Automation and the future of work: listening answers and explanations
Two students talk about a seminar on automation and the future of work. They give their views on the Luddites who destroyed machines in the 19th century, question some optimistic predictions about work, and comment on how six different jobs have changed or will change.
In order. The Luddites (21-22) come first, then 'The discussion about the future of work' (23-24). 'I enjoyed all that stuff on how technology has changed some jobs' starts 25-30, and the six jobs come in the same order as the list. Both students give answers, often finishing each other's points.
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: Short and early. One opinion is about what the Luddites achieved, the other is about how the students feel about them. 'Industrialisation created more jobs than it destroyed' tells you they were not proved right.
Question 21-22
Answer: A and E (in either order)Right after the opening, when the Luddites are introduced
Which two opinions do the students give about the Luddites?
Yes, and ultimately. they didn't achieve anything. … I can see why the Luddites felt so threatened. … I'm sure I would have felt the same.
Question says → You hear
Their actions were ineffectivethey didn't achieve anything
Their attitude is understandableI can see why the Luddites felt so threatened
Why: A: they 'didn't achieve anything', so their actions were ineffective. E: the young man can see why they felt threatened, and the young woman says she'd have felt the same.
The trap: D is the opposite: industrialisation 'created more jobs than it destroyed', so their fears were proved wrong. Nobody discusses their influence today (B) or criticism of them (C).
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 23-24
How to attack this block: The question asks what they doubt, so listen for 'I can't see how' and 'I'm not so sure'. One prediction they accept ('That's already happening') is a trap.
Question 23-24
Answer: B and D (in either order)After 'The discussion about the future of work was really optimistic'
Which two predictions do the students doubt?
I can't see how people are about to have more leisure time … And what about lower unemployment? I'm not so sure about that,
Question says → You hear
Working hours will be shortermore leisure time / people are spending longer than ever at work
Unemployment will falllower unemployment? I'm not so sure about that
Why: D: he can't see people having more leisure time when they work longer than ever. B: she's 'not so sure' about lower unemployment, and he says not in the foreseeable future.
The trap: C, retiring later, is something they accept: 'That's already happening.' A, more rewarding work, is the robots-doing-boring-tasks idea she likes.
Matching (A-G)
Questions 25-30
How to attack this block: Six jobs, seven comments, one left over. Numbers are everywhere (twenty times, 1 in 287, 25%, 0.2%), but the comments are about the reason or trend behind them, so listen for the explanation after each figure.
Question 25
Answer: GFirst job in the list, 'Like accountants'
What do they say about accountants?
there are more of them than ever. They're still really in demand and have become far more efficient.
Question says → You hear
Both employment and productivity have risenmore of them than ever … far more efficient
Why: More accountants than ever is a rise in employment, and 'far more efficient' is higher productivity: G.
The trap: 'Twenty times more accountants' is a huge increase and might suggest E, but E needs a link to disposable income, which comes with hairdressers.
Question 26
Answer: E'I'd never have thought that demand for hairdressing would have gone up so much'
What do they say about hairdressers?
Yeah because people's earning power has gone up so they can afford to spend more on personal services like that.
Question says → You hear
Higher disposable incomepeople's earning power has gone up
Why: Higher earning power means more money to spend, and that explains the big rise in hairdressers: E.
The trap: F (future rise in demand) is about the future; the hairdressing rise has already happened. They also say technology hasn't changed the job much.
Question 27
Answer: B'The kind of work that administrative staff do has changed enormously'
What do they say about administrative staff?
Really boring compared to these days, when they're given much more responsibility and higher status.
Question says → You hear
more interesting in recent yearsReally boring compared to these days
Why: The old job of dictation and typing was 'really boring' compared with now, when they have more responsibility: B.
The trap: D is tempting because 'a lot of graduates go in for this kind of work now', but that's who does it, not a requirement for more qualifications.
Question 28
Answer: CWhen the young woman mentions the 1871 census
What do they say about agricultural workers?
roughly 25% of the population worked on the land. … Now it's less than 0.2%.
Question says → You hear
fallen dramatically25% … Now it's less than 0.2%
Why: From about 25% to under 0.2% is a dramatic fall in people working in farming: C.
The trap: The young man had assumed more than 50%, which can make you think the surprise is about the past. The comment in the box is about the fall.
Question 29
Answer: F'What about care workers?'
What do they say about care workers?
They barely existed in the 19th century as people's lifespan was so much shorter. But now of course this sector will see huge growth.
Question says → You hear
a significant rise in demandthis sector will see huge growth
Why: 'Will see huge growth' is a prediction of a big rise, and she adds it's hard enough to meet demand now: F.
The trap: 'Barely existed' in the past is not the comment; the point is what's coming.
Question 30
Answer: AThe last job, 'The future looks quite bleak for bank clerks'
What do they say about bank clerks?
The future looks quite bleak for bank clerks. … technology will certainly make most of the jobs they do now redundant
Question says → You hear
likely to be at riskmake most of the jobs they do now redundant
Why: A bleak future and jobs made redundant mean these jobs are at risk: A.
The trap: 'In decline since ATMs' sounds like C, but the dramatic fall in the box has already gone to agricultural workers. The focus here is the future threat.
Hairdresser numbers rose hugely, which also tempts F (rise in demand). The reason given is 'earning power', which is disposable income: E. F is about future growth, and that's care workers.
Bank clerks have been 'in decline', which looks like C. But C is the dramatic fall in farm workers; for bank clerks the point is that technology will make their jobs redundant, so they're at risk.
Words from this recording worth keeping
eye-opener(The seminar)
something that teaches you something surprising
industrialisation(The Luddites)
the growth of factories and industry
threatened(The Luddites)
feeling in danger
repetitive(The future of work)
done again and again in the same way
foreseeable future(The future of work)
the period of time you can predict
earning power(Hairdressers)
how much money people can earn
lifespan(Care workers)
how long a person lives
redundant(Bank clerks)
no longer needed
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The full Cambridge 18 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 18, Test 3, 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.
