Tammy asks her friend Paul about the ferry he took to the Shetland Islands last year. He tells her about the ferry company, sailings, prices and cancellations, then gives tips on cabins, the children, the dog and a castle to visit before you sail.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 1 question block
One ten-gap note block in order. 1-4 are facts about the ferry; the 'Advice' heading starts when Paul says 'You'd want to book a cabin too'. All the answers come from Paul, usually in reply to a short question from Tammy.
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 friendly chat with lots of extras, so use Tammy's questions as signposts (How frequent? How much? What if I had to cancel?). Several gaps are names that become part of a title, Northern Ferries and Drum Castle, so write only the missing word and use a capital.
What is the ferry company called?
There's only one - it's called Northern Ferries. The ferries all leave from Aberdeen.
Question says → You hear
Why: The note already has 'Ferries', so you only write Northern, with a capital N.
The trap: Aberdeen comes straight after, but that's where the ferries leave from, not the company's name.
How often do ferries sail in summer?
there's only one ferry leaving every evening in summer anyway, seven days a week
Question says → You hear
Why: One ferry every evening, seven days a week, is seven times per week. The note supplies 'seven times', so the gap is week.
The trap: Evening fits after 'per' only if you misread the number. Winter is mentioned too, with four or five days, but the note asks about summer.
Also accepted: two hundred and fifty
What was the price for four people and a car?
four people and a car worked out at just under £250. … Really? I was expecting it to be more like £400
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Just under' matches 'a little less than'. The £ is printed, so write 250.
The trap: £400 is Tammy's expectation for peak season, not the real price.
What do you get if you cancel a month ahead?
I don't think it's their policy to give refunds - just a voucher - which you can use at a later date. But you have to cancel a month in advance to get that.
Question says → You hear
Why: No refunds, 'just a voucher', and only if you cancel a month in advance. The gap follows 'a', so voucher.
The trap: Refunds is the word you expect in a cancellation policy, but Paul says they don't give them.
What kind of cabin does he recommend booking?
We booked too late to get a cabin with a window. They're more expensive but much nicer than the inner cabins.
Question says → You hear
Why: Window cabins are 'much nicer', so that's his advice, even though he missed out himself.
The trap: TV belongs to the luxury cabins, which are already in the note and which he wouldn't bother with.
What should you bring for the children besides snacks?
What about wifi on board? Is that any good? … Not really. So it's best to bring some books for them.
Question says → You hear
Why: The wifi isn't good, so bring books to keep the children busy. Write the plural.
The trap: Wifi is the word in Tammy's question, but Paul says it's no good, so it's the reason for the advice, not the answer.
What do you need to provide for the dog kennels?
The kennels on board are OK - they're quite big - you just need to provide a blanket.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Need to provide' matches 'is required', and the item is a blanket.
The trap: 'Quite big' describes the kennels, not something you bring.
What should you look out for in the morning?
in the morning keeping a lookout for dolphins - we saw loads
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Keeping a lookout for' is trying to see. Plural, dolphins, since 'we saw loads'.
The trap: The sea at night comes just before, but that's what the kids enjoyed, not something to see.
Which castle is worth visiting if you have time?
Drum Castle. … Is that spelt like the instrument? … Yeah.
Question says → You hear
Why: The castle is Drum, spelt like the musical instrument, as Tammy checks. Write Drum with a capital D.
The trap: Spelling is the danger. Tammy's question confirms it's the ordinary word drum, not a different spelling.
What kind of restaurant in a nearby village does Paul recommend?
It's only got a coffee shop - no restaurant. We looked up restaurants in the area and found an Italian one in a village nearby.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'An Italian one in a village nearby' matches the note. Italian needs a capital I.
The trap: The coffee shop is at the castle, and the castle has no restaurant. The recommended one is the Italian place.
'Every evening' and 'seven days a week' must be turned into 'seven times per ...'. The gap is week. Evening is the word people hear and write.
Two prices: Paul's 'just under £250' and Tammy's guess of £400. The note's 'a little less than' matches 'just under', so 250.
Paul didn't get a cabin with a window, and he dismisses the luxury cabins. The advice comes from what he says is nicer: book a window cabin.
The full Cambridge 21 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.
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