Accommodation Request Form: listening answers and explanations
Sara, a student who has to leave her aunt's flat, talks to Linda, the accommodation coordinator at her school, about moving into a homestay. Linda takes her details for a form, asks what kind of room and host she wants, and explains the rent, deposit and bills.
Three blocks in order. Questions 1-4 are Sara's personal details for the form. Questions 5-7 come after 'I need to know what kind of accommodation you'd like'. Questions 8-10 come from Linda's explanation of money, starting with the rent.
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 1-4 · Form completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS)
Form completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS)
Questions 1-4
How to attack this block: Linda asks a question for each line of the form, so her questions are your signposts. Watch for answers you have to put together yourself, like a total length of time, and for dates where the day and the date come separately.
Question 1
Answer: 1 1/2 yearsStraight after her birthday
Also accepted: 1.5 years / one and a half years / 18 months / a year and a half
How long has Sara been in Australia in total?
How long have you been in Australia? A year in Adelaide, and six months in Sydney.
Question says → You hear
Length of time in AustraliaA year in Adelaide, and six months in Sydney
Why: The form wants the total. A year plus six months makes one and a half years, so write 1½ years, 1.5 years or 18 months.
The trap: Writing just one of the two periods. 'Six months' is the last thing you hear, and Sydney is where she lives now, but the question is about the whole of Australia.
Question 2
Answer: ForestWhen Linda asks for the address at her aunt's
Also accepted: Forrest
Which road does Sara live on now?
Flat 1, 539 Forest Road, Canterbury, and the postcode is 2036.
Why: Everything else in the address is printed, so you only need the road name: Forest.
The trap: It isn't spelled out, so spell it as the common word. The key also accepts Forrest. Don't add 'Road', it's already printed.
Question 3
Answer: AcademicWhen Linda asks what she is studying
What kind of English is Sara studying now?
I was studying general English in Adelaide, and now I'm doing academic English
Question says → You hear
Present coursenow I'm doing academic English
Why: 'Now' signals her present course: academic English. 'English' is printed, so write Academic.
The trap: General English is what she studied before, in Adelaide. Medicine is what she hopes to study next year.
Question 4
Answer: ThursdayWhen Linda asks when she'd like to move out
Which day of the week does Sara need the room from?
My cousin arrives on Friday morning, so I'd better be out on Thursday. What, the 7th of September? Yes, that's right.
Question says → You hear
Accommodation required from ... 7 SeptemberI'd better be out on Thursday. What, the 7th of September?
Why: She'll leave her aunt's on Thursday, which Linda confirms is the 7th of September. The date is printed, so the gap is the day: Thursday.
The trap: Friday comes first, but that's when her cousin arrives. She needs her new room the day before.
Multiple choice
Questions 5-7
How to attack this block: None of the option words is said directly: no 'twin room', no 'single person' from Sara. You have to match what she wants to the option. Also listen for what she is used to, since that's often the reason behind her choice.
Question 5
Answer: BWhen Linda asks what kind of accommodation she'd like
What kind of room does Sara want?
Can I share a room with someone else? … I've always shared with my sister and I like that.
Why: Sharing a room with one other person is a twin room, B. Linda agrees it will save her money.
The trap: 'I've been alone in my room' sounds like a single room, A. That's her situation now, at her aunt's, not what she wants.
Question 6
Answer: BWhen Linda asks whether a family or a single person would suit her
Who would Sara like to live with?
Do you have any women living alone, retired women?
Why: A retired woman living alone is a single person, B. Linda says she has lots of these on her books.
The trap: A family is offered first, in Linda's question, but Sara doesn't take it up. A couple is never discussed.
Question 7
Answer: AWhen Linda says most of the retired ladies live in flats
What kind of home would Sara like to live in?
Most of them live in flats, but that's not a problem for you, is it? Not at all. I'm used to that.
Why: Sara is happy with a flat and used to one, and she says she isn't used to a big house. That's A.
The trap: 'A big house with a garden, swimming pool' is said in detail, which makes B stick in your head. It's what she isn't used to.
Sentence completion (NO MORE THAN ONE WORD)
Questions 8-10
How to attack this block: Strictly one word per gap. Linda gives several figures and payment details quickly, so match each one to the sentence: what costs $320, how often she pays, and which bill she shares.
Question 8
Answer: depositRight after the weekly rent
What will cost $320?
You'll have to pay me $320 as a deposit before you move in. The deposit is as insurance in case you break something.
Question says → You hear
The ... will be $320pay me $320 as a deposit
Why: The $320 is the deposit, paid before she moves in.
The trap: $160 is the weekly rent, said just before. The $320 is double that, but it's a different payment.
Question 9
Answer: monthlyAfter the deposit, when Linda says how to pay
How often does Sara pay the rent?
You'll need to pay monthly to me by cash or cheque, I don't mind.
Question says → You hear
by cash or cheque on a ... basispay monthly to me by cash or cheque
Why: 'Pay monthly ... by cash or cheque' fills 'on a ... basis'. One word: monthly.
The trap: The rent is quoted 'per week', so weekly is the tempting wrong answer. The amount is weekly, but she pays it monthly.
Question 10
Answer: telephoneWhen Linda lists what Sara doesn't have to pay for
Also accepted: phone
Which bill does Sara have to share?
You don't need to pay for gas, electricity or water, but you will need to pay your proportion of the phone bill.
Question says → You hear
her part of the ... billyour proportion of the phone bill
Why: 'Your proportion' is 'her part'. The only bill she pays towards is the phone bill. Phone or telephone.
The trap: Gas, electricity and water are listed first, but they're the bills she doesn't pay.
Sara never says 'twin room'. She asks to share a room with someone else, and two people sharing a room is a twin room.
Words from this recording worth keeping
homestay(Introduction)
living with a local family or host while studying
particulars(Personal details)
personal details
on my books(Type of host)
on the list of people an agency works with
retired(Type of host)
no longer working because of age
deposit(Payments)
money paid in advance as a guarantee
insurance(Payments)
protection against the cost of damage or loss
proportion(Bills)
a share or part of the whole
honour system(Bills)
an arrangement based on trusting people to be honest
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The full Cambridge 4 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 4, Test 3, 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 4 Test 3 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereAccommodation Request Form
