Bankside Recruitment Agency: listening answers and explanations
Amber phones her friend William to ask about the job agency he uses. He gives her the agent's name and number, explains what kind of temporary work they offer and what it pays, and walks her through the registration interview and why an agency is worth it.
One ten-gap note block, strictly in order, and the four note headings (agent, typical jobs, registration, advantages) arrive in the same order as the conversation. Most answers come from William, but questions 7 and 10 come from Amber's side of the call.
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.
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Questions 1-10 · Note completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
How to attack this block: A classic Part 1: the notes walk through the call in order, so read ahead to the next gap while you listen. Expect distractors that get corrected: the morning that becomes the afternoon, the month that becomes a week, the £8 or £9 that becomes £10. The answer is almost always the second thing you hear, after the correction.
Question 1
Answer: JamiesonStart of the call, right after the agency's address
What is the agent's surname?
The agent I always deal with is called Becky Jamieson. … Jamieson J-A-M-I-E-S-O-N.
Why: William spells the name out letter by letter, which is the signal that a Part 1 answer is a name you have to get exactly right. Copy the spelling you hear, with a capital J.
The trap: Spelling, not meaning. A name spelled out in the recording has to be spelled exactly that way on the answer sheet: Jameson or Jamison loses the mark.
Question 2
Answer: afternoonRight after William reads out her phone number
What time of day is best to phone Becky?
I wouldn't call her until the afternoon if I were you - she's always really busy in the morning
Question says → You hear
Best to call her in theI wouldn't call her until the afternoon
Why: 'Wouldn't call her until the afternoon' is a roundabout way of saying the afternoon is the best time. The note just needs that one word.
The trap: Morning is said too, but as the time she is busy. It's the time to avoid, not the best time.
Question 3
Answer: communicationWhen William talks about her lack of office experience
What kind of skills does the job need most?
what's important for that kind of job isn't so much having business skills or knowing lots of different computer systems - it's communication that really matters
Question says → You hear
Must have goodit's communication that really matters
Why: William lists two things that don't matter much and then names the one that does. 'It's communication that really matters' matches 'must have good ... skills'.
The trap: Business skills and computer skills are both mentioned first, but only to be ruled out. Office skills come up too, as something she'll pick up on the job.
Question 4
Answer: weekWhen Amber asks how long people need temporary staff for
What is the usual minimum length of a job?
you're more likely to be offered something for a week at first, which might get extended
Question says → You hear
usually for at least onefor a week at first
Why: Amber hopes for a month, but William corrects her expectations: jobs usually start at a week and may be extended. 'At least one' plus 'at first' gives you week.
The trap: Month is the word Amber says first and it's the one people write. A day or two is mentioned as unusual, so that's out too.
Question 5
Answer: 10When they talk about pay compared with shops and restaurants
Also accepted: ten
How much is the usual hourly pay?
The hourly rate is about £10, 11 if you're lucky.
Question says → You hear
Pay is usually £ ... per hourThe hourly rate is about £10
Why: 'About £10' is the usual rate. The 11 is only 'if you're lucky', so it isn't the usual figure. Ten as a word is accepted, but digits are safer.
The trap: Amber then says she expected eight or nine pounds. Those are her expectations, not the agency's rate.
Question 6
Answer: suitStart of the registration section
What should she wear to the interview?
I suppose I should dress smartly if it's for office work - I can probably borrow a suit from Mum.
Question says → You hear
Wear a ... to the interviewdress smartly … borrow a suit
Why: Amber says she'll borrow a suit and William agrees it's a good idea. The gap follows 'a', so it needs a singular noun: suit.
The trap: 'Smartly' fits the meaning but not the grammar: 'wear a smartly' isn't English. Check what part of speech the gap needs.
Question 7
Answer: passportStraight after the question about exam certificates
What must she bring to the interview?
Will I need to bring copies of my exam certificates or anything like that? … No - they don't need to see those, I don't think. … What about my passport? … Oh yes - they will ask to see that.
Why: Amber offers two documents. William rejects the first and confirms the second, so the answer is passport. This is the ruled-out-then-confirmed pattern again.
The trap: Certificates is heard first and said with more detail, but William says they don't need to see them.
Question 8
Answer: personalityWhen William says not to get stressed about the interview
What will the interview questions be about?
So there are questions about personality that they always ask candidates - fairly basic ones.
Question says → You hear
questions about each applicant'squestions about personality that they always ask candidates
Why: 'Questions about personality ... they always ask candidates' becomes 'questions about each applicant's' in the notes. 'Candidates' and 'applicant' are the paraphrase.
The trap: Plans for the future are mentioned right after, but as something they probably won't ask about.
Question 9
Answer: feedbackStart of the 'benefits of using an agency' section
What will she get at the interview that helps her?
the interview will be useful because they'll give you feedback on your performance so you can improve next time
Question says → You hear
will benefit youwill be useful … so you can improve next time
Why: The notes say 'the ... you receive at interview will benefit you'. William says they'll give you feedback so you can improve. Receive matches give you, and benefit matches useful.
The trap: Performance sits right next to it, but you don't receive your performance. The thing you're given is feedback.
Question 10
Answer: timeThe very end of the call, said by Amber
What is there less of when you apply for jobs through an agency?
I expect finding a temporary job this way takes a lot less time - it's much easier than ringing up individual companies
Question says → You hear
Less ... is involved in applying for jobstakes a lot less time
Why: Amber says it 'takes a lot less time' than ringing companies, and William agrees. The note keeps the word 'less', so the gap is time.
The trap: Effort fits the meaning, but it's never said. In a note completion you write the word you hear, not a synonym.
Amber hopes for a month, and that's the word people write. William corrects her: you're more likely to get something for a week at first. The note asks what jobs are usually for, so week.
Three figures in quick succession: £10, then 11 if you're lucky, then Amber's eight or nine. The usual rate is the first one, 10. Write the digits, not the word.
The answer comes from Amber, not William: finding a job this way 'takes a lot less time'. The note turns that into 'less ... is involved', so the gap is time.
Words from this recording worth keeping
vacancies(Agent details)
jobs that are available and need filling
clerical(Typical jobs)
office work such as filing and paperwork
recruits(Typical jobs)
finds and hires people for jobs
temporary(Typical jobs)
lasting only for a limited time
get extended(Typical jobs)
be made to last longer than planned
registration(Registration process)
the process of officially signing up
candidates(Registration process)
people applying for a job
advertised(Advantages)
made public so people can apply
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Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 1, 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 15 Test 1 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereBankside Recruitment Agency
