Test 1 Listening

Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic

Test 1 — Listening

Four parts, 40 questions. In the real exam the Listening test takes about 30 minutes, and you hear each recording once only.

Part 1 — Questions 1–10

SALLY: Good morning. Hinchingbrooke Country Park, Sally speaking. I'm one of the rangers.

JOHN: Oh hello. My name’s John Chapman, and I'm a teaching assistant at a local primary school. I've been asked to arrange a visit to the park for two of our classes.

SALLY: OK. What would you like to know?

JOHN: Well, I’m new to this area, so perhaps you could tell me something about the park first, please.

SALLY: Of course. Altogether the park covers 170 acres, that's 69 hectares. There are three main types of habitat: wetland, grassland and woodland. The woods are well established and varied, with an oak plantation, and other areas of mixed species.

JOHN: Right.

SALLY: The wetland is quite varied, too. The original farmland was dug up around 40 years ago to extract gravel. Once this work was completed, the gravel pits filled with water, forming the two large lakes. There are also several smaller ones, ponds and a stream that flows through the park.

JOHN: OK, so I suppose with these different habitats there's quite a variety of wildlife.

SALLY: There certainly is — a lot of different species of birds and insects, and also animals like deer and rabbits.

JOHN: And I understand you organise educational visits for school parties.

SALLY: That's right. We can organise a wide range of activities and adapt them to suit all ages.

JOHN: Can you give me some examples of the activities?

SALLY: Well, one focus is on science, where we help children to discover and study plants, trees and insects. They also collect and analyse data about the things they see.

JOHN: Uhuh.

SALLY: Another focus is on geography. The park is a great environment to learn and practise reading a map and using a compass to navigate around the park.

JOHN: Do you do anything connected with history?

SALLY: Yes, we do. For instance, the children can explore how the use of the land has changed over time. Then there's leisure and tourism.

JOHN: That focuses on your visitors, I would imagine.

SALLY: Yes, mostly. The children find out about them, their requirements, the problems they may cause and how we manage these. And another subject we cover is music: here the children experiment with natural materials to create sounds and explore rhythm and tempo.

JOHN: That must be fun!

SALLY: Most children really enjoy it.

SALLY: And of course, all the activities are educational, too. Learning outside the classroom encourages children to be creative, and to explore and discover for themselves.

JOHN: I would imagine they get a sense of freedom that might not be a normal part of their lives.

SALLY: That's right. And very often the children discover that they can do things they didn’t know they could do, and they develop new skills. This gives them greater self-confidence.

JOHN: It sounds great. So, what about the practical side of it? How much does it cost for a full-day visit? We would expect to bring between 30 and 40 children.

SALLY: If there are over 30, it costs £4.95 for each child who attends on the day. We invoice you afterwards, so you don’t pay for children who can't come because of sickness, for example. There’s no charge for leaders and other adults — as many as you want to bring.

JOHN: That sounds very fair. Well, thanks for all the information. I'll need to discuss it with my colleagues, and I hope to get back to you soon to make a booking. SALLY! We'll look forward to hearing from you. Goodbye.

JOHN: Goodbye, and thank you.

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Hinchingbrooke Country Park

The park

Area: 1 hectares

The correct answer is '69' or 'sixty-nine': The woman says, 'the park covers 170 acres, that's 69 hectares'. '170' is incorrect as this is the area of the park in acres.

Habitats: wetland, grassland and woodland

Wetland: lakes, ponds and a 2

The correct answer is 'stream': The woman says that there are large lakes and also 'smaller ones, ponds and a stream'. 'Flows' is incorrect as 'a' before the gap means that the answer is a noun, not a verb.

Wildlife includes birds, insects and animals

Subjects studied in educational visits include

Science: Children look at 3 about plants, etc.

The correct answer is 'data': The woman says that the children 'analyse data about the things they see'. 'Trees' and 'insects' are incorrect as these are 'the things they see'; they do not make sense in the gap.

