Shadowing Practice: [VOL 7] IELTS Listening Test 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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321 sentences

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ielts listening version 58099 you will hear a number of different recordings

and you will have to answer questions on what you hear

there will be time for you to read the instructions and questions and you will have a chance to check your work

All the recordings will be played once only.

The test is in four sections.

Write all your answers in the listening question booklet.

At the end of the test, you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

Now turn to section one on page two of your question booklet.

Section 1.

You will hear a telephone conversation between a man who is planning a party for his wife

and a woman who organizes special events at a restaurant.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 4 on page 2.

You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.

On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.

Good afternoon.

Good time, restaurant.

Hi.

Is this Michelle?

Yes, speaking.

This is Brian Troy.

We spoke last week about planning a party to celebrate my wife's promotion.

Well, I would like to go ahead with it.

And I have a list of things that I would like to go through with you.

The reason for the event is his wife's promotion.

So, promotion has been written in the space.

Now we shall begin.

You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time.

Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 4.

Good afternoon.

Good time, restaurant.

Hi.

Is this Michelle?

Yes, speaking.

This is Brian Troy.

We spoke last week about planning a party to celebrate my wife's promotion.

Well, I would like to go ahead with it.

And I have a list of things that I would like to go through with you.

Yes, I remember.

We'd spoken about a few dinner options, like a romantic dinner for two or a small group for dinner.

Have you decided yet?

Well, I think I would like to surprise my wife with a huge party.

In fact, I've already started to contact a few of our friends and family, as well as some of the people my wife works with.

All right.

So, let's get the party details confirmed.

So, how many guests would you like?

Are you thinking of over 100?

No, I was thinking of more like 50.

But then I realized that we have friends that are living out of town.

So let's say 80, in case everyone wants to come.

Okay.

And do you still want October 6th?

Actually, no. I need to change that.

My daughter can't make it then, because she has a piano recital.

Would the 26th of September work for you?

No problem.

That date's still open.

Now, do you realize that's not a Saturday?

Are you okay with that?

Yes, I am.

When I look at my schedule, Friday is a better choice for all of us.

Great.

Now we need to decide on the times.

How does 6 o 'clock to 10 o 'clock sound?

That's fine.

So now let's talk about the room.

I have several options that might work.

There's the Queen Room, the Royal Room, the Palace Room, and the...

The King Room, right?

I've been there before.

Actually, we recently renovated that room, and I think that it would be great for your party.

You'll be very happy with it.

Shall I book it for you?

Sure, that would be fine.

Have you planned on having music while you're eating?

Um, I hadn't thought about it, but it would be nice.

Well, you have some choices.

We can arrange for a group to play jazz, or one to play the latest pop.

I suspect my kids would prefer to have the pop music, but my wife is a jazz fan, so let's book that.

Okay, then.

I'll book that today.

They're very good, and they might even sing at your table.

Great.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 5 to 10 on page 2.

Now listen and answer questions 5 to 10.

Okay, now we need to talk about the type of service you want for the dinner.

We have two options, a self -service buffet or table.

Let's go with the last choice.

Just so you know, the price is the same for either chicken or a vegetarian plate.

One last thing to decide on.

Are you planning anything special for your wife?

Well, I was thinking that at 8 o 'clock or so, I would like to have a cake brought out.

Very nice.

And because you're making reservations for such a large group, the cake is complimentary.

What flavor would you like?

Well, it would have to be lemon.

I really love chocolate, but it is her day, so let's go with her favorite.

Good decision.

Now, let me tell you about the cakes.

We have a square cake, which would easily serve all of your guests, or you could have two cheesecakes.

100

They're really popular right now.

101

I prefer the first option, because I would like to have something special written on it.

102

But let's keep it simple.

103

How about congratulations?

104

Okay.

105

I can have our baker take care of that.

106

He's happy to show you what it would look like if you wish.

107

Now, is there anything else?

108

No, I don't think so.

109

I think that we have pretty well talked about everything.

110

So let's look after the reservation detail.

111

I'll need to have a deposit of $50.

112

Let's make it for $100, and I'll put it on my MasterCard.

113

Is that okay?

114

Sure.

115

What's the 16 -digit account number?

116

55 -44 -12 -00 -43 -26 -888 -7,

117

and it expires in November.

118

Is there another name on the card beside Brian Troy?

119

A middle name or initial?

120

Yes, Sebastian.

121

I will spell it for you.

122

S -E -B -A -S -T -I -A -N.

123

Is there anything else?

124

No, I think that's it.

