At a railway station, a man doing a customer satisfaction survey stops Sophie Bird before her train home. He asks about her job, her trip and her ticket, then what she liked and disliked about the journey and the newly upgraded station.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 1 question block
One form, filled in strictly in order, and the four headings match the interview: customer details, journey information, satisfaction with the journey, then with the station. The man signals each section ('Now I'd like to ask some questions about your journey', 'Now I'd also like to ask about the facilities'). All answers come from Sophie.
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: A survey form means the man asks a question and Sophie answers it, so each question is your cue for the next gap. Watch for answers she gives only after going off on a side topic (the ticket office, the old information board), and for spelling and number format in 3 and 5.
What is Sophie's job?
And would you mind telling me what you do? … I'm a journalist.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'What you do' is the question about her occupation, and she answers directly: journalist.
The trap: No real distractor. Just check the spelling: journalist, not journalism.
Why is Sophie travelling today?
Actually, it's my day off. I came here to do some shopping.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Actually' corrects the man's guess. Today she came to shop, so the reason is shopping.
The trap: Work is suggested by the man, and Sophie adds that she sometimes comes for work. But the form asks about today.
Which station is Sophie going back to?
Staunfirth, where I live. … Can I just check the spelling? S-T-A-U-N-F-I-R-T-H?
Question says → You hear
Why: The man spells it out to check, which tells you the spelling has to be exact. Use a capital S.
The trap: The sound could be spelled many ways. Only the letters you hear count.
What type of ticket did she buy?
No, I just got a normal return ticket. I don't have a rail card so I didn't get any discount.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Normal' is paraphrased as 'standard', and the type is return.
The trap: Season ticket is mentioned by the man and ruled out. Rail card is something she doesn't have.
How much did the ticket cost?
So you paid the full price for your ticket? … I paid £23.70.
Question says → You hear
Why: She gives the exact price. Write 23.70 in digits with the decimal point.
The trap: 20% is the saving she'd have got with a rail card, said just before. It isn't a price.
Where did she buy her ticket?
So to answer your question... I got an e-ticket online.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'So to answer your question' brings her back on topic: she bought it online.
The trap: Station, ticket office and ticket machines are all said first. That's where she usually buys tickets, not where she bought this one.
What was she least happy with about this morning's journey?
normally, the trains run on time and are pretty reliable but today there was a delay; the train was about 15 minutes behind schedule
Question says → You hear
Why: The problem was a delay of about 15 minutes. The gap follows 'the', so it needs a noun.
The trap: '15 minutes' fits a number gap, but 'the 15 this morning' doesn't make sense. The noun she uses is delay.
What is she most satisfied with at the station?
I think the best thing is that they've improved the amount of information about train times etc. that's given to passengers
Question says → You hear
Why: 'The amount of' becomes 'how much', and 'given to passengers' becomes 'provided'. The answer is information.
The trap: Board is mentioned, but that was the old single board she couldn't see. The thing that improved is the information.
Also accepted: platforms
Where is the lack of seats worst?
But one thing is that there aren't enough places to sit down, especially on the platforms.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Especially' matches 'particularly', and the place is the platforms. Platform and platforms are both accepted.
The trap: She likes the new café and the modern trains first. Those are positives, not where seats are missing.
Which facility does she have no opinion about?
What about the parking at the station? … Well to be honest, I don't really have an opinion as I never use it.
Question says → You hear
Why: She has no opinion on the parking because she never uses it, and the man records 'neither satisfied nor dissatisfied'.
The trap: The word comes from the man's question, not from Sophie. People wait for her to name something and miss it.
Sophie talks about the station, the ticket office and the machines before she answers. She says 'So to answer your question' and then gives it: online.
The man suggests work, and Sophie says she sometimes does come for work. But today is her day off, and she came to do some shopping.
You hear 20% just before the price. The cost of the ticket is £23.70: write it with the decimal point and no £ sign, since that's printed.
The full Cambridge 15 Test 4 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.
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