These IELTS listening practice lessons have gap fill questions called Sentence Completion. The two practice lessons below have different levels of difficulty because they are based on different sections of the IELTS listening test. All IELTS candidates take the same IELTS Listening Test (both GT and Academic candidates).
IELTS Listening Practice: Sentence Completion
Below you will find two sentence completion listening practice lessons for IELTS. Use these practice lessons to develop your listening skills and also review your techniques for Sentence Completion Listening Questions.
- Practice Lesson 1: Short Answer Questions & Sentence Completion / Section 2 Level
- Practice Lesson 2: Sentence Completion Questions / Section 4 Level
For tips and techniques for sentence completion questions, click here: SENTENCE COMPLETION TIPS
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IELTS Listening Practice 1: Sentence Completion 1
This lesson is based on section 2 of the listening test. I’ve added some short answer questions to this practice lesson because in the IELTS listening test, you will get more than one type of question with every section.
Listening Practice: Tom’s Sponsored Walk
Questions 1-3: Use no more than one word or number for your answer.
- Does Tom currently serve in the army?
- How much did he hope to raise in pounds?
- Where was his sponsored walk to take place?
Questions 4-7: Use no more than one word for your answer.
- 4. Tom eventually raised a ………………….. £21 million.
- 5. Many hope that Tom will be ……………….. for his efforts.
- 6. Tom’s aims to support the NHS ………… a chord with many people in the UK.
- 7. Tom has shown how a single person can ……….. the nation.
RECORDING:
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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS
Use the transcript to check answers after you complete the lesson. Also use it to review keywords and paraphrases. Click below:
TranscriptArmy veteran Tom Moore did a sponsored walk at the age of 99 years old to raise money for the NHS (the National Health Service in the UK). His aim was to raise £1,000. This was an ambitious walk of 1.6 miles in his back garden given that he had recently been treated for a broken hip and skin cancer.
As he began his sponsored walk, he was surprised to see the response from the British public as donations started pouring in. By the end of this sponsored walk, he had raised not £1,000 but a staggering £21 million. Many around the country are now calling for Tom Moore to be knighted for his remarkable fund-raising efforts.
Tom Moore has stated that he was “overwhelmed by this sum of money” that was donated. His praise for the NHS struck a chord with many around the country today as the population watch doctors, nurses, other hospital staff and all front-line workers put themselves in harms way to save lives as they battle against the coronavirus crisis. This story truly is an example of how a humble, unambitious person can stir the nation and effect incredible change. Surely we should all be doing more in one way or another. As the saying goes “Every little helps” and who knows whether your modest attempt to help might not also create a flame of support throughout your own country.
- NO
- 1,000
- GARDEN
- STAGGERING
- KNIGHTED
- STRUCK
- “to strike a chord” is idiomatic and means:
- a) to say or do something that other people agree or approve of.
- b) to say or do something that causes emotions to rise or triggers memories in another person.
- STIR
- to stir a nation means to raise emotions within a country.
- News: Unfortunately, Captain Sir Tom Moore died in 2021. He eventually raised a total of just over £30 million before he died. What a man!
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IELTS Sentence Completion Listening Practice 2
This lesson is similar to a level of section 4, which means the language and topic are more challenging.
Comet Landing
Questions 1-8: Write no more than two words and/or a number for the answer.
- On ………………. 2014, Philae landed on a comet.
- Philae’s goal is to collect information about a comet’s composition and also to capture ………….. of the surface.
- Because of an ………… relating to Rosetta’s orbit, Philae could have missed landing on the comet.
- The time delay between Rosetta and the controllers on Earth was ……………….
- Because of a lack of ……………., the lander had to find its own way down to the comet.
- There is an element of ………. in landing in a good location on the comet.
- The lander can drill ……………… into the exterior of the comet for stability.
- Analysis will be done on surface composition, amino acids and ……………..
RECORDING:
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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS
To see the transcript and answers, click below.
An inaccuracy of a few millimetres per second in Rosetta’s orbit could have resulted in Philae completely missing the comet. The descent, monitored from Esa’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, lasted about seven hours. Because the comet is about 510 million km from Earth, communication between Rosetta and controllers takes about 28 minutes each way. As a consequence, confirmation of the landing came through just after 16:04 GMT.
There was no steering of the lander down to the comet’s surface. Once released, it was on a path of its own. A certain amount of luck was needed for Philae to land in a nice spot. When the lander hit the surface, harpoons were fired to be used as anchors, although they do not appear to have anchored the craft as intended. The lander also has footscrews to drill into the surface of the comet to keep it secure. Now it’s on the surface of the comet, Philae can get to work. Drills, ovens, cameras and sensors onboard Philae will analyse everything from the surface composition and temperature to the presence of amino acids – essential building blocks in the chemistry of life. (from BBC news)
- 12th november / 12 november
- capital letters at the start are not required
- IELTS listening does not pay attention to punctuation or the use of capital letters. So, you can use or not use capital letters as you wish.
