TOEFL Listening transcripts, questions and answers, printable
All four 2026 Listening task types with the transcript printed beside the questions and the key — the part almost every listening pack leaves out, and the part that tells you whether you misheard a recording or misread a question.
Free, no account and no email address. toefl-2026-listening-transcripts-questions.pdf
What is in it
- Every Listening recording Reach120 has editorially approved for publication, across all four 2026 task names: Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, Listen to an Academic Talk.
- The full transcript of each recording, printed before its questions.
- Every question with the answer key, the explanation for the key, and the reason each wrong option was written.
- A link per recording to the audio on this page, so the pack can be worked with sound or read cold as a transcript exercise.
What it does not cover
- The audio inside the file. A PDF cannot carry a recording; each set links back to the player on this page instead of pretending otherwise.
- The two-stage adaptive delivery. The 2026 Listening section routes into a shorter or longer second module, and a fixed printed pack cannot reproduce that.
- Note-taking practice under time pressure. Reading a transcript is a different skill from hearing it once — the browser drill is where that is trained.
- Every recording in the Listening bank. Only editorially approved recordings are published, which is a smaller set than the bank and deliberately so.
8 recordings, 19 questions, full transcripts
Play each recording once and answer before you read the transcript — once you have read the words, that recording can never test your listening again. The transcript is printed under the player, with the questions and the answer key after it.
Recording 1
Apology for a Mix-Up
Campus Daily Life · Medium · 5 sec · 1 question
Transcript
1. Choose the best response.
- A.Oh, no problem, thanks for returning it.Answer
- B.The physics exam covers three chapters.
- C.Yes, the bakery downtown is my favorite.
- D.I'd like a window seat if there's one open.
Why A (Oh, no problem, thanks for returning it.) is the answer: This directly and appropriately responds to what the speaker said (apology).
- B. This reply does not acknowledge the mix-up, so it is not a natural response.
- C. This reply does not acknowledge the mix-up, so it is not a natural response.
- D. This reply does not acknowledge the mix-up, so it is not a natural response.
Recording 2
Apology for Being Late
Campus Daily Life · Medium · 5 sec · 1 question
Transcript
1. Choose the best response.
- A.I think the red one looks better on you.
- B.Yes, please turn the volume up a bit.
- C.No worries at all, we're just getting started anyway.Answer
- D.The essay is due next Friday, not today.
Why C (No worries at all, we're just getting started anyway.) is the answer: This directly and appropriately responds to what the speaker said (apology).
- A. This reply does not acknowledge the apology, so it is not a natural response.
- B. This reply does not acknowledge the apology, so it is not a natural response.
- D. This reply does not acknowledge the apology, so it is not a natural response.
Recording 3
A Double-Booked Study Room
Library Services · Hard · 1 min 3 sec · 2 questions
Transcript
1. How does the student respond to the situation?
- A.Angrily, demanding the other group leave
- B.Indifferently, deciding not to study at all
- C.Anxiously, insisting on canceling her booking
- D.Accommodatingly, agreeing to take the other roomAnswer
Why D (Accommodatingly, agreeing to take the other room) is the answer: The student says she doesn't want to be difficult and takes the quieter upstairs room, which the librarian calls kind.
- A. She avoids conflict rather than demanding anything.
- B. She still wants to study, just in another room.
- C. She keeps a room; she doesn't cancel.
2. What problem are they resolving?
- A.The student forgot to make a reservation
- B.Two groups were booked into the same study room at onceAnswer
- C.The study room was closed for renovation
- D.The library is out of study rooms entirely
Why B (Two groups were booked into the same study room at once) is the answer: The librarian finds two overlapping reservations for the same room and works to resolve it.
- A. The student did reserve the room; the system double-booked it.
- C. The renovation is over; the glitch appeared when the room reopened.
- D. An identical room is available upstairs, so rooms remain.
Recording 4
A Missing Scholarship Document
Financial Aid · Hard · 1 min 2 sec · 2 questions
Transcript
1. Why does the coordinator recommend using the portal instead of email?
- A.Because email costs a processing fee
- B.Because the portal waives the deadline
- C.Because emailed attachments sometimes fail to attach to the fileAnswer
- D.Because the email system is being shut down
Why C (Because emailed attachments sometimes fail to attach to the file) is the answer: The coordinator explains emailed attachments sometimes don't attach correctly, so uploading directly is safer.
- A. No fee is associated with email.
- B. The Friday deadline still applies.
- D. No shutdown of email is mentioned.
2. Which document is missing from the student's file?
- A.Her transcript
- B.A letter of recommendation
- C.The financial verification formAnswer
- D.Her scholarship application
Why C (The financial verification form) is the answer: The coordinator says the application and transcript are in, but the financial verification form hasn't come through.
- A. The transcript is already received.
- B. No recommendation letter is mentioned.
- D. The application is on file.
Recording 5
Bookstore Buyback Week Begins
Campus Retail · Medium · 22 sec · 2 questions
Transcript
1. What is the announcement about?
- A.A book club meeting
- B.The bookstore moving to a new building
- C.A sale on new laptops
- D.A textbook buyback week at the bookstoreAnswer
Why D (A textbook buyback week at the bookstore) is the answer: It is buyback week for used textbooks.
