IELTS Listening practice test

Growing BananaIELTS Listening Practice Test with Answers

Practise this IELTS Listening test about Growing Banana. The recording features two students discussing a tutorialPractise this IELTS Listening test about Growing Banana. The recording features two students discussing a tutorial paper. Answer 12 note completion questions, then check your score and read the explanations.

—Min Audio

12Questions

3 typesTask Types

Audio included12 questionsMultiple Choice, Note Completion, Choose Multiple

Multiple choice

IELTS Listening practice

Play Growing Banana audioAudio -Listen, answer, then check your score and explanations.

Play the audio, type your answers as you listen, then check them.

Instructions

0:000:00

The transcript is not available in the real IELTS Listening

0:000:00

Audio TranscriptIt will not be available during the real IELTS Listening exam.

F
Fiona
Hi there, Martin. How are you going with your Australian studies tutorial paper?
M
Martin
Oh good. I’ve finished it actually.
F
Fiona
Lucky you. What did you do it on? I’m still trying to find an interesting topic.
M
Martin
Well... after some consideration, I decided to look at the history of banana growing in Australia.
F
Fiona
(surprised) Banana growing!
M
Martin
Yes, banana growing.
F
Fiona
(sarcastically) Fascinating, I’m sure!
M
Martin
Well... it’s not as boring as you’d think. And I wanted to tie it into the work I’ve been doing on primary industries and the economy. Anyway, I bet there are a few things you didn’t know about bananas!
F
Fiona
Such as?
M
Martin
Such as the fact that bananas were among the first plants ever to be domesticated.
F
Fiona
Oh, really?
M
Martin
Yes, they’re an extremely nourishing food.
F
Fiona
I suppose you’re going to tell me the whole history of banana growing now aren’t you?
M
Martin
Well, it’d be a good practice run for my tutorial next week. I’ll do the same for you some time.
F
Fiona
OK. Fire away. So where were these bananas first domesticated?
M
Martin
According to my research, the Cavendish banana, which is a type of banana and the first type to be cultivated here, actually originated in China but they had a fairly roundabout route before they got to Australia.
F
Fiona
You mean they didn’t go straight from China to Australia?
M
Martin
No, they didn’t. It seems that in 1826, bananas were taken from South China to England.
F
Fiona
I suppose they would have made a welcome addition to the English diet.
M
Martin
Yes, I’m sure. Well apparently there was an English Duke who was particularly fond of bananas and he used to cultivate them in his hothouse, which is where you have to grow them in England, of course, because of the cool climate and they became quite popular in the UK. So he was the one responsible for cultivating the Cavendish banana which was then introduced into Australia.
F
Fiona
I see. And we’ve been growing them ever since?
M
Martin
Yes.
F
Fiona
Are they hard to grow?
M
Martin
Well, yes and no. To grow them in your garden, no, not really. But to grow them commercially you need to know what you’re doing. You see you only get one bunch of bananas per tree and it can take up to three years for a tree to bear fruit if you don’t do anything special to it. But this period is greatly reduced with modern growing methods, particularly in plantations where you have perfect tropical conditions.
F
Fiona
Right! So what are you looking at? One year? Two years?
M
Martin
No, no, around 15 months in good conditions for a tree to produce a bunch of bananas. And once you’ve got your bunch you cut the bunch and the plant down.
F
Fiona
So how do the trees reproduce then?
M
Martin
Well, bananas are normally grown from suckers which spring up around the parent plant, usually just above the plant. They tend to like to grow uphill or at least that’s the common wisdom.
F
Fiona
So that’s why banana plantations are usually on hillsides, is it?
M
Martin
Yes. They grow best like that.
F
Fiona
That’s interesting!
M
Martin
If you plant them in rich soil and give them plenty of water at the beginning of summer, then they should be well advanced by the beginning of winter when growth virtually stops. But in a country like England, they’re hard to grow, although you can grow them in a hothouse.
F
Fiona
But in Australia, it’s not difficult?
M
Martin
No, though even here, the growers put plastic bags around the bunches to protect them and keep them warm. If you go up to the banana growing districts, you’ll see all these banana trees with plastic bags on them.
F
Fiona
But how do they stop the bananas going bad before they reach the shops?
M
Martin
Well, the banana bunches are picked well before the fruit is ripe. Once you cut the bunch, the bananas stop growing but they do continue to ripen. The interesting thing is that once one banana ripens, it gives off a gas which then helps all the others to ripen so they pretty much all ripen within a few hours of each other.
F
Fiona
Amazing! So do we export lots of bananas overseas, to Europe and Asia for instance?
M
Martin
Well, oddly enough, no. I believe New Zealand takes a small proportion of the crop but otherwise, they’re mostly grown for the domestic market, which is surprising when you think about it because we grow an enormous number of bananas each year.
F
Fiona
Yes, well thank you for all that information. I’m sure the tutorial paper will go really well you certainly seem to have done your research on the subject.
M
Martin
Let’s hope so.

