British agriculture: listening answers and explanations
A lecturer gives an introduction to British agriculture before some farm visits. The talk covers how few people now work in farming, why it is so efficient, the different climate, soils and products of the north, east and west, and what holds the farming community together.
Strictly in order: workforce history (31), reasons for efficiency (32-33), then the three regions, north, east and west, each described as climate, land, products and farm size (34-39), and finally the reasons for solidarity (40).
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: Several percentages and dates come in quick succession. Tie each figure to its date: the question asks about the middle of the twentieth century.
Question 31
Answer: AWhen the lecturer goes back through the history of the workforce
What share of the workforce was in farming by the mid twentieth century?
in 1850 that is, it had fallen sharply to 10%, and then to 3% by the middle of the twentieth century
Question says → You hear
By the middle of the twentieth centuryto 3% by the middle of the twentieth century
Why: The figure fell to 10% by 1850 and then to 3% by the middle of the twentieth century. A.
The trap: B, 10%, is the 1850 figure. C, 20%, is agriculture's share of national product, not of the workforce; today only 2% of workers produce it.
Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 32-33
How to attack this block: The first reason is printed, so wait for 'the two other factors'. Each gap is a single noun said right at the end of its phrase.
Question 32
Answer: trainingAfter 'the two other factors I should mention'
What does the workforce have a high level of?
the two other factors I should mention, both very important, are the high level of training amongst the agricultural workforce
Question says → You hear
a high level of ... amongst the workforcethe high level of training amongst the agricultural workforce
Why: The note uses almost the same words. The gap is training.
The trap: 'Planning ahead' is the first reason, already printed in the notes.
Question 33
Answer: technologyThe second of the two other factors, introduced with 'And secondly'
Also accepted: tecknology / teknology
What do farmers invest in?
the recognition by farmers of the value of investing in technology
Question says → You hear
farmers investing inthe value of investing in technology
Why: Farmers see the value of investing in technology. One word, technology; check your spelling.
The trap: Writing 'value' because it's said just before. Farmers invest in technology, not in value.
Table completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER)
Questions 34-39
How to attack this block: The lecturer goes region by region, and each region is described in a slightly different order from the table columns. Keep your eye on the row: north, then east, then west. The west's climate is given as a comparison, so you have to turn it into simple adjectives.
Question 34
Answer: cool and wetWhen the lecturer starts with the north, 'where we are at present'
Also accepted: cool, wet / cool wet / wet and cool
What is the climate like in the north?
The climate up here, and you've already had evidence of this, is generally cool and wet.
Question says → You hear
North: ClimateThe climate up here … is generally cool and wet
Why: The north's climate is generally cool and wet. Three words, exactly the limit.
The trap: Writing only one adjective. Cool alone or wet alone gives half the description.
Question 35
Answer: wool and timberWhen the lecturer describes the typical northern farm
Also accepted: wool, timber / timber and wool
What does the north mainly produce?
the typical farm here in the North is a small, family-run concern, producing mainly wool and timber for the market
Question says → You hear
Main productsproducing mainly wool and timber
Why: 'Producing mainly' leads straight to wool and timber. Write both.
The trap: 'Small, family-run' is said in the same sentence, but it's the typical farm, which is already printed.
Question 36
Answer: fertile soilsWhen the lecturer moves 'over here' to the Eastern region
Also accepted: fertile soil / fertile land / fertile earth / fertile ground
What are the soils like in the east?
the east is flatter and more low-lying, with fertile soils and a mixed climate
Question says → You hear
flat, low-lying, ...flatter and more low-lying, with fertile soils
Why: Flat and low-lying are printed, and the next feature is fertile soils. It goes in the land and soils column.
The trap: 'A mixed climate' comes in the same breath, but the climate column already says mixed.
Question 37
Answer: vegetablesWhen the lecturer says 'As for crops'
Also accepted: vegs / high quality vegetables
What does the east grow besides cereals?
increasingly significant areas are now also given over to high quality vegetables for supply direct to the supermarkets
Question says → You hear
cereals and high quality ...high quality vegetables
Why: The east grows cereals and, increasingly, high quality vegetables for supermarkets. 'High quality' is printed, so the gap is vegetables.
The trap: Supermarkets is the last word of the sentence, but it's where the vegetables go, not what is produced.
Question 38
Answer: warm and wetWhen the lecturer says the west is 'a different story again'
Also accepted: warm, wet / warm wet / wet and warm
What is the climate like in the west?
The climate is warmer than in the north and much wetter than in the east.
Question says → You hear
West: Climatewarmer than in the north and much wetter than in the east
Why: The west is warmer than the north and wetter than the east. In table form, that's warm and wet.
The trap: Copying 'cool and wet' from the north row. The west is described as warmer than the north.
Question 39
Answer: 800After the rich soils and excellent pasture
Also accepted: eight hundred
How big is a typical farm in the west?
the farms there are quite large, typically around 800 hectares
Question says → You hear
around ... hectarestypically around 800 hectares
Why: Farms in the west are typically around 800 hectares. 'Hectares' is printed, so write just 800.
The trap: The 20% and other percentages from earlier are the only other numbers. Make sure the figure goes with hectares.
Multiple choice
Question 40
How to attack this block: Three reasons for solidarity are listed: dealing with powerful groups, training colleges and the Farmers' Union. Only one of them is among the options, and the others borrow words from earlier in the talk.
Question 40
Answer: BNear the end, after 'a strong sense of solidarity'
What reason for farmers' solidarity does the speaker give?
the close co-operation between all the agricultural training colleges, through which the great majority of farmers pass at the beginning of their careers
Question says → You hear
most farmers attend agricultural training collegesthe great majority of farmers pass at the beginning of their careers
Why: Part of the solidarity comes from the training colleges that the great majority of farmers pass through. That's B.
The trap: C, government support: the state helped farmers plan ahead, but that was a reason for efficiency, and government appears here only as a group farmers must stand up to. A, family farms, describes only the north.
The lecturer never says 'warm and wet'. The west is 'warmer than in the north and much wetter than in the east', so you have to boil that down to warm and wet.
Family farms and state support were both mentioned earlier, so they sound familiar. The solidarity section names the training colleges that almost all farmers pass through.
Words from this recording worth keeping
accounts for(The economy)
makes up a certain part of
workforce(The workforce)
all the people who work in a country or industry
low-lying(The east)
close to sea level, not high
fertile(The east)
good for growing crops
cereal(The east)
grain crops such as wheat or barley
pasture(The west)
grassland for animals to feed on
solidarity(Farming community)
support and unity within a group
united front(Farming community)
a group acting together with one view
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The full Cambridge 2 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 2, Test 2, Listening Part 4. 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.
