One-day classes at Steynford College: listening answers and explanations
A woman phones Steynford College to ask about its one-day classes after losing the leaflet. The registration officer goes through six classes, from Vietnamese cooking to DIY, giving dates, prices and what each one involves.
One table, row by row, in the order of the call: Vietnamese food, bread making, face massage, candle making, silk painting, DIY. The woman names each class before the man gives the details, so her question is your signal to move down a row. Almost every answer comes from the man.
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.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 1-10 · Table completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
How to attack this block: Numbers and dates carry half the marks, and most of them get corrected or come with a second figure nearby. Write what the man finally confirms, and use digits. For the notes column, read the words before each gap so you know whether you need a country, an object or an adjective.
Question 1
Answer: 13 JanuaryWhen the woman says which class she remembers first
Also accepted: 13th January / the 13th of January / 13th of January / 13.01 / 13.1
When is the Vietnamese food class?
I think that was on the 13th of January. It cost about 60 pounds. … Yes, you're right about the date, but it's 59 pounds actually.
Question says → You hear
Dateyou're right about the date
Why: The woman gives the date and the man confirms it: 'you're right about the date'. Write 13 January.
The trap: He corrects the price, not the date. Don't let the correction make you doubt the date: it's the 60 pounds that becomes 59, and that's already in the table.
Question 2
Answer: 48When the woman asks 'How much is it?' about bread making
Also accepted: forty-eight
How much does the bread making class cost?
The actual cost is £48 but then there's an extra charge as well as that for the ingredients - I'm not sure how much that is, no more than twenty pounds I think.
Question says → You hear
There is also an extra charge for ingredientsthere's an extra charge as well as that for the ingredients
Why: 'The actual cost is £48' is the class price. The £ sign is printed, so write just 48.
The trap: Twenty pounds is the most the ingredients might cost, and the table covers that separately in the notes column.
Question 3
Answer: pizzaWhen she asks what they make in the class
What do they make besides white bread and sourdough?
I think they make white bread and then they make sourdough, that seems to be very fashionable at present, and they learn how to make pizza
Question says → You hear
white bread, sourdough andwhite bread … sourdough … and they learn how to make pizza
Why: The list in the table follows the order he says them: white bread, sourdough, then pizza.
The trap: Sourdough comes with a long comment about being fashionable, which can make you think it's the answer. It's already printed.
Question 4
Answer: IndiaWhen the man describes the face massage teacher
Where did the face massage teacher train?
the type of massage done is a traditional technique used in India and she actually did her training there
Question says → You hear
The teacher trained inshe actually did her training there
Why: 'There' refers back to India, so she trained in India. Use a capital I.
The trap: If you stop at 'traditional technique', you might think the gap is about the type of massage. The training is in the next clause.
Question 5
Answer: mirrorEnd of the face massage details
What must you bring to the face massage class?
You practise it on yourself so you have to take a mirror to the class, so you can see what you're doing.
Question says → You hear
Bring ayou have to take a mirror to the class
Why: 'Have to take' is the instruction to bring something, and it's a mirror, so you can see your own face.
The trap: Lines and wrinkles come just before, but they're what the massage gets rid of, not something to bring.
Question 6
Answer: 6 AprilWhen the man checks the candle class date
Also accepted: 6th April / the 6th of April / 06.04 / 6.4
When is the candle making class?
Let me check... yes, it's on the 6th. It was on the 23rd of January but they had to change the date.
Question says → You hear
DateYes that's sometime in April … yes, it's on the 6th
Why: He says April, checks, and confirms the 6th. The 23rd of January was the old date before it was changed. Write 6 April.
The trap: 23 January is said after the real date, and it sounds definite. 'It was ... but they had to change the date' tells you it's no longer right.
Question 7
Answer: naturalRight after the price of £52
What kind of ingredients are used for the candles?
I think one reason why people like it is because the candles are all made out of natural products.
Question says → You hear
Only ... ingredients are usedthe candles are all made out of natural products
Why: 'All made out of natural products' becomes 'only natural ingredients'. The gap needs an adjective before 'ingredients'.
The trap: Popular is said twice nearby, but popular ingredients makes no sense. The presents comment comes after and is already in the table.
Question 8
Answer: 67.50End of the silk painting description
Also accepted: sixty-seven fifty
How much does the silk painting class cost?
It's £67.50, which is really good value I think - there's a similar class I've seen that was £110.
Question says → You hear
Cost £It's £67.50
Why: £67.50 is this class. Write 67.50 with the decimal point; the £ is printed.
The trap: £110 comes straight after, but it's a similar class he's seen elsewhere, used only to show this one is good value.
Question 9
Answer: shirtWhen the woman asks if she needs to bring the silk
What can you bring instead of an apron?
everyone has to bring something to protect their clothing, like an apron if you've got one, or a shirt that you don't use any more
Question says → You hear
an apron or oldan apron … or a shirt that you don't use any more
Why: 'A shirt that you don't use any more' is an old shirt. The gap follows 'old', so you need the noun: shirt.
The trap: Silk is what she asks about, but she doesn't need to bring it. Clothes is the thing you're protecting, not what you bring.
Question 10
Answer: hammerWhen the woman reacts to the DIY tools
Which tool do you learn to use besides a drill and a saw?
I even need to learn how to use a hammer because I always end up hitting my fingers. … Yes, you'll do that too.
Question says → You hear
drill, saw andhow to use a hammer … Yes, you'll do that too
Why: The woman brings up the hammer and the man confirms it's covered. That completes the list of tools.
The trap: Shelf comes next, but putting up a shelf is already printed as the practical job.
Two prices: the class is £48, then there's an extra charge for ingredients of up to twenty pounds. The table already mentions the extra charge, so the gap is 48.
£67.50 and £110 are both said. The £110 is a similar class somewhere else, so only 67.50 belongs here.
Words from this recording worth keeping
leaflet(Start of the call)
a printed sheet with information
waiting list(Vietnamese food)
a list of people waiting for a place to become free
ingredients(Bread making)
the foods that go into a recipe
wrinkles(Face massage)
lines on the skin that come with age
filling up fast(Candle making)
quickly running out of places
dyes(Silk painting)
substances used to colour fabric
stain(Silk painting)
leave a mark that is hard to remove
household repairs(DIY for beginners)
fixing things around the home
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The full Cambridge 21 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 21, 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.
The rest of Cambridge 21 Test 2 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereOne-day classes at Steynford College
