Lecture: Underwater Archaeology and Shipwrecks

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

Why underwater sites are well preserved

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

A wreck buried in mud is sealed off from ______, which most decay bacteria need.(max 1 word)

Because they preserve a single moment, wrecks are described as time ______.(max 1 word)

The famous warship discussed is the Mary ______.(max 1 word)

Questions 4–6

The challenges of excavating underwater

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

A diver's working day is short because ______ on the seabed is limited.(max 1 word)

Stirred-up sediment reduces ______, leaving the diver almost blind.(max 1 word)

Sediment is removed gently using a tool called an ______.(max 1 word)

Questions 7–9

Recording and preserving finds

Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

A 3-D model of the wreck is built from overlapping ______.(max 1 word)

In treatment, the water in waterlogged wood is slowly replaced with ______.(max 2 words)

The Mary Rose was raised from the seabed in the year ______.(max 1 word)

Question 10

Answer the question below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY.

What is named as the most serious threat to underwater sites?(max 1 word)

0 / 10 answered

About this Listening test

“Lecture: Underwater Archaeology and Shipwrecks” 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.