Steven Godfrey visits a letting agency to rent a four-bedroom house to share with three friends. The agent notes what he wants, shows him four houses and explains what is wrong with each for him, then describes the facilities in the popular Devon Close district.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 3 question blocks
The form (1-3) comes first: location, top rent and length of stay. The agent then goes through four houses in table order: Oakington Avenue, Mead Street, Hamilton Road, Devon Close. For each one Steven gives the problem. Questions 9-10 come at the end, when he asks about the area around Devon Close.
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.
How to attack this block: Each answer comes with a competing detail: the suburbs versus the centre, the rent he would like versus his limit, the agency's minimum versus his own plan. The form says 'maximum' and 'required', so take Steven's limit and his own time frame.
Where in town does Steven want to live?
It'd be nice to be central. … That might be difficult, as most houses of that size are in the suburbs.
Question says → You hear
Why: Steven wants to be central, and the form reads 'in the ... area of town', so write central.
The trap: Suburbs is where most big houses are, according to the agent. It's what's available, not what he prefers.
What is the most Steven can pay each month?
We'd like something around £500 a month, but we could go up to £600 if we have to. But we can't go beyond that.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Upper limit' and 'can't go beyond' both point to 600. The £ is on the form already.
The trap: £500 comes first, but it's the rent they hope for, not the maximum.
Also accepted: 2 year / two years
How long does Steven want to rent for?
The minimum let is six months, as you probably realise. … We're at college here for two years, and we don't want to have to move during that time
Question says → You hear
Why: They're at college for two years and don't want to move, so they need the house for two years. Write 2 years.
The trap: Six months is the agency's rule, said first. Later, Mead Street is offered for 'a minimum of a year', another figure to ignore.
How to attack this block: Most rents are printed, so listen for the problems. Steven reacts to each house in a few words ('we'd prefer to have one', 'I don't think we could cope', 'that'll be very noisy'). Check the gap's grammar: 'no ...', 'the ... is too large', 'too ...'.
What does the Oakington Avenue house not have?
It doesn't have a garage, though you can park in the road. … Ah, we'd prefer to have one, if possible.
Question says → You hear
Why: The house has no garage, and Steven says they would prefer one. The gap follows 'no', so write garage.
The trap: Parking is possible in the road, so 'parking' isn't the problem. The missing thing is the garage.
What is too big at the Mead Street house?
Oh, and there's a big garden. … I don't think we could cope with that, to be honest. … too busy to look after it.
Question says → You hear
Why: Steven can't cope with the big garden because they'd be too busy to look after it. The gap is garden.
The trap: The 'very large living room' is said first, but Steven doesn't object to that. The problem is the thing he says they couldn't look after.
What extra room does the Hamilton Road house have?
there's this older house in Hamilton Road: living room, kitchen-diner, and it has a study.
Why: The rooms are listed in the same order as the table, and the one after kitchen-diner is a study.
The trap: Living room and kitchen-diner are printed already. Don't miss the last item while you're checking the first two.
What is the problem with the Hamilton Road house?
Towards the western end. … Oh, that'll be very noisy. I know the area. … Yes, it's pretty lively.
Question says → You hear
Why: Steven knows the western end and says it will be very noisy. The table says 'too ...', so write noisy.
The trap: The agent's word is 'lively', which she puts positively. The problem Steven names is noise.
What is the monthly rent for Devon Close?
It's got a living room, dining room and small kitchen, and it's 595 a month.
Question says → You hear
Why: The Devon Close rent is 595. It's under his £600 limit, which is why it suits him.
The trap: Rents of 550 and 580 for the other houses are still fresh. Prices are 'quite high' in Devon Close, but this house is cheaper because it needs decorating.
How to attack this block: The question asks what is open now. Every facility is mentioned, but most are being built, closed or converted. Listen for tense and words like 'under construction', 'closed down', 'already opened' and 'due to start'.
Which two facilities near Devon Close are open now?
the swimming pool's already opened … a plan to replace the existing concert hall … Ah, that's due to start next year.
Why: The swimming pool has 'already opened' (E). The existing concert hall is still there; only its replacement is due to start next year, so it is open now (B).
The trap: The sports centre is 'under construction' (D), the cinema has closed down (C), and it's still being turned into a film museum (A), so none of those is open.
£500 is the rent they'd like, £600 is the most they could pay: 'we can't go beyond that'. The form asks for the maximum.
Six months is the agency's minimum let, not what Steven needs. He's at college for two years and doesn't want to move.
The concert hall is easy to miss because it is talked about as being replaced. The existing one is still in use until the work starts next year, so it is open now.
The full Cambridge 8 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 8, 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.
