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Cambridge IELTS 21 Listening Test 2

Take Book 21 Test 2 online with the audio, free. Then see where real students lost their marks, part by part, and the traps that caught them.

There are no answers on this page, so you can read it before you take the test.

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  • Questions40
  • Parts4
  • DifficultyMedium, with an easy Part 1
  • Average score27 / 40 · Band 6.5

Cambridge 21 Listening Test 2 at a glance

Part 1 is friendly, and most of its gaps are answered by well over half of students. After that the average sits close to 6 out of 10 in every part, and the three hardest questions are in Parts 3 and 4.

PartSituationQuestion typeQuestionsAvg. correct
1Phone call about one-day classesTable completionONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER1–108.0of 10
2Guide to local walks and an old coal mineChoose TWO (two sets)Letters A–EMap labellingLetters A–I11–206.5of 10
3Two students give feedback on a food science courseChoose TWO (three sets)Letters A–EFlow chart: stage to commentLetters A–F21–306.2of 10
4Presentation: the cruise ship industryNote completionONE WORD ONLY31–406.5of 10

How students did on this test

These figures come from complete attempts on IELTSNexa up to 2026-10-22, not from the book. The average was 27 out of 40, which is Band 6.5. Part 1 is clearly the easiest; Parts 2, 3 and 4 are close together, with Part 3 a little lower.

  • 27/40Average score
  • 6.5Average band
  • Part 3Hardest part
Part 18.0
Part 26.5
Part 36.2
Part 46.5
Average correct answers per part, out of 10

Source: IELTSNexa student attempts, up to 2026-10-22

Part by part: what it is about and where marks go

For each part: what the recording is about, the question types, and how many students got each question right. Tap a bar for the details. The recordings, question papers and answers are only inside the test.

Part 1

Phone call about one-day classes

Questions 1–10 · Average 8.0 of 10

A woman phones a college to ask about one-day classes she saw in a leaflet: a cookery class, bread making, face massage, candle making, silk painting and DIY for beginners. For each one the receptionist gives the date, the price and what you need to know or bring.

% of students who got each question right
Table completion 80% This test · 67% All Cambridge tests

Question 8Table completion · ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER

61% got it right

The hardest question in Part 1. 6 points below the average for gap-fill questions.

  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

Nearly every class comes with two dates or two prices, and only one is what the table wants: a date that was changed, a price she remembers wrongly, a fee plus an extra charge, a similar class somewhere else. Wait for the confirmation before you write, and write prices exactly as they are said, pence included.

Practise Part 1 only →
Part 2

Guide to local walks and an old coal mine

Questions 11–20 · Average 6.5 of 10

A recorded guide to walks and a visitor attraction in one area: a family-friendly coastal walk, a hillside heritage walk, and a former coal mine that is now open to the public. The last section takes you round the mine site, building by building.

% of students who got each question right
Choose TWO (two sets) 59% This test · 67% All Cambridge tests
Map labelling 69% This test · 71% All Cambridge tests

Question 14Choose TWO (two sets) · Letters A–E

53% got it right

The hardest question in Part 2. 14 points below the average for choose-two questions.

  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

In the choose-two sets, nearly every option is touched on somewhere: a boat, a town, steep paths, views. Choose only what the speaker actually says about that walk, and notice which details are just background. On the map, find the entrance and the compass before the audio starts, and listen for position words: north of, in the corner, in the middle of, connected to.

Practise Part 2 only →
Part 3

Two students give feedback on a food science course

Questions 21–30 · Average 6.2 of 10

Two students give their tutor feedback on a food science course: what surprised them in the food safety sessions, a visiting lecturer’s project on food fraud, and topics they would add. Then they talk through the stages of their own project to develop a new snack.

% of students who got each question right
Choose TWO (three sets) 59% This test · 67% All Cambridge tests
Flow chart: stage to comment 67% This test · 63% All Cambridge tests

Question 24Choose TWO (three sets) · Letters A–E

45% got it right

The hardest question in Part 3. 22 points below the average for choose-two questions.

Why people miss it →
  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

Each choose-two set asks about something precise: what was new to them, what impressed one of them, what both of them recommend. An option one student praises and the other dismisses does not count. In the flow chart, each comment is a paraphrase, so listen to how they felt about a stage, not just what they did in it.

Practise Part 3 only →
Part 4

Presentation: the cruise ship industry

Questions 31–40 · Average 6.5 of 10

A student presentation on the cruise ship industry: the harm that too many visitors do to popular destinations, how three cities have responded, why younger travellers stay away, and how cruise lines are changing their ships, food and marketing to win them over.

% of students who got each question right
Note completion 65% This test · 67% All Cambridge tests

Question 35Note completion · ONE WORD ONLY

43% got it right

The hardest question in Part 4. 24 points below the average for gap-fill questions.

Why people miss it →
  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

The talk is packed with examples, and each gap takes just one word from them. Several gaps sit next to a belief (“they’ve always been perceived as…”) that the speaker then argues against, so check whether the note wants the belief or his reply. Watch the form too: one answer is an uncountable noun that many people make plural.

Practise Part 4 only →

The 3 questions most students miss, and the traps behind them

Ranked by how few students got them right. Each note explains how the question catches people without giving away the answer, so you can still use it as practice.

1Question 35Part 443% got it right

The speaker reports what a survey found puts younger people off cruises, says it in one quick sentence, and then argues straight back, telling you cruises are actually good value. Some people wrote a word from his reply instead of the factor the survey named, and others jumped ahead to the next belief he mentions, which belongs to the following gap.

The trap

Whose view does the note want?

