Starting a street food business: listening answers and explanations
Jon, who runs a vegan street food van called Veg Out, gives a talk to people thinking of starting their own street food business. He explains why street food is popular, where to sell, how to equip and plan your product, and the problems four other businesses ran into.
Everything is in order. 11-12: why street food is popular. 13-14: 'the best place to sell'. 15: equipment. 16: your product. Then 'be prepared for things to go wrong' leads into four short stories, one business each, for 17-20.
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: Jon compares street food with fast food, so some options describe fast food, not street food. Ask yourself which side of the comparison each word belongs to.
Question 11-12
Answer: C and E (in either order)When Jon says 'I think there are a couple of reasons for this'
Which two reasons for street food's popularity does Jon give?
People like the idea of trying something they can't get anywhere else. They also like seeing food prepared in front of them and which hasn't come straight out of a freezer.
Question says → You hear
unusual foodtrying something they can't get anywhere else
freshly madeseeing food prepared in front of them … hasn't come straight out of a freezer
Why: E: something you 'can't get anywhere else' is unusual food. C: food made in front of you and not from a freezer is freshly made.
The trap: A and D are traps: 'fast food is cheap and easy to find' describes fast food, the thing street food is a reaction against. Locally sourced (B) isn't mentioned.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 13-14
How to attack this block: All five places are mentioned in one paragraph. The question asks which are recommended for NEW businesses, so watch for the 'but', the cost and the 'once you get established' that rule places out.
Question 13-14
Answer: B and E (in either order)When he says 'You need to think about the best place to sell'
Which two places does Jon recommend for a new business?
Food markets, on the other hand, are great because customers are always really interested in food … And if you can get a spot in your local park - fantastic.
Question says → You hear
food marketsFood markets, on the other hand, are great
parksa spot in your local park - fantastic
Why: B: food markets are 'great' with interested customers. E: a spot in the local park is 'fantastic', relaxed with lots of people passing.
The trap: Music festivals (A) are the obvious choice people make, but the rent is huge and there's lots of competition. Parties (D) and weddings (C) come 'once you get established'.
Multiple choice
Questions 15-16
How to attack this block: Two short paragraphs, one question each. In each, Jon mentions the ideas behind the other options before or after his real advice, so wait for 'I'd try to' and 'there's one thing people don't always think about'.
Question 15
Answer: BWhen he says setting up costs less than opening a restaurant
What does Jon say about getting equipment?
I'd try to get things like hobs and fridges second hand if you can. … Renting is another option but you'll end up spending more money rather than saving it.
Question says → You hear
second-hand equipmentget things like hobs and fridges second hand
Why: 'I'd try to get ... second hand' is his recommendation, so B.
The trap: C is the opposite of what he says: renting ends up costing more. Better quality equipment (A) is only for later, 'if your business takes off'.
Question 16
Answer: CWhen he says 'there's one thing people don't always think about'
What advice does he give about your product?
that's how you're going to serve it. … It's got to be easy to eat and look attractive or customers won't come back.
Question says → You hear
The presentation is an important factorhow you're going to serve it … look attractive
Why: How you serve the food, and that it must look attractive, is presentation, C. 'Customers won't come back' shows it matters.
The trap: Allergies and checking if others sell something similar are mentioned first, but as things you've 'probably' already done, not his key advice.
Matching (A-F)
Questions 17-20
How to attack this block: Each business gets its own short story, and the business name is said first. Six problems for four businesses, so two are not used. The problem is usually summed up in the last sentence of each story.
Question 17
Answer: FFirst story, after 'here are a few examples'
What problem did Thai Basil have?
Their work-life balance was non-existent as they were working till midnight in the restaurant all week and then took their food truck to markets on their days off.
Question says → You hear
worked very long hoursworking till midnight in the restaurant all week … on their days off
Why: Working till midnight all week and on days off means very long hours, F.
The trap: Markets come up again here, but nothing suggests a competitor. The restaurant is their day job, not a rival.
Question 18
Answer: ASecond story
What problem did Basque have?
The owners of Basque found it was hard to make a profit because the price of fish - essential for some of their dishes - was so high.
Question says → You hear
Some ingredients were too expensivethe price of fish … was so high
Why: Fish is an ingredient, and its price was 'so high' that they couldn't make a profit. That's A.
The trap: 'Hard to make a profit' might suggest they had no money for marketing (C), but marketing isn't mentioned.
Question 19
Answer: BThird story, about salads made to order
What problem did Lou's kitchen have?
some of their dishes were quite complicated. At one of their first events they ended up with people standing in a long queue for more than 15 minutes
Question says → You hear
The meals took a long time to preparedishes were quite complicated … a long queue for more than 15 minutes
Why: Complicated dishes made to order meant long queues, so the meals took too long to prepare, B.
The trap: Customers losing patience might sound like a marketing or competition issue, but the cause is preparation time.
Question 20
Answer: DLast story, about the venue near a beach
What problem did Chip Chop have?
But what they hadn't realised was that they'd need a special licence … It was a complicated process and in the end they gave up.
Question says → You hear
difficult to get a permitthey'd need a special licence … It was a complicated process
Why: A licence is a permit, and the process was so complicated they gave up. That's D.
The trap: E is the trap: Jon says there 'weren't any other street food trucks' there, so there was no competitor.
Allergies and checking what others sell (A and B) come first and sound like advice. The thing Jon stresses is how you serve it: it has to look attractive.
Words from this recording worth keeping
converted van(Introduction)
a van changed to be used for a new purpose
a reaction against(Why street food is popular)
a move away from something people dislike
competition(Where to sell)
other businesses selling the same thing
established(Where to sell)
successful and known for some time
takes off(Equipment)
suddenly becomes successful
juggling(Problems)
trying to manage two or more things at once
work-life balance(Problems)
the split between time for work and time for yourself
licence(Problems)
official permission to do something
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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.
Cambridge IELTS 21, Test 3, 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.
