Extended hours childcare: listening answers and explanations
Mrs Carter, who runs a school's before and after school childcare service, talks to parents. She covers numbers, costs, food and the holiday programme, then describes the special after-school activities.
Questions 11-12 come from her figures on numbers. Then 13-15 follow in order: cost, food, holidays. 'Let me tell you about some of the activities' starts 16-20, and the activities come in the printed order: Spanish, music, painting, yoga, cooking.
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: This is a numbers section: 70, 50-60, half that, ten years, 20. Several options twist a figure (50 children in the mornings, started recently). Write the numbers down as you hear them, then match each to the right label.
Question 11-12
Answer: B and E (in either order)When she starts talking about numbers and insurance
Which two facts about the childcare service does Mrs Carter give?
We are insured to provide care for up to 70 children … around 50-60 children for the afternoon sessions and about half that number for the breakfast sessions.
Question says → You hear
maximum number ... is 70insured to provide care for up to 70 children
more after school than before50-60 children for the afternoon sessions and about half that number for the breakfast sessions
Why: E: 'up to 70' is the maximum they're insured for. B: the afternoon sessions get 50-60 and the breakfast sessions about half that, so more come after school.
The trap: C uses the afternoon figure for the mornings; mornings get about half. A is wrong because the service started ten years ago. D is never said.
Multiple choice
Questions 13-15
How to attack this block: All three options are said or hinted at in each question. For the cost, catch which price is for the whole session. For food and holidays, the right option is a paraphrase ('something more substantial', 'children from other schools').
Question 13
Answer: CWhen she says they try to keep costs low
How much is a whole afternoon session?
For the afternoon sessions, which run from 3.30 until 6 p.m., it's £7.20.
Question says → You hear
complete afternoon sessionthe afternoon sessions, which run from 3.30 until 6 p.m.
Why: The full session, from 3.30 to 6, costs £7.20: C.
The trap: £3.50 is for one hour and £5.70 for two. Both come after the full price, and both are shorter options.
Question 14
Answer: CStraight after the prices
What does she say about food?
At 5 p.m. children are given something more substantial, such as pasta or a casserole.
Question says → You hear
a proper meal at 5 p.m.At 5 p.m. children are given something more substantial
Why: 'Something more substantial, such as pasta or a casserole' is a proper meal: C.
The trap: B twists the healthy snack: the children are given it, they don't bring it. For allergies, staff offer an alternative, so A is wrong too.
Question 15
Answer: AWhen she says the service runs through the holidays from 8 to 6
What changes in the school holidays?
they'll get the chance to make new friends with children from other schools - spaces are available for them
Question says → You hear
from other schoolsmake new friends with children from other schools - spaces are available for them
Why: Spaces open up because some term-time children don't come, so children from other schools can attend: A.
The trap: B: parents have asked about over-11s, but she says they can't come because of the insurance. More spaces for others doesn't mean a bigger total (C).
Matching (A-G)
Questions 16-20
How to attack this block: Seven pieces of information for five activities, so two are spare. Each activity gets a short paragraph with one key detail: an extra charge, a call for parents, children asking, a new teacher, an age limit.
Question 16
Answer: EThe first activity, after 'For example, Spanish'
What information is given about Spanish?
This is the only activity which we have to make an extra charge for - but it's well worth it.
Question says → You hear
additional feethe only activity which we have to make an extra charge for
Why: An extra charge is an additional fee: E.
The trap: One session is for over 8s, but the other is for younger children, so it isn't over-8s only (C).
Question 17
Answer: DWhen she says 'Once a week the children have the opportunity to do some music'
What information is given about music?
We do rely on parental support for this, so if any of you sing or play an instrument and would be prepared to help out at these sessions, we'd be delighted.
Question says → You hear
help from parentsWe do rely on parental support for this
Why: 'Rely on parental support' means it needs help from parents: D.
The trap: Once a week on Mondays may sound like limited availability (A), but that's just the timetable. The point she makes is the call for parents.
Question 18
Answer: GWhen she says painting is one of the most popular activities
What information is given about painting?
children kept asking if they could do some art and so we finally gave in
Question says → You hear
requested by childrenchildren kept asking if they could do some art
Why: Staff weren't keen, but the children kept asking, so it was requested by children: G.
The trap: 'To begin with we weren't keen' can sound like it was stopped or new. It 'continues to be' popular, so B and F don't fit.
Question 19
Answer: FWhen she says it's something they've been meaning to introduce
What information is given about yoga?
haven't been able to find anyone available to teach it - until now that is. So we'll see how this goes.
Question says → You hear
new activityuntil now that is. So we'll see how this goes
Why: They've only just found a teacher and will 'see how this goes', so it's new: F.
The trap: 'Haven't been able to find anyone' sounds like limited availability (A) or no longer available (B), but 'until now' turns it round.
Question 20
Answer: CThe last activity, after 'Cooking is another popular activity'
What information is given about cooking?
we found that the mess was just too much, so we've decided to restrict this to the over 8s
Question says → You hear
over 8s onlyrestrict this to the over 8s
Why: 'Restrict this to the over 8s' means it's for over 8s only: C.
The trap: 'Younger children love doing it' may suggest it was requested (G), but they're the ones now left out.
50-60 is the afternoon figure and only half that come in the morning, so C is wrong. But that same comparison gives you B: more children after school than before.
Painting had extra mess, which sounds like a limit or a reason to drop it. The point is that 'children kept asking' until staff gave in: it was requested by children.
Spanish also has an over-8s session, which pulls C towards Spanish. But Spanish runs for younger children too. Only cooking is restricted to the over 8s.
Words from this recording worth keeping
invaluable(Introduction)
extremely useful
insured(Numbers)
covered by insurance to do something
value for money(Costs)
worth what you pay
substantial(Food)
large and filling, of a meal
allergies(Food)
bad reactions of the body to certain foods or substances
percussion(Music)
instruments you hit or shake, like drums
gave in(Painting)
finally agreed after saying no
restrict(Cooking)
limit to certain people
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The full Cambridge 17 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.
Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 3, 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.
