Joe visits an employment agency, where Sally Baker has read his CV and found two jobs that might suit him. She goes through the duties, requirements and experience for an office job in North London and a warehouse job in South London, checking each one against Joe's background.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 1 question block
One note block in two halves, all in order. The first job (1-5) runs from the company to its duties, requirements and experience. When Joe mentions the long commute, Sally says 'the second position might suit you better' and the warehouse job (6-10) follows the same pattern.
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: Sally reads out each employer's list and Joe answers about his own experience. The notes record what the employer wants, so when Joe gives his own detail (three years, sinks and fridges), check it against the requirement Sally states. Several answers come from Sally's short questions, like 'And tidy?'.
What does the first company make?
They're called Home Solutions and they design and make furniture.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Make' matches 'produces', and the product is furniture. It's uncountable, so no s.
The trap: Home Solutions is the company name, not what it produces.
Where will the assistant go and take notes?
Then they expect the person they appoint to attend meetings and take notes there
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Attend' becomes 'go to', and the place is meetings. The plural fits the note.
The trap: There isn't really a competing word here. The risk is writing 'meeting' without the s.
What will the assistant manage?
Filing, and keeping records and so on? That should be OK. And in my last job I also had to manage the diary.
Question says → You hear
Why: Joe mentions managing the diary and Sally says 'That's something they want here too'. So it's one of the duties.
The trap: Filing and records come first, but they're examples of 'general admin', which is already in the notes.
Also accepted: details
What do they need the assistant to pay attention to?
they want someone who is careful and takes care with details
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Takes care with details' is paying attention to detail. Detail and details are both accepted.
The trap: Careful is said first, but 'attention to careful' isn't English. The gap needs a noun.
Also accepted: one year / a year
How much teleconferencing experience do they require at least?
I've got three years' experience of that. … In fact they're only asking for at least one year
Question says → You hear
Why: 'At least one year' is the minimum. Write 1 year or one year: the note says 'a minimum of ... of experience', so the gap needs the unit too.
The trap: Three years is Joe's own experience. The note records what the employer asks for.
Besides the stock, what will the warehouse assistant manage?
they want someone who can manage the stock, obviously, and also deliveries
Question says → You hear
Why: Stock is already in the notes, so the second item, deliveries, fills the gap. Keep the plural.
The trap: Stock is said first and is a tempting one-word answer, but the note has 'stock management' already.
Besides very organised, what should the warehouse assistant be?
They want someone who's well organised. … And tidy? … Yes, they go together really, don't they?
Question says → You hear
Why: Sally adds 'And tidy?' to the organisational skills, and Joe agrees. The gap needs an adjective to pair with 'organised'.
The trap: Organised is already in the note. The answer is the short follow-up that's easy to miss.
What should the assistant be used to working in?
one of the things I enjoyed most was being part of a team. … Yes, they do mention that they want someone who's used to that
Question says → You hear
Why: Joe mentions being part of a team and Sally confirms the employer wants someone used to that. So 'working in a team'.
The trap: Communication skills come just before, but they're already in the notes.
What kind of items must the assistant be able to handle?
It was mostly bathroom and kitchen equipment, sinks and stoves and fridges. … So you're OK moving heavy things?
Question says → You hear
Why: Sally asks if he can move heavy things. The gap follows 'items that are', so it needs an adjective: heavy.
The trap: Sinks, stoves and fridges are things Joe handled before, not a description of the items. They're nouns and don't fit the grammar.
What type of service experience do they need?
and the final thing they mention is customer service
Question says → You hear
Why: 'The final thing they mention' is your signal for the last gap. Service is printed, so write customer.
The trap: Don't write 'customer service': the note already has 'service', and two words would break the limit for the gap.
Joe says he has three years' experience, and that's the number people write. The note asks for the minimum the employer wants: 'at least one year'.
The answer is a two-word question from Sally, 'And tidy?', after a longer bit about organisational skills. It's easy to miss because it's so short.
Joe lists sinks, stoves and fridges, which tempts you to write one of them. The note wants a description: items that are heavy.
The full Cambridge 15 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.
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