A speaker gives international students a short talk on banking in Britain: which banks to use, what you need to open an account, which account to choose, the cards you can get, overdrafts and opening hours.
Questions 13-21 · 9 marks · 2 question blocks
In order. Question 13 comes almost at once, in the list of banks. The notes (14-21) follow the talk's stages: funding, opening an account, cards, overdrafts and finally opening times, which she introduces with 'that just leaves opening times'.
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.
| Q | Your answer | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Question 13 · Table completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS) | ||
| 13 | Hope Street | |
| Questions 14-21 · Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS) | ||
| 14 | evidence | |
| 15 | passport | |
| 16 | current accountAlso accepted: student account / current / student | |
| 17 | chequebookAlso accepted: cheque book | |
| 18 | withdrawAlso accepted: draw / draw out / take out | |
| 19 | directly fromAlso accepted: right out of | |
| 20 | permission of bankAlso accepted: permission from bank / permission of the bank / permission from the bank | |
| 21 | 4.30 pmAlso accepted: 4.30 / 5 pm / 4.30 pm or 5 pm / 4.30 pm to 5 pm / 4.30 or 5 / 4.30-5 pm | |
How to attack this block: Four banks and their locations are read out in the same order as the table. The gap is the last one, so stay with her to the end of the list.
Where is the Midland bank?
Lloyds in City Plaza and Midland in Hope Street.
Question says → You hear
Why: Midland is the last bank in her list, and she gives its street: Hope Street, with capitals.
The trap: City Plaza is said in the same breath, but that's Lloyds.
How to attack this block: The notes paraphrase her quite closely. Check the grammar around each gap: some want a noun (evidence, passport), one wants a verb (you can ... cash), and one wants a short phrase that joins 'the money' and 'the account'.
What must you provide to show you can support yourself?
as an international student you will need to provide evidence that you can fund yourself for however long your course lasts
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Fund yourself' matches 'support myself', and 'provide' comes straight before the answer: evidence.
The trap: 'Discretion of the bank manager' comes next, but it's printed in the notes already.
What should you take with you along with your enrolment letter?
most banks ask you to bring your passport and your letter or certificate of enrolment
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Bring' matches 'take with me'. The letter of enrolment is printed, so the other document is your passport.
The trap: Evidence of funding is also needed, but she says it's 'already mentioned'. The new item in this list is the passport.
Also accepted: student account / current / student
Which type of account does she recommend?
by far the most useful type of account to open is a current account
Question says → You hear
Why: 'By far the most useful' is her recommendation: a current account. 'Student account' is accepted too.
The trap: Nothing serious: current account and student account are both accepted, so either name is safe. Just don't write the cheque card, which comes later.
Also accepted: cheque book
What does the bank give you along with the cheque card?
the bank will give you a chequebook and you can use this to draw money out as you need it
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Will give you' matches 'supplies'. The cheque card is printed, so the gap is chequebook (or cheque book).
The trap: The cheque card comes next and is described in detail, but it's already in the notes.
Also accepted: draw / draw out / take out
What can you do with cash using a cashcard?
You can also withdraw cash from a cashpoint machine with a cashcard. These are extremely useful as they enable you to withdraw cash from your account during the day or at night.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'During the day or at night' is 'at any time', and the verb is withdraw. Draw, draw out and take out are accepted.
The trap: Writing a noun like 'cashpoint' doesn't fit 'you can ... cash'. The gap needs a verb.
Also accepted: right out of
How does a Switch or Delta card take the money from your account?
It takes the money right out of your account, so you don't need
Question says → You hear
Why: The words before and after the gap are almost the same as hers, so the gap is 'right out of'. The key's main answer, 'directly from', means the same.
The trap: Writing 'out' alone leaves 'take the money out the account', which isn't correct English.
Also accepted: permission from bank / permission of the bank / permission from the bank
What must you have before taking an overdraft?
Be very careful with this you should not do this without permission from your bank.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Should not ... without permission' means you must have permission. 'Permission from bank' or 'permission of bank' keeps you inside three words; the key also accepts the versions with 'the'.
The trap: 'Charges' and 'interest-free' come right after, but those are about cost. The printed note already covers interest.
Also accepted: 4.30 / 5 pm / 4.30 pm or 5 pm / 4.30 pm to 5 pm / 4.30 or 5 / 4.30-5 pm
Until what time are most banks open on weekdays?
Banks used to be open from 9.30 am until 3.30 pm from Monday to Friday but many main branches are now open until 4.30 or 5 pm on weekdays
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Now' marks the current hours: until 4.30 or 5 pm. The key accepts 4.30, 5 pm or both.
The trap: 3.30 is what banks 'used to' do. The note is about how things are now.
The key prints 'directly from', but you hear 'right out of your account', which is also accepted and fits the gap perfectly. Write what you hear.
Three times: 3.30 is the old closing time, and many branches are 'now open until 4.30 or 5 pm'. Either 4.30 or 5 pm is accepted; 3.30 isn't.
She calls it a current account, then says you'll actually get a 'student account'. Both are accepted, but current account is the type she recommends.
The full Cambridge 1 Test 4 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 4, 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.
