Copying photos to digital format: listening answers and explanations
A woman phones Picturerep, a company that copies old photos onto disk, because she wants to digitise a box of family pictures. The employee explains the size and format rules, the price and payment, the services included, the extra restore service and how to send the photos.
One ten-gap note block in order. The woman asks most of the questions and the employee gives most answers, but question 4 comes from the woman's own example. Note headings (requirements, cost, services, restore service, other information) follow 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.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 1-10 · Note completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
How to attack this block: The notes paraphrase heavily: 'touch up' becomes improved, 'by hand' becomes scanned by. Many gaps are said by the woman in a question and only confirmed by the employee, so listen to both voices. Several numbers come up in the cost section; only one fits the gap.
Question 1
Answer: frameRight after the employee gives the maximum and minimum sizes
What must the photos not be kept in, apart from an album?
And some of them are in a frame - should I take them out before I send them? … Yes please, we can't copy them otherwise.
Question says → You hear
must not be in a ... or an albumsome of them are in a frame … they mustn't be stuck into an album
Why: The woman asks if she should take photos out of their frames and the employee says yes, they can't be copied otherwise. The note pairs frame with album.
The trap: Album is already printed in the note. Box comes up later, in a different section about posting the photos.
Question 2
Answer: 195When the woman asks for an idea of how much it will cost
How much will 360 photos cost?
I've got about 360 photos I think. … We charge £195 for 300 to 400 photos for the basic service.
Question says → You hear
The cost for 360 photos£195 for 300 to 400 photos
Why: 360 falls inside the 300 to 400 band, which costs £195, and the employee confirms that includes one disk.
The trap: 300 and 400 are the band limits, not prices. £5 is the cost of each extra disk, and the note says the price includes one disk.
Question 3
Answer: paymentWhen the woman asks if she needs to pay when she sends the photos
What is needed before the finished order is sent back?
once we've received the payment, we'll send the parcel off to you
Question says → You hear
Before the completed order is sentonce we've received the payment, we'll send the parcel
Why: The parcel goes out only once payment has arrived, so payment is required before the order is sent.
The trap: 'We won't need anything until we've actually copied the pictures' sounds like no payment at all. It only means you don't pay up front.
Question 4
Answer: GrandparentsWhen the employee says you can suggest a name for each folder
What example name for a folder is given?
So I could have one called 'Grandparents', for instance?
Question says → You hear
e.g. with the nameone called 'Grandparents', for instance
Why: The woman offers 'Grandparents' as an example and the employee says 'Exactly'. 'For instance' matches 'e.g.'.
The trap: Group and folder are said several times, but they're already in the note. Spell it as one word with the s.
Question 5
Answer: colourWhen the woman asks if they can make any improvements
Also accepted: color
What, besides contrast, can be improved?
we can sometimes touch up the colour a bit, or improve the contrast
Question says → You hear
can be improvedtouch up the colour a bit, or improve the contrast
Why: Colour and contrast come together in one sentence. Contrast is in the note, so the gap is colour. The American spelling color is also accepted.
The trap: 'Each photo is checked' comes just before, but checked is a verb and doesn't fit 'The ... and contrast'.
Question 6
Answer: handWhen the woman worries that some photos might get damaged
How are very fragile photos scanned?
if any look particularly fragile, we'd do them by hand
Question says → You hear
very fragileparticularly fragile
will be scanned bywe'd do them by hand
Why: 'Do them by hand' becomes 'scanned by hand'. The word after 'by' is hand.
The trap: Precious follows straight after, but it's about how much old photos mean to people, not how they are scanned.
Question 7
Answer: backgroundWhen the employee mentions 'another thing' they can do
Apart from removing an object, what else can be changed in a photo?
if you want to remove an object from a photo, or maybe alter the background, we can do that
Question says → You hear
change thealter the background
Why: 'Alter' is a synonym for change, and the thing they can alter is the background.
The trap: Object is already in the note. Colour came earlier, under the standard service, not the special restore service.
Question 8
Answer: focusWhen the woman says 'talking of fixing photos'
What problem with a photo can't be fixed?
I've got a few that aren't properly in focus. Can you do anything to make that better? … No, I'm afraid that's one thing we can't do.
Question says → You hear
not correctly inaren't properly in focus
cannot be fixedthat's one thing we can't do
Why: 'Not properly in focus' matches 'not correctly in ...'. The employee confirms it can't be fixed.
The trap: The word comes from the woman, so if you're waiting for the employee you'll miss it. The employee only says no.
Question 9
Answer: ten daysWhen the woman asks 'how long will it all take?'
Also accepted: 10 days
How long does the company take to complete an order?
We aim to get the copying done in ten days.
Question says → You hear
Orders are completed withinget the copying done in ten days
Why: 'Get the copying done in ten days' becomes 'completed within ten days'. You need both the number and 'days'; the limit allows one word and a number, and 10 days is also accepted.
The trap: Writing just 'ten' loses the mark because the unit isn't in the note.
Question 10
Answer: plasticThe end of the call, after the woman says she'll post the photos
What kind of box should you not send the photos in?
If you've got a strong cardboard box, that's best. We've found that plastic ones sometimes break in the post.
Question says → You hear
notplastic ones sometimes break in the post
Why: The note says 'a box, not ...', so the gap is the type to avoid. Plastic boxes sometimes break in the post.
The trap: Cardboard is said first and is the recommended box. 'Strong' is also tempting but isn't the type to avoid.
The answer comes from the woman, not the employee: she suggests calling a folder 'Grandparents'. It's a name, so use a capital G and the plural form you heard.
The gap is the kind of box to avoid. Cardboard is said first and fits the topic, but the employee recommends it; the note needs the opposite, plastic.
Words from this recording worth keeping
attic(Start of the call)
the room or space under the roof of a house
converted(Start of the call)
changed into a different form
restrictions(Requirements)
rules that limit what is allowed
cope with(Requirements)
deal with or handle
touch up(Services included)
make small improvements to
fragile(Services included)
easily broken or damaged
precious(Services included)
very valuable or important to someone
alter(Special restore service)
change
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Cambridge IELTS 16, Test 2, 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 16 Test 2 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereCopying photos to digital format
