A man from a medical company in Perth phones Angela, the customer services manager at the Flanders Conference Hotel in Sydney. He wants to book a two-day conference and asks about dates, rooms, catering, accommodation, other facilities, transport and the hotel's location.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 1 question block
Ten gaps in order, and Angela gives every answer. The note headings follow the call: conference facilities (1-5), accommodation (6), other facilities (7-8), location (9-10). The man's questions, about a microphone, wifi, price and location, signal each gap.
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: Prices are the main danger: each comes with a second figure (the special menu, the normal room rate). Read the note carefully, so you know you need the standard lunch and the conference room rate. The other gaps are nouns, several of which the man says first and Angela confirms.
What is the name of the room for talks?
So for talks and presentations we have the Tesla room. … Tesla - that's spelled T-E-S-L-A.
Question says → You hear
Why: Angela names the room and spells it when the man doesn't catch it. Write Tesla with a capital T.
The trap: Spelling only. When a name is spelled out, the mark depends on every letter.
What is available in the room besides a projector?
How about a microphone? … Yes, that'll be all set up ready for you
Question says → You hear
Why: The man asks about a microphone and Angela confirms it will be set up. The answer word comes from the man, so you have to catch it from his question.
The trap: It's easy to wait for Angela to say the answer. Here she only says yes, so the word you need is in the question.
Besides coffee, what is the large open area for?
we'd like to have an exhibition of our products and services
Question says → You hear
Why: He wants the open space for coffee and an exhibition of the company's products, and Angela says the central atrium has all those facilities. 'An' before the gap needs a noun starting with a vowel: exhibition.
The trap: Atrium is the name of the area, not what happens in it. Products and services don't fit after 'an'.
Also accepted: wi-fi
What is free throughout the hotel?
And I presume there's wifi? … Oh yes, that's free and available throughout the hotel.
Question says → You hear
Why: Again the man says the key word and Angela confirms it's free everywhere. Wifi or wi-fi are both fine.
The trap: The shuttle bus is also free (complimentary), but that's under Other facilities, later.
How much does the standard buffet lunch cost per person?
Well, I can send you a copy of the standard menu. That's $45 per person. Or you can have the special for $25 more.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Per person' is 'per head', and the standard menu is $45. The man says the standard should be OK. Write 45 only; the $ is printed.
The trap: $25 is the extra cost of the special menu. Writing 25, or adding them to make 70, loses the mark.
How much will the rooms cost for conference guests?
Well, for conference attendees we have a 25% reduction, so we can offer you rooms at $135. Normally a standard room's $180.
Question says → You hear
Why: The conference guests get the reduced price, $135, and Angela confirms breakfast is included.
The trap: $180 is the normal price, said last, so it's the one fresh in your mind. 25 also appears twice (25 guests, 25%).
What does the hotel have on the roof?
So we've got a spa where you can get massages and facials and so on, and there's a pool up on the roof for the use of guests.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Up on the roof' becomes 'rooftop'. The spa is already printed, so the gap is pool.
The trap: Massages and facials are what the spa offers, not the second facility.
Where does the free shuttle go?
it's about 12 kilometres from the airport, but there's a complimentary shuttle bus for guests
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Complimentary' means free. The shuttle is mentioned because the airport is 12 km away, so it goes to the airport.
The trap: The central railway station comes straight after, but it's only ten minutes' walk, so there's no shuttle there.
What is Wilby Street quite near?
it's downtown on Wilby Street, that's quite a small street, and it's not very far from the sea
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Not very far from' is 'quite near'. The answer is sea.
The trap: Downtown is said in the same sentence, but it describes the area, not what the street is near.
Besides restaurants, what is the hotel near lots of?
Then if they want to make a night of it, they can go on to one of the clubs
Question says → You hear
Why: Places to eat are the restaurants, and then the clubs, with 'a great many to choose from'. The note says 'many', so write the plural: clubs.
The trap: Club without an s loses the mark after 'many'.
Three numbers: a 25% reduction, $135 and $180. The note asks what the rooms will cost these guests, which is the discounted $135, not the normal $180.
The standard menu is $45 and the special is '$25 more'. Don't add them up and don't write 25: the note wants the standard price.
Two transport places come together: the airport, 12 km away with a free shuttle, and the railway station, ten minutes' walk. The free shuttle goes to the airport.
The full Cambridge 14 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 14, 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.
