A woman asks her friend Coleman about the guitar group he has joined. He tells her who runs it, the level, where and when it meets and where to buy a guitar, then walks her through a typical 45-minute lesson.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 2 question blocks
Two blocks, both in order. Questions 1-6 are the practical details of the group; 7-10 follow the lesson from start to finish, one gap per stage. Coleman gives every answer, usually after a question from his friend.
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: A classic Part 1 form: a spelled name, a corrected place and a corrected time. Expect the first detail you hear to be replaced (Gary's home becomes the college, Lock Street becomes New Street, 10.30 becomes 11).
What is the coordinator's surname?
his name's Gary Mathieson. … It's M-A-T-H-I-E-S-O-N.
Why: Coleman spells it out letter by letter, so copy it exactly, with a capital M.
The trap: Spelling, not meaning: Matheson and Mathison are common ways to lose the mark. Count the letters: there's an i after the h.
Also accepted: beginners
What level is the class?
When I first spoke to Gary on the phone, he said it was a class for beginners
Question says → You hear
Why: A class for beginners is beginner level. The key gives beginner.
The trap: Coleman knew 'a few chords', which might make you think he isn't a beginner. The class level is what Gary told him.
Where do they meet now?
they were meeting in Gary's home, but as the group got bigger, he decided to book a room at the college in town
Question says → You hear
Why: The group moved from Gary's home to a room at the college. 'The' is printed, so write only college.
The trap: Gary's home was the old place. It's said first, then replaced.
Which street is the college in?
is it Lock Street? … It's just beyond there at the bottom of New Street near the city roundabout.
Question says → You hear
Why: Coleman corrects her guess: the college is beyond Lock Street, on New Street. Street is printed, so the answer is New.
The trap: Lock Street is the wrong guess. 'Just beyond there' tells you it's a different street.
Also accepted: eleven
What time on Thursday morning do they meet?
It used to be 10.30 and that suited me well, but now we meet at 11.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Now' marks the current time: 11. Write the number; 'eleven' is also accepted.
The trap: 10.30 is the old time. The 30 minutes is just why it changed: another class wanted the room longer.
What is the website called?
There's a website called 'The Perfect Instrument' that sells all kinds of guitars, violins and so on.
Question says → You hear
Why: The form gives 'The Perfect' and you add the last word, instrument.
The trap: Guitar is the word on your mind, but the site sells all kinds of instruments, and its name uses that general word.
How to attack this block: The table follows the lesson minute by minute, and the time for each stage is printed, so use '10 minutes', '15 minutes' and 'the last ten minutes' as signposts. Each gap is one word, often contrasted with something else (an app or by ear, together then alone).
Besides using an app, how do people tune their guitars?
Some people have an app they use, but others do it by ear.
Question says → You hear
Why: The table gives 'an app or by ...', and the recording finishes the phrase: by ear.
The trap: Gary helps them, but that's not a way of tuning. Keep to the word after 'by'.
What is the teacher doing to help them keep time?
we're so bad at keeping time, so Gary starts clapping to help us.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'While the teacher is ...' needs an -ing verb. Gary starts clapping, so the answer is clapping.
The trap: 'Laughing' is also an -ing word nearby, but it's the students who laugh, not the teacher.
What do they often listen to before playing a song?
He often brings a recording of the song and plays it to us first.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Often' and 'of the song' frame the gap in both versions. The word in between is recording.
The trap: Words and chords are mentioned just before, but those are what they play, not what they listen to.
After playing together, how else do they play the tunes?
he sometimes gets us to play one at a time - you know, alone.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'One at a time' is explained with a single word, alone, which fits the one-word limit.
The trap: 'Individually' or 'separately' mean the same but aren't said. 'One at a time' is four words, too many for the gap.
His friend guesses Lock Street, but the college is 'just beyond there at the bottom of New Street'. The note has 'Street' printed, so you only write New.
The class used to start at 10.30. Coleman says 'now we meet at 11', so the old time is the trap.
The gap describes what the teacher is doing while they keep time. Gary 'starts clapping', so the word is clapping, not laughing, which is what the students do.
The full Cambridge 19 Test 2 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 2, Listening Part 1. 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.
