Riverside Industrial Village: listening answers and explanations
A tour guide welcomes a group to Riverside Industrial Village, a museum on the site of old metal works. The guide first sums up why industry grew up there and how it declined, then hands out a plan and points out each building on the site.
Questions 11-13 come from the short history at the start, in order. Then the guide says 'I'm going to give you a plan of the site', and Questions 14-20 follow the walk round the plan: the road, the buildings by the entrance, then the half circle of buildings beyond the car park.
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 11-13 · Sentence completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Sentence completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 11-13
How to attack this block: Three facts from a quick history lesson. Each sentence paraphrases what the guide says, so listen for the idea, not the printed words: 'fuels such as', 'established by', 'over ... mills'. Keep what you write inside the three-word limit.
Question 11
Answer: coal and firewoodRight after the guide points out the fast-flowing river
Also accepted: firewood and coal / coal, firewood
Which fuels made the site good for industry?
the availability of raw materials in the area like minerals and iron ore and also the abundance of local fuels like coal and firewood
Question says → You hear
fuels such aslocal fuels like coal and firewood
Why: 'Fuels such as' in the sentence matches 'local fuels like' in the talk. Both fuels are named, and 'coal and firewood' fits in three words.
The trap: Minerals and iron ore are said first, but they are the raw materials, which are already in the sentence.
Question 12
Answer: local craftsmenAfter the water wheels in the 12th century
Who first set up the metal industry on the site?
At that time, local craftsmen first built an iron forge just behind the village here on the bend in the river.
Question says → You hear
established ... bylocal craftsmen first built an iron forge
who lived in the arealocal
Why: Building an iron forge is how the metal industry was established. 'Who lived in the area' is the paraphrase of 'local', so local craftsmen is the full answer.
The trap: Writing just craftsmen is risky because the sentence is built around 'local'. Don't write the forge either: the gap is about people.
Question 13
Answer: 160When the guide moves on to the 17th and 18th centuries
How many water mills were there in the eighteenth century?
By the 17th and 18th centuries, the region's rivers supported more than 160 water mills
Question says → You hear
over ... water-powered millsmore than 160 water mills
Why: 'Over' in the sentence is 'more than' in the talk, so only the number goes in the gap: 160.
The trap: The 12th century comes just before, with the first water wheels. That's a date, not a count of mills. And don't write 'more than 160': 'over' is already printed.
Plan labelling (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 14-20
How to attack this block: You write the building names, not letters. The guide starts at the entrance at the bottom of the plan and moves outwards, so follow along with your finger: right of the entrance, left by the gate, then the top, top right, top left and the left-hand row. Direction words are your signposts.
Question 14
Answer: WoodsideJust after the plan is handed out and points out the river
What is the name of the road along the bottom of the plan?
I've already pointed out the river, which is on the left and of course running along the bottom is Woodside Road
Question says → You hear
... Roadrunning along the bottom is Woodside Road
Why: 'Running along the bottom' places it on the plan. 'Road' is already printed, so you only write Woodside.
The trap: The river is mentioned first and is on the left of the plan. That's a different feature.
Question 15
Answer: Ticket OfficeWhen the guide says 'we're standing at the entrance'
Which building is just to the right of the entrance?
now we're standing at the entrance, see it at the bottom and immediately to our right is the ticket office
Question says → You hear
right of the entranceimmediately to our right is the ticket office
Why: Start at the entrance on the bottom edge. The first building on the right is the ticket office.
The trap: The toilets are 'just past it'. They are further along, so check you have the building closest to the entrance.
Question 16
Answer: Gift ShopAfter the car park in front of the group
Which building is to the left by the entry gate?
to the left by the entry gate is the gift shop. That's where you can get copies of the guide
Question says → You hear
left of the entranceto the left by the entry gate is the gift shop
Why: From the entrance, go left by the gate. The gift shop is where the guidebooks are sold.
The trap: The car park is 'in front of us', between the entrance and the other buildings. It's a big space, not the small building by the gate.
Question 17
Answer: WorkshopAfter 'all the buildings are arranged in a half circle'
Also accepted: main Workshop
What is the big building at the top of the plan?
The big stone building at the top is the main workshop. That's where the furnaces and where all the metal was smelted
Question says → You hear
top of the half circleThe big stone building at the top is the main workshop
Why: Beyond the car park the buildings form a half circle round a yard. The big one at the top is the main workshop. Workshop alone is also accepted.
The trap: The furnaces are what's inside it, not its name. 'Big stone building' describes it but isn't the label.
Question 18
Answer: ShowroomStraight after the main workshop
Which building is in the top right-hand corner?
in the top right hand corner that building with bigger windows is the showroom where samples of all the tools
Question says → You hear
top right cornerin the top right hand corner that building with bigger windows is the showroom
Why: Top right, the building with bigger windows, is the showroom where the tools are on display.
The trap: The grinding shop comes next, but in the top left corner. Keep left and right straight.
Question 19
Answer: CafeAfter the grinding shop in the top left corner
Also accepted: Café
Which building sits beside the grinding shop, on the other side from the engine room?
on one side of that you can see the engine room and on the other is the cafe
Question says → You hear
beside the grinding shopon one side of that you can see the engine room and on the other is the cafe
Why: Two buildings flank the grinding shop. The engine room is on one side and the cafe on the other, and the labelled one is the cafe. Cafe or café are both fine.
The trap: The engine room is named first and is the strongest distractor. It's also where the guided tour starts, so you hear it again at the end.
Question 20
Answer: cottagesWhen the guide turns to the row of buildings on the left
What are the row of buildings for the workers called?
The row of buildings you can see on the left are the cottages. These were built for the workers towards the end of the 18th century
Question says → You hear
for the workersbuilt for the workers
Why: 'For the workers' is printed after the gap, and the guide says the cottages were built for the workers.
The trap: The stables and the works office are across the yard from them. Plural matters: the label is cottages.
The guide lists water, raw materials and fuels in one breath. Minerals and iron ore are raw materials; the fuels are coal and firewood. You need both fuels, and that fits the three-word limit.
Two buildings sit either side of the grinding shop: the engine room on one side, the cafe on the other. You need to know which one is in the labelled spot, so check the plan position as you listen.
Two centuries and one number: the 12th century for the first water wheels, then 'more than 160 water mills' in the 17th and 18th centuries. The sentence asks about the eighteenth century, so the answer is 160.
Words from this recording worth keeping
raw materials(History of the site)
natural substances used to make things
abundance(History of the site)
a large amount, more than enough
craftsmen(History of the site)
skilled workers who make things by hand
forge(History of the site)
a workshop where metal is heated and shaped
roam about(Introduction)
walk around freely without a fixed route
smelted(The main workshop)
heated so the metal melts out of the rock
furnished(The cottages)
fitted with furniture
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 4 Test 1 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 1, 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.
