Anu Bhatt, a new nursing student from India, visits the university accommodation office to apply for a place in a hall of residence. The man there fills in a form with her: personal details, how long she'll stay, food, room type, interests and what matters to her in a hall.
Questions 1-10 · 10 marks · 1 question block
One ten-gap form, in the same order as the conversation. The man asks a question for each line and Anu answers, so every answer comes from her. The last three gaps are her priorities, given one after another near the end.
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: The man asks a direct question before almost every gap, so his questions are your signposts. One word only, which matters: several answers are short parts of longer phrases (red meat, out of town, a shared area). Check what the form already prints next to each gap so you don't repeat it.
What is Anu's surname?
It's Anu Bhatt. … Could you spell your name please?
Question says → You hear
Why: The first name is printed, so the gap is her family name. He asks her to spell it, which tells you the spelling will be tested: Bhatt, with an h after the B and double t.
The trap: Spelling. 'Bhat' or 'Batt' lose the mark.
Also accepted: 31st March / March 31
When was Anu born?
could I ask your date of birth? … 31 March 1972.
Question says → You hear
Why: She gives the full date. The published key gives the day and month, 31 March (31st March and March 31 are fine too). Write the date in one of those forms.
The trap: The year follows straight after the month, and writing only 1972 loses the mark: the key needs the day and the month. 'India' comes next, but country of origin is already printed.
What is Anu going to study?
And what will you be studying? … I'm doing a course in nursing.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'A course in nursing' is the course of study, so the one word is nursing.
Also accepted: two
How many years does Anu want to live in hall?
it'll take three years but I'd only like to stay in hall for two.
Question says → You hear
Why: The course takes three years, but she plans to stay in hall for only two and live outside in the third. Write 2 or two.
The trap: Three is said first and it's the length of the course, not her time in hall. The word 'but' signals the change.
What doesn't Anu eat?
do you have any special diet, anything we should know about? … Yes, I don't take red meat.
Question says → You hear
Why: The form already prints '(red)' after the gap, so you only need meat.
The trap: Writing 'red meat' repeats the printed word and breaks the one-word limit.
Which kind of room does Anu want?
The other alternative is to opt for a single bedsit which actually has more space … I think the bedsit sounds the best option.
Question says → You hear
Why: Her grant is generous enough, so she chooses the bedsit. The form prints 'a single', which matches 'a single bedsit'.
The trap: 'A single study bedroom' also starts with 'single', and it's the first option he mentions. It's the cheaper one she doesn't take.
Also accepted: theater
What is Anu's first interest?
Well, I love the theatre.
Question says → You hear
Why: Her first interest is the theatre; badminton, the second, is printed. 'The' is printed before the gap, so write just theatre (theater is accepted).
The trap: Sports is said next, but badminton is the sport and it's already on the form.
Also accepted: older
What kind of students does Anu want to live with?
I'd prefer a hall where there are other mature students, if possible. … halls which tend to cater for slightly older students.
Question says → You hear
Why: She wants to be with other mature students, and the man rephrases it as older students. Both mature and older are accepted.
The trap: Make the word fit 'students who are ...': an adjective, so mature or older, not 'slightly older'.
Where does Anu not want to live?
Ummm and I'd prefer to be out of town.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Out of town' becomes 'outside the town' on the form, so the gap is town.
The trap: 'Out-of-town halls' comes next from the man, but 'halls' doesn't fit 'outside the ...'. The answer is the place she wants to be away from.
What kind of area does Anu want for socialising?
I would like somewhere with a shared area, a TV room for example, or something like that. It's a good way to socialise.
Question says → You hear
Why: The form prints 'area', so the gap is the adjective before it: shared.
The trap: 'TV' is the example she gives, but a TV room is one kind of shared area. The word the form needs is shared.
Anu's course takes three years, and three is the number people write. She only wants to stay in hall for two of them, and the form asks about years in hall.
Three room types are described: a single study bedroom, a shared one and a single bedsit. The form prints 'a single', which fits two of them. Anu picks the bedsit.
She says 'out of town', but the form says 'to live outside the ...'. Outside already means 'out of', so the gap is just town.
The full Cambridge 9 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 9, Test 2, 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.