Speakers often report what other people think, then argue against it (“but what they don’t realise is…”). Before the audio, check whether the note is about the belief or about the speaker’s answer to it, then keep the two apart as you listen.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 38, “লেখকের মত, না অন্যের?” (trap #32) (in Bangla) →
2Question 24Part 345% got it right

The question asks what impressed one of the students, and every option is mentioned. One is dismissed as something that has existed for years; another is praised by the other student and then questioned by him. Together those took more than half of the wrong answers. What he actually admires is said in his own words, with no option’s wording.

The trap

Mentioned, then rejected

In choose-two and multiple-choice questions, most options are mentioned and then played down: not new, not true, or doubted by the other speaker. Hearing an option is not enough. Check what the speaker thinks of it, and who the question is about.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 21, “শুনে paraphrase ধরা” (trap #18) (in Bangla) →
3Question 33Part 448% got it right

The speaker names what the shops in one city were selling to day-trippers. Because the shops sold so much of it, the word feels as if it should be plural, and more than a quarter of students wrote it that way and lost the mark. In the recording it is used as an uncountable noun, and the note keeps it that way.

The trap

Right word, wrong form

You hear the right word but write it in the wrong form: plural when it is uncountable, singular when the note needs more than one. Write the word in the form the speaker uses and the note’s grammar allows.

On this test, about 1 in 14 wrong written answers was the right word in the wrong form.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 18, “ছোট ভুলে বড় ক্ষতি” (trap #16) (in Bangla) →

Learn to beat these traps

IELTSNexa Learn teaches 61 exam traps in short lessons with audio, one trap in each lesson. Start free, no account needed for the first lessons.

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Explanation cards

Understand the reasoning behind every question

A score tells you what you got wrong. IELTSNexa shows you why. After you submit, each question opens an explanation card that takes you to the exact moment in the recording, explains why the answer is right, and shows the reasoning that made the wrong answer feel right.

  • The exact line in the recording, with the timestamp
  • Why the right answer is right
  • Why the trap answer was tempting
Start Cambridge 21 Test 2

Explanation cards come with an IELTSNexa pass. The test, your score and the answer key are free.

Words students misspelled on this test

On this test, about 1 in 7 wrong written answers was the right word, misspelled. The student heard it and still lost the mark. Here are some of the words behind them.

  • pollution

    Written aspolutionpolusion

    Double l: pol-lu-tion.

  • mirror

    Written asmirormirrior

    Double r in the middle, and “-or” at the end.

  • hammer

    Written ashamerhammar

    Double m, and “-er” at the end.

  • vegan

    Written asviganvagan

    v-e-g-a-n: “veg” as in vegetable.

  • pizza

    Written aspitza

    Double z, not “ts”.

Useful vocabulary from this test

Words and phrases you will hear in the recordings, with our own explanations and example sentences.

WordMeaning and example
waiting listnouna list of people who will get a place if one becomes freeThe course is full, but you can join the waiting list.
enrolverbto officially put your name down for a courseShe enrolled on an evening class in photography.
strenuousadjectiveneeding a lot of physical effortThe final climb is strenuous, so take plenty of water.
heritagenounbuildings, places and traditions from the past that a country valuesThe old fort is part of the city’s heritage.
mechanisationnounthe change from doing work by hand to doing it with machinesMechanisation cut the number of farm workers needed.
obesitynounthe condition of being very overweight in a way that harms healthDoctors link childhood obesity to sugary drinks.
food fraudnounselling food that is not what the label says, for example in its origin or ingredientsCheap fish sold as an expensive species is a common food fraud.
over-exploitverbto take so much of a resource, such as fish or timber, that it starts to run outSome fishing grounds have been over-exploited for decades.
overtourismnouna situation where too many visitors damage a place and the lives of the people who live thereVenice has struggled with overtourism for years.
deterverbto make someone decide not to do somethingHigh parking fees deter people from driving into the centre.
perceptionnounthe way people think about something, which may not be accurateThere is a perception that the area is unsafe at night.
contemporaryadjectivemodern; in the style of the present timeThe hotel mixes old stone walls with contemporary furniture.

From raw score to band

Each correct answer is one mark out of 40. This is the conversion IELTSNexa uses to score this test. You can also try the band score calculator.

Correct answersBand
39–409.0
37–388.5
35–368.0
33–347.5
30–327.0
27–296.5Average on this test
23–266.0
20–225.5
16–195.0
13–154.5
10–124.0

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Frequently asked questions

Is Cambridge 21 Listening Test 2 hard?
It is a medium test with an easy Part 1. Across the full attempts on IELTSNexa, students averaged about 27 out of 40. After Part 1 the average sits close to 6 out of 10 in every part, and the hardest questions are in Parts 3 and 4.
Can I take Cambridge 21 Listening Test 2 online with audio?
Yes. IELTSNexa runs the full test free in a computer-delivered layout, with the audio, the timer and automatic scoring. You need a free account so your score and answers are saved.
Where can I find the answers for Cambridge 21 Listening Test 2?
We do not publish the answer key on this page, so it cannot spoil the test. After you submit on IELTSNexa you see your score and the answer key straight away. Detailed explanation cards, which show why each answer is right and where it is in the recording, come with an IELTSNexa pass.
How long does Cambridge 21 Listening Test 2 take?
About 30 minutes of audio for 40 questions in four parts, with short reading pauses before each section. You can also practise one part at a time.
What band is 27 out of 40 in IELTS Listening?
27 correct answers is Band 6.5 on the Listening conversion table. Band 7.0 needs 30 correct, and Band 8.0 needs 35.
Is Cambridge 21 Listening the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Academic and General Training candidates take the same Listening test, so this test is good practice for both.

More Listening practice

Last updated 2026-10-22. IELTSNexa is not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Cambridge IELTS 21 is their publication; this page is our own independent analysis.