Children's Book Festival: listening answers and explanations
On a radio programme, festival organiser Jenny Morgan describes the workshops at this year's children's book festival. She then recommends a favourite book, Alive and Kicking, and gives parents advice on getting children to read more.
All in order. Jenny describes the six workshops in the order printed (11-16), then the presenter's questions bring in the book recommendation (17-18) and the advice for parents (19-20). Every answer comes from Jenny.
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: Eight options for six workshops, so two are never used. Each workshop gets three or four sentences, and the key detail is usually a paraphrase: deaf for disability, role play for drama, gold medal for prize-winning. Watch for words that sound like a wrong option (illustrator, friendship).
Question 11
Answer: CThe first workshop Jenny describes
What do we learn about the Superheroes workshop?
This is a chance for deaf children to share their reading experiences with author Madeleine Gordon, who is herself hearing impaired.
Question says → You hear
aimed at children with a disabilitya chance for deaf children
Why: Deafness is a disability, and the event is specially for deaf children: C.
The trap: The author is named, but nothing says she won a prize. That's the Jump for joy author (B).
Question 12
Answer: DStraight after Superheroes
What do we learn about Just do it?
'Just do it' is a practical workshop led by the well-known illustrator Mark Keane. … with an opportunity for aspiring actors to do some role play.
Question says → You hear
involves a drama activityan opportunity for aspiring actors to do some role play
Why: Role play for 'aspiring actors' is a drama activity: D.
The trap: An illustrator leads it, but nobody draws or paints in the workshop, so A is a word-match trap.
Question 13
Answer: FThe third workshop, on friendship
What do we learn about Count on me?
'Count on me' is an inspiring and entertaining look at the issues of friendship for 13-14-year-olds.
Question says → You hear
aimed at a specific age groupfor 13-14-year-olds
Why: 'For 13-14-year-olds' targets one narrow age range: F.
The trap: Friendship sounds like E (new relationships), but the workshop looks at friendships in books and the children's own, not new ones.
Question 14
Answer: GWhen Jenny moves on to the workshops on mental health
What do we learn about Speak up?
This is a creative writing workshop encouraging children to describe situations where young people experience loneliness.
Question says → You hear
explores an unhappy feelingdescribe situations where young people experience loneliness
Why: Loneliness is an unhappy feeling, and the children write about it: G.
The trap: Families are mentioned, which can suggest relationships (E). The focus is the feeling of being lonely.
Question 15
Answer: BWhen Jenny describes the best-selling story by Nina Karan
What do we learn about Jump for joy?
It recently received the gold medal at the Waterford Awards. Nina will get children to celebrate the word 'joy' by writing a poem.
Question says → You hear
led by a prize-winning authorreceived the gold medal at the Waterford Awards. Nina will get children
Why: Nina's book won a gold medal at an awards event, and she runs the workshop herself: B.
The trap: The story is set in India, which pulls towards H (culture). But the workshop is about a poem on joy, and the culture option belongs to Sticks and stones.
Question 16
Answer: HThe last workshop, before the presenter's next question
What do we learn about Sticks and stones?
a community who organise an African-Caribbean festival to help local children learn about their Jamaican roots
Question says → You hear
raises awareness of a particular culturehelp local children learn about their Jamaican roots
Why: Learning about Jamaican roots through a festival and steel drums raises awareness of a culture: H.
The trap: It's a 'beautifully illustrated picture book', which pulls towards A. But the workshop itself is musical, not painting and drawing.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 17-18
How to attack this block: Jenny talks about the author, the topic, the humour and the drawings. Check each detail against the option: an unknown author rules out B, and black-and-white drawings rule out C.
Question 17-18
Answer: D and E (in either order)When the presenter asks for a favourite book
Which two reasons does Jenny give for recommending Alive and Kicking?
It deals with the serious issue of immigration … Usually, books like this are quite sad, but this one actually made me cry with laughter.
Question says → You hear
It is funnymade me cry with laughter / hilarious
an important topicthe serious issue of immigration
Why: D: it made her 'cry with laughter' and has 'hilarious' drawings. E: it deals with 'the serious issue of immigration'.
The trap: C is the strongest distractor: there are drawings, but they're 'black and white'. B is wrong because 'You won't have heard of the writer'. Boys and girls are never mentioned.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 19-20
How to attack this block: Her advice comes in a list. One option reverses what she says (stop reading aloud) and one mixes up the vocabulary point. Listen for the two things she tells parents to do.
Question 19-20
Answer: B and C (in either order)When the presenter asks how to get children to read more
Which two pieces of advice does Jenny give parents?
If you don't have time for this, then let them listen to audio books. … You can introduce new authors and genres to them. Librarians should be able to help you with this.
Question says → You hear
listen to audio bookslet them listen to audio books
Get recommendations from librariansLibrarians should be able to help you with this
Why: B: she says to let them listen to audio books if you're short of time. C: librarians can help you find new authors and genres, which means asking them for recommendations.
The trap: E reverses her point: she says giving up reading aloud once children read alone 'is a mistake'. A mixes up two ideas: the book has new words in it, but she never says to write vocabulary down.
'Just do it' is led by an illustrator, which pulls you to A (painting and drawing). But the activity is role play for 'aspiring actors', which is drama.
'Count on me' is about friendship, which sounds like E (new relationships). It's actually about friendships in books, compared with the children's own. The useful detail is '13-14-year-olds', a specific age group.
The book has illustrations, but black and white, not colourful. What Jenny praises is that it made her 'cry with laughter' and that it deals with 'the serious issue of immigration'.
Words from this recording worth keeping
hearing impaired(Superheroes)
partly or fully deaf
aspiring(Just do it)
hoping to become something
loneliness(Speak up)
the sad feeling of being alone
heart-warming(Jump for joy)
making you feel happy and kind
roots(Sticks and stones)
where your family originally comes from
hilarious(Alive and Kicking)
extremely funny
distractions(Advice for parents)
things that take your attention away
genre(Advice for parents)
a type of book, such as fantasy or crime
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 19 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 19, 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.
