Kenton Festival: listening answers and explanations
A woman planning a holiday in Kenton phones the festival box office. The man tells her about the opening ceremony on the first day and the events that run through the rest of the festival, with venues, times and where to get tickets.
One ten-gap note block in order. Questions 1-5 cover the opening ceremony from start time to fireworks; 'what's happening on the other days?' moves you to questions 6-10: the videos, the dances and the concert tickets. Almost every answer comes from the man.
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.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 1-10 · Note completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
How to attack this block: Classic Part 1 distractors here: a time people gather before the real start time, a choir that is replaced by a band, ballet that isn't on, a covered market that isn't the venue. Wait for the correction. One gap is a name spelled out, so copy the letters exactly.
Question 1
Answer: 2.45When the man starts describing the first day
Also accepted: 2:45 / 2.45 pm / 2:45 pm
What time does the opening ceremony start?
People start gathering around 2 o'clock, to get a good place to see from, and the events will start at 2.45, and finish about 5.30.
Question says → You hear
starting atthe events will start at 2.45
Why: 'The events will start at 2.45' gives the start time. Write it as 2.45 or 2:45, with or without pm.
The trap: 2 o'clock is only when people start gathering to get a good spot, and 5.30 is when it finishes.
Question 2
Answer: bandRight after the mayor and the town councillors
Who will perform after the mayor's speech?
Then there'll be a performance by a band. Most years we have a children's choir, but this year the local army cadets offered to perform
Question says → You hear
will performthere'll be a performance by a band
Why: The man says there'll be a performance by a band. The note needs a singular noun after 'A': band.
The trap: A children's choir is what they usually have, but not this year. The army cadets are who make up the band, but 'band' is the word that fits 'A ... will perform'.
Question 3
Answer: playAfter the band, when a community group is mentioned
What kind of performance is about Helen Tungate?
will perform a play they've written themselves, just a short one. It's about Helen Tungate.
Question says → You hear
Performance of a ... about Helen Tungateperform a play … It's about Helen Tungate
Why: A community group will perform a short play about Helen Tungate. The gap after 'a' needs a noun: play.
The trap: Performance is already in the note, so don't repeat it. The question is what is being performed.
Question 4
Answer: scientistWhen the man asks if the woman has heard of her
What was Helen Tungate's job?
I certainly have. She was a scientist years ago.
Question says → You hear
(a ...)She was a scientist
Why: The woman says Helen Tungate was a scientist, and the man agrees. That fills the bracket after her name.
The trap: Biologist is the woman's own job: 'I'm a biologist, so I've always been interested in her'. It doesn't describe Helen.
Question 5
Answer: riverWhen the man says what happens as the sun sets
Where is the fireworks display?
You should go to the park to watch, as you'll get the best view from there, and the display takes place on the opposite side of the river.
Question says → You hear
situated across theon the opposite side of the river
Why: 'On the opposite side of the river' matches 'across the ...'. The display is there, so the answer is river.
The trap: The park is where you should stand to watch, not where the display is.
Question 6
Answer: grandparentsWhen the man moves on to events that go on the whole time
Whose relationships with children are the videos about?
all connected with relationships between children and their grandparents
Question says → You hear
relationships that children have with theirrelationships between children and their grandparents
Why: The art students' videos are about children and their grandparents. Keep the plural.
The trap: Parents is said straight after, by the woman: 'It makes a change from children and parents'. It's the contrast, not the topic.
Question 7
Answer: HandsworthAfter the man explains the art college is busy with classes
Which House are the videos shown in?
the videos are being shown in Handsworth House … H-A-N-D-S-W-O-R-T-H. Handsworth House. It's close to the Town Hall.
Question says → You hear
Venue: ... HouseHandsworth House
Why: The woman asks how to spell it and he spells it letter by letter. Copy every letter, with a capital H.
The trap: The art college is where the videos were made, and the Town Hall is only nearby. Neither is the venue.
Question 8
Answer: traditionalWhen the woman asks about ballet
What kind of dances will be performed?
There isn't any ballet, I'm afraid, but there'll be a demonstration of traditional dances from all round the country.
Question says → You hear
Performance of ... dancesa demonstration of traditional dances
Why: 'Demonstration' matches 'performance', and the dances are traditional. The gap needs an adjective.
The trap: Ballet is what the woman asks about, and it's ruled out at once.
Question 9
Answer: outdoorWhen the woman asks where the dances are held
Which market are the dances in?
It's in the market in the town centre - the outdoor one, not the covered market.
Question says → You hear
the ... market in the town centrethe market in the town centre - the outdoor one
Why: There are two markets, and the man chooses 'the outdoor one'. The gap before 'market' needs an adjective: outdoor.
The trap: Covered is the last market word you hear, but it comes with 'not'.
Question 10
Answer: logoThe end of the call, when the woman asks about tickets
What do shops selling tickets show in their windows?
you can book online, or you can buy them when you arrive in Kenton, either at the festival box office, or from any shops displaying our logo in the windows
Question says → You hear
shops which have the festival ... in their windowsshops displaying our logo in the windows
Why: 'Shops displaying our logo' becomes 'shops which have the festival ... in their windows'. The answer is logo.
The trap: Online and box office are already in the notes. The gap is about what the shops display.
The man names two markets in one breath: 'the outdoor one, not the covered market'. Covered is the last thing you hear, and it's the wrong one.
Words from this recording worth keeping
opening ceremony(Opening ceremony)
the formal event that starts a festival
councillors(Opening ceremony)
elected members of a local council
cadets(Opening ceremony)
young people training with the armed forces
centenary(Opening ceremony)
the 100th anniversary of an event
demonstration(Other events)
a public display showing how something is done
presume(Tickets)
think something is probably true
logo(Tickets)
a symbol that represents an organisation
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The full Cambridge 12 Test 6 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 12, Test 6, 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 12 Test 6 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereKenton Festival
