Buyer Beware: Baby Cots: listening answers and explanations
A presenter on a consumer radio programme called 'Buyer Beware' reviews three budget baby cots. For each one she gives the good points, the problems and a verdict, then ends with a tip on what to check when you buy a cot.
The table is read row by row: Baby Safe, then Choice Cots, then Mother's Choice, each in the order good points, problems, verdict. Listen for the brand name as your signpost to a new row. Question 20 comes in the short advice section 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 11-19 · Table completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
How to attack this block: Three cots, the same three columns each time, so you always know what kind of word is coming next. The danger is mixing up the cots: wheels, brakes, side bars and drop-down sides all come up more than once, so keep your eye on which row you are in.
Question 11
Answer: move aroundFirst cot, right after the brand name Baby Safe
Also accepted: move about
What is easy to do with the Baby Safe cot?
Our testers liked the fact that it had four wheels, so it was easy to Move around.
Question says → You hear
Easy toit was easy to Move around
Why: The wheels make it easy to move around. The table already gives 'Easy to', so write the verb phrase: move around.
The trap: 'Wheels' is the reason, not the answer. 'Easy to wheels' makes no sense, so check the gap needs a verb.
Question 12
Answer: brakesStraight after the four wheels
What was missing from the Baby Safe cot?
problems with this cot were that it had no brakes, but they didn't think that mattered too much.
Question says → You hear
Did not have anyit had no brakes
Why: 'It had no brakes' becomes 'did not have any' in the table. 'Any' tells you a plural noun is needed: brakes.
The trap: Wheels is the word in your ear from the sentence before, and 'no wheels' really is a problem later, but for Mother's Choice.
Question 13
Answer: fingersWhen the testers say they were concerned at first
What could babies trap in the Baby Safe side bar?
concerned about the side bar, because they felt babies could trap their fingers in it
Question says → You hear
Babies could trap theirbabies could trap their fingers in it
Why: The words match the table almost exactly. Write fingers, with the plural s.
The trap: A baby trapping his head comes up with the next cot, Choice Cots, where the bars were too wide. Keep the rows apart.
Question 14
Answer: satisfactoryEnd of the Baby Safe section
What verdict did Baby Safe get?
but our testers felt that this was unlikely to happen so they have given … a verdict of 'satisfactory
Question says → You hear
Verdicta verdict of 'satisfactory
Why: The speaker uses the word 'verdict' herself, then gives it: satisfactory. Check your spelling: s-a-t-i-s-f-a-c-t-o-r-y.
The trap: Because the side bar was a worry, some students expect a negative verdict. The testers decided the risk was unlikely, so the cot passed.
Question 15
Answer: put togetherStart of the second cot, right after 'Choice Cots'
Also accepted: put it together
What is easy to do with the Choice Cots cot?
our testers were pleased to find a cot which is simple … unlike others we looked at
Question says → You hear
Easy toa cot which is simple
Why: The speaker says the cot is 'simple to put together', unlike the others they tested. 'Simple' matches 'easy', and the gap needs the verb phrase after it: put together.
The trap: Don't carry over 'move around' from the Baby Safe row. This cot's selling point is assembly, not wheels.
Question 16
Answer: too wideWhen the speaker says 'the real problem with this cot'
What was wrong with the spaces between the bars?
the real problem with this cot was the space between the bars: our testers found they were … could easily trap his head.
Question says → You hear
Spaces between the bars werethe space between the bars
Why: The testers found the spaces were too wide, so a baby could trap his head. Write both words: too wide. 'Wide' alone doesn't show it's a problem.
The trap: The side that doesn't drop down is mentioned first, but it's already printed in the table. The gap is about the bars.
Question 17
Answer: dangerousRight after the trapped head
What verdict did Choice Cots get?
We felt this was a real safety hazard and so we have labelled this one dangerous
Question says → You hear
Verdictwe have labelled this one dangerous
Why: 'Labelled this one' is the verdict signpost here. The cot is called dangerous because of the gap between the bars.
The trap: 'Safety hazard' is the reason, and it's two words that sound like a verdict. The actual label is dangerous.
Question 18
Answer: wheelsWhen the speaker lists its minor negatives
What was missing from the Mother's Choice cot?
everyone had was the fact that it has no wheels
Question says → You hear
Did not have anyit has no wheels
Why: 'It has no wheels' matches 'did not have any'. Use the plural: wheels.
The trap: Brakes was the missing item for Baby Safe. Also, the side bar not dropping down is mentioned for this cot, but as a neutral fact, not the gap.
Question 19
Answer: best buyEnd of the third cot, after the stuck-on pictures
Also accepted: the best buy / the best / best / safe
What verdict did Mother's Choice get?
As this cot will then be safe in every way, we have made the Mother's Choice cot our best buy.
Question says → You hear
Verdictwe have made the Mother's Choice cot our best buy
Why: The top rating is 'our best buy'. Best buy is the key, and 'the best buy' is accepted too.
The trap: 'Safe in every way' comes first and the key also accepts 'safe', but 'best buy' is the verdict the programme gives. Don't write 'satisfactory' from row one.
Note completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Question 20
How to attack this block: One gap in the closing advice. The note is phrased negatively ('should not be'), while the speaker says what the edges should be like. Listen for the word that describes the bad kind of edge.
Question 20
Answer: sharpIn the final advice, after the point about metal
What should the edges of a cot not be?
You should ensure your cot has only rounded or smooth edging without any sharp edges
Question says → You hear
Edges of cot should not bewithout any sharp edges
Why: 'Without any sharp edges' turns into 'should not be ...' in the notes. One word only: sharp.
The trap: Rounded and smooth are both heard first, but they describe good edges. The note is negative, so you need the opposite.
Baby Safe's good point is its four wheels, so 'wheels' is fresh in your head. But its problem is that it has no brakes. Wheels belong to the Mother's Choice row (Q18).
The speaker says edges should be rounded or smooth, and many students write one of those. The note says what edges should NOT be, so the answer is sharp.
Words from this recording worth keeping
budget(Introduction)
cheap, designed for people who want to spend little
verdict(Each cot review)
a final judgement after testing
safety hazard(Choice Cots)
something that could cause harm or injury
convenient(Mother's Choice)
easy to use and saves trouble
detached(Mother's Choice)
separated from the thing it was fixed to
discontinue(Mother's Choice)
stop doing or making something
rusted(Buying advice)
damaged by the brown coating that forms on old metal
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 5 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 5, 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.
