Lecture: Bamboo as a Building Material

IELTS Listening PracticePart 4medium

Recording

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You can replay the recording as many times as you like while practising. In the real exam you hear it once only.

Questions

Questions 1–3

What bamboo is and how it grows

Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Bamboo is not a tree but the largest member of the ______ family.(max 1 word)

Some species grow up to ______ centimetres in a single day.(max 1 word)

By contrast, an oak tree may take ______ years or more before harvest.(max 1 word)

Questions 4–6

The mechanical properties of bamboo

Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

For its weight, bamboo's tensile strength is greater than that of ______.(max 1 word)

This has earned bamboo the nickname 'vegetable ______'.(max 1 word)

Because it is very ______, bamboo bends instead of snapping in earthquakes.(max 1 word)

Questions 7–9

Drawbacks of natural bamboo

Complete the sentences below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Untreated bamboo is easily damaged by ______, especially beetles.(max 1 word)

To protect it, bamboo is soaked in a ______ solution.(max 1 word)

Because it burns easily, bamboo must be coated to resist ______.(max 1 word)

Question 10

Answer the question below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

What is the stronger, processed form of the material now being developed called?(max 2 words)

0 / 10 answered

About this Listening test

“Lecture: Bamboo as a Building Material” is an original IELTS Listening practice test in the style of Part 4 with 10 questions (Note Completion, Summary Completion, Sentence Completion and Short Answer). Play the recording, answer as you listen, then submit to have every answer marked instantly and read the transcript.

Part 4 is a university-style lecture: one speaker, an academic subject, 10 questions — almost always note completion with a one-word limit — and, uniquely, no break in the middle. You succeed by using the printed notes as a map of the lecture and never losing your place.

How to approach it

Spend the whole preparation time on the notes: the headings tell you the lecture’s sections, and each gap’s surrounding words tell you the grammar and meaning of its answer.
Predict the word class for every gap — noun, adjective, number — and any obvious semantic field (a material, an animal, a place).
Common trap: Losing your position mid-lecture and missing a run of answers — the single biggest cause of Part 4 disasters.

Read the full Listening Part 4 strategy guide · How we write and check our tests

Build consistency with another Listening practice item.