Buckworth Conservation Group: listening answers and explanations
Jan has just moved to the area and phones Peter, the secretary of a local conservation group. He describes their regular work on the beach and at the nature reserve, then two coming events: a guided walk to an island and a woodwork day.
One ten-gap note block, in order. Peter gives almost every answer, but the beach, nature reserve, Saturday walk and woodwork headings arrive in the same order as the notes, so use each heading as a signpost to move on.
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: Most gaps need a plain noun, and several need a plural (insects, butterflies, beginners, spoons). Listen for the moment Peter moves from one place or event to the next. Distractors here are things that are allowed or mentioned but not the answer: cliffs, moths, chairs, the £40 camping price.
Question 1
Answer: litterPeter's first regular activity, right after he mentions special events
What do they keep off the beach?
One of the regular ones is trying to keep the beach free of litter.
Question says → You hear
making sure the beach does not havekeep the beach free of litter
Why: 'Free of litter' means there is no litter on it, which is exactly what the note says in a negative way. Litter is uncountable, so no -s.
The trap: Peter goes on about people taking it home, but he never uses another word for it. Rubbish or trash fits the meaning, but write the word you hear.
Question 2
Answer: dogsWhen Jan asks whether she can bring something along
What is not allowed on the beach?
Is it OK to take dogs? … I'm afraid not, as they're banned from the beach itself.
Question says → You hear
nothey're banned from the beach itself
Why: Jan asks about dogs and Peter says they're banned from the beach. 'Banned' becomes 'no ...' in the note. Write the plural, dogs, as it is said.
The trap: Children are mentioned straight after, but they are welcome. The cliffs are where dogs are allowed, so they don't belong in this gap either.
Question 3
Answer: insectsRight after Peter says they've finished the nesting boxes
What will the next habitat project try to attract?
next we're going to work on encouraging insects - they're important for the biodiversity of the reserve
Question says → You hear
next tasknext we're going to work on
attractencouraging insects
Why: 'Next' is the signpost, and 'encouraging insects' is paraphrased as 'taking action to attract' them. The gap needs a plural noun: insects.
The trap: Birds come just before, but the bird boxes are already finished. The note says 'next task', so birds is the old job, not the new one.
Question 4
Answer: butterfliesWhen Peter mentions a project Jan might want to join
What species is the group identifying?
we're also running a project to identify the different species of butterflies that visit the reserve
Question says → You hear
identifying types ofidentify the different species of butterflies
Why: 'Types' is a paraphrase of 'species', and the thing being identified is butterflies. Keep the plural and watch the spelling.
The trap: Jan says she counted moths in her old group. That's her past experience somewhere else, not the reserve project.
Question 5
Answer: wallThe last nature reserve job, after the butterfly project
What is being built at the reserve?
Another job we're doing at the reserve is replacing the wall on the southern side, between the parking area and our woodshed.
Question says → You hear
building a newreplacing the wall
Why: Replacing the storm-damaged wall means building a new one. The gap follows 'a new', so one singular noun: wall.
The trap: Woodshed is also in the sentence, but it's only there to tell you where the wall is.
Question 6
Answer: islandWhen Peter starts on the guided walks, straight after the meeting place
Where does the Saturday walk go?
that's when the sands are dry enough for us to walk to the island without getting wet
Question says → You hear
walk across the sands and reach thethe sands are dry enough for us to walk to the island
Why: They walk across the sands at low tide to reach Ruston Island. The note has 'the' before the gap, so the common noun island fits better than the name.
The trap: Beach is said just before, but the beach car park is where they meet, not where they're going.
Question 7
Answer: bootsStraight after Peter says to bring a picnic
What should walkers wear?
it'll be wet walking across and back, so make sure your boots are waterproof
Question says → You hear
wear appropriatemake sure your boots are waterproof
Why: Waterproof boots are the 'appropriate' footwear for a wet crossing. The gap needs a plural noun after 'appropriate', so boots.
The trap: Waterproof is the tempting word, but 'wear appropriate waterproof' isn't complete. The noun is what you wear.
Question 8
Answer: beginnersWhen Jan says she's never tried woodwork before
Who is the woodwork day suitable for?
Is it OK for beginners to take part? … Definitely.
Question says → You hear
suitable forIs it OK for beginners
to participate into take part
Why: Jan asks the question and Peter says 'Definitely', so the session is suitable for beginners. 'Take part' becomes 'participate'. Plural, with an -s.
The trap: Experts are mentioned next, but they lead the session. They aren't who it's designed for.
Question 9
Answer: spoonsWhen Jan says she'd love to make chairs
What will people make out of wood?
You'll be starting with wooden spoons, and of course learning how to use the tools.
Question says → You hear
making ... out of woodstarting with wooden spoons
Why: 'Wooden spoons' becomes 'making spoons out of wood', so 'wooden' is already in the note and the gap is just spoons.
The trap: Chairs is Jan's wish, and Peter says it's 'probably too ambitious for one day'. Tools are what they learn to use, not what they make.
Question 10
Answer: 35The last detail, right after the date and times
Also accepted: thirty five / thirty-five
How much does the session cost without camping?
There's a charge of £35, including lunch, or £40 if you want to camp in the wood.
Question says → You hear
cost of session (no camping)a charge of £35, including lunch
Why: £35 is the basic price. The £ sign is already printed, so write 35.
The trap: £40 is the price with camping. The note says no camping, and Jan confirms she'll come home the same day.
Jan talks about counting moths where she used to live, and moths is the last insect word you hear. The reserve project is about butterflies, which Peter says first.
Two prices: £35 with lunch and £40 if you camp. The notes say no camping, so the answer is 35.
Words from this recording worth keeping
litter(Beach)
rubbish left lying around in a public place
nature reserve(Nature reserve)
a protected area for wildlife and plants
habitats(Nature reserve)
natural homes for animals and plants
biodiversity(Nature reserve)
the variety of living things in a place
low tide(Saturday walk)
the time when the sea is at its lowest level
waterproof(Saturday walk)
not letting water in
ambitious(Woodwork session)
needing a lot of skill or effort to achieve
participants(Woodwork session)
people who take part in something
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 17 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 17, Test 1, 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 17 Test 1 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereBuckworth Conservation Group