- A. No club is mentioned.
- B. No move is mentioned.
- C. No laptop sale is mentioned.
2. Which books earn the best buyback prices?
- A.Books with torn covers
- B.Books still on next term's course listAnswer
- C.Books older than ten years
- D.Any book, all priced the same
Why B (Books still on next term's course list) is the answer: Books on next term's list earn the best prices.
- A. Damage is not a positive factor.
- C. Age is not mentioned as a bonus.
- D. Prices vary by demand.
Recording 6
Career Fair Room Assignments
Career Services · Hard · 25 sec · 2 questions
Transcript
1. Where will health and education employers be located?
- A.The second-floor ballroomAnswer
- B.Outside near the entrance
- C.The main gym
- D.The library basement
Why A (The second-floor ballroom) is the answer: Health, education, and nonprofit tables are in the second-floor ballroom.
- B. The entrance area has printing, not tables.
- C. The gym is for tech and engineering.
- D. No basement is mentioned.
2. What can be inferred about students who need resumes printed?
- A.Resumes are not needed at the fair
- B.They must pay a printing fee
- C.They should print before noon, when the station closesAnswer
- D.They cannot print anywhere on campus
Why C (They should print before noon, when the station closes) is the answer: The free printing station closes at noon, so students should print earlier.
- A. Printed resumes are explicitly requested.
- B. The station is free.
- D. There is a printing station at the fair.
Recording 7
Adding Sound to Early Films
Film Studies · Medium · 1 min 22 sec · 5 questions
Transcript
1. Why does the professor mention a fist hitting a slab of meat?
- A.To describe how real punches are recorded on set
- B.To argue that sound design is unnecessary
- C.To explain why early cameras were noisy
- D.To show that movie sound effects are deliberately constructed illusionsAnswer
Why D (To show that movie sound effects are deliberately constructed illusions) is the answer: The example illustrates that effects 'didn't have to be realistic' but convincing, since real recordings sound thin.
- A. It's a fabricated effect, not a recording of a real punch.
- B. He argues sound design is essential, not unnecessary.
- C. Camera noise is a separate earlier point.
2. What can be inferred about the soundtracks audiences perceive as natural?
- A.They are usually raw recordings of real events
- B.They are carefully built illusions designed to feel realAnswer
- C.They are added only to comedy films
- D.They are less effective than live piano music
Why B (They are carefully built illusions designed to feel real) is the answer: He concludes the soundtrack 'you experience as natural is, in fact, carefully constructed — an illusion designed to feel real.'
- A. Real recordings often sound thin, so effects are built instead.
- C. Sound design applies broadly, not just to comedy.
- D. No claim ranks constructed sound below live piano.
3. What is the lecture mainly about?
- A.Why cameras stopped being used in cinema
- B.How sound in film developed and how sound effects are constructedAnswer
- C.Why silent films were more popular than sound films
- D.How to become a theater pianist
Why B (How sound in film developed and how sound effects are constructed) is the answer: The professor traces live music, the arrival of recorded sound, and the deliberate craft of sound effects.
- A. Cameras kept being used; they were just temporarily restricted.
- C. No popularity comparison is made.
- D. The pianist is an example, not a how-to topic.
4. Why did films briefly become more static after recorded sound arrived?
- A.Musicians refused to play faster music
- B.Audiences preferred still images
- C.Noisy cameras had to be sealed in soundproof boothsAnswer
- D.The screens grew too large to film around
Why C (Noisy cameras had to be sealed in soundproof booths) is the answer: He explains noisy sound cameras were 'sealed inside soundproof booths,' making them almost impossible to move.
- A. Recorded sound replaced the live musician; their preferences aren't the cause.
- B. Audience preference is not given as the cause.
- D. Screen size is not mentioned as a factor.
5. What role did a live pianist play in silent-film theaters?
- A.Recording dialogue for later playback
- B.Playing music that told the audience how to feelAnswer
- C.Selling tickets at the front of the theater
- D.Operating the projector during screenings
Why B (Playing music that told the audience how to feel) is the answer: He says the musician played along and 'the music told the audience how to feel.'
- A. Silent films had no recorded dialogue for the pianist to record.
- C. Selling tickets is not mentioned.
- D. Operating the projector is not the pianist's role.
Recording 8
Banking the Seeds of Crop Diversity
Agricultural Science · Medium · 1 min 28 sec · 4 questions
Transcript
1. Why does the professor use the image of one key for every lock?
- A.To describe how breeders unlock stored traits
- B.To illustrate the danger of depending on similar cropsAnswer
- C.To explain how seed vaults are locked and secured
- D.To compare crops with metal tools
Why B (To illustrate the danger of depending on similar crops) is the answer: The one-key analogy dramatizes the vulnerability of genetically uniform fields.
- A. It illustrates risk, not the retrieval of traits.
- C. It is a metaphor, not about physical locks.
- D. The comparison is about vulnerability, not tools.