125

However, you need to be aware of an additional fee.

126

For large groups, there is an extra charge which covers service.

127

But I think that that's all for now.

128

We look forward to having your celebration dinner here.

129

That is the end of Section 1.

130

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

131

Now turn to Section 2 on page 3.

132

Section 2.

133

You will hear a radio talk on horse riding for disabled people.

134

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14 on page 3.

135

Thank you.

136

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

137

This week, our slot is A Life in the Day of Joan Gilbert, local organiser for Riding for the Disabled.

138

Joan, would you like to tell us about this?

139

Well, I always have the very best intentions of starting the

140

day at 5 .30 to give the horses a really good muck out.

141

but reality intervenes, and I finally wake at about 6 .30.

142

That probably still sounds very early to you, but for a farm worker, which is what my son is at the moment,

143

that's cutting things pretty fine.

144

Once I've managed to get him safely on his way,

145

at about 7am, I can start turning my attention to the other important tasks of the day.

146

For about five years, we've been taking overseas students from the International Centre at our local college,

147

and I have to give them a proper breakfast.

148

Most of our students used to be from the Middle East, but they're no longer coming, so we tend to have

149

Malaysian girls, and they like to have a cooked breakfast, much more than any

150

Europeans we've had, including me, and I don't have anything these days.

151

After cooking, I finally get round to the poor horses

152

It's only after this that I can start thinking about what I regard as my most important task

153

Work for Riding for the Disabled I've been involved with this organisation, on and off, for over 20 years

154

But I've only recently taken on the job of chairperson

155

Most of the work seems more secretarial but that's how charities get organised

156

In our immediate district we have had as many as 30 riders but currently we've only got 22

157

The number of helpers who have volunteered is actually 40

158

but we can rely on 25 to come regularly to help in the different groups

159

We now have four separate groups which cater for disabled children and adults from 6 to 40 years old

160

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20 on page 4.

161

Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.

162

As I say, I feel that although I no longer have any proper full -time paid employment, I do have a full and busy life.

163

I'm a housewife, which I don't mind

164

because I don't really object to doing things like washing and cooking then there's my own horses,

165

which I adore, even the revolting stuff like cleaning out the stables.

166

The official RDA stuff is a mixed bag, really.

167

I don't have major problems with all the letter writing and correspondence which it entails, but like lots of shy people, I find the fundraising horrendous.

168

Other regular RDA duties, such as ringing round the riders to fix times, etc., is one of the pleasantest aspects of the work.

169

After all, that's why I'm involved with charity work, the contact with people.

170

My working day ends with the least enjoyable job of all, sorting the accounts.

171

I got involved with RDA because I've always loved horses and I can see disabled people gaining so much.

172

I know all the medical evidence that shows that it does wonders for muscle building and so on,

173

which is important, but from talking to the riders, they say it is the confidence they gain,

174

and also the opportunity to be part of a new and exciting environment, which gives them the greatest benefit.

175

In terms of the RDA organisation itself, I feel it works very well, but we're always striving to make it better.

176

I wish, for example, our helpers and the organisers in the various centres could really rationalise the fundraising efforts,

177

which sometimes are very inefficient.

178

And it also saddens me how unaware some of the stables can be about the difficulties faced by people who are disabled.

179

Anyway, I feel very privileged to work with our riders and to see such tangible benefits.

180

It sends me to sleep with a feeling that though the day has been hard, it has been worthwhile.

181

That is the end of Section 2.

182

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

183

Thank you.

184

Now turn to section 3 on page 5.

185

Section 3.

186

You will hear two trainee teachers called Dean and Hannah talking about their recent teaching practice in an elementary school.

187

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 on page 5.

188

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.

189

Hi, Dean.

190

Did you have a good weekend?

191

Yes.

192

It was good to relax after a whole week of teaching practice.

193

I really enjoyed the experience, though.

194

Yes, so did I.

195

And I think it went well.

196

Anyway, are you okay to talk about the report we've got to write on the geography lesson we taught together?

197

I was thinking we could make notes now and then divide the actual writing up between us.

198

Sure.

199

Good idea.

200

Let's begin with our lesson aims, shall we?

201

Right.

202

Well, I know the main one was getting the class to think

203

about how people in different parts of the world are connected to each other through the things they buy and sell.

204

Yes, we took that from the syllabus for grade four, and then we decided to use pencils as our example

205

because they're relatively simple in design and everyone's used a pencil at some time or other.

206

We should include that information too.

207

Right, and we also wanted to get the class thinking about how things are moved around the world in different ways,

208

from the farms and the mines to the factories and then the stores.