- images
- inaccuracy
- (about) 28 minutes
- steering
- luck
- footscrews / foot screws
- temperature
- nucleus = center / core
- in situ = in position
- to determine = establish / conclude / decide
- composition = makeup / consistency
- an inaccuracy = mistake / error
- to release = liberate / let go
- to anchor = fasten / secure
- to fire = to discharge / shoot
- intended = planned
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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
- MORE SENTENCE COMPLETION PRACTICE WITH TIPS
- Multiple Choice Listening with Tips
- ALL PRACTICE LESSONS & TIPS FOR IELTS LISTENING
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Dear Liz,
What is the meaning of ‘ there is an element of luck”? Is that a kind of paraphrasing?
This means that luck plays a role to some extent.
Hi,
Would “fast images” be marked as wrong instead of “images” in first blank?
Thank you
Amazing work
I think you mean “first images” as a possible answer – is that right?
Unfortunately, you can’t have “first images”. The question is “capture —— of the surface.” The answer is “capture images of the surface”. This sentence is referring to “images” plural because it is about images in general (undefined noun in plural form). If you want the answer to be “capture the first images of the surface”, you would need the article “the” to make “the first images” because it is a defined noun and that would be three words, not two. It would not be grammatically correct to write “capture first images” without the article “the”. So, the issue is all about grammar using plural nouns (for undefined nouns) and defined articles.
Hello Liz thanks for your immense help with all the free lessons and subjects you shared they were really insightful and helpful, just got a band 8 from my exams
That’s wonderful. Very well done 🙂
Hi Liz.
thanks for your free lectures and practice tests it helps us alot… this one was tough but trying to practice more and your lectures helping me alot.
I’m glad to hear you are benefiting from my lessons 🙂
Hi Liz,thanks for the free material and support,i want to practice as a Dentist in Canada.Should i be taking a Ielts academic or General training?
Thanks
That is something you should ask the visa and immigration department. There will be specific requirements. I would imagine it would be the Academic Test, but you must check directly.
I just start learning for Ielts and I would say it is difficult .Anyway,Liz you are doing an amazing job in here and thank you soo much.About the listening ,if we take the exercise above would be second time listen the text on the real exam or just once.L
Thanks
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/ – it will give you your answer and much more. There is a lot to learn on this website for free. Take your time to use the RED MENU BAR at the top of the website to access all info.
I got 6 out of 6!! Thank you Liz!!! You really are an amazing person, thank you for sharing your knowledge and being a good teacher.. Your way of teaching truly helps ..
God bless always Liz!
Well done 🙂 Once your technique and confidence is up, start doing full IELTS tests using the IELTS Cambridge test books 🙂
Thanks to you!!! Where can i find the IELTS Cambridge test books?
You can find them on amazon, in local books stores etc.
Thanks you so mum Liz
Am a new beginner and your training has really helped me a lot. I will soon be writing the IELTS Test exam for the first time.
God bless you and keep you safe and continue to guide us.
Good luck!
Hi Liz,
Write no more than two words.Do not write articles.
what do they mean by – “Do not write articles”
Articles are “the/a/an”
6/6 in this one. You really have to listen carefully.
Hi Liz,
I am unable to find the audio for comets landing listening practice. Could you please help me with the link??
Regards,
Anu
The audio is there. Can you try using a different device or a different internet connection?
Hi Liz. Does each question of the listening test carry equal marks?
40 questions = 40 points.
Hi, everybody! For Q3 I got confussed because the sentence uses the past ‘was’ and the audio uses the present ‘takes about 28 minutes each way’. I thought that the clue was only at ‘time delay’ but it was also at ‘between Rosetta and the controllers’.
Hi Liz,
Will the transcript be given with the recording as you gave with the recording? for listening section or there would be just audio recording with the summary to be completed?
My lessons contain the transcript so you can analyse your mistakes and improve. In the listening test, you will hear the recording only once and no transcript is given. I suggest you get a real IELTS past test which you can find for free on the BC website.
Thank you so much Liz for kind reply. It will be very helpful for me
You are such a wonderful guide.
I am unable to do these without the audio-scripts, here I’m questioning my own inability but just to take your opinion, can I get better doing these exercises repeatedly? I am asking this because I have been doing these exercises for a month now, and I am not improving. Hope you can answer with an advice, thank you for your efforts.
Practice will certainly make a difference. You need to build concentration and also awareness of techniques, question types etc. But further still, you need to focus on development. Each listening exercise you do, should be analysed after you finish. Make a list of why you got the questions right and why you got some wrong. Make a list of paraphrases. Make a list of key words. Start be responsible for your own training.
Hi Liz,
I got 4/6…i want to more practice on sentence completion and map listening.
Please can you post more exercises.
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening/. I posted a new listening exercise yesterday for maps: https://ieltsliz.com/map-listening-practice-farm-layout/
Answer 1 : first images
Is this right.