2. According to the professor, why is relying on a few crop varieties risky?
- A.Wild relatives crowd out the modern crops
- B.Breeders cannot access older varieties
- C.The seeds cannot be frozen for storage
- D.A single disease can sweep through genetically similar fieldsAnswer
Why D (A single disease can sweep through genetically similar fields) is the answer: The professor says a single new disease or pest can sweep through fields that are all genetically similar.
- A. Wild relatives are a stored resource, not a threat.
- B. Seed banks exist precisely so breeders can access older varieties.
- C. Freezing is part of storage, not the risk.
3. What can be inferred about maintaining a seed bank?
- A.It requires ongoing effort to grow and renew the seedsAnswer
- B.It eliminates the need for plant breeders
- C.It is cheaper than using modern crop varieties
- D.Once stored, seeds need no further attention
Why A (It requires ongoing effort to grow and renew the seeds) is the answer: The professor stresses that seeds don't live forever, so staff must periodically grow and harvest fresh seeds.
- B. Breeders use the bank; they are not replaced by it.
- C. Cost comparison is not discussed.
- D. The professor explicitly contradicts the freeze-and-forget idea.
4. What is the lecture mainly about?
- A.How to build a vault inside a frozen mountain
- B.Why seed banks are important for preserving crop diversityAnswer
- C.How modern farming increased crop yields
- D.Why freezers cannot store seeds at all
Why B (Why seed banks are important for preserving crop diversity) is the answer: The professor explains why seed banks matter as insurance for crop diversity.
- A. The vault image opens the talk but is not its subject.
- C. High yields are noted as the risky context, not the topic.
- D. Seeds are stored cold; the point is that they still need renewal.
Every question in these files is a Reach120 practice item taken from the bank our learners practice against. None of them is a real TOEFL test question, and nothing here is published, licensed, endorsed or reviewed by ETS.
What the 2026 Listening section asks for
Four task types, from a single-line response you pick after one short prompt through to an academic talk with a question set. The short tasks reward hearing one detail exactly; the long ones reward holding a structure in mind. They fail for different reasons, which is why the pack keeps them in separate groups.
What ETS states
The 2026 specification lists the Listening section at 47 items and 35 raw points, with task types Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, and Listen to an Academic Talk.
These are published blueprint values, which the specification states are subject to minor revisions until the official launch. The item count includes non-scored items, so items do not equal raw points — the specification lists a maximum of 1 point per scored item.
The specification lists an estimated Listening time of an 18 minute router plus a second-stage module of 7 minutes (lower) or 11 minutes (upper).
The times are estimated, and the two module lengths are discrete listed values — not a sliding 7-to-11-minute range.
Listening items are machine-scored selected responses, evaluated by rule-based algorithms per the specification’s item-type notes.
Machine-scored is not exclusive to Reading and Listening — Build a Sentence is machine-scored too. This says nothing about how Reach120 scores your practice.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, read (link confirmed ). Everything outside this box is Reach120’s own reading of it.
How to use a transcript without wasting the recording
- 1Play the recording once and answer without the transcript. Once you have read the words, that recording can never test your listening again.
- 2Mark your answers, then read the transcript and find the exact sentence that decided each question.
- 3If the sentence was there and you missed it, the problem is attention. If the sentence was there and you heard it but chose wrong, the problem is the question, not the audio — read the distractor note.
- 4Replay the recording last, reading along. That is where the gap between what was said and what you heard becomes obvious.
Common questions
- Is this the listening practice test with answers?
- Yes, in full. A TOEFL listening practice test with answers PDF and a TOEFL listening practice test free download are the same request as this file: every transcript with its question set and the answer key, plus the reason each wrong option was written. A TOEFL listening tips PDF is asking for method rather than material, and that lives on the Listening section page.
- Does the download include the recordings?
- No, and that is worth being clear about before you click. A TOEFL listening practice download, a TOEFL listening sample test download or a TOEFL listening exercises free download all reach the same PDF, and a PDF holds the transcripts and questions, not the audio. The recordings play on this page, beside the transcript each one belongs to.
- Do I need an account to download this or play the audio?
- No. The PDF downloads directly from this page and every recording on this page plays with no account and no email address. Reading and Listening practice is free on Reach120 without a daily cap.
- Are these real TOEFL recordings?
- Every question in these files is a Reach120 practice item taken from the bank our learners practice against. None of them is a real TOEFL test question, and nothing here is published, licensed, endorsed or reviewed by ETS.
- Why is the audio not inside the PDF?
- Because a PDF cannot carry a recording that plays reliably anywhere it is opened. Each set in the file links back to its player on this page instead, which also means the audio stays behind the same publication check the transcript went through.
- Should I read the transcript before listening?
- Not the first time. A recording you have already read is a reading exercise. Use it cold, mark it, then read the transcript to find out what actually happened.
- How long is the real Listening section?
- The 2026 specification lists an estimated 18 minute router plus a second-stage module of either 7 or 11 minutes, read on 2026-07-27. Those are two discrete listed values rather than a range, and the specification states its blueprint values are subject to minor revision until launch.