Sue phones the Burnham tourist office to ask about free things for her family to do on one day of their visit. Martin describes an art gallery event, free concerts, a boat race and what to see and do at Paxton Nature Reserve.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 2 question blocks
Questions 1-6 cover the gallery, the concerts and the boat race, in order. 'Now I've heard something about Paxton Nature Reserve' moves you to the sentence completion (7-10). Martin gives every answer, mostly in reply to Sue's questions.
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: Martin often gives all three options in one breath: three times, three places, three films. Pin down exactly what the question asks (when it begins, what's shown now, where the 4 pm concert is) and match only that detail.
What time does the 'Family Welcome' event start?
The gallery opens at 10, and the 'Family Welcome' event runs from 10.30 until 2
Question says → You hear
Why: The event runs from 10.30, so it begins at 10.30 am, B.
The trap: 10 am (A) is when the gallery opens, and 2 o'clock (C) is when the event ends. All three times are in the answer.
What is the film shown now at the event about?
going to show a short film that the gallery has produced. It demonstrates … ceramics are made … Last time they ran the event, there was a film about painting
Question says → You hear
Why: The film being shown at this event demonstrates how ceramics are made. That's C.
The trap: Painting (B) was the film last time, and sculpture (A) is the one they're working on for the future.
When do most of the free concerts happen?
one or two in the morning … at lunchtime, and a couple in the evening
Question says → You hear
Why: Martin says the majority are at lunchtime. 'Majority' means most, so B.
The trap: Morning and evening are both mentioned, but only 'one or two' and 'a couple'. Small numbers, not most.
Where is the 4 pm Latin American concert?
They're performing in the central library at 1 o'clock, then at 4 it's in the City Museum
Question says → You hear
Why: At 4 the concert is in the City Museum, A.
The trap: The library (C) is the 1 o'clock concert, and the theatre (B) is the longer one at 7.30 in the evening.
Where does the boat race start?
The race starts at Offord Marina … and goes as far as Summer Pool. The best place to watch it from is Charlesworth Bridge
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Starts at' is a direct match for 'begins at': Offord Marina, C.
The trap: Summer Pool (A) is where the race ends, and Charlesworth Bridge (B) is the best place to watch from.
What is true about one of the boat race teams?
One of them came first in the West, of England regional championship in May … it means that next year they'll be representing the region in the national championship
Question says → You hear
Why: One club came first in the regional championship in May this year. Came first means won, and May is earlier this year. That's A.
The trap: B is in the future: they'll represent the region next year. C is wrong because it was the first time a Burnham team had won.
How to attack this block: Sue's question about Paxton gives you the first answer, then Martin adds things to see and do. Listen for 'just at the moment' (this time of year) and for the river versus the lake when swimming comes up.
What rare wildlife can you see at Paxton all year?
It's a good place for spotting unusual, birds, isn't it?
Question says → You hear
Why: Sue asks about unusual birds, and Martin confirms 'throughout the year'. 'Spotting' matches 'seeing', 'unusual' matches 'rare'. Birds, plural.
The trap: The lake and the river come next, but they're the habitat, not what you see. Binoculars is a tip, not the answer.
What unusual things are especially good to see right now?
the moment you can see … flowers that are pretty unusual - the soil at Paxton isn't very common
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Just at the moment' and 'looking good right now' match 'a particularly good time'. The unusual things are flowers.
The trap: Soil is the next noun, and it's also 'not very common', but it explains why the flowers are unusual. Birds are year-round, so they belong to Q7.
What can visitors learn about and then collect?
there's going to be a talk and slide show about mushrooms - and you'll be able to go out
Question says → You hear
Why: A talk and slide show is the learning part, and going out to pick some afterwards is the collecting. The answer is mushrooms, plural.
The trap: Varieties is mentioned at the end of the same sentence, but it's not what you collect. Flowers belong to the previous question.
Which part of Paxton has been made safe for swimming?
And is it possible for children to swim in the river? … Part of it has been fenced off to make it safe for children to swim in.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'It' refers to the river in Sue's question. Part of the river has been fenced off so children can swim safely.
The trap: The lake is mentioned straight after, but it's too deep and swimming isn't allowed there.
Three film topics: ceramics now, painting last time, sculpture in the future. The question asks what's shown now, so ceramics.
The Latin American concert is in three places at three times: the library at 1, the museum at 4, the theatre at 7.30. Match 4 with the museum.
B sounds right because 'national championship' is said, but that's next year. What happened this year was first place in the regional championship.
The full Cambridge 11 Test 3 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 11, Test 3, 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.
