Lecture: The Rise of Urban Beekeeping: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 6 questionsPart 4hard
Haven't taken this test yet?
Looking at the answers first spoils the practice — you only get one honest first attempt at a recording. Take the test with the audio + 10 minutes to check, get an instant score and estimated band, then come back here to study every answer.
About this recording
The recording opens: “Okay everyone, let's make a start. Today I want to look at urban beekeeping — that is, the keeping of honeybees in towns and cities — which has grown remarkably popular over the last twenty years or so.”
- Transcript length: about 361 words
- Questions: 6
- Question types: Summary Completion, Sentence Completion, Note Completion
“Lecture: The Rise of Urban Beekeeping” 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: The Rise of Urban Beekeeping answers with explanations
Questions 1–2: Summary Completion
Why city bees often do well
Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 1
City bees benefit from the greater ______ of flowering plants found in parks and gardens.(max 1 word)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: variety
Why: The answer "variety" is supported by the passage's explanation that cities have a diverse range of flowering plants in parks, gardens, balconies, and street trees, providing a continuous nectar supply throughout the season.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 2 “A city has parks, gardens, balconies and street trees, all planted with many different species that flower at different times of year.”
- 2
On a large farm, a single ______ often flowers for only a few weeks.(max 1 word)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: crop
Why: The passage explains that in the countryside, large farms typically grow just one type of crop, which may bloom profusely but only for a brief period, leaving bees with limited food options for the rest of the year.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 3 “In the countryside, by contrast, a large farm will often grow just a single crop, which may flower brilliantly, but only for a few short weeks, leaving the bees with little to eat for the rest of the year.”
Question 3: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentence below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS .
- 3
Scientists call the extra warmth of cities the urban ______.(max 2 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: heat island
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it explains that cities are warmer than the countryside, and this phenomenon is referred to by scientists as the "urban heat island.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “Cities are noticeably warmer than the surrounding countryside — an effect that scientists call the urban heat island.”
Questions 4–6: Note Completion
Challenges for city beekeepers
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 4
The biggest threat to bees is a parasite known as the ______ mite.(max 1 word)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: varroa
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing challenges, where it mentions that the most significant danger to bees, regardless of their location, is a small parasite called the varroa mite, which weakens colonies and spreads disease.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 5 “The single biggest threat to bees, wherever they happen to live, is a tiny parasite called the varroa mite.”
- 5
To provide water, keepers leave out a shallow ______ containing stones.(max 1 word)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: dish
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing water issues, where it mentions that beekeepers can address bees' need for water by placing a shallow dish with stones to provide a safe landing spot.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 6 “A simple solution is to leave out a shallow dish of water with a few stones in it, which give the bees somewhere to land safely.”
- 6
In a good year, a single hive can produce up to ______ kilograms of honey.(max 1 word)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: 25 (also accepted: twenty-five / twenty five)
Why: The answer is found near the end of the passage, where it mentions that a healthy hive can yield up to twenty-five kilograms of honey in an excellent year.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 7 “Many new beekeepers are surprised to learn that a single healthy hive can produce as much as twenty-five kilograms of honey in a really good year.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 6 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 |
|---|---|
| 6 / 6 | 9.0 |
| 5 / 6 | 7.5 |
| 4 / 6 | 6.5 |
| 3 / 6 | 5.5 |
| 2 / 6 | 4.5 |
| 1 / 6 | 3.0 |
| 0 / 6 | 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: The Rise of Urban Beekeeping” under exam conditions
Free, auto-marked, with the audio + 10 minutes to check and an instant band estimate.
Take this test first (with audio)More IELTS Listening tests with answers
Lecture: The Psychology of Habit Formation
hard
Lecture: Wildlife Corridors in Cities
hard
Lecture: A History of Timekeeping
hard
Lecture: Bamboo as a Building Material
medium
Lost Property Enquiry at Central Station
easy
Open Day at the Hillside Animal Rescue Centre
medium