Future Directions in Computing: listening answers and explanations
A woman phones a conference centre about a three-day computing conference. The reservations clerk explains the fees and how to pay, two accommodation options, the documents she'll be sent, and how to reach the centre from the station.
One set of notes, answered in order, and the clerk gives nearly every answer. Questions 1-5 cover the fee, payment and accommodation. After the break in the recording, questions 6-10 cover the documents and directions. Most gaps are numbers or prices, and nearly every one has a second figure nearby.
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 1-10 · Note completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Note completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 1-10
How to attack this block: Lots of numbers: £35, £75, £15, £25, ten minutes twice, £5 and a bus number. Before you listen, check what each gap is about (the three-day price, the guest house, the taxi) and pair each figure with what it pays for. Pound signs are printed, so write only the number.
Question 1
Answer: 75When the caller asks if two days would be cheaper
How much does the full three-day conference cost?
it still costs £35 for each day … How much will the fees be in that case? It's £75.
Question says → You hear
Three day costregister for the three days
Why: Registering for all three days costs £75, and comes with a free dinner. The pound sign is printed, so write 75.
The trap: £35 is the price for one day. Two days would be £70, which is why the clerk says the three-day option is better.
Question 2
Answer: chequeWhen she asks about paying by credit card
Also accepted: check
How can she pay, apart from on arrival?
Now can I pay that by credit card? I'm afraid not. You'll have to send a check to us. Or you can pay at the conference office.
Question says → You hear
Payment byYou'll have to send a check to us
or on arrivalyou can pay at the conference office
Why: Credit cards aren't accepted, so it's a cheque, or pay at the conference office. Cheque (British spelling) and check are both accepted.
The trap: Credit card is asked about and refused. 'On arrival' is the conference-office option, already in the notes.
Question 3
Answer: 15When she asks about accommodation
How much is a room at the conference centre per night?
They are only £15 per night, but they are very basic
Question says → You hear
near to conference roomsit's in the same building as the conference rooms
Why: The centre's own rooms are £15 a night: cheap, basic, no breakfast, but in the same building.
The trap: £25 comes next, but that's the guest house. Check the row before you write.
Question 4
Answer: 25Right after the conference centre rooms
How much is the guest house per night?
Or there's a very reasonable guest house, which is £25 per night, and I think that includes your breakfast.
Question says → You hear
Guest Housea very reasonable guest house
Why: The guest house is £25 a night with breakfast. Write 25.
The trap: 15 is the conference centre room. The two prices are said close together.
Question 5
Answer: 10 minutesWhen she asks if the guest house is close
Also accepted: 10 minute / 10 mins / 10 min / 10 minutes' / ten minutes / ten minute
How far is the guest house from the conference centre?
Is it close to the conference centre? It would be about a ten minute walk away from here.
Question says → You hear
approximately ... walk from Conference Centreabout a ten minute walk away from here
Why: 'About' matches 'approximately'. The gap is followed by 'walk', so 10 minutes or 10 minute both work.
The trap: The ten-minute taxi ride later is from the station, not from the guest house.
Question 6
Answer: conference packAt the start of the second section of the call
What document will the clerk send her besides the application form?
The details are all in our conference pack, which I'll send you.
Question says → You hear
Further documents to be sentwhich I'll send you
Why: The clerk will send the conference pack, and the caller then asks for an application form as well, which is already in the notes.
The trap: Application form is the other document, already printed. Don't write it here.
Question 7
Answer: SouthWhen she asks where exactly the centre is
Which Park Road is the centre on?
Well, it's on South Park Road
Question says → You hear
Conference Centre is on ... Park Roadit's on South Park Road
Why: 'Park Road' is printed, so the gap is South, with a capital S.
Question 8
Answer: libraryStraight after the road name
What building is the centre next to?
it's right at the end of the road next to the library
Question says → You hear
next to thenext to the library
Why: 'Next to the library' matches the note word for word.
The trap: 'At the end of the road' comes first, but the note asks what it's next to.
Question 9
Answer: 5When the clerk explains how to get there from the station
How much does a taxi from the station cost?
It's a ten minute taxi ride from the station, and will cost you £5.
Question says → You hear
Taxi costs £will cost you £5
Why: The fare is £5. The pound sign is printed, so write 5.
The trap: Ten comes first, but that's the length of the ride in minutes, not the price.
Question 10
Answer: 21ARight after the taxi fare
Which bus goes from the station to the centre?
That's the 21A, and it brings you straight to the conference centre.
Question says → You hear
take bus number ... from stationyou can take the bus, which runs every half an hour from the station
Why: The bus number is 21A. Copy the number and the letter.
The trap: 'Every half an hour' is how often the bus runs. The note wants its number.
Ten minutes is said twice: a ten-minute walk to the guest house and a ten-minute taxi ride from the station. Both are ten, but only the first is the walk.
Credit card is the first payment method mentioned, and it's ruled out. The clerk then offers a cheque or paying on the day.
Words from this recording worth keeping
register(Fees)
officially sign up
delegates(Accommodation)
people attending a conference
heavy demand(Accommodation)
a lot of people wanting something
basic(Accommodation)
simple, with only what is needed
reasonable(Guest house)
fairly priced
conference pack(Documents)
a set of documents about a conference
straight away(Documents)
immediately
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The full Cambridge 6 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 6, 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 6 Test 4 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereFuture Directions in Computing
