Paper on public libraries: listening answers and explanations
Two students, Trudie and Stewart, plan a short paper on public libraries. They choose their angle, discuss digital books and the future of libraries, and then list questions to ask in a study of their local library.
Questions 21-23 come first: the angle, digital books, then Stewart's view of the future. 'Why don't we make an in-depth study of our local public library' opens the notes, and questions 24-30 follow in order as the two of them brainstorm, each new idea often starting with 'Then there are' or 'Oh, and another thing'.
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: This is a Part 3 discussion, so check who says what and whether the other person agrees. In 21 one idea is dropped and one is taken up; in 22 one point is agreed and another is just personal preference; in 23 you need Stewart's view, not Trudie's.
Question 21
Answer: BAt the start, after Stewart lists possible angles
What will the paper mainly be about?
Maybe we should concentrate on this country, and try and relate the changes in libraries to external developments
Question says → You hear
changes in society are reflectedrelate the changes in libraries to external developments
Why: Trudie proposes linking library changes to developments outside, like literacy and the many languages people speak. Stewart goes along with it, and they never return to the other ideas. That's B.
The trap: A is Stewart's idea, 'how different countries organise them', but Trudie narrows it to this country. C, funding, is ruled out: they don't go into it in any detail because the paper is short.
Question 22
Answer: CWhen Stewart answers Trudie's point that people can read books at home
What problem with free digital books do both students accept?
the digitalised books that are available online for free are mostly out of copyright … So you won't find the latest best-seller or up-to-date information. … That's an important point.
Question says → You hear
they are generally oldmostly out of copyright … you won't find the latest best-seller
Why: Out of copyright means the author died more than 70 years ago, so the books are old. Trudie accepts it: 'That's an important point'. C.
The trap: A and B are Trudie's own complaints: she finds screens hard to concentrate on and slower. Stewart says he prefers screens, so they don't agree on those.
Question 23
Answer: CAfter Trudie predicts more community activities
What does Stewart think will happen to libraries?
What I'm afraid will happen is that books and magazines will all disappear, and there'll just be rows and rows of computers.
Question says → You hear
no longer contain any booksbooks and magazines will all disappear
Why: 'I'm afraid will happen' is his expectation, and it's that books will disappear. C.
The trap: A is what he would like, 'I'd like to think so ... but I'm not so sure', so it isn't what he expects. B, community centres, is Trudie's prediction.
Note completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 24-30
How to attack this block: Each note is one question they might ask at the library. The words before the gap ('of its own', 'in case of accidents', 'a famous person's') are paraphrased in the recording, so listen for the idea and catch the noun that comes with it. One word only.
Question 24
Answer: budgetFirst item after Stewart suggests interviewing the staff
What might the library have of its own?
we could interview some of the staff … has its own budget
Question says → You hear
whether it has a ... of its ownhas its own budget
Why: They want to know if the library has its own budget or if the money comes from the local council. 'Its own' is said in both, so budget is the noun you need.
The trap: Funding came up earlier in the talk and is a near-synonym, but the word used here is budget, and that is what fits after 'a'.
Question 25
Answer: employmentAfter the point about noise, when Stewart says 'Then there are things like'
Which laws might affect the library?
how the library is affected by … laws. I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff and so on.
Question says → You hear
all aspects ofrules about working hours, facilities for staff and so on
Why: Stewart says the library is affected by employment laws, and the example given straight after, working hours and staff facilities, confirms the area. One word: employment.
The trap: Staff and working hours are said right after, and 'staff' is tempting. But the note asks for the type of law, and that is employment.
Question 26
Answer: safetyWhen they move on to the design of the building
What about customers must the building design consider?
issues relating to the design of the building and how customers use it. Like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety?
Question says → You hear
design needs to take ... into accountwhat measures does the library take to ensure their safety
Why: The design issue is how the library keeps customers safe, with non-slip floors and emergency exits as examples. The gap after 'the' and before 'of customers' is safety.
The trap: Floor coverings and emergency exits are specific examples. The note wants the general idea they illustrate.
Question 27
Answer: insuranceRight after safety, introduced by 'Oh, and another thing'
What does the library need in case someone is hurt?
there's the question of the kind of insurance the library … needs to have, in case anyone gets injured
Question says → You hear
in case of accidentsin case anyone gets injured
Why: 'In case anyone gets injured' paraphrases 'in case of accidents', and what the library needs to have is insurance.
The trap: Emergency exits, said just before, also protect people, but they belong to the design point in question 26.
Question 28
Answer: diaryWhen Stewart says 'You know something I've often wondered?'
What belonging to a famous person is kept in the library?
next to it they've got the diary of a well-known politician from the late 19th century. I wonder why it's there.
Question says → You hear
a famous person'sa well-known politician
why ... is located in the libraryI wonder why it's there
Why: The famous person is the well-known politician, and the item next to the newspaper archive is his diary. Stewart wants to know why it's there.
The trap: The archive of local newspapers is mentioned first, but it doesn't belong to a famous person. It's only where the diary is kept.
Question 29
Answer: databaseWhen Trudie says 'Oh, I've just thought'
What might the library have about local organisations?
you know people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs? … a database
Question says → You hear
of local organisationsabout local organisations, like sports clubs
Why: Trudie wonders whether the library keeps a database of local organisations or whether staff just look online. The gap after 'a' needs a noun: database.
The trap: 'Online' is the other possibility, and it's said right after. It doesn't fit 'a ... of local organisations'.
Question 30
Answer: museumThe last idea, when Stewart says 'I quite fancy finding out'
What other kind of library could theirs be compared with?
differences are between a library that's … open to the public and one that's part of a museum
Question says → You hear
how it's different fromdifferences are between
Why: Stewart compares a public library with one that is part of a museum. The note 'a library in a ...' needs museum.
The trap: 'Open to the public' describes their own local library, the one being compared, so it can't be the answer.
Trudie complains that reading on screen is hard and slow, which matches A and B. But Stewart disagrees: 'I prefer it'. The point they both accept is that free digital books are out of copyright, so they're old.
Trudie predicts libraries becoming community centres, and Stewart says he'd like libraries to keep their traditional role. Neither is his expectation. He's afraid books will disappear and there'll just be computers.
The answer is squeezed between 'local organisations, like sports clubs' and 'or just look online'. Online is the alternative, not the answer: the note asks whether the library has a database.
Words from this recording worth keeping
external developments(Choosing the angle)
changes happening outside, in society
funding(Choosing the angle)
money provided for a purpose
digitalised(Digital books)
turned into a form you can read on a computer
obsolete(Digital books)
no longer needed or used
out of copyright(Digital books)
no longer legally protected, so free to copy
in-depth study(Study of the local library)
a detailed, thorough investigation
archive(Study of the local library)
a collection of historical records
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The full Cambridge 12 Test 5 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 5, Listening Part 3. 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.
