IELTS CDI Listening Practice

📄 Audio Transcripts & Explanations

Part 1 — Incident Report (Questions 1–10)

OFFICER: Good morning. I understand you've called to report some missing and damaged items from a removal. Can I take your name first? ANNA: Yes, it's Anna Lumley. OFFICER: Thank you. And your phone number? ANNA: It's 077876345. [Q1] OFFICER: And when did you arrive? I mean, what was your date of arrival? ANNA: It was 27th February. [Q2] OFFICER: Right. And your current address? ANNA: It's 235 Akendale [Q3] Road, East Sea. OFFICER: And do you have insurance covering the items? ANNA: Yes, the total value of my insurance is $3,450. [Q4] OFFICER: Can you go through the missing items for me? ANNA: There are some lamps and chairs — but more worryingly, some furniture is missing and also some books. [Q5] Also a rocking horse, some paintings [Q6] and fruit bowls. I'd ordered a clock and a mirror. [Q7] OFFICER: What about damaged items? ANNA: The desk [Q8] really needs to be replaced. One dining chair — the leg [Q9] is split. And four of my plates [Q10] were broken in transit.

Q1 — 077876345: A phone number — write all nine digits exactly as given. The officer reads it back to confirm.

Q2 — 27th February: The arrival date — various formats accepted (27 February, February 27th etc.). Listen for the ordinal number and month.

Q3 — Akendale: A street name — unusual spelling, spelled out in the recording. Always write proper nouns with capital letters.

Q4 — 3450: The insurance value — $3,450. Listen for the amount stated after "total value."

Q5 — books: Missing item alongside furniture — stated after "and also some." One word.

Q6 — paintings: Missing item listed with rocking horse and fruit bowls — one word, plural.

Q7 — mirror: The second ordered item that didn't arrive — one word. The clock is mentioned first as a distractor.

Q8 — desk: First damaged item — needs replacing entirely. One word.

Q9 — leg: The damaged part of the dining chair — one word. "The leg is split" is the exact phrase.

Q10 — plates: Items broken in transit — one word, plural. Four plates were broken.

Part 2 — Home Energy Saving (Questions 11–20)

PRESENTER: Welcome back. Today we have Jill with us to talk about her experience making her home more energy efficient. JILL: [Q11 — A] What first prompted me was finding I could get financial help through a government scheme. I hadn't expected grants to be available. [Q12 — C] The first thing I tell everyone: turn off appliances completely. Standby mode still uses a surprising amount of electricity. [Q13 — B] My energy provider pleased me by allowing customers to pay online. It makes billing so much simpler. [Q14 — B] My difficulty is that the figures are hard to read accurately — the display is small and the lighting is poor. [Q15 — C] Next I'm going to install double-glazed windows. The draughts in winter are terrible. [Q16 — A] I'm doubtful about solar panels — mainly because I think it's too expensive for my budget. For water saving, I recommend: [Q17 — C] boil only as much water as you need, and [Q18 — E] repair leaking taps. Both are simple but overlooked. The two questions I get most often: [Q19 — A] the ideal temperature setting on the thermostat, and [Q20 — C] whether to use a computer or laptop to watch movies.

Q11 — A (financial help): What prompted Jill — she was surprised grants were available. Listen for what she "hadn't expected."

Q12 — C (turn off appliances): Her first tip — complete off, not standby. The contrast between "completely off" and "standby" is the key signal.

Q13 — B (pay online): What her provider started doing — online payment. "Pleased me" signals the positive change.

Q14 — B (hard to read accurately): Her difficulty with meters — the display is too small. "Difficulty" signals the problem option.

Q15 — C (double-glazed windows): Her next planned improvement — windows. "Going to" signals future intention.

Q16 — A (too expensive): Her reason for doubting solar panels — upfront cost. "Doubtful because" signals the reason.

Q17–18 — C & E: TWO water-saving tips. Both stated together — "boil only what you need" and "repair leaking taps."

Q19–20 — A & C: TWO most common questions she receives. Listen for "two questions I get most."

