Stolen briefcase report: listening answers and explanations
A woman phones the city police station to report that her briefcase has been stolen. The lost property officer asks what it looks like, what was inside, where and when it went missing, and then takes her personal details for a form.
Everything comes in order. Questions 1-5 are picture and option choices about the briefcase and the theft, all answered by the woman. Then the officer says he needs 'some personal details', which is your signal to move to the form for questions 6-10.
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: Before the recording starts, look at what makes the four pictures different: shape, material, how it closes. Then listen for those features only. The woman describes the case piece by piece, so tick off each detail as she gives it.
Question 1
Answer: AAt the very start, when the officer asks what it looks like
Which picture shows her briefcase?
it's a soft leather one, you know, not a heavy box-type like a man's. … It's got buckles at the front ... two of them. They're gold-plated ones.
Question says → You hear
what her briefcase looks likea soft leather one … not a heavy box-type
how it closesbuckles at the front … two of them
Why: The key picture is the soft leather briefcase with two gold buckles on the front. She gives three details: soft leather, not box-shaped, two buckles at the front. The right picture has to match all of them.
The trap: A hard, box-type case is mentioned, but only as what hers is not. Don't pick a picture just because it shows a lock either: she says it wasn't locked.
Multiple choice (pictures A-D)
Question 2
How to attack this block: The pictures differ in where the brand name and the scratch are. Listen for position language: back or front, top or bottom, left or right, above or beside. Two details have to match, not just one.
Question 2
Answer: CWhen the officer asks about marks or badges that make it stand out
Which picture shows where the brand name and the scratch are?
It's on the back … at the bottom in the left-hand corner. It's Sagi. Oh and there's a scratch … it's quite bad but small … directly above the brand name.
Question says → You hear
the distinguishing featuresAny marks or badges on it that make it stand out
position of the nameon the back … at the bottom in the left-hand corner
position of the scratchdirectly above the brand name
Why: The key picture has the brand name in the bottom left-hand corner on the back, with a small scratch directly above it. You need both the corner and the scratch's position to choose correctly.
The trap: The pictures play with left and right and with where the scratch sits. A scratch beside the name, or a name in the right-hand corner, is wrong.
Multiple choice
Question 3
How to attack this block: Each option is a list of items, so you need every item in the list to be right. Listen for what was inside the briefcase and what was somewhere else.
Question 3
Answer: DWhen the officer asks what she had inside
Which list matches what was in the briefcase?
Well all my papers from college. … I had my wallet in my pocket so I didn't lose that but there were also my pens which I got for my birthday and a novel
Why: Inside the case were her college papers, her pens and a novel. That is option D, the only list with all three and nothing extra.
The trap: The wallet is the trap. It's mentioned right in the middle of the list, but it was in her pocket, so she didn't lose it. Options A and B both include it.
Multiple choice (pictures A-D)
Question 4
How to attack this block: The pictures show different places and positions. Listen for where she was standing and where the briefcase was at that moment, and watch for the officer checking a detail that turns out to be wrong.
Question 4
Answer: DWhen the officer asks where exactly she lost it
Which picture shows where she was and where the briefcase was when it was taken?
I was standing on the platform … You were holding it? … I'd just put it down on the floor but I could almost feel it beside me.
Question says → You hear
where she was standingI was standing on the platform
the briefcase's positionput it down on the floor … beside me
Why: The key picture shows her standing on the platform with the briefcase on the ground next to her. She was looking out for her tram, so it wasn't in her hand.
The trap: The officer asks 'You were holding it?' and that idea sticks. She says no: she had just put it down on the floor.
Multiple choice (pictures A-D)
Question 5
How to attack this block: Three times are mentioned close together. Expect a correction, and remember that the train time is not the time of the theft.
Question 5
Answer: CStraight after the officer asks what time it was
What time did she lose the briefcase?
it must have been about 5.20 … no a bit later. I'd say 5.30 because it was just getting crowded and the train normally comes at about twenty-five to six.
Why: She corrects 5.20 to 5.30, so the clock showing half past five is the answer. The reason she gives (it was getting crowded) supports the corrected time.
The trap: Twenty-five to six (5.35) is the time the train usually comes, not the time of the theft. And 5.20 is the time she takes back.
Form completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 6-10
How to attack this block: A classic Part 1 form: a spelled surname, a house number and street, a phone number and a value. Write numbers as digits, and check what is already printed on the form so you don't repeat it.
Question 6
Answer: PrescottRight after the officer asks 'What name is it?'
What is the woman's surname?
I'm Mary Prescott. … Yes, it's P-R E-S-C-O-T-T.
Question says → You hear
Name: MaryI'm Mary Prescott
Why: Mary is already printed, so the gap is just the surname. She spells it out, so copy the letters exactly, with a capital P.
The trap: Spelling. Prescot with one T, or Priscott, loses the mark. Count the double T at the end.
'7-5 double 2-3-9' has to be turned into six digits: 752239. People who hear 'double 2' as one 2 lose the mark.
Words from this recording worth keeping
distinguishing features(Describing the briefcase)
marks that make something different from others
buckles(Describing the briefcase)
metal fasteners used to close a strap
gold-plated(Describing the briefcase)
covered with a thin layer of gold
brand name(Distinguishing features)
the name a company gives its product
frustrating(Contents of the briefcase)
annoying because you can't do anything about it
platform(Where it was lost)
the raised area where you wait for a train
rough estimate(Value of the lost item)
an approximate guess at a number or value
contents(Value of the lost item)
the things inside a bag or container
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
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 1. 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.
The rest of Cambridge 1 Test 1 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereStolen briefcase report