Geography: includes learning to use a 4 and compass

The correct answer is 'map': The woman says that the children can 'practise reading a map and using a compass'. 'Reading' and 'navigate' are incorrect as an object (noun) is needed in the gap, not a verb.

History: changes in land use

Leisure and tourism: mostly concentrates on the park's 5

The correct answer is 'visitors': The man suggests that leisure and tourism 'focuses on your visitors'. The woman replies, 'Yes, mostly.' 'Problems' is incorrect as the woman refers to 'the problems they (visitors) may cause'.

Music: Children make 6 with natural materials, and experiment with rhythm and speed.

The correct answer is 'sounds': The woman says, 'the children experiment with natural materials to create sounds'. 'Rhythm' and 'tempo' are incorrect as you cannot 'make' these.

Benefits of outdoor educational visits

They give children a feeling of 7 that they may not have elsewhere.

The correct answer is 'freedom': The man says, 'I would imagine they get a sense of freedom that might not be a normal part of their lives.' The woman agrees, saying, 'That's right.' 'Creative' is incorrect as it is an adjective, and a noun is needed in the gap.

Children learn new 8 and gain self-confidence.

The correct answer is 'skills': The woman says that the children 'develop new skills'. 'Confidence' is incorrect as this is already in the sentence.

Practical issues

Cost per child: 9 £

The correct answer is '4.95': The woman says, 'it costs £4.95 for each child'. '30' and '40' are incorrect as these numbers refer to children, not cost.

Adults, such as 10 , free

The correct answer is 'leaders': The woman says, 'There's no charge for leaders and other adults . . .'. 'Colleagues' is incorrect as the man says, 'I'll need to discuss it (all the information) with my colleagues'. Part 2 Questions 11–20

Part 4 — Questions 31–40

For my presentation today, I’m going to talk about the Céide Fields in the northwest of Ireland, one of the largest Neolithic sites in the world. I recently visited this site and observed the work that is currently being done by a team of archaeologists there.

The site was first discovered in the 1930s by a local teacher, Patrick Caulfield. He noticed that when local people were digging in the bog, they were constantly hitting against what seemed to be rows of stones. He realised that these must be walls and that they must be thousands of years old for them to predate the bog which subsequently grew over them.

He wrote to the National Museum in Dublin to ask them to investigate, but no one took him seriously. It wasn't until 40 years later, when Patrick Caulfield's son Seamus, who had become an archaeologist by then, began to explore further. He inserted iron probes into the bog to map the formation of the stones, a traditional method which local people had always used for finding fuel buried in the bog for thousands of years. Carbon dating later proved that the site was over 5,000 years old and was the largest Neolithic site in Ireland.

Thanks to the bog which covers the area, the remains of the settlement at Céide Fields, which is over 5,000 years old, are extremely well-preserved. A bog is 90 percent water; its soil is so saturated that when the grasses and heathers that grow on its surface die, they don't fully decay but accumulate in layers. Objects remain so well preserved i conditions because of the acidity of the peat and the deficiency of oxygen. At least 175 days of rain a year are required for this to happen; this part of Ireland gets an average of 225 days.

The Neolithic farmers at Céide would have enjoyed several centuries of relative peace and stability. Neolithic farmers generally lived in larger communities than their predecessors, with a number of houses built around a community building. As they lived in permanent settlements, Neolithic farmers were able to build bigger houses. These weren't round as people often assume, but rectangular with a small hole in the roof that allowed smoke to escape. This is one of many innovations and indicates that the Neolithic farmers were the first people to cook indoors. Another new technology that Neolithic settlers brought to Ireland was pottery. Fragments of Neolithic pots have been found in Céide and elsewhere in Ireland. The pots were used for many things; as well as for storing food, pots were filled with a small amount of fat and when this was set alight, they served as lamps.

