Sustainable fashion: listening answers and explanations
Two students, Maddy and Ryan, compare notes for a project on sustainable fashion. They discuss how the words 'ethical' and 'sustainable' are used, the arguments about wool, and then six semi-synthetic and natural fabrics.
21-22 come from the opening discussion of the terms, 23-24 from the wool section ('the debates surrounding wool production'). Ryan's 'Shall we talk about some of the semi-synthetic new fabrics now?' starts 25-30, which follow the list order: Lyocell, Cupro, bamboo, EcoVero, cork, hemp.
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: Both speakers share a view here, so listen for agreement. The answers are paraphrased: 'use these terms interchangeably' and 'deliberately vague' are the keys.
Question 21-22
Answer: B and D (in either order)The opening discussion, after Ryan mentions ethical fashion
Which two points do the students make about the terms 'ethical' and 'sustainable'?
most people use these terms interchangeably … And the way companies use these terms when describing their products doesn't help. They're often deliberately vague
Question says → You hear
People think they mean the same thingmost people use these terms interchangeably
often used impreciselyThey're often deliberately vague
Why: B: using terms 'interchangeably' means treating them as the same. D: companies are 'deliberately vague' with them, which is imprecise use.
The trap: C is the trap: 'eco-friendly' is mentioned, but Ryan calls it 'quite meaningless', the opposite of preferable. Companies are criticised, but no one says they should stop using the terms (E).
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 23-24
How to attack this block: This asks what they DISAGREE with, so listen for doubt: 'I wasn't convinced' and 'I couldn't find any evidence'. Several claims are mentioned and accepted ('All very positive'), and those are the wrong answers.
Question 23-24
Answer: D and E (in either order)When Maddy brings up the debates about wool production
Which two claims about wool do the students reject?
But I wasn't convinced by the argument that wool production is sustainable because it doesn't use many chemicals … I couldn't find any evidence for the claim about sheep farming being better for the environment than cattle farming.
Question says → You hear
involves few chemicalsit doesn't use many chemicals
less environmental damage than other livestocksheep farming being better for the environment than cattle farming
Why: D: Ryan isn't convinced about few chemicals and points to fungicides and insecticides. E: Maddy finds no evidence that sheep are better than cattle, and Ryan says 'they're both really bad'.
The trap: B and C are accepted: lasting a long time and being recyclable are 'All very positive'. A is tempting because shearing is debated, but both say it's fine.
Matching (A-H)
Questions 25-30
How to attack this block: Eight comments for six fabrics, so two aren't used. Each fabric is named first, then described. The comments are paraphrased, for example 'used again' for reused and 'half as much energy' for fuel efficient.
Question 25
Answer: GWhen Ryan says 'Let's start with Lyocell'
What do they say about Lyocell?
Over 99% of dissolving agents used in the manufacturing process are used again.
Question says → You hear
Chemicals required for production can be reuseddissolving agents used in the manufacturing process are used again
Why: Dissolving agents are chemicals, and 'used again' means reused. That's G.
The trap: Eucalyptus trees are a natural source, which can pull you to H. But the point they praise is the reuse of chemicals.
Question 26
Answer: BWhen Maddy mentions fabrics she'd never heard of
What do they say about Cupro?
there are so many reports of pollution caused by the manufacturing process. … It doesn't compare favourably with all the other sustainable fabrics we've looked at
Question says → You hear
the least sustainable of alternative fabricsdoesn't compare favourably with all the other sustainable fabrics
Why: Worse than all the other sustainable fabrics they looked at means the least sustainable, B.
The trap: 'Pollution caused by the manufacturing process' might suggest F (needs a certain production method). But F is bamboo; for Cupro the comparison with every other fabric is the point.
Question 27
Answer: FWhen Ryan says bamboo is one we're all familiar with
What do they say about bamboo?
But I didn't know that it was only organic bamboo that's truly sustainable.
Question says → You hear
needs to be produced in a certain wayonly organic bamboo that's truly sustainable
Why: Only organic bamboo is sustainable, so it has to be produced a particular way, F.
The trap: Maddy says much bamboo production is 'chemically quite intensive', which can sound like G (chemicals). But nothing is reused; it's a warning, not a benefit.
Question 28
Answer: AWhen Ryan calls EcoVero really popular
What do they say about EcoVero?
manufacturing causes 50 percent fewer emissions and takes up half as much energy as conventional fabrics
Question says → You hear
fuel efficienttakes up half as much energy
Why: Using half as much energy in manufacturing means the production process is fuel efficient, A.
The trap: C is the trap: Maddy says it 'saves production costs', so costs are low, not high.
Question 29
Answer: HWhen Ryan says demand for cork will keep growing
What do they say about cork?
it's the only fabric that's fundamentally sustainable … There are no downsides to using this source at all.
Question says → You hear
from a wholly sustainable sourcethe only fabric that's fundamentally sustainable … no downsides to using this source at all
Why: 'Fundamentally sustainable' and 'no downsides at all' match 'wholly sustainable source', H.
The trap: It's renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, which may make you think of reuse (G). But G is about chemicals, and cork's point is the whole source.
Question 30
Answer: DThe last fabric, from a natural source
What do they say about hemp?
Did you know that clothes made from hemp protect the wearer from the sun and it's also antibacterial?
Question says → You hear
additional health benefitsprotect the wearer from the sun and it's also antibacterial
Why: Sun protection and being antibacterial are health benefits on top of being sustainable, D.
The trap: Ryan says hemp is 'quite hard to grow', which might suggest high production costs (C). But costs aren't mentioned, and it isn't the comment that matches.
Shearing sheep comes up as an ethical worry, which makes 'well-treated' (A) look like a disagreement. But both students say it's fine if the sheep are in good condition, so they don't disagree with it.
Cork is called 'the only fabric that's fundamentally sustainable' with 'no downsides'. That's a wholly sustainable source, H, not just a fabric with extra benefits.
Words from this recording worth keeping
interchangeably(Ethical and sustainable)
in place of each other, as if they meant the same
deliberately vague(Ethical and sustainable)
unclear on purpose
fungicides(Wool production)
chemicals that kill fungus
shear(Wool production)
cut the wool off a sheep
byproducts(Cupro)
things produced while making something else
emissions(EcoVero)
gases released into the air
biodegradable(Cork)
able to break down naturally
antibacterial(Hemp)
killing or stopping bacteria
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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 3. 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.
