IELTS Listening Practice Test 85 with Audio and Answer Key

Step up your preparation with the IELTS Listening Practice Test. Test your listening skills, then explore the transcript and answer key to understand your results.

In this test, you will listen to 4 Sections and answer Questions 1–40 based on the information you hear. Each Section reflects a typical situation you may encounter in the actual IELTS Listening exam.

• Section 1: A prospective trainee seeks advice from a current employee about JPNW’s training programme, benefits, and interview preparation. 

• Section 2: A Snow Centre guide introduces visitors to skiing, dog sledging, mountain expeditions, and trail options available during their stay. 

• Section 3: Two students discuss food nutrition labels, compare labelling systems, and evaluate the effectiveness of these labels in influencing consumer choices.  

• Section 4: A history presentation traces coffee’s origins, its spread through trade and colonisation, its social influence, and its growing economic importance worldwide. 

By completing this practice test, you can strengthen your listening skills, better understand spoken English, and confidently prepare for the IELTS exam.

IELTS Listening Practice Test 85

Section 1

Questions 1-10

Complete the notes below.

Alex’s Training

Alex completed his training in 2014

About The Applicant:

• At first, Alex did his training in the 1. .............  department
• Alex did not have a qualification from school in 2. ............. 
• Alex thinks he should have done the diploma in 3. ..............  skills
• Age of other trainees: the youngest was 4. ............. 

Benefits Of Doing Training At JPNW:

• Lots of opportunities because of the size of the organisation
• Trainees receive the same amount of 5. ..............  as permanent staff
• The training experience increases people’s confidence a lot
• Trainees go to 6. .............  one day per month
• The company is in a convenient 7. ............... 

Advice for an Interview:

• Do not wear 8. ................ 
• Do not be 9. ............. 
• Make sure you 10. ............... 

Section 2

Questions 11-16

The Snow Centre

11. Annie recommends that when cross-country skiing, visitors should

A. Get away from the regular trails.

B. Stop to enjoy the views of the scenery.

C. Go at a slow speed at the beginning.

12. What does Annie tell the group about this afternoon’s dog-sledge trip?

A. Those who want to can take part in a race.

B. Anyone has the chance to drive a team of dogs.

C. One group member will be chosen to lead the trail.

13. What does Annie say about the team relay event?

A. All participants receive a medal.

B. The course is 4 km long.

C. Each team is led by a teacher.

14. On the snowshoe trip, the visitors will

A. Visit an old gold mine.

B. Learn about unusual flowers.

C. Climb to the top of a mountain.

15. The cost of accommodation in the mountain hut includes

A. A supply of drinking water.

B. Transport of visitors’ luggage.

C. Cooked meals.

16. If there is a storm while the visitors are in the hut, they should

A. Contact the bus driver.

B. Wait until the weather improves.

C. Use the emergency locator beacon.

Questions 17-20

What information does Annie give about skiing on each of the following mountain trails?

Information

A. It has a good place to stop and rest

B. It is suitable for all abilities

C. It involves crossing a river

D. It demands a lot of skill

E. It may be closed in bad weather

F. It has some very narrow sections

Mountain Trails

17. Highland Trail

18. Pine Trail 

19. Stony trail 

20. Loser’s trail 

Section 3

Questions 21-26

Labels Giving Nutritional Information On Food Packaging

21. What was Jack’s attitude to nutritional food labels before this project?

A. He didn’t read everything on them.

B. He didn’t think they were important.

C. He thought they were too complicated.

22. Alice says that before doing this project

A. She was unaware of what certain foods contained.

B. She was too lazy to read food labels.

C. She was only interested in the number of calories.

23. When discussing supermarket brands of pizza, Jack agrees with Alice that

A. The list of ingredients is shocking.

B. He will hesitate before buying pizza again.

C. The nutritional label is misleading.

24. Jack prefers the daily value system to other labelling systems because it is

A. More accessible.

B. More logical.

C. More comprehensive.

25. What surprised both students about one flavour of crisps?

A. The percentage of artificial additives given was incorrect.

B. The products did not contain any meat.

C. The labels did not list all the ingredients.

26. What do the students think about research into the impact of nutritional food labelling?

A. It did not produce clear results.

B. It focused on the wrong people.

C. It made unrealistic recommendations

Questions 27 and 28

Which TWO things surprised the students about the traffic-light system for nutritional labels?

A. Its widespread use

B. The fact that it is voluntary for supermarkets

C. How little research was done before its introduction

D. Its unpopularity with food manufacturers

E. The way that certain colours are used

Questions 29 and 30

Which TWO things are true about the participants in the study on the traffic-light system?

A. They had low literacy levels.

B. They were regular consumers of packaged food.

C. They were selected randomly.

D. They were from all socio-economic groups.

E. They were interviewed face-to-face.

Section 4

Questions 31-40

Complete the notes below.

The History Of Coffee

Coffee In The Arab World

• There was small-scale trade in wild coffee from Ethiopia.
• 1522: Coffee was approved in the Ottoman court as a type of medicine.
• 1623: In Constantinople, the ruler ordered the 31. .............  of every coffee house.

Coffee Arrives In Europe (17th Century)

• Coffee shops were compared to 32. ............. 
• They played an important part in social and 33. ..............  changes.

Coffee and European colonisation

• European powers established coffee plantations in their colonies
• Types of coffee were often named according to the 34. ...............  they came from.
• In Brazil and the Caribbean, most cultivation depended on 35. ............... 
• In Java, coffee was used as a form of 36. ............. 
• Coffee became almost as important as 37. ............... 
• The move towards the consumption of 38. .............  in Britain did not also take place in the USA.

Coffee In The 19th Century

• Prices dropped because of improvements in 39. ............. 
• Industrial workers found coffee helped them to work at 40. ............. 

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