209

That wasn't in the core syllabus.

210

I think we added that ourselves.

211

Yes, I think you're right.

212

Okay, then the last section of the report contains a post -lesson analysis.

213

We have to mention any problems we identified in our lesson when we taught it.

214

So, any ideas?

215

Well, I know we were really satisfied with our handouts and worksheets.

216

We both thought they'd been at just the right level for the class.

217

And I don't know about you, but I think we worked well as a team.

218

Absolutely.

219

Neither of us was too dominant, and we supported each other.

220

Personally, the thing I think we didn't get right was the way we paced things.

221

Some things seemed to be rushed, and others seemed to drag out too long.

222

I don't know how you feel about that.

223

The same as you.

224

If we did the same lesson again, I'd want to make some adjustments to that, but keep the same basic lesson plan.

225

Okay, we see eye to eye on that.

226

But there's one other thing.

227

At the time, I seem to remember we both thought that organizing the children in sets of six didn't work very well,

228

and that pairs would have been better for certain tasks, so that the Shire kids got more chance to contribute.

229

Yes, I remember that too, and we should put it into our report as well.

230

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30 on page 6.

231

You Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.

232

Now should we go over our lesson plan together before we write the report?

233

It seems ages ago now.

234

Fine.

235

Well, the whole lesson was based on the production and distribution of pencils.

236

First we gave out the pencils and got the students to decide what they're made of.

237

Then when they'd come up with all five of the component materials, we talked about which countries produce most of these materials.

238

Oh, yes.

239

And we got volunteers to come to the front and mark the location of those on a map of the world.

240

I remember they were really keen to volunteer.

241

We had to stop them from calling the answers out loud.

242

Right.

243

Then we brainstormed all the different ways of getting goods from one place to another

244

and what the advantages and disadvantages of each one would be.

245

I remember one girl talking about using horses.

246

That's right.

247

She seemed to be a bit stuck in the past.

248

It was hard not to smile.

249

Yes.

250

After that, we put them in small groups, and each group represented each of the countries on the map.

251

They had to use their atlases to decide an itinerary for sending their raw materials to the USA,

252

specifying the different ports and places on the way there.

253

That's right.

254

And by the time they'd done that, it was break time.

255

And after the break, they had to imagine they were pencil manufacturers in Chicago

256

and fill in details on a worksheet about how they'd dispatch their pencils to different parts of the country.

257

Oh, yes.

258

Okay.

259

And then we had a class discussion about whether people will still be using pencils in 2050

260

and whether the design of pencils is likely to change.

261

And to round the lesson off, the kids had to spend 10 minutes planning a short presentation for another class about possible developments.

262

And that was it.

263

Good.

264

So I'll write up that part.

265

That is the end of Section 3.

266

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

267

Thank you. on page 7.

268

Section 4.

269

You will hear a university lecturer talking to students about the world's oldest mechanical computer, which is called the Antikythera mechanism.

270

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40 on page 7.

271

Thank you.

272

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

273

Today, I'm going to talk about what is sometimes described as the world's oldest mechanical computer, the Antikythera mechanism.

274

This device was able to calculate where the sun, moon and planets would be in the sky on any date in the past or future.

275

It has transformed our understanding both of the world of ancient Greece and of the history of science.

276

The mechanism was discovered in 1900 at the bottom of the sea off the Greek island of Antikythera, hence the name by which it's now known.

277

It was in the cargo of a ship that sank about 2 ,100 years ago.

278

Divers brought various items to the surface, and they were taken to a museum for examination.

279

One item was assumed to be a lump of rock.

280

However, a few months later, the object started splitting, and a museum curator realised that it was actually something man -made,

281

covered with shells and other objects from the sea.

282

Further investigation revealed that it was in fact some sort of mechanism, and they decided to call it the Antikythera mechanism.

283

Although it was badly damaged, it had survived in three main parts and around 80 smaller fragments.

284

The Antikythera mechanism has been studied a great deal since its discovery, and particularly in recent years,

285

when highly sophisticated equipment has been available to analyse it.

286

One machine, called a dome, can surround a sample and take photographs with the light coming from slightly different angles.

287

This has made far more of the inscriptions on the mechanism legible, even though they're faded and worn.

288

Another state -of -the -art machine,

289

the Blade Runner, has been used to take x -rays which show parts of the mechanism that would otherwise be invisible.

290

Despite weighing nearly eight tonnes, it was transported from its place of manufacture to Greece,

291

as the Antikythera mechanism is too fragile to be moved from there.

