Lecture: Seagrass Meadows and the Ocean: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 10 questionsPart 4hard
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Good morning. Today I want to turn our attention to one of the most undervalued habitats in the ocean — seagrass meadows.”
- Transcript length: about 488 words
- Questions: 10
- Question types: Note Completion, Summary Completion, Sentence Completion, Short Answer
“Lecture: Seagrass Meadows and the Ocean” is an original IELTS-style practice recording written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Lecture: Seagrass Meadows and the Ocean answers with explanations
Questions 1–3: Note Completion
What seagrasses are and where they grow
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 1
Seagrasses are not seaweeds but true ______ plants.(max 1 word)
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Answer: flowering
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it clarifies that seagrasses are genuine flowering plants, unlike seaweeds, as they possess roots, stems, and leaves, and are the only flowering plants that have fully adapted to marine life.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 1 “They are true flowering plants, with roots, stems and leaves, and they are the only flowering plants that have returned to live entirely in the sea.”
- 2
They grow only in shallow water, usually no deeper than ______ metres.(max 1 word)
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Answer: ten (also accepted: 10)
Why: The answer "ten" is found in the passage where it explains that seagrasses require sunlight to photosynthesize, thus they are limited to growing in shallow, clear coastal waters typically not exceeding a depth of about ten metres.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 2 “Seagrasses need sunlight to photosynthesise, so they are restricted to shallow, clear coastal water — typically no deeper than about ten metres.”
- 3
They form dense underwater ______ along the coast.(max 1 word)
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Answer: lawns (also accepted: lawn)
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it describes seagrasses forming dense underwater areas, specifically referring to them as "lawns" that can extend for many kilometers along a coastline.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 2 “They form dense underwater lawns, and a single meadow can stretch for many kilometres along a coastline.”
Questions 4–6: Summary Completion
Why seagrass meadows matter
Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 4
Seagrass stores carbon very fast; this ocean-held carbon is known as ______ carbon.(max 1 word)
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Answer: blue
Why: The answer "blue" is found in the passage where it explains that the carbon stored by seagrass meadows is termed "blue carbon" because it is sequestered in the ocean rather than on land.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 3 “Scientists call this stored carbon blue carbon, because it is held in the ocean rather than on land.”
- 5
The meadows act as a ______ where young fish shelter from predators.(max 1 word)
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Answer: nursery
Why: The answer is found in the section where the speaker explains that seagrass meadows serve as a protective area for young fish, offering them shelter from predators until they are mature enough to survive in open water.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “Their leaves provide shelter for the young of many fish species, hiding them from predators until they are large enough to survive in open water.”
- 6
By slowing the water and binding the seabed, seagrass reduces ______ of the coast.(max 1 word)
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Answer: erosion
Why: The answer comes from the part of the passage where it explains that seagrass roots hold the seabed together and the leaves slow water movement, which helps to reduce erosion and protect the coastline from storms.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 5 “The roots of seagrass bind the seabed together, and the leaves slow down the movement of water.”
Questions 7–9: Sentence Completion
Threats to seagrass
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
- 7
The greatest cause of decline is poor water ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: quality
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing the decline of seagrass, where it states that poor water quality, caused by fertiliser runoff leading to algae blooms that block sunlight, is the primary reason for their decline.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 6 “The single greatest cause is poor water quality.”
- 8
Fertiliser from farmland feeds a bloom of ______ that blocks sunlight.(max 1 word)
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Answer: algae
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing threats to seagrass, where it explains that fertiliser runoff causes algae blooms, which cloud the water and prevent sunlight from reaching the seagrass.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 6 “When fertiliser washes off farmland into the sea, it feeds a bloom of tiny algae.”
- 9
Direct physical damage is caused by boat anchors and ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: propellers (also accepted: propeller)
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing threats to seagrass, where it mentions that boat anchors and propellers cause direct physical damage by tearing up the meadows and leaving scars.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 7 “Boat anchors and propellers tear up the meadows directly, leaving bare scars that can take years to recover.”
Question 10: Short Answer
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
- 10
How do restoration projects gather seagrass to replant?(max 3 words)
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Answer: seeds (also accepted: collect seeds / seeds by hand / collect seeds by hand)
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it mentions that restoration projects collect seagrass seeds by hand to scatter them across damaged areas.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 “Restoration projects now collect seagrass seeds by hand and scatter them across damaged areas.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 10 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Listening conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single recording is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 10 / 10 | 9.0 |
| 9 / 10 | 8.0 |
| 8 / 10 | 7.5 |
| 7 / 10 | 6.5 |
| 6 / 10 | 6.0 |
| 5 / 10 | 5.5 |
| 4 / 10 | 5.0 |
| 3 / 10 | 4.0 |
| 2 / 10 | 3.5 |
| 1 / 10 | 2.5 |
| 0 / 10 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Listening Part 4
- 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.
Full Listening Part 4 strategyPractise “Lecture: Seagrass Meadows and the Ocean” under exam conditions
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