Part 3 — Art College Discussion: James & Kate (Questions 21–30)

TUTOR: James — why did you choose this bakery for your placement? JAMES: [Q21 — B] Mainly because it has a good reputation in the subject area. It's well-known for serious artisan baking training. TUTOR: Any surprises in your studies so far? JAMES: [Q22 — B] Yes — I find the theoretical work interesting. I hadn't expected that at all. TUTOR: How is your course assessed in the first term? JAMES: [Q23 — A] It's self-assessment. We evaluate our own progress against set criteria. TUTOR: Kate — why do you want the English language course? KATE: [Q24 — C] Because I plan to curate in a gallery. I'll need to write professional exhibition content. TUTOR: What else did you need before starting college? KATE: [Q25 — C] I still needed a catalogue of modules — to understand the full range of courses. TUTOR: Tell me about History of Art. KATE: [Q26 — C] Many outside speakers will give a talk. Practitioners and critics come in regularly. TUTOR: Sculpture? JAMES: [Q27 — G] Expensive materials need to be bought. Clay and casting materials are costly. TUTOR: Digital Painting? KATE: [Q28 — B] There are a lot of background readings. More than you'd expect for a practical course. TUTOR: Art Theory? JAMES: [Q29 — E] Students do their own research. It's very independently structured. TUTOR: And Photography? KATE: [Q30 — F] Students need to spend a lot on a camera with a good display. A high-spec camera is required upfront.

Q21 — B (good reputation): James chose his placement for the bakery's reputation in artisan training — not location or price.

Q22 — B (theoretical work interesting): A surprise — James didn't expect to enjoy theory. Listen for "hadn't expected."

Q23 — A (self-assessment): First-term assessment method — students assess themselves. Not exams or tutor-assessed.

Q24 — C (curate in a gallery): Kate's reason for the English course — professional writing for exhibitions.

Q25 — C (catalogue of modules): What Kate still needed — the full list of courses available.

Q26 — C (outside speakers): History of Art feature — external practitioners give talks.

Q27 — G (expensive materials): Sculpture's key feature — costly materials required. Listen for cost-related language.

Q28 — B (background readings): Digital Painting — more reading than expected for a practical subject.

Q29 — E (own research): Art Theory — independently structured. Students research themselves.

Q30 — F (expensive camera): Photography — high-spec camera required. A significant upfront financial commitment.

Part 4 — Birds in New Zealand (Questions 31–40)

LECTURER: Good morning everyone. Today I talk about one of New Zealand's most iconic and threatened bird species. These birds often build nests along the coastline or next to the river. [Q31] Back in 1984, researchers found only 3 pairs [Q32] of this bird remained — an astonishingly small number. One ongoing challenge is it's very difficult to estimate [Q33] the number accurately — they are secretive creatures. Human activities like farming [Q34] have encroached on their habitat. Predators eat their eggs [Q35] — devastating given their low reproductive rate. Storms [Q36] can destroy nests and reduce the population significantly. Protection measures: hire a guard [Q37] to prevent poaching. Build a fence [Q38] to keep the public away from nesting sites. People should protect wild [Q39] birds — not just captive populations. Through the media, [Q40] people will learn about bird protection — awareness translates into action.

Q31 — river: Nesting location — "next to the river." One word; the alternative (coastline) is mentioned first as a distractor.

Q32 — 3 pairs: Population in 1984 — two words (number + noun). Very small number that shocked researchers.

Q33 — estimate: What's difficult to do accurately — one verb/noun. "Difficult to estimate" is the key phrase.

Q34 — farming: Human activity threatening habitat — one word. Building homes is also mentioned but farming is the answer.

Q35 — eggs: What predators eat — one word. "Low reproductive rate" emphasises why this is devastating.

Q36 — storms: Natural disaster threatening nests — one word. "Can destroy nests" is the key phrase.

Q37 — guard: First protection measure — hire a person to prevent poaching. One word.

Q38 — fence: Second protection measure — physical barrier for nesting sites. One word.

Q39 — wild: What kind of birds people should protect — one adjective. Contrast with "captive" populations.

Q40 — media: The education tool — one word. "Through the media" signals how awareness spreads.

26 History of Art
27 Sculpture
28 Digital Painting
29 Art Theory
30 Photography

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📄 Audio Transcripts & Explanations