Six o'clock news: listening answers and explanations
A newsreader reads the evening headlines and then gives two of the stories in more detail: government money for farmers hit by a long drought, and a plane full of schoolboys that came down in the sea just after take-off.
Questions 11-13 all come in the first thirty seconds, in the headlines. Questions 14-16 are the drought story and questions 17-21 the plane story, both in order. The other headlines (the strike and the airline uniforms) are not followed up.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the part yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: Read the nine options before the news starts and notice how several share a key word: two strikes, two rescues, two airline items. The headlines are short and quick, so listen for who is doing what, not just a familiar word.
Question 11-13
Answer: E and F and H (in either order)The opening headlines, straight after the drought story
Which three other stories are in the headlines?
school children are successfully rescued from a plane … Transport workers are on strike in Melbourne … the strike looks set to spread to other states … a new look for the staff of QANTAS
Question says → You hear
Passengers rescued from planeschool children are successfully rescued from a plane
national strike threatTransport workers are on strike / the strike looks set to spread to other states
New uniform for QANTAS staffa new look for the staff of QANTAS
Why: E: the children are rescued from a plane. F: bus and train drivers are transport workers, and a strike spreading to other states is a national threat. H: 'a new look' for airline staff is a new uniform.
The trap: C is the strongest trap: there is a strike in Melbourne, but it's transport workers, not nurses. D (a ship) is wrong because the passengers came out of a plane that landed in the sea.
Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 14-21
How to attack this block: The notes follow the two main stories in order. Many gaps are numbers or simple nouns, and the recording uses the same words as the answer. Keep an eye on grammar: 'a group of ...' needs a plural noun, 'just ... minutes' needs a number.
Question 14
Answer: 250 millionFirst line of the drought story, after the headlines
Also accepted: $250 million / 250,000,000
How much money will the government give the farmers?
The Prime Minister has pledged today that he will make two hundred and fifty million dollars available
Question says → You hear
plans to give $has pledged today that he will make two hundred and fifty million dollars available
Why: 'Pledged ... to make available' is the promise to give. The dollar sign is printed, so write 250 million. Digits are fine and shorter than the words.
The trap: The story is full of other numbers: five years, over 50 years, nearly two years. None of them is an amount of money.
Question 15
Answer: roadsJust after the amount, when the newsreader says where the money came from
Also accepted: road system / road
What was the money meant to be spent on before?
Money that was to have been spent on the re-structuring of Sydney's road system has been re-allocated
Question says → You hear
was to be spent on improving Sydney'swas to have been spent on the re-structuring of Sydney's road system
Why: The notes turn 're-structuring' into 'improving', so the gap is what was being improved: the roads or road system. The key accepts roads, road or road system.
The trap: Writing 're-structuring' doesn't fit: 'improving Sydney's re-structuring' makes no sense. The gap needs the thing, not the action.
Question 16
Answer: too lateAfter the line about the worst drought in over 50 years
Why do the farmers say the money won't help?
Many farmers feel that while the money is welcome it has come too late to save them and their farms from financial ruin
Question says → You hear
the money will not help them because it isit has come too late to save them
Why: The farmers' complaint is timing: the money has come too late. The gap follows 'it is', so 'too late' slots straight in.
The trap: 'Welcome' is said in the same sentence, but it's the positive part. The notes ask why it won't help.
Question 17
Answer: school childrenStart of the plane story
Also accepted: schoolchildren / boys / school boys / schoolboys
Who was the plane carrying?
A group of school children who were travelling in a privately chartered aeroplane from Sydney to Queensland
Question says → You hear
a group ofA group of school children
Why: The words 'a group of' come straight before the answer in both the notes and the recording. Schoolchildren, school children, boys or schoolboys are all accepted.
The trap: They were going to play in a concert, so 'musicians' is tempting, but it's never said. Write the word you hear.
Question 18
Answer: 3Middle of the plane story, when it comes down
Also accepted: three
How many minutes after take-off did the plane land in the sea?
their aeroplane had to land in the sea just three minutes after taking off from Sydney airport
Question says → You hear
forced to land just ... minutes after take-offhad to land in the sea just three minutes after taking off
Why: 'Had to land' matches 'was forced to land', and 'just three minutes' gives you the number. Write 3 or three.
The trap: The very next number is 50, the number of passengers. Don't let it replace the minutes.
Question 19
Answer: boatsAfter the pilot brings the plane down in Botany Bay
Also accepted: pleasure craft / boats and pleasure craft
Who or what rescued the passengers?
boats and pleasure craft were able to come to the rescue of the boys
Question says → You hear
The passengers were rescued byboats and pleasure craft were able to come to the rescue of the boys
Why: 'Came to the rescue of' means rescued. Boats, pleasure craft, or both together are all accepted.
The trap: The pilot is mentioned just before, but he landed the plane safely. The rescuing was done by the boats.
Question 20
Answer: pilotWhen one of the boys is quoted
Who did the passengers thank for saving their lives?
We owe our lives to the skill of the pilot,' said one of the boys
Question says → You hear
thanked the ... for saving their livesWe owe our lives to the skill of the pilot
Why: 'We owe our lives to' is a way of thanking someone for saving you. The person is the pilot.
The trap: 'Skill' sits right next to it, but you thank a person, not a skill. 'Thanked the skill' isn't what the notes say.
Question 21
Answer: musical instrumentsThe last line of the news, after the pilot's modest reply
Also accepted: instruments
What did the passengers lose?
However, all their musical instruments were lost and they never got to play at their concert.
Question says → You hear
unfortunately they lost theirHowever, all their musical instruments were lost
Why: 'However' signals the bad news. 'Were lost' becomes 'they lost their', so the gap is musical instruments (or just instruments).
The trap: They also missed the concert, but you don't 'lose your concert'. The thing they lost is the instruments.
Nurses on strike in Melbourne and passengers rescued from a ship both sound close to what you hear. The strike is by transport workers, and the rescue is from a plane that landed in the sea.
The pilot is praised just afterwards, which pulls people towards writing 'pilot' here. He landed the plane, but boats and pleasure craft did the rescuing.
Words from this recording worth keeping
drought stricken(Headlines)
badly affected by a long period without rain
pledged(Drought story)
formally promised
re-allocated(Drought story)
moved to a different use
financial ruin(Drought story)
losing all your money or business
privately chartered(Plane story)
hired for a particular trip, not a normal public flight
pleasure craft(Plane story)
boats used for fun rather than work
rescue operation(Plane story)
an organised effort to save people
modestly(Plane story)
without boasting about your success
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The full Cambridge 1 Test 1 listening paper with the real audio: all four parts, played once, marked the moment you finish. Already done it? Take it again and listen for the traps this page showed you.
Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 1, Listening Part 2. The recording, transcript and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts of the transcript only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full material, or sit the test on Langujet.
