A recorded message on a city Tourist Line suggests ways to get round the city. It describes a river boat trip with four stops and the attraction at each one, then two sightseeing bus companies.
Everything comes in order. The map answers (11-12) come almost at once, when the four stops are named from west to east. The table (13-18) follows stop by stop, A to D. The last two answers come in the bus section: Top Bus first, then the Number One tour.
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 11-12 · Map labelling (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Central StationAlso accepted: the Central Station / from Central Station / from the Central Station
Map labelling (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 11-12
How to attack this block: The four stops are read out in one quick sentence, from west to east, each with a letter. Have your pen ready for B and D before the recording starts, because the list is over in a few seconds.
Question 11
Answer: City BridgeRight after she mentions a city trip by boat
What is the name of stop B on the map?
There are four main stopping points - from west to east: stop A Green Banks, stop B City Bridge, stop C Roman Landing and stop D Newtown.
Question says → You hear
STOP Bstop B City Bridge
Why: The stops are listed west to east, each with its letter, and stop B is City Bridge. Use the letter, not the position, to match it.
The trap: Green Banks is said first and Roman Landing straight after. Those are A and C.
Question 12
Answer: NewtownThe end of the same list of stops
What is the name of stop D on the map?
stop C Roman Landing and stop D Newtown.
Question says → You hear
STOP Dstop D Newtown
Why: Stop D, the furthest east, is Newtown. It's one word.
The trap: 'New Town' as two words risks the mark. Roman Landing, just before, is stop C.
Table completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 13-18
How to attack this block: The table goes stop by stop, and the speaker says 'Stop B', 'Stop C' and so on, so you always know which row you're on. Most gaps are a word or two from a description, like 'beautiful formal gardens' or 'wonderful views'.
Question 13
Answer: 6.30Right after she says the main booking office is at stop A
Also accepted: 6:30
When does the last boat leave?
The first boat leaves at 8 a.m. and the last one at 6.30 p.m.
Question says → You hear
last boat ... p.m.the last one at 6.30 p.m
Why: 'The last one' means the last boat. The table already has 'p.m.', so write 6.30.
The trap: 8 a.m. comes first, but that's the first boat, and it's printed. Later times (8.30, 9, 7 p.m.) belong to the buses.
Question 14
Answer: gardenWhen she describes the attraction at stop A
Also accepted: formal garden / gardens / formal gardens
What does the palace at stop A have that's lovely?
you can visit the fine 16th century palace here built for the king with its beautiful formal gardens.
Question says → You hear
has lovelywith its beautiful formal gardens
Why: 'Beautiful' is the paraphrase of 'lovely', and the palace has formal gardens. Garden, gardens, formal garden or formal gardens are all accepted.
The trap: '16th century' and 'the king' are said in the same sentence but describe the palace, not something it has.
Question 15
Answer: RestaurantWhen she says 'Stop B'
Also accepted: Tower Restaurant
What is the attraction at stop B?
Stop B Why don't you visit Tower Restaurant with its wide range of refreshments?
Question says → You hear
STOP B Attractionvisit Tower Restaurant
Why: 'Why don't you visit' introduces the attraction: Tower Restaurant (or just Restaurant).
The trap: 'Refreshments' is right after it, but it's what the restaurant serves, not the attraction. City Bridge is the stop's name (Q11), not the attraction.
Question 16
Answer: viewsStraight after Tower Restaurant
Also accepted: view
What does the restaurant give you a good one of?
enjoy the wonderful views over the old commercial and banking centre of the city.
Question says → You hear
has good ... of city centreenjoy the wonderful views over the old commercial and banking centre
Why: 'Wonderful' becomes 'good', and 'over the ... centre' becomes 'of city centre'. The gap is views (view is also accepted).
The trap: 'Refreshments' comes just before, and 'a good range' sounds natural. But the table says 'of city centre', which only fits views.
Question 17
Answer: historyWhen she explains the name Roman Landing at stop C
What does the museum bookshop specialise in?
There's an interactive Museum to visit here with a large shop which has a good range of local history books.
Question says → You hear
bookshop specialising in the ... of the local areaa good range of local history books
Why: 'Local history books' becomes 'the history of the local area'. 'Local' is already in the table, so the gap is history.
The trap: 'Interactive' describes the museum, not the shop. 'Roman' and 'soldiers' are about the history itself, not the shop's speciality.
Question 18
Answer: 7 screenAt stop D, 'the furthest point of the trip'
Also accepted: 7-screen / seven screen / seven-screen
What kind of cinema is at the Entertainment Complex?
the most exciting place to visit is the new Entertainment Complex with seven-screen cinema, bowling alley and video games arcade.
Question says → You hear
... cinemaseven-screen cinema
Why: Cinema is printed, so the gap is the description: seven-screen. Digits (7-screen) are fine and safer to write quickly.
The trap: The bowling alley and arcade are already in the table. 'New' describes the complex, not the cinema.
Short answers (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 19-20
How to attack this block: One answer per bus company. Each company comes with several numbers and places, so listen for exactly what the question asks: how often for Top Bus, where from for Number One.
Question 19
Answer: every 20 minutesWhen she moves on to city buses and the Top Bus Company
Also accepted: every twenty minutes
How often do Top Bus tours run?
Tours leave from 8.30 a.m. every 20 minutes.
Question says → You hear
How oftenevery 20 minutes
Why: 'How often' asks for frequency, and 'every 20 minutes' is it. Three words, within the limit.
The trap: 8.30 a.m. is the start time and 24 hours is how long tickets last. Neither tells you how often.
Question 20
Answer: Central StationAfter the Top Bus phone number
Also accepted: the Central Station / from Central Station / from the Central Station
Where does the Number One Sightseeing Tour start from?
Buses depart from Central Station every five to six minutes from about 9 a.m.
Question says → You hear
catch a Number One Sightseeing Tour fromBuses depart from Central Station
Why: 'Depart from' answers 'where can you catch it from'. For this company, only Central Station is mentioned.
The trap: Castle Hill and Long Walk come earlier, but they're Top Bus departure points. Don't copy Top Bus details into this answer.
Top Bus leaves from Central Station, Castle Hill and Long Walk, which comes first and confuses people. The Number One tour leaves only from Central Station.
The table already has cinema, so the gap is the description before it: seven-screen. Hyphenated or not, as words or digits, all versions are accepted.
Words from this recording worth keeping
stopping points(Boat trip stops)
places where the boat stops
residence(Stop A palace)
a large house where someone lives
refreshments(Stop B)
food and drinks
invading(Stop C)
entering a country by force
interactive(Stop C museum)
letting visitors do things, not just look
live commentary(Top Bus)
a guide talking about places as you pass them
hop-on hop-off(Top Bus)
you can get off and back on as often as you like
valid(Top Bus)
able to be used
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 7 Test 2 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 7, Test 2, 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.
