Intermediate level · Australian accent · Free
IELTS Listening Academic Test 5
A full 4-part, 40-question listening test at band 6.0 difficulty, recorded with Australian 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 6.0 (Intermediate) |
| Accent | Australian 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 6.0 calibration means a candidate targeting band 6.0 should score about 23/40 here on a good day (the official conversion for band 6.0), and is ready for the next test at 26/40.
What do you hear in each part of Test 5?
| Part | What you hear | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Conversation | A student registers for an evening language course | Note and table completion |
| 2 · Talk | A fire safety briefing for staff in an office tower | Map labelling, multiple choice |
| 3 · Discussion | A tutor and a student plan a field experiment on bees | Matching, multiple choice |
| 4 · Lecture | A lecture on the economics of water scarcity | 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-6.0 listening test?
At band-6.0 difficulty, distractors appear in earnest: speakers correct themselves, and two plausible answers are mentioned before the real one. The scored answer is the final, corrected one. Practice flagging self-corrections ("actually", "on second thought", "no wait"), because they mark the exact moments this test level takes marks away.
Why practice with a Australian accent?
Australian English shifts several vowels ("today" can sound close to "to-die") and rises in intonation at statement ends, which candidates mishear as questions. It appears regularly in real IELTS recordings, and many candidates meet it for the first time in the exam room. This practice removes exactly that surprise.
Try a sample question first
Table completion. Write A NUMBER for each answer.
Audio: “Organiser: "The morning workshop takes twenty-five people. The afternoon one's smaller — fifteen — because the room's half the size. Oh, and the evening lecture is open: two hundred seats."”
Question: Afternoon workshop capacity: ____
Answer: 15. Three numbers arrive in quick succession and the table forces you to bind each to the right session. Writing numerals ("15") is safer and always accepted.
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 5
- 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 4 (band 5.5). When you clear 26/40 here, step up to Test 6 (band 6.5).
More tests at band 6.0: Test 2. More Australian recordings: Test 2, Test 9, Test 12, Test 16.
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