Birth statistics: listening answers and explanations
Sarah tells her colleague John that their friend Susan has had a baby boy. John notes the baby's details for everyone at work, then they arrange to visit Susan in hospital and decide what presents to buy and where.
Three blocks, in order. 1-2 are the baby's weight and length near the start. 3-5 come when Sarah checks John's address. 6-10 come in the long discussion about presents, with the price at the very end.
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 1-2 · Form completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Form completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 1-2
How to attack this block: Two measurements, each said once and then repeated. The units (kgs, cms) are printed, so you only need the numbers. A fraction is safest written as a decimal: 4.25.
Question 1
Answer: 4.25When Sarah says he's quite a big baby
Also accepted: 4 1/4 / four and a quarter / four and quarter
How much did the baby weigh?
He weighed four and a quarter kilos when he was born. That does sound big, four and a quarter kilos.
Question says → You hear
Weight ... kgsHe weighed four and a quarter kilos
Why: Four and a quarter kilos is 4.25. Kgs is printed, so the number is enough. The words or 4 1/4 are also accepted.
The trap: The tenth of August is said first, but that's the date of birth, already on the form.
Question 2
Answer: 46Straight after the weight
Also accepted: forty-six / forty six
How long was the baby?
And he's long too, forty-six centimetres.
Question says → You hear
Length ... cmsforty-six centimetres
Why: The length is forty-six centimetres. Cms is printed, so write 46.
The trap: John then jokes that he'll grow to over two metres. That's a guess about the future, not his length now.
Map labelling (A-E)
Questions 3-5
How to attack this block: Everything is placed in relation to John's house on Chesterfield Road. Find his house on the map first, then listen for 'next to', 'opposite' and 'on the corner'. Sarah gets one detail wrong and John corrects her.
Question 3
Answer: AWhen Sarah asks if John's house is next to the library
Which building is number 3 on the map?
Not exactly. It's next to a bank. The State Bank actually.
Question says → You hear
Building 3It's next to a bank. The State Bank actually
Why: John's house at 15 Chesterfield Road is next to the State Bank. The building beside his house is A.
The trap: Sarah guesses the library is next door, and many people label it there. John corrects her straight away.
Question 4
Answer: DSame reply, right after the State Bank
Which building is number 4 on the map?
The library is opposite us, on the corner.
Question says → You hear
Building 4opposite us, on the corner
Why: The library is across the road from John's house, on the corner. That's D.
The trap: 'Next to the library' is Sarah's mistake. The library is opposite, not beside.
Question 5
Answer: CWhen Sarah says 'I remember now'
Which building is number 5 on the map?
That's right, and there's a garage on the other street corner.
Question says → You hear
Building 5a garage on the other street corner
Why: The garage is on the other corner of the street from the library. That's C.
The trap: St George's Hospital and the University are in the box but never placed. Don't use them just because they're there.
Table completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER)
Questions 6-10
How to attack this block: They reject several gift ideas before agreeing, so wait for the 'OK' or 'Yes'. Both gifts come from the same place, and the last gap is the price of the baby's present, not the amount each person pays.
Question 6
Answer: chocolatesWhen Sarah asks what they should take to the hospital
Also accepted: a box of chocolates / box of chocolates
What will they buy for Susan?
What about a big box of chocolates? … OK, chocolates sound fine.
Question says → You hear
Gift for SusanWhat about a big box of chocolates
Why: Flowers and a pot plant are both rejected. John suggests chocolates and Sarah agrees: 'chocolates sound fine'.
The trap: Flowers come first, then a pot plant. Sarah says flowers don't last, and John says Susan would have to water the plant.
Question 7
Answer: toyAfter Sarah says they should get something for the baby too
Also accepted: a toy / soft toy / a soft toy / teddy / teddy bear / a teddy bear / a bear
What will they buy for the baby?
What about a soft toy of some sort? … Yes, a soft toy. … What about a teddy bear?
Question says → You hear
Gift for babyWhat about a soft toy of some sort
Why: Shampoo, talcum powder and a hat are all suggested first. The one they both agree on is a soft toy, probably a teddy bear. Toy, soft toy or teddy bear are all accepted.
The trap: The hat is the tempting one, but John points out they don't know the size or colour.
Question 8
Answer: marketRight after the teddy bear
Also accepted: the market / markets / at the market
Where will they buy Susan's gift?
I could get one early tomorrow at the market and I could probably get the chocolates there too.
Question says → You hear
Where will they buy the giftsI could get one early tomorrow at the market
Why: 'Get the chocolates there too': there is the market, so Susan's gift comes from the market as well.
The trap: The market is said for the toy first, so it's easy to fill only the baby column and leave Susan's blank.
Question 9
Answer: marketSame sentence as question 8
Also accepted: the market / markets / at the market
Where will they buy the baby's gift?
I could get one early tomorrow at the market
Question says → You hear
Gift for baby … WhereI could get one early tomorrow at the market
Why: 'One' refers back to the teddy bear, which John will buy at the market.
The trap: The hospital is where they'll take the presents, not where they'll buy them.
Question 10
Answer: 35Near the end, when Sarah says she'll pay back half
Also accepted: $35 / thirty-five / 35 dollars
Roughly how much will the baby's gift cost?
I'd say the chocolates would be about $15 for something nice and not too small and the toy would be around $35 or so
Question says → You hear
Approximate pricesthe toy would be around $35 or so
Why: The chocolates are $15 (printed), and the toy is around $35. The dollar sign is printed, so write 35.
The trap: Sarah then says 'About $25 each'. That's each person's share of the $50 total, not the price of the toy.
Sarah says the house is next to the library, and John corrects her: it's next to the bank, and the library is opposite, on the corner. The library is D.
$25 is said last, but it's what each of them will pay. The toy itself costs about $35.
Words from this recording worth keeping
a good ring to it(The baby's name)
sounds nice when you say it
refresh my memory(John's address)
remind me of something I've forgotten
off the road(Arranging the visit)
not working, so it can't be driven
opposite(John's address)
across the road, facing
pot plant(Gift for Susan)
a plant grown in a container indoors
talcum powder(Gift for baby)
a fine powder put on skin after washing
go shares(Paying for the gifts)
split the cost between people
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The full Cambridge 3 Test 4 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 3, Test 4, 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 3 Test 4 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereBirth statistics