292

The Blade Runner was originally designed to examine engines for cracks, and it can work at an accuracy of less than a tenth of a millimetre.

293

It seems the device was originally about 33 centimetres high, 17 centimetres wide, and 9 centimetres thick.

294

It consisted of at least 30 metal gear wheels, that is, wheels which interlocked with each other.

295

The surfaces of the gear wheels were inscribed with the names

296

of the months explanations of how the different parts of the device were to be operated and other information

297

These gear wheels in turn operated small movable models of the sun, moon and the five planets that were known to the ancient

298

Greeks The mechanism is thought to have been mounted in a frame for which wood was used

299

So what was the Antikythera mechanism used for?

300

It clearly had an astronomical function.

301

The person using the device simply rotated a handle to operate the gear wheels.

302

These engaged with each other to move the sun,

303

moon and planets around the Earth to show how they would appear on whatever particular date the operator was interested in,

304

which could be years into the future.

305

bearing in mind that the ancient greeks believed the sun

306

and planets all revolved around the earth their movements are shown

307

with remarkable accuracy perhaps most astonishing of all the mechanism also showed

308

when an eclipse was going to take place this was very important in the ancient world

309

and being able to predict this accurately would have given the user great power.

310

The mechanism probably also helped in planning the timing of festivals,

311

both agricultural and religious, by acting as a kind of calendar of events.

312

Surprisingly, to the best of our knowledge, no device equaled the complexity of the Antikythera mechanism for at least a thousand years afterwards.

313

The ideas seem to have survived in some form, however, particularly in the Byzantine Empire of the Eastern Mediterranean.

314

Around the 13th or 14th century, knowledge of the technology seems to have reached

315

Western Europe, and a large number of clocks were made, providing astronomical information as well as showing the time of day.

316

It's hard to believe that nothing reached the sophistication of the Antikythera mechanism for a thousand years, yet that might might well be the case,

317

and that has implications for our understanding of how scientific knowledge progresses.

318

That is the end of Section 4.

319

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

320

That is the end of the listening test.

321

You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “[VOL 7] IELTS Listening Test 3”. This video has 320 sentences and 3399 words to shadow. The speech runs for 29:29. The speaker talks at a steady 115 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% 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
mechanism noun	/ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/	Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
lesson noun	/ˈlɛs.ən/	A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
pencil noun	/ˈpɛnsəl/	A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper.
disable verb	/dɪsˈeɪbəl/	To render unable; to take away an ability of, as by crippling.
carefully adverb	/ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/	With care; attentively, circumspectly.
gear noun	/ɡɪɚ/	Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.
clock noun	/klɑk/	A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
promotion noun	/pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/	An advancement in rank or position.
rider noun	/ˈɹaɪ̯.dəː/	An old Dutch gold coin with the figure of a man on horseback stamped upon it.
volunteer noun	/ˌvɑlənˈtɪɹ/	One who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay.
stable noun	/ˈsteɪ.bəl/	A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses.
charity noun	/ˈtʃæɹɪti/	An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.
sheet noun	/ʃit/	A thin bed cloth used as a covering for a mattress or as a layer over the sleeper.
organisation noun	/ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/	Non-Oxford British English and Australian standard spelling of organization.
mechanical adjective	/məˈkænəkəl/	Related to mechanics (the branch of physics that deals with forces acting on matter).

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go ahead with verb		To resume something previously cancelled or delayed; to continue something despite known concerns.
go through with verb		To carry out (something planned or promised); to proceed with or continue with.
write up verb	/ˈɹaɪ̯t ˌʌp/	To produce by writing.
bring out verb		To elicit, evoke, or emphasize (a particular quality).
clean out verb		To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents.
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
drag out verb		To extend or lengthen excessively; to draw out.
get around to verb		To eventually begin or return to some task.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Are you okay with that?
Shall I book it for you?
Have you planned on having music while you're eating?
Are you planning anything special for your wife?
Let's begin with our lesson aims, shall we?

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	has been done · has been written · Have you decided
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	will be played · will be given · has been done
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	man who is · woman who organizes · friends that are

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 46 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I've, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: thick /θɪk/, tenth /tɛnθ/, worthwhile /ˌwɜː(ɹ)θˈwaɪl/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/, sheet /ʃit/, organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, rush /ɹʌʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: mechanism /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/, organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, mechanical /məˈkænəkəl/, accuracy /ˈæk.jɚ.ə.si/, reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/

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 mechanism, lesson, pencil.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: [VOL 7] IELTS Listening Test 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?