Upper-intermediate level · British accent · Free
IELTS Listening Academic Test 11
A full 4-part, 40-question listening test at band 6.5 difficulty, recorded with British accent audio, taken under the real 30-minute computer-delivered timing and graded the moment you finish.
What is in this test?
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Band 6.5 (Upper-intermediate) |
| Accent | British accent audio |
| Format | 4 parts · 40 questions · audio plays once |
| Timing | 30 minutes, computer-delivered interface |
| Grading | Instant, with standard raw-score-to-band conversion |
| Review | Per-question transcript locations after submission |
Like the real exam, the four sections climb from everyday conversation to an academic lecture, and the audio never repeats. Band 6.5 calibration means a candidate targeting band 6.5 should score about 26/40 here on a good day (the official conversion for band 6.5), and is ready for the next test at 30/40.
What do you hear in each part of Test 11?
| Part | What you hear | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Conversation | A patient books an appointment at a dental practice | Note completion |
| 2 · Talk | A student union president introduces orientation week | Map labelling, multiple choice |
| 3 · Discussion | A tutor and two students go through air quality monitoring results | Multiple choice |
| 4 · Lecture | A lecture on how the brain processes music | Note completion |
Parts 1 and 2 are set in everyday life and Parts 3 and 4 in education, as in the real test. Each part has ten questions, so the question types above tell you what to practise before you start.
How should you approach a band-6.5 listening test?
Band-6.5 tests paraphrase systematically and speed up Section 3 academic discussions. Your job is prediction: in the pre-section pause, decide what kind of word each gap needs (a number? a noun? a day?). Prediction turns half-heard sentences into correct answers, and it is the habit that helps most at this level.
Why practice with a British accent?
Standard southern-British pronunciation drops the "r" after vowels ("car" ≈ "cah") and reduces unstressed syllables heavily. Numbers like "thirty" vs "thirteen" are distinguished by stress position: first syllable for tens, second for teens. This is the accent most official IELTS recordings favour, so comfort here pays off directly.
Try a sample question first
Note completion. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER.
Audio: “Advisor: "Membership is forty pounds a year for adults, but students pay twenty-five — and that includes the monthly journal, which non-members buy separately."”
Question: Student membership: £____ per year
Answer: 25. Two prices arrive in one sentence; the note pins the student one. Band-6.5 recordings rely on you binding numbers to categories at speaking speed.
This sample was written for this page; the 40 questions in the actual test are different.
How do I take this test?
- Create a free account (no card): the Free plan includes unlimited listening practice
- Open Listening and choose Academic Test 11
- Sit the full 30 minutes in one block, exactly as on test day
- Review every lost mark against the transcript, then drill that question type
Warm up one level down with Test 10 (band 5.5). When you clear 30/40 here, step up to Test 12 (band 7.5).
More tests at band 6.5: Test 3, Test 6, Test 16. More British recordings: Test 1, Test 7, Test 15, Test 19.
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