Careers in the fashion industry: listening answers and explanations
Two first-year fashion students, Hugo and Chantal, talk about a careers talk they have just heard. They discuss the job market, their school careers advice and their own plans, then the speaker's first job as a personal dresser and what working in retail can teach a designer.
Everything comes in order. Questions 21-26 follow the talk itself, then their school, then their future. 'I thought the speaker's account of her first job was fascinating' starts 27-28, and 'took that job in retail' leads into 29-30. Watch who agrees and who disagrees: 25 and 26 hinge on it.
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: Each question is a short exchange between Hugo and Chantal. Words from the wrong options are often said and then rejected ('It wasn't that', 'we know it's a tough industry'). For 23 and 25, check whether both speakers share the view or only one.
Question 21
Answer: AThe opening lines, when she says it was good 'once I'd moved seats'
What went wrong for Chantal at the beginning of the talk?
It wasn't that. I went early so that I'd get a seat and not have to stand, but then this guy sat right in front of me and he was so tall!
Question says → You hear
view of the speaker was blockedsat right in front of me and he was so tall
Why: A tall man sat directly in front of her, and Hugo adds that it's 'hard to see through people's heads'. Her view was blocked: A.
The trap: Hugo guesses that people were chatting (C) and she replies 'It wasn't that.' She went early and did get a seat, so B is wrong too.
Question 22
Answer: BWhen Chantal mentions what the speaker said about the job market
What surprised them about the job market?
there's a whole range of... areas of work that we hadn't even thought of … I wasn't expecting so many career options.
Question says → You hear
more variety in it than they had realisedareas of work that we hadn't even thought of
Why: Hugo is surprised by areas they 'hadn't even thought of', and Chantal 'wasn't expecting so many career options'. Both point to variety: B.
The trap: Competition (A) is mentioned first, but as something 'obvious' they already knew, so it isn't a surprise. They never compare it with the past.
Question 23
Answer: AAfter Hugo says 'she had quite a strong message'
What do they both think about the speaker's message?
It was a bit harsh, though! We know it's a tough industry. … Yeah - and we're only first years, after all.
Question says → You hear
unfair to them at timesIt was a bit harsh, though
Why: Chantal calls it 'a bit harsh' and Hugo agrees, adding that they're only first years. They feel she was unfair to them: A.
The trap: C sounds right because 'tough industry' is said, but the speaker was criticising students' ideas, not the industry. Nothing suggests the talk was hard to follow (B).
Question 24
Answer: CWhen Chantal asks if school should have been more career-focused
What was wrong with their careers advice at school?
They could have asked more people like today's speaker to talk to us. … but not by the experts who really know stuff.
Question says → You hear
who gave the advicenot by the experts who really know stuff
Why: Both want the advice to have come from experts like today's speaker. Their complaint is about who gave it: C.
The trap: They had 'numerous talks', so quantity (B) wasn't the problem, and they were told 'just when we needed to be', so timing (A) was fine.
Question 25
Answer: BWhen Hugo asks if the talk changed her career plans
What do they disagree about regarding their futures?
I'd go through this course and keep an open mind till the end. … I think it's better to pick an area of the industry now … we'll just have to differ on that issue!
Question says → You hear
disagree onwe'll just have to differ
when to choosekeep an open mind till the end / pick an area of the industry now
Why: Chantal wants to wait until the end of the course; Hugo wants to choose now. They disagree about timing: B.
The trap: Neither of them names a best career (A) or explains why they want to work in fashion (C). 'Pick an area' sounds like choosing which career, but the point is when.
Question 26
Answer: A'One thing's for certain, though'
How does Hugo feel about working unpaid?
we'll be unpaid assistants in the industry for quite a long time. … I'm prepared for that, aren't you?
Question says → You hear
realistic about the practiceI'm prepared for that
Why: Hugo accepts it as a fact and says he's prepared for it. That's a realistic attitude: A.
The trap: Chantal is the one who refuses to accept it, so don't let her view decide Hugo's. 'Everyone else says the same' means others agree it's true, not that they want to change it (C).
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 27-28
How to attack this block: The two mistakes come close together in the story of the musician. One is the client's criticism that Chantal says was fair; the other is something the speaker says she should have hidden.
Question 27-28
Answer: B and E (in either order)From 'I thought the speaker's account of her first job was fascinating'
Which two mistakes did the speaker admit to in her first job?
telling her she was more interested in her own appearance than his! … she did realise he was right about that … she should have hidden her negative feelings about him, but she didn't.
Question says → You hear
how she lookedher own appearance
openly disliking her clientshould have hidden her negative feelings about him
Why: B: the musician said she cared more about her own appearance, and she accepted he was right. E: she says she should have hidden her negative feelings about him but didn't, so she showed her dislike openly.
The trap: D, money, is ruled out: she was looking for experience, 'not financial reward'. A is close to the opposite: her mistake was being too open, not dishonest.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 29-30
How to attack this block: Chantal suggests one idea that Hugo rejects, then Hugo suggests two that they both like. Only the ones both students accept count.
Question 29-30
Answer: A and C (in either order)After Hugo says 'Fancy working in a shop after that!'
Which two kinds of shop information do both students find useful?
it would be useful to know if there's a gap in the market … an item that no one's stocking but that consumers are looking for. … garments sold there were being returned … it would be good to know that kind of thing.
Question says → You hear
designs people want but can't findan item that no one's stocking but that consumers are looking for
reasons people return fashion itemsgarments sold there were being returned
Why: C: a 'gap in the market' is something people look for but no shop stocks, and Chantal agrees people don't give up searching. A: Hugo's example of clothes returned because they fall apart, and Chantal says it would be good to know.
The trap: E is Chantal's idea about 'how big or small the average shopper is', but Hugo says that's an issue for manufacturers, not designers. They don't agree, so it doesn't count.
'We know it's a tough industry' sounds like C, but that's the students saying they already know. Their shared view is that the speaker was 'a bit harsh' on them: A.
Sizes (E) is Chantal's first idea, and many people pick it. Hugo says it's an issue for manufacturers, so they don't agree on it.
Words from this recording worth keeping
competitive field(The job market)
an area of work where many people fight for few jobs
narrow-minded(The speaker's message)
not willing to consider other ideas
harsh(The speaker's message)
too severe or unkind
inspiring(School careers advice)
making you want to do something
keep an open mind(Their future)
wait before deciding and stay ready to consider options
financial reward(The speaker's first job)
money you earn for doing something
gap in the market(Working in retail)
a product people want that nobody sells yet
garments(Working in retail)
items of clothing
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The full Cambridge 18 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 18, 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.