It's thought that the Céide Fields were mainly used as paddocks for animals to graze in. Evidence from the Céide Fields suggests that each plot of land was of a suitable size to sustain an extended family. They may have used a system of rotational grazing in order to prevent over-grazing and to allow for plant recovery and regrowth. This must have been a year-round activity as no structures have been found which would have been used to shelter animals in the winter.

However, archaeologists believe that this way of life at Céide ceased abruptly. Why was this? Well, several factors may have contributed to the changing circumstances. The soil would have become less productive and led to the abandonment of farming. The crop rotation system was partly responsible for this as it would have been very intensive and was not sustainable. But there were also climatic pressures too. The farmers at Céide would have enjoyed a relatively dry period, but this began to change and the conditions became wetter as there was a lot more rain. It was these conditions that encouraged the bog to form over the area which survives today.

So now I'd like to show you some. . .

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Céide Fields

an important Neolithic archaeological site in the northwest of Ireland

Discovery

In the 1930s, a local teacher realised that stones beneath the bog surface were once 31 .

The correct answer is 'walls': The speaker says that he 'realised that these (stones) must be walls'. 'Bog' is incorrect as the speaker says that the bog 'grew over them (the walls)'.

His 32 became an archaeologist and undertook an investigation of the site:

The correct answer is 'son': The speaker says that 'Patrick Caulfield's son Seamus . . . began to explore further'. 'People' is incorrect as a singular noun is needed in the gap.

— a traditional method used by local people to dig for 33 was used to identify where stones were located

The correct answer is 'fuel': The speaker says that inserting iron probes into the bog was 'a traditional method which local people had always used for finding fuel'. 'Carbon' is incorrect as the speaker does not say that local people used to dig for this.

— carbon dating later proved the site was Neolithic.

Items are well preserved in the bog because of a lack of 34 .

The correct answer is 'oxygen': The speaker says, 'Objects remain so well preserved in these conditions because of the . . . deficiency (lack) of oxygen.' 'Water' is incorrect as the speaker says, 'a bog is 90 per cent water'. 'Peat' is incorrect as the speaker only mentions its 'acidity'.

Neolithic farmers

Houses were 35 in shape and had a hole in the roof.

The correct answer is 'rectangular': The speaker says that the houses 'weren't round . . . but rectangular'. 'Permanent' and 'bigger' are incorrect as the question is about the shape of the houses.

Neolithic innovations include:

— cooking indoors

— pots used for storage and to make 36 .

The correct answer is 'lamps': The speaker says that the pots were used for storing food and also 'served as lamps'. 'Fat' is incorrect as the speaker says that the pots 'were filled with a small amount of fat' and not used to make fat.

Each field at Céide was large enough to support a big 37 .

The correct answer is 'family': The speaker says that 'each plot of land was of a suitable size to sustain an extended family'. 'Animals' is incorrect as a singular noun is needed in the gap.

The fields were probably used to restrict the grazing of animals — no evidence of structures to house them during 38 .

The correct answer is 'winter': The speaker says, 'no structures have been found which would have been used to shelter animals in the winter'. 'Grazing' is incorrect as the word is already used in the question.

Reasons for the decline in farming

— a decline in 39 quality

The correct answer is 'soil': The speaker says, 'The soil would have become less productive and led to the abandonment of farming.' 'Productive' is incorrect as a noun is needed in the gap.

— an increase in 40

The correct answer is 'rain': The speaker says, 'the conditions became wetter as there was a lot more rain'. 'Crop rotation' is incorrect as the instructions tell you to write one word for each answer. Test 1 answer key with extra explanations

Your result

Not ready yet. You are unlikely to get an acceptable score under examination conditions. Spend a lot of time improving your English before you take IELTS.
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These bands are Cambridge's own, printed under the answer key for this test — they differ slightly from test to test. The score above counts your first attempt: what you had right before any explanation appeared.

Test 1 Listening

Part 1 — Questions 1–10

Part 2 — Questions 11–20

Part 3 — Questions 21–30

Part 4 — Questions 31–40