Elmley volunteer scheme: listening answers and explanations
Steve Wayne Wright from Elmley Town Council talks to new recruits for the town's volunteer scheme. He describes what volunteers do at six different activities, then covers the festivals, what the council looks for in volunteers, the start dates and the annual thank-you event.
All answers come from Steve, in order. Q11-16 follow the six activities in the order printed, one short paragraph each. 'Go on to some practical matters' starts Q17-20: festival sizes, the key requirement, dates and the annual event.
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: Nine roles for six activities, so three are never used. Each activity gets its own short paragraph, and Steve often mentions a role that belongs to someone else (the advertising department, the editors). Ask yourself what the volunteers themselves do in each one.
Question 11
Answer: DThe first activity, volunteers wearing the volunteer t-shirt
What do volunteers do when walking around the town centre?
Tourists often ask how to get to a particular shop and they might also be grateful for recommendations about what to visit.
Question says → You hear
giving advice to visitorsTourists often ask … recommendations about what to visit
Why: Tourists ask for directions and recommendations. Tourists are visitors, and directions plus recommendations are advice, so D.
The trap: 'A particular shop' might make you think of local businesses (C), but the volunteers only tell tourists how to get there.
Question 12
Answer: IWhen Steve says the town holds a large number of concerts
What do volunteers do at concerts?
part of the volunteers' role is to get everyone in the audience to the right place as smoothly as possible
Question says → You hear
helping people find their seatsget everyone in the audience to the right place
Why: Getting the audience to the right place, because people head for the wrong section of the hall, means helping them find their seats: I.
The trap: Tickets are mentioned, which points to F, selling tickets. But the people have already bought tickets. The problem is they don't check them.
Question 13
Answer: HWhen Steve mentions sports clubs and gardeners associations
What do volunteers do with community groups?
Here the volunteers talk about how groups can help each other.
Question says → You hear
encouraging cooperation between local organisationstalk about how groups can help each other
Why: Volunteers talk about how groups can help each other, like one club lending another its coach. That's encouraging cooperation between local organisations: H.
The trap: The writing group wants to hear a talk by a well-known author, which sounds like G, introducing guest speakers. But that's only the example of what a group wants, not the volunteers' role.
Question 14
Answer: EWhen Steve says anyone who lives in the town can send in articles
What do volunteers do for the monthly magazine?
We depend on volunteers though to find out what people think of events they've attended and any suggestions they have for the future.
Question says → You hear
collecting feedback on eventsfind out what people think of events they've attended
Why: Finding out what people think of events they've attended is collecting feedback: E. Volunteers then send a summary to the editors.
The trap: C, contacting local businesses, is the strongest distractor: the magazine is paid for by local businesses. But that is 'the responsibility of the council's advertising department'. The 'though' signals the switch to the volunteers' job.
Question 15
Answer: AWhen Steve talks about clubs for retired people
What do volunteers do at the lunches for retired people?
some volunteers put on a show, usually around half an hour of songs and short plays
Question says → You hear
providing entertainmentput on a show … songs and short plays
Why: Putting on a show of songs and short plays is providing entertainment: A.
The trap: Volunteers also welcome the guests and chat to members, but neither is in the box. Don't let 'welcome' pull you towards G, introducing speakers.
Question 16
Answer: BThe last activity, when Steve says the council has a website
How do volunteers help with the website?
volunteers are asked to help by making sure residents know about it
Question says → You hear
providing publicity about a council servicemaking sure residents know about it
Why: The website is a council service, and making sure residents know about it is publicity: B.
The trap: 'Updated every day with information about future activities' could make you think volunteers write the content. They only spread the word.
Multiple choice
Questions 17-20
How to attack this block: Classic number and list traps. All three festivals, all three dates and all three events are named. Track the comparison words ('more', 'even more', 'essential') and the time words ('in recent years', 'last year', 'forthcoming').
Question 17
Answer: BAfter 'Go on to some practical matters', when Steve describes the three festivals
Which festival needs the most volunteers?
More are needed for the music festival because that lasts a whole week and even more help is required for the science festival even though it's only two days long.
Question says → You hear
requires the largest number of volunteerseven more help is required for the science festival
Why: The book festival needs several venues' worth, the music festival needs more, and the science festival needs 'even more'. That's the largest number: B.
The trap: The music festival is the longest, a whole week, so it sounds the biggest. But 'even more' for science beats it, because science uses lots of venues.
Question 18
Answer: AWhen Steve talks about helping at the festival you're most interested in
What is the most important thing for festival volunteers?
What's essential though is being able to get on well with other people and also to deal with someone who's behaving badly
Question says → You hear
the most important requirementWhat's essential
interpersonal skillsget on well with other people
Why: 'Essential' signals the most important requirement, and getting on with people and dealing with bad behaviour are interpersonal skills: A.
The trap: Flexibility (C) is something they 'try to use' because of weather changes, and interest (B) is a good idea because you get free entry. Neither is called essential.
Question 19
Answer: BWhen Steve says 'Our plan is to get your work in in September'
When do new volunteers actually start working?
after a week's training starting on the 2nd. So, we'll be timetabling you for duties the following week from the 9th onward.
Question says → You hear
start working in the week beginningtimetabling you for duties the following week from the 9th onward
Why: The week of the 2nd is training. Real duties start the following week, from the 9th: B.
The trap: The 2nd is said first, but that's training, not work. The 23rd is a chat about how they feel, later in the month.
Question 20
Answer: AWhen Steve says 'As a thank you to the volunteers'
What is the next thank-you event for volunteers?
In recent years, we've had a party in the town hall and last year a barbecue in Chamber Park. Our forthcoming event is a trip along the canal
Question says → You hear
the next annual eventOur forthcoming event
a boat tripa trip along the canal
Why: 'Forthcoming' means the next one, and a trip along the canal is a boat trip: A.
The trap: The party and the barbecue are named first, but they're past events ('in recent years', 'last year').
The magazine paragraph mentions local businesses and advertising, which lines up with option C. But that's the advertising department's job. Volunteers find out what people think of events, which is collecting feedback.
The music festival is the longest and 'more' volunteers are needed for it. Then Steve says 'even more help is required for the science festival', even though it's only two days.
Interest and flexibility are both mentioned as things that help. Only getting on with other people is called 'essential', which is the most important requirement.
Words from this recording worth keeping
sense of community(Introduction)
a feeling that people belong together
residents(Activities)
people who live in a place
the responsibility of(The magazine)
the job or duty of
venues(Festivals)
places where events are held
flexible(Festivals)
able to change plans easily
at short notice(Festivals)
with very little warning
timetabling(Start dates)
putting into a schedule
forthcoming(Annual event)
happening soon
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The full Cambridge 20 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 20, Test 2, 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.
