Free IELTS Listening Test 42
A homeowner calls a window company to get a quote for double glazing, A guide explains the history and workings of an antique printing press to museum visitors, A tutor and two students discuss how to find and evaluate academic sources, A lecture on bioluminescence — how and why organisms produce their own light.
- ModuleListening
- Set#42
- Parts4
- AccentsBritish, AU, NA
- Part 1Window Replacement
- Part 2Printing Press Tour
- Part 3Bibliography Review
- Part 4Bioluminescence
Four parts
Part 1 — Window Replacement — is the practical English you'd hear on a real visit. The set escalates into a Bioluminescence-style talk by the time you've warmed up.
- Part 1 · Window Replacement
A homeowner calls a window company to get a quote for double glazing
IELTS-style audio part
- Part 2 · Printing Press Tour
A guide explains the history and workings of an antique printing press to museum visitors
IELTS-style audio part
- Part 3 · Bibliography Review
A tutor and two students discuss how to find and evaluate academic sources
IELTS-style audio part
- Part 4 · Bioluminescence
A lecture on bioluminescence — how and why organisms produce their own light
IELTS-style audio part
Question types you'll see
- Form Completion
- Multiple Choice
- Map Labelling
- Matching
- Sentence Completion
- Note Completion
How the practice works
After submission you'll see exactly which question types pulled your score down and which evidence you missed. The analysis is the diagnosis, not just a band.
Continue exploring
Where to go from here
More practice
All Listening tests
Browse the full library of free IELTS Listeningtests. Pick the next one when you're ready.
Open library →Switch module
Reading Test 42
Same set number in the Reading library — different skill, similar pacing.
Try Reading Test 42 →Methodology
How the Listening analysis works
How we score the test, what each band means, and how to read your analysis.
Read the breakdown →
About IELTS Listening
Test 42.
Question not listed here?
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About 30 minutes of audio plus 10 minutes for transferring answers, the same as test day. Strict mode runs straight through; Breath mode lets you pause and replay.
British, Australian, and North American voices distributed across the four parts. The mix mirrors the way the real IELTS Listening test rotates accents between conversation, monologue, discussion, and lecture.
No. The page above lists the topics and question types so you know what's coming, but the audio, questions, and answer key only appear once you start a saved practice session. The analysis is more useful when you've taken the test cold.