Work experience for veterinary science students: listening answers and explanations
Veterinary science students Diana and Tim compare the farm placements they did, from lambing and breeds of sheep to feed supplements, a mistake in the milk shed and what their farmers think of vets. Then they give quick feedback on four modules.
Questions 21-26 follow the farm talk in order, and several ask what both of them found, so wait for the second speaker to agree. 'Now we've got to give a bit of feedback about last term's modules' starts 27-30, which come in the printed order.
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: Watch the word 'both' in 21 and 26: the right option is something they share, not just one person's problem. In the others, the distractors are details said nearby (the broken leg, the hill sheep's wool, throwing milk away) that don't answer the exact question.
Question 21
Answer: ARight at the start, after Tim's two problems
What difficulty did both students have setting up their placements?
But finding the right sort of farm to apply to wasn't easy. … No, they don't seem to have websites, do they.
Question says → You hear
contact with suitable farmsfinding the right sort of farm to apply to wasn't easy
Why: Diana says finding the right farm to apply to was hard, and Tim agrees: they don't have websites and he only found his through his mother's friend. That shared problem is getting in touch with suitable farms: A.
The trap: Transport (B) and the length of the placement (C) are Tim's problems only. Diana stayed on the farm, so she had no travel problem.
Question 22
Answer: BWhen Tim talks about the sheep on his farm
What was Tim pleased to help with?
I was up most of one night helping a sheep deliver a lamb … It wasn't a straightforward birth, but I managed.
Question says → You hear
having difficulty giving birthIt wasn't a straightforward birth
Why: 'Not a straightforward birth' means the sheep was having difficulty giving birth, and his 'great feeling' shows he was pleased: B.
The trap: The broken leg (A) was set by the vet, and Tim only watched and listened. The newborn lamb (C) started feeding almost straightaway, so it had no trouble.
Question 23
Answer: BWhen Diana says her farm had Suffolks
What does Diana say about the sheep on her farm?
So were they bred for their meat? … Mostly, yes.
Question says → You hear
reared for their meatbred for their meat? … Mostly, yes
Why: Tim asks if they were bred for meat and Diana says 'Mostly, yes'. Mostly matches mainly, bred matches reared: B.
The trap: Other breeds were kept 'in the past', so A isn't about the sheep now. The sought-after wool belongs to Tim's hill sheep, the Cheviots, and nobody compares quality.
Question 24
Answer: AWhen Tim mentions the vitamins and electrolytes in chicken feed
What did they learn about chicken feed supplements?
he didn't give them as a matter of routine, just at times when the chickens seemed to particularly require them
Question says → You hear
if specially neededjust at times when the chickens seemed to particularly require them
Why: 'Particularly require' means specially need, and 'not as a matter of routine' means only then: A. Tim adds 'mine said the same', so both learned it.
The trap: Price comes up, but both farmers say the cheap and expensive ones are basically the same, the opposite of B. Nobody talks about how much to give at once.
Question 25
Answer: CWhen Tim asks if her farm had any other livestock
What went wrong when Diana worked with the dairy cows?
it had to be put in a separate container. But I got mixed up, and I poured some milk from the wrong cow in with the milk for humans
Why: The treated milk had to go in a separate container and she put it in the wrong one. That is a mistake in storing the milk: C.
The trap: B is close because 'the whole lot had to be thrown away', but that was the result of her mistake, not an accident she made. A is wrong because the problem was where she poured the milk, not which cow was which.
Question 26
Answer: CWhen Tim asks how much his farmer relied on the vet
What did both farmers say about vets?
some of the stuff the vets do, like minor operations, he'd be quite capable of doing himself. … My farmer said the same.
Question says → You hear
could be done by the farmerhe'd be quite capable of doing himself
Why: Tim's farmer says he could do minor operations himself, and Diana says 'My farmer said the same': C.
The trap: A echoes the reports Tim read about livestock health, but his farmer didn't agree with them. Training (B) is never discussed.
Matching (A-F)
Questions 27-30
How to attack this block: Six opinions for four modules, so two are spare. Each opinion names who thinks it (Tim, Diana or both), so note the speaker as well as the feeling. The modules are named clearly, which makes it easy to know where you are.
Question 27
Answer: AThe first module, when Tim names it
What do the students think about Medical terminology?
I thought it'd be hard, but actually I found it all quite straightforward.
Question says → You hear
easier than expectedI thought it'd be hard, but actually I found it all quite straightforward
Why: Tim expected it to be hard and found it straightforward, which is 'easier than expected': A.
The trap: Diana struggled with it, which might suggest D, but there's no mention of reading and Tim didn't find it difficult.
Question 28
Answer: EWhen Diana asks Tim what he thought of the module
What do the students think about Diet and nutrition?
there's such limited checking into whether or not it's contaminated? … I thought that was terrible.
Question says → You hear
Tim was shockedI thought that was terrible
Why: Tim learned how little pet food is checked for contamination and calls it terrible. That's being shocked by something he learned: E.
The trap: 'Limited checking' sounds like F ('how little is known'), but that's about checks on pet food, and only Tim reacts. F belongs to the next module.
Question 29
Answer: FWhen Diana says which module really impressed her
What do the students think about Animal disease?
scientists don't know much about the diseases that affect them. … I thought they'd know a lot about ways of controlling and eradicating those diseases, but that's not the case at all.
Question says → You hear
surprised how little is knownscientists don't know much about the diseases
Why: Diana says scientists don't know much about these diseases, and Tim says he thought they'd know a lot. They're both surprised by the gap in knowledge: F.
The trap: Diana is impressed by this module, which could pull you towards C, but the further study comes up later, with wildlife medication.
Question 30
Answer: CThe last module, right after the oil spills example
What do the students think about Wildlife medication?
I loved the wildlife medication unit. … Yeah, I thought I might write my dissertation on something connected with that.
Question says → You hear
further studyI might write my dissertation on something connected with that
Why: Writing a dissertation on it is further study, and the key gives C, so it's Diana who plans it. One warning: our transcript labels the 'I loved' line as Diana's and the dissertation line as Tim's, which doesn't fit the key. We've reported it. In the test, listen for the dissertation line and who says it.
The trap: Nothing else in the box fits this module. B (not clearly organised) and D (difficult reading) are the two spare options and are never mentioned.
Tim's transport and placement-length problems come first and are his alone. The shared problem is finding a farm: Diana says it wasn't easy, and Tim agrees.
The milk was thrown away, so B looks right. But Diana didn't throw it away by accident: she put milk in the wrong container, which is a storing mistake.
The opinion box names the person, so you have to catch who mentions writing a dissertation, not just that someone does. The key gives C, Diana.
Words from this recording worth keeping
placement(Arranging work experience)
a period of work experience arranged as part of a course
livestock(Tim's farm)
farm animals such as sheep and cows
hardwearing(Breeds of sheep)
strong and lasting a long time
supplements(Chicken feed)
extra things added to food, such as vitamins
overpriced(Chicken feed)
costing more than it is worth
human consumption(The milk shed)
being eaten or drunk by people
contaminated(Diet and nutrition)
made dirty or harmful by something added
eradicating(Animal disease)
getting rid of something completely
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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 3. 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.
