Birth order and personality: listening answers and explanations
Two students, Ruth and Ed, are preparing a presentation on birth order. They run through what past research claimed about eldest, middle, youngest, twin, only and late-born children, then discuss the weaknesses of those studies, academic achievement and what sibling rivalry taught them.
Questions 21-26 come in the same order as the list: eldest, middle, youngest, twin, only child, child with much older siblings. Ruth's question 'What was the problem with most of these studies?' moves you on to 27-28 on academic success, and Ed's question about sibling rivalry starts 29-30.
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: The trait words in the box are never said directly: you hear descriptions like 'good at nurturing' or 'made friends easily'. The big trap here is that both speakers keep adding their own family stories, which contradict the research. The question asks what the research claimed, so ignore the anecdotes.
Question 21
Answer: GRight after Ed says oldest children are less well-adjusted
Which trait did research link to the eldest child?
on a positive note, some studies claimed that they were thought to be good at nurturing
Question says → You hear
caringgood at nurturing
Why: Nurturing means looking after others, which is caring. Ruth adds that older children were expected to look after the younger ones in large families.
The trap: Ed's point about never getting over a younger sibling's arrival might suggest attention-seeking, but it isn't matched to any trait. Ruth's 'on a positive note' gives the one that counts.
Question 22
Answer: FWhen Ed says there isn't such a clear picture for middle children
Which trait did research link to a middle child?
they are easier to get on with than older or younger siblings. … Generally eager to please and helpful
Question says → You hear
co-operativeeasier to get on with / eager to please and helpful
Why: Easy to get on with, eager to please and helpful all describe a co-operative child.
The trap: Ruth's middle brother was 'always causing fights and envious', which sounds competitive. She says that's her family, not what the studies say.
Question 23
Answer: AWhen Ed says he's the youngest in his family
Which trait did research link to the youngest child?
I'm supposed to have been a sociable and confident child who made friends easily - but I was actually terribly shy.
Question says → You hear
outgoinga sociable and confident child who made friends easily
Why: 'Supposed to have been' signals what the research says: sociable, confident, makes friends easily. That's outgoing.
The trap: 'Terribly shy' is Ed's own experience, which he says doesn't match the studies. It points to introverted, which belongs to the twin.
Question 24
Answer: EWhen Ruth mentions the hundreds of studies on twins
Which trait did research link to a twin?
a twin is likely to be quite shy in social situations because they always have their twin around to depend on for support
Question says → You hear
introvertedquite shy in social situations
Why: Shy in social situations means introverted. Ruth's cousins back it up: they found it hard to engage with other kids.
The trap: Depending on a twin for support is the opposite of independent, so don't let that word pull you towards C.
Question 25
Answer: BWhen Ed says only children have had a bad press
Which trait did research link to an only child?
a lot of studies have branded them as loners who think the world revolves around them
Question says → You hear
selfishthink the world revolves around them
Why: Thinking the world revolves around you is a classic description of being selfish.
The trap: 'Loners' sounds introverted, and 'fight for their parents' attention' sounds competitive or attention-seeking. The trait the studies name is the self-centred one.
Question 26
Answer: CWhen Ruth mentions a category she hadn't considered before
Which trait did research link to a child with much older siblings?
these children grow up more quickly and are expected to do basic things for themselves - like getting dressed
Question says → You hear
independentexpected to do basic things for themselves
Why: Doing things for yourself and growing up quickly mean being independent.
The trap: Ed then imagines them 'playing the baby role and clamouring for special treatment', which is attention-seeking. That's his guess, not what the studies found.
Multiple choice
Questions 27-28
How to attack this block: Both questions are about academic performance and come close together. For 27 listen for the weakness Ed points out in the studies. For 28 listen for what Ruth calls 'surprising', and the contrast with what she 'would have expected'.
Question 27
Answer: CWhen Ed answers Ruth's point about intelligence tests
What do they say about research on birth order and academic success?
Although what many of them didn't take into consideration was family size.
Question says → You hear
neglected to include important factorsdidn't take into consideration
Why: 'Didn't take into consideration' is 'neglected to include', and family size is named in both. So C.
The trap: B uses words from the recording (socio-economic status), but Ed only says it can also explain differences, not that it matters more. A is wrong because Ruth says the decline 'has been proved in lots of recent studies'.
Question 28
Answer: AWhen Ruth says the main reason is 'quite surprising'
What does Ruth find surprising about the oldest children's academic edge?
It's not only that they benefit intellectually from extra attention at a young age - which is what I would have expected. … that they benefit from being teachers for their younger siblings
Question says → You hear
thanks to their roles as teachersthey benefit from being teachers for their younger siblings
Why: The surprise is that the advantage comes from teaching younger siblings and putting processes into words. That's option A.
The trap: C is tempting because extra attention is mentioned, but Ruth says 'not only', so it does still help. It's simply what she expected, not the surprise.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 29-30
How to attack this block: Ruth gives both answers in one turn, and Ed agrees with 'my situation was pretty similar'. Three of the options are mentioned too, but as things they did not learn, so listen for the negatives.
Question 29-30
Answer: B and D (in either order)When Ed asks Ruth if sibling rivalry has been useful
Which two lessons from sibling rivalry do both speakers find valuable?
I know how to defend myself. … we had to put up with each other and most of the time we co-existed amicably enough. … Yes, my situation was pretty similar.
Question says → You hear
stand up for oneselfI know how to defend myself
be tolerantwe had to put up with each other
Why: Defending yourself is standing up for yourself (B). Putting up with each other and co-existing is being tolerant (D). Ed says his situation was similar, so they agree on both.
The trap: E: Ruth would have 'died rather than apologise', so she never learned to say sorry. A: Ed never let his brothers use his stuff, so no sharing either.
Ed says he was 'terribly shy', so introverted jumps out. But that's his real life. The research said the youngest is sociable and makes friends easily: outgoing.
Ed's guess about 'playing the baby role' sounds like attention-seeking. The studies Ruth reports say these children do basic things for themselves: independent.
Apologising and sharing are both mentioned, but as things they never did. Only standing up for yourself and putting up with each other were valuable.
Words from this recording worth keeping
stereotypes(Opening discussion)
fixed, oversimplified ideas about a type of person
well-adjusted(Eldest child)
emotionally stable and able to cope with life
nurturing(Eldest child)
caring for and helping someone to develop
branded(Only children)
labelled, usually unfairly
clamouring(Children with older siblings)
demanding something loudly
socio-economic status(Academic achievement)
a family's position based on income, education and job
verbalising(Academic achievement)
putting ideas into words
amicably(Sibling rivalry)
in a friendly way, without arguing
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The full Cambridge 15 Test 1 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 15, Test 1, 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.
