Shadowing Practice: Taking part in archaeological excavations: Đề thi IELTS LISTENING (actual test) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Now turn to Section 3.
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Section 3.
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You will hear two archaeology students, called May and Thomas, talking about the excavations they have been involved in.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.
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Thank you.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.
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Hi, Thomas.
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Did you have a good time in Turkey?
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Hi, May.
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I had a great time.
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But I have to say, although I've always been keen on being an archaeologist, before I went on an excavation,
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I used to find some of the things we did in class totally mystifying.
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Me too.
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Before I did my trip to Egypt, I was often irritated at not being able to picture exactly what the lecturers meant.
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They were always so excited about everything.
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Yeah.
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We did a lot of practical stuff on the excavation, which I really needed.
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Was it harder than you expected?
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Yes, mostly.
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I learned a lot more about the rules of archaeology.
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I was really taken aback by how precise you have to be with your data collection and recording.
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I took loads of photographs and they proved very useful, and the drawing went well too.
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Yes, I think I'm quite good with the camera.
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I'm minded about the recording, though.
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I had no idea it would take so much time.
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Did you find anything particularly interesting when you were digging?
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I did, actually.
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I had to dig a trench in part of the site.
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Interestingly, there weren't any bits of pottery there like you would expect to find,
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but I did get out some pieces of cloth and what looked like one or two silver beads.
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But our team leader said that they weren't.
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They were probably lead weights for weaving.
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What about you?
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I didn't find anything myself, but quite a few of the other students did.
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What I enjoyed was trying to identify what crops the people who had once lived in the area had grown.
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They seemed to have had a much better diet than I expected.
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Fish and wheat as well as oats, honey and fruit.
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Lots of different things.
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Yes, it's amazing, isn't it?
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And from measuring the bones in one of the sites, we found that the people were actually taller and had better teeth than the people who live in the area today.
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Probably due to less carbohydrates.
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How were the people you had to work with?
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My team was great.
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They were made up of people my age from all over the world.
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It was good to work with them.
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Lots of fun, and they taught me a lot.
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It was tough for us all, though, getting up at dawn every day and being out until late afternoon.
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Oh, that's true enough.
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We were all exhausted, and I'd like to have an international team next time.
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Mine was mainly made up of English and Americans.
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I enjoyed the field school, but everyone was much more experienced and older than I was.
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It was a bit scary.
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Before you hear the question, now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.
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You know there's going to be a question about the excavation projects in our test next week.
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Should we just run through it for practice?
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Good idea!
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Our team leader was very strict about the excavation projects in
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our test next week should we just run through it for
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practice good idea our team leader was very strict about following
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the right procedure he used to say never excavate anything
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if you're not sure it's worth excavating now i think that
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when you've decided where to excavate you go to the site hut
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and get whatever tools you need then clean the area so you you know exactly how big it's going to be.
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Right.
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Okay.
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And you need to make sure you can remember what the site looks like before you begin digging.
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I think photos are probably best for that, rather than drawings at this stage.
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I agree.
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You then attach them to a record sheet, which you get from the team leader, remembering to put in the site code, unit number, and time.
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So much red tape.
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You seem to spend half the time marking rather than digging.
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That's true.
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I think you then have to draw up a detailed plan of where you're digging and then measure the limits.
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And this is all before you actually start digging.
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Okay, so far so good.
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Now you can start with the trowel, but first you have to get soil samples and you keep them for further analysis.
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Anything that you don't think is useful, you leave in place on the site.
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Yes, and if you make any finds, that is, any object you retrieve, including animal bones, stone, as well as artifacts,
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they should all be registered and labeled.
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And then you put them in a plastic bag and return them to the site hut.
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That's right.
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And remember to leave the tools and site hut as you would expect to find them.
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Ha!
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Looks like we've learned something after all.
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That is the end of Section 3.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Taking part in archaeological excavations: Đề thi IELTS LISTENING”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: site, excavation, digging, leader, hut. This video has 91 sentences and 871 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 106 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| excavation noun | /ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/ | The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass. |
| excavate verb | /ˈɛk.skə.veɪt/ | To make a hole in (something); to hollow. |
| archaeology noun | /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | The study of the past by excavation and analysis of its material remains. |
| archaeologist noun | /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/ | Someone who studies or practises archaeology. |
| artifact noun | /ˈɑɹtɪfækt/ | An object made or shaped by human hand or labor. |
| carbohydrate noun | /kɑɹboʊˈhaɪdɹeɪt/ | A sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant. |
| irritate verb | /ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/ | To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in. |
| mystify verb | /ˈmɪstɪfaɪ/ | To thoroughly confuse, befuddle, or bewilder. |
| trowel noun | /ˈtɹaʊ.əl/ | A mason’s tool, used in spreading and dressing mortar, and breaking bricks to shape them. |
| weave verb | /wiːv/ | To form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another. |
| interestingly adverb | In an interesting way. | |
| retrieve verb | /ɹɪˈtɹiːv/ | To regain or get back something. |
| trench noun | /ˈtɹɛnt͡ʃ/ | A long, narrow ditch or hole in the ground; either manmade, or formed naturally through erosion or tectonic plate movement. |
| pottery noun | /ˈpɑtəɹi/ | Fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed. |
| lecturer noun | /ˈlɛkt͡ʃəɹə/ | A person who gives lectures, especially as a profession. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run through verb | To summarise briefly. |
| draw up verb | To compose (a document), especially following a standard form; prepare a plan. |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Was it harder than you expected?
- Yes, I think I'm quite good with the camera.
- I'm minded about the recording, though.
- How were the people you had to work with?
- Should we just run through it for practice?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to find · used to say |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been involved · was often irritated · was really taken |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been involved · I've always been · you've decided |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who had · people who live |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, weren't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: archaeology /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, archaeologist /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/, carbohydrate /kɑɹboʊˈhaɪdɹeɪt/
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 excavation, excavate, archaeology.
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.