't enough to say that a particular material is rough or strong or heavy.
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Words are subjective and they can be ambiguous so verbal descriptions alone aren't enough.
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Reflectance is a good example of this.
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Precise values for a range of building materials are available.
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Reflectance is a measure of the ability of a surface to reflect light, and a perfect reflector has a reflectance of one.
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A polished, mirror -like silver surface has a reflectance of very nearly one.
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A plaster surface, which has been painted brilliant white has a reflectance of around
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0 .8 quarry tiles have a reflectance of about 0 .1
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and black velvet has a reflectance of nearly zero well let's
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move on now to another very important property of materials that is the end of part four you now have one
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One minute to check your answers to part four.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Recent IELTS Listening Test 2026”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: material, reflectance, timber, example, properties. This video has 42 sentences and 504 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:46. The speaker talks slowly, about 106 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| timber noun | /ˈtɪmbɚ/ | Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood. |
| polish verb | /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/ | To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding. |
| vary verb | /ˈvɛəɹi/ | To change with time or a similar parameter. |
| vast adjective | /væst/ | Very large or wide (literally or figuratively). |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| mirror noun | /ˈmiɹɚ/ | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| occur verb | /əˈkɜː/ | To happen or take place. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| formula noun | /ˈfɔː.mjʊ.lə/ | Any mathematical rule expressed symbolically. |
| rarely adverb | /ˈɹɛəɹli/ | Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. |
| smooth adjective | /smuːð/ | Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough. |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| greatly adverb | /ˈɡɹeɪ̯t.li/ | To a great extent or degree. |
| consideration noun | /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The thought process of considering, of taking multiple or specified factors into account (with of being the main corresponding adposition). |
| involve verb | /ɪnˈvɑlv/ | To have (something) as a component or a related part; to comprise, to include. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as aren't, I'm, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: smooth /smuːð/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: polish /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/, consideration /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, consideration /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/, accurately /ˈæk.jə.ɹɪt.li/, aluminium /ˌæl.(j)uˈmɪn.i.əm/
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 timber, polish, vary.
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.