Dartfield House School: listening answers and explanations
A school head talks to parents about changes at the school. The talk covers the history of Dartfield House, plans for the lower school site, the new Food Hall and its serving points, and which after-school lessons are on offer.
All answers come from one speaker, in order. Questions 11-15 run from the building's history to the old canteen. 'OK, back to the serving points' leads into 16-18, and 'Now after-school lessons' opens 19-20.
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 speaker mentions almost every option, often as a plan that fell through or a problem that isn't the real cause. Match the stem's angle: 'used to be' needs what the house actually was, 'because of' needs the reason given for the change.
Question 11
Answer: CWhen the speaker gives the history of Dartfield House
What was Dartfield House before it became a school?
His heir chose to sell it to the local council, who turned it into offices.
Question says → You hear
a local council buildingsell it to the local council, who turned it into offices
Why: The council bought the house and used it as offices, so it was a council building before it became the nucleus of the school.
The trap: B: it was 'intended as his family home', but Richards died before it was finished, so it never was a home. A: the tourist centre plan 'didn't come about through lack of money'.
Question 12
Answer: BWhen the speaker gives news about the lower school site
What will happen with the lower school?
The lower school will move to new buildings that will be constructed on the main site. Developers will construct houses on the existing lower school site.
Question says → You hear
used for new homesDevelopers will construct houses
Why: Houses on the lower school site means it will be used for new homes. The school itself moves across the road.
The trap: C reverses the plan: new school buildings go on the main site, not the lower one. A talks about improving existing buildings, which isn't said.
Question 13
Answer: AWhen the speaker calls catering 'a more imminent change'
Why has the catering been changed?
there's only one serving point, so most pupils have to wait a considerable time to be served. This is obviously unsatisfactory
Question says → You hear
long queuing timeshave to wait a considerable time to be served
Why: With only one serving point, pupils wait a long time. That is the problem the new Food Hall solves.
The trap: C: pupils like the food, so menus aren't the problem. B: afternoon lessons are mentioned, but only as a result of the waiting, not a timetable change.
Question 14
Answer: AWhen the speaker says 'one thing we ask you to do'
What are parents asked to do?
to discuss with your children each morning which type of food they want to eat that day, so they can go straight to the relevant serving point
Question says → You hear
decide in advance which serving point to usediscuss with your children each morning … go straight to the relevant serving point
Why: Talking about it each morning means deciding in advance, so pupils go straight to the right serving point.
The trap: C: healthy food is mentioned, but everything will be healthy anyway, so no advice is needed. B: payment stays the same, by topping up a card online.
Question 15
Answer: CWhen the speaker says 'You may be wondering what will happen to the old canteen'
What will happen to the old canteen?
We'll still have tables and chairs in there, and pupils can eat food from the Food Hall or lunch they've brought from home.
Question says → You hear
Pupils can take their food into itpupils can eat food from the Food Hall or lunch they've brought from home
Why: Pupils can carry food from the Food Hall, or their packed lunch, and eat it in the old canteen.
The trap: A: pupils eat there, but food won't be served there any more. B: storage is a possible later use, and staff-only access is never mentioned.
Matching (A-D)
Questions 16-18
How to attack this block: Three serving points, four comments, so one is left over. Each serving point gets a short description: listen for how often the menu changes and who chooses the food. Watch out: World Adventures mentions both 'each day' and 'a week at a time'.
Question 16
Answer: DThe first serving point, after 'back to the serving points'
What is said about World Adventures?
This will serve a different country's cuisine each day, maybe Chinese one day and Lebanese the next.
Question says → You hear
daily change in menua different country's cuisine each day
Why: A different country's food each day is a daily change in menu, D.
The trap: C is tempting because 'the menus will be planned for a week at a time'. That's about planning ahead, not about the food changing weekly.
Question 17
Answer: AThe second serving point
What is said about Street Life?
Street Life is also international, with food from three particular cultures. We'll ask pupils to make suggestions
Question says → You hear
pupils help to plan menusWe'll ask pupils to make suggestions
Why: Pupils' suggestions decide which cultures are served, so they help to plan the menus, A.
The trap: 'Jamaican food for a week or two' tempts people towards C. It describes one cuisine being swapped in occasionally, not a weekly change.
Question 18
Answer: BThe third serving point
What is said about Speedy Italian?
The Speedy Italian serving point will cater particularly for the many pupils who don't eat meat or fish: they can be sure that all the food served there is suitable for them.
Question says → You hear
only vegetarian foodpupils who don't eat meat or fish … all the food served there is suitable for them
Why: Pupils who don't eat meat or fish are vegetarians, and all the food there suits them, so it's only vegetarian food, B. The word 'vegetarian' itself is never said.
The trap: 'Plenty of variety' might suggest changing menus, C or D, but it's a general promise, not a timetable.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 19-20
How to attack this block: All five lessons are mentioned. The question is which ones are new, so listen for future plans ('we're going to start') and new resources, not for which lessons are popular.
Question 19-20
Answer: B and C (in either order)The final section, after 'Now after-school lessons'
Which two after-school lessons are new?
we're going to start drama classes in there, too. … a former pupil has given a magnificent grand piano to the school, so a few pupils will be able to learn at the school
Question says → You hear
actingwe're going to start drama classes
pianoa former pupil has given a magnificent grand piano to the school
Why: C: drama classes are 'going to start', and drama means acting. B: the donated grand piano means pupils can now learn at school instead of at the local college.
The trap: E is the strongest distractor: sound and lighting are taught in the same performance centre, but 'we already teach' them. Swimming and cycling are popular existing lessons.
The house was built as a family home but never lived in, the tourist centre plan failed, and the council turned it into offices. Only the council use actually happened, so C.
World Adventures serves a different cuisine each day, but menus are planned a week at a time. The comment is about the daily change, D, not 'different food every week'.
Sound and lighting sound new because the performance centre is mentioned with the new drama classes, but 'we already teach' rules it out.
Words from this recording worth keeping
commissioned(History of Dartfield House)
ordered and paid for something to be made
heir(History of Dartfield House)
the person who receives someone's property when they die
nucleus(History of Dartfield House)
the central part from which something grows
planning permission(Lower school plans)
official approval to build or change buildings
imminent(Catering changes)
about to happen very soon
full to capacity(Catering changes)
completely full, with no more space
cuisine(Food Hall serving points)
a style of cooking from a particular country
cater for(Food Hall serving points)
provide what a particular group needs
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The full Cambridge 16 Test 2 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 16, Test 2, Listening Part 2. 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.