The recording says “to obtain the first images of the surface”
Sorry I had to check. This would actually be marked wrong. You can’t say in English “capture first images” but you can write “capture the first images”. Sentence completion requires that the sentence is grammatically correct on completion. You can’t use the word “the” because the limit is only 2 words.
Got it.Thank you Liz
is this grammatically correct : “capture the images of the surface”
Yes.
Dear Liz,
Is this the level of difficutly of the final IELTS or the final exam is far more difficult than this. Is this level of practice is enough for a 8 to 9 band score or need to find some more data from other sources.
wish u can help me out to find out
You need to get the IELTS Cambridge test books from 1 to 12 which are real IELTS test you can practise at home.
thank you liz
Dear Liz, if I split an infinitive then I should still have a correct answer, right? I’m talking about foot screws and footscrews
This is not about an infinitive, it is about a compound noun.
Dear Liz,
Thanks for your efforts that we all see so help full and appreciated.
I confused with # 6:
the lander can drill using the footscrews
or the lander can drill the footscrews
thanks in advace
Mohammad N.
The lander drills footscrews, it doesn’t use the footscrews to drill.
Dear Ms.Liz,
Thank you verry much for these useful practice lessons.
Could you explain for me the answer of question 3?
I think it would be about 28 plus 2 by 56 mins. Because in the article it said about 28 mins each way so for Rosetta to send information and receive orders (delay time) from controllers should be 56 mins right?
Thanks
Sorry, it’s 26 multiple 2 equals 56
The question only asks for one way. It doesn’t ask “the time from Rosetta to Earth and back again”. You will not find you are asked to add up numbers in either listening or reading for IELTS.
Hi Liz,
Thanks for your effort and teaching technique, I really appreciate.
Sentence completion, Note completion and summary completion. I do not really find a tangible difference among them. Any advice do you have about the difference? for example, the expected section, degree of difficulty, tricks…..etc
Regards,
Ahmed
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hi Liz,
I wrote my 6th Questions answer to be Anchor’s would that be correct as well or we have to be very specific about it ?
Thanks
No, “anchors” is wrong.
Liz
mam how luck is an eliment
i cant understand answer still of q no 5
very very difficult listening
all synonyms
IELTS is an English language test. That means it is testing your English – including vocabulary (synonyms)
Liz
Dear Liz,
Thank you very much for your job. Your tips are so useful. I’m going to take an IELTS test in November. Hopefully, I’ll pass it successfully. Your website is my first source in the preparation to it.
You have plenty of time to learn more about IELTS and develop your skills.
Good luck!
Dear Liz,
In Q-1, is it alright to write “first images” as the answer mentioned is only “images” but as per the instructions, we can write use two words.
Thanks in advance!
It would be wrong. To use “first images” you would need to add “the”. So, it would be ……. to capture the first images…”. That would be three words and not possible. Always remember that the sentence must be grammatically correct.
Liz
Hi dear Liz,
I got 3/6….pretty tough, you are good teacher…. I’m a beginner now..really its very useful for me … hats off mam.
Dear Liz,
For Q3 I’ve written the answer as 28 mins and didn’t mention about.
Will I still lose a mark?
Thank you
When you can have two words and a number, you should include the word “about”.
All the best
Liz
But “no more than two words” means that it is ok to have only one word. Will examiner mark it as wrong for the answer “28 minutes” instead of “about 28 minutes”? Thank you,
Sanone
Please watch the 25 tips video on the listening page for your answer to the first question. Second question: if the answer is not exact then you need to add “about”.
Liz
Hi Liz, Its a bit difficult. I got 3/6.should wrk very hard for this type of sections .
Yes, this is a really difficult one. The language is challenging and there are common traps in the questions too.
Liz
Hi, Liz!
In fact, I spelt “footscrews” in a wrong way. However, when I google the word, I find it seems that there is a blank space between “foot” and “screw”. So if we just listen without the transcript, which one should we choose, “footscrews” or “foot screws”? Blank space and Hyphen have confused me for a long time.
Thanks a lot!
For this one, there was no hyphen. You would need to decide whether or not to use a hyphen and also check the rules if you can use one word or two words for your answer.
All the best
Liz
Dear Liz,
Really appreciate sharing your expertise and knowledge in this site.
I too have been in a quandary in mentioning one word or two for Q6. As long as the answer is spelt correctly and the answer is right should it really matter if it is written as one word or two?
Thank you.
Yes, it matters because not all compound nouns can be written as two words. There are many one word compound nouns.
Liz
Dear Liz
this is the second time I’m mistaken by these compound nouns. I didn’t know this one was a compound noun until you mentioned. How can I get it correct?
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
These questions were pretty tough,some of them,it seems to me that the hardest questions are between section two and three on the real test.This is a torture for me.Thank you for your effort.
The level is similar to section 4. It is challenging and don’t expect to get them all correct unless you are aiming for band 9.
Liz