Try to answer first and read the transcript afterwards. It is most useful for finding out why an answer was missed.

Questions for Growing Banana

Questions 1–4

Circle the correct answer.

At first Fiona thinks that Martin’s tutorial topic is

According to Martin, the banana

Fiona listens to Martin because she

According to Martin, bananas were introduced into Australia from

No Login Required for checking answers

Scoring

IELTS band calculation for the Listening section.

Enter your score to see your band, or check the table below for the full scoring pattern.

Your raw score

0/ 12

036912

NABand

Your estimated band

Answer the questions and press Show answers to see your band.

Band scoresSwipe

2.54–5

36–7

3.58–9

410–12

4.513–15

516–17

5.518–22

623–25

6.526–29

730–31

7.532–34

835–36

8.537–38

939–40

Scoring

IELTS band calculation for the Listening section.

Enter your score to see your band, or go through the table below to know the scoring pattern of the listening section.

Your raw score

0/ 12

00205071012

Your estimated band

NABand

Answer the questions and press Show answers to see your band.

About the test

Understand the task before you practise it.

You’ve now gone through the Growing Banana answers. Understanding the context of the recording will help you approach similar Section 1 tasks with more confidence. Here’s a short summary of the passage.

Summary of the passage

Two students, Fiona and Martin, discuss Martin's Australian studies tutorial paper on growing bananas. Listen for the details included in the conversation and note the words that complete each answer.

Want the real exam format? Try the IELTS Listening mock test.You can also opt for the IELTS Listening mock test to understand the format of the listening section.

FREE Listening mock testListening mock test

Task types in Growing Banana listening answers

1–4

Multiple Choice

Questions 1 to 4

Here, you choose the correct option for each question. Read the question and all options before the audio starts, and listen for paraphrases rather than exact words.

5–10

Note Completion

Questions 5 to 10

Here, you will listen to the recording, memorise the information given in it, and fill the empty gaps in the notes. Be attentive while listening to the audio, as the answers follow the order of the recording.

11–12

Choose Multiple

Questions 11 to 12

Here, you pick more than one correct option from a list. The answers can be given in any order, but every option you choose must be mentioned in the recording.

Key highlights of the IELTS Listening section

Remember

1time only

Each recording plays only once, so stay focused throughout the task.

In total

40questions

Divided into 4 different sections of 10 questions each.

Same pattern

Academic=General Training

The Listening test is identical for Academic and General Training.

The audio can be

A Social Conversation

A Social Monologue

An Academic Discussion

An Academic Lecture

Remember

1time only

Each recording plays only once, so stay focused throughout the task.

In total

40questions

Divided into 4 sections of 10 questions each.

Same pattern

Academic=General Training

The Listening test is identical for Academic and General Training.

The audio can be

A Social Conversation

A Social Monologue

An Academic Discussion

An Academic Lecture

IELTS Listening common mistakes

4 mistakes that cost marks

Candidates most often lose marks in this section because of the following errors:

Answering before listening to the entire audio.

Not reading the questions carefully before attempting.

Lack of practice before taking the test.

Ignoring grammatical and spelling errors.

Take a listening mock test

IELTS Listening common mistakes

4 mistakes that cost marks

Candidates most often lose marks in this section because of the following errors:

Take a listening mock test

Answering before listening to the entire audio.

Not reading the questions carefully before attempting.

Lack of practice before taking the test.

Ignoring grammatical and spelling errors.

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Growing BananaIELTS Listening Practice Test with Answers

Play Growing Banana audioAudio -Listen, answer, then check your score and explanations.

Questions for Growing Banana

Questions 1–4

IELTS band calculation for the Listening section.

IELTS band calculation for the Listening section.

Conclusion

Understand the task before you practise it.

Task types in Growing Banana listening answers

Multiple Choice

Note Completion

Choose Multiple

Key highlights of the IELTS Listening section

IELTS Listening common mistakes

IELTS Listening common mistakes

4 mistakes that cost marks

Practice builds confidence! Take FREE IELTS mock tests and master individual sections.

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