Summer Music Festival Booking Form: listening answers and explanations
George comes home with a brochure for a summer festival of mostly Spanish music and talks his flatmate Nina into going. They fill in the booking form together: his address, postcode and phone number, then which concerts to book and how many tickets.
Two multiple-choice questions come first, about where George found out about the festival and where they will sit. The form then follows the call in order: address, postcode and phone, then the concerts in date order (17, 22 and 23 June) and finally the discount note 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.
How to attack this block: Both answers come in the first minute, before the form starts. Each one sits next to a distractor: the instruments George describes, and the front seats Nina suggests. Listen for what George actually did and why he wants the back.
Question 1
Answer: CWhen Nina asks what the brochure is about, right at the start
What did George see in the library lobby?
They had a video with all the highlights of the festival at a stand in the lobby to the library, so I heard them.
Question says → You hear
In the lobby of the libraryat a stand in the lobby to the library
Why: George heard the group because a video of the festival highlights was playing at a stand in the lobby. That is option C, a video about the festival.
The trap: He goes on to describe the drums, flutes and old guitars, which pulls people towards a display of instruments. He saw those on the video, not on display. Nobody was playing live either.
Question 2
Answer: BStraight after Nina suggests sitting at the front
Why does George want to sit at the back?
Well, in that case we could sit right at the front - we'd have a really good view. … though I think that if you sit at the back you can actually hear the whole thing better.
Question says → You hear
sit at the back so they canif you sit at the back you can actually hear the whole thing better
Why: George's reason for the back is the sound: you 'hear the whole thing better'. That matches hearing clearly.
The trap: Seeing well is Nina's reason for the front, not George's reason for the back. Paying less is out because there are no cheap seats: it's all one price.
Form completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 3-10
How to attack this block: The personal details come fast and Nina reads the postcode and phone number for George, so get letters and digits down exactly. For the concerts, follow the dates on the form: each line gives you a date or a price to listen for, and the gap sits next to it.
Question 3
Answer: 48 North AvenueWhen George starts filling in the form and says his name
What is the street address?
Name: George O'Neill. Address: 48 North Avenue, Westsea
Why: The form already prints 'Westsea', so the gap is just the number and street: 48 North Avenue. That is two words and a number, inside the limit.
The trap: Don't copy Westsea into the gap as well. Spell Avenue correctly and keep the number.
Question 4
Answer: WS6 2YHWhen George admits he can't remember the new postcode
What is the postcode?
Just a minute - I've got it written down here. WS6 2YH.
Why: Nina reads it from her note: WS6 2YH. Postcodes mix letters and numbers, so write each character exactly in the order you hear it.
The trap: Letter and number sounds are easy to mix up at speed, for example S and F, or 6 and the letter G. Check that the shape is two letters, a number, then a number and two letters.
Question 5
Answer: 01674 553242Right after Nina asks 'Do you need the phone too?'
What is the telephone number?
Do you need the phone too? … 553242. … 01674
Why: The full number is the area code 01674 followed by 553242. Write all eleven digits; leaving off the area code loses the mark.
The trap: George says he is bad at numbers, and Nina reads quickly. Students often catch only the six-digit local number; the five-digit area code belongs in the gap too, written first.
Question 6
Answer: free drinksWhen Nina says something on the form might persuade her to go to the singer
What is included in the price of the singer's concert?
Free refreshments! … Sunday 17th of June. Singer, ticket £6.00 includes drinks
Question says → You hear
price includesticket £6.00 includes drinks
Why: The ticket 'includes drinks' in the garden, and Nina calls them 'free refreshments'. The key accepts free drinks, drinks or refreshments.
The trap: Garden is right next to the gap but it is printed on the form already. The gap needs the thing that is included.
Question 7
Answer: pianistWhen Nina asks about the 22nd of June
Also accepted: the pianist / a pianist / piano player / the piano player / a piano player
What kind of performer is Anna Ventura?
How about the pianist on the 22nd of June? … Anna Ventura? I've just remembered that's my
Question says → You hear
22 June ... (Anna Ventura)the pianist on the 22nd of June
Why: Nina names the 22 June concert as 'the pianist', and George adds her name, Anna Ventura. The form gives the name, so the gap is her role: pianist.
The trap: George's evening class is the reason he won't go, not information for the form. Only one ticket is booked because Nina goes alone.
Question 8
Answer: 10.50When they agree to go to the Spanish dance and guitar concert together
How much is a ticket for the dance and guitar concert?
Good heavens - £10.50 a ticket!
Why: George reads the price with surprise: £10.50 each. The £ sign is already on the form, so write just 10.50.
The trap: Other prices are floating around: £7.50 for Guitarrini, £6 for the singer, £7 for the pianist. Match the price to the 23 June line.
Question 9
Answer: 4Straight after the £10.50 price
Also accepted: four
How many tickets will they book for the concert?
I'm sure Tom and Kieran would enjoy that too. … we'll need to book four!
Why: Nina and George plus Tom and Kieran makes four, and George says so: 'we'll need to book four'. Digits or the word are both fine.
The trap: Every earlier concert was two tickets (or one), so writing 2 out of habit is the danger. The friends are mentioned first; the number comes a few words later.
Question 10
Answer: 50%The very end of the call, when Nina wishes they were students
Also accepted: 50 % / 50 per cent
What discount do children, students and older people get?
Children, Students and Senior Citizens get a 50% discount on everything.
Question says → You hear
discount on all ticketsa 50% discount on everything
Why: The three groups get 50% off everything, and 'everything' matches 'all tickets'. Write 50% (or 50 per cent).
The trap: Writing just 50 without the per cent sign makes it look like a price. Include % so the answer means a discount.
George talks about the instruments the group plays, so 'display of instruments' is tempting. But he only heard them on a video at a stand in the library lobby.
Nina says 'Free refreshments!' and then reads 'includes drinks' from the form. Either word is accepted, but some students write 'garden', which is where the drinks are served, not what is included.
Nobody says 'four tickets' when the concert is first mentioned. George adds Tom and Kieran to the two of them and only later says 'we'll need to book four'.
Words from this recording worth keeping
brochure(Start of the call)
a small magazine with information about an event or product
highlights(The video in the library)
the best or most exciting parts
lobby(The video in the library)
the entrance hall of a public building
spoil ourselves(Deciding to go)
treat ourselves to something enjoyable
refreshments(The singer's concert)
food and drinks provided at an event
bargain(The singer's concert)
something good that costs less than expected
senior citizens(Discounts)
older people, usually over retirement age
discount(Discounts)
an amount taken off the normal price
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 8 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 8, Test 1, 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 8 Test 1 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereSummer Music Festival Booking Form
