Laura Carlton phones the owner of the holiday flat she has just arrived at because the heating and hot water won't work. He talks her through the water heater controls, tells her where to find things in the flat, and gives tips about parking, takeaways and the railway museum.
All the answers come from the owner, in order. Questions 11-13 are the water heater (left to right, then the button and the light below), 14-18 follow the list of items, and 19-20 come after Laura asks about visiting the town.
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: The owner describes the controls by position: far left, middle, right, then below. Follow each control on the diagram as he talks, and listen for what it does, not just what it looks like. Two options in the box (time control and electricity indicator) are never described.
Question 11
Answer: BThe first of the three main controls, on the far left
What is the control labelled 11?
The first one - the round one on the far left - is the most, important one for the heating and hot water. It's the main control switch. Make sure it's in the 'on' position.
Question says → You hear
on/off switchIt's the main control switch. Make sure it's in the 'on' position
Why: The round control on the far left is the main control switch, which you put in the 'on' position: the on/off switch, B.
The trap: The little square below this switch goes black when it's off, which can make you think of an indicator. But the far-left control itself is the switch. The middle and right controls (radiators and tap water) aren't labelled in this question.
Question 12
Answer: CWhen the owner moves below the controls, to the small round button
What is the control labelled 12?
Below the heating controls in the middle is a small round plastic button. … you'll need to press this button to reset the heater.
Question says → You hear
reset buttonpress this button to reset the heater
Why: The small round button in the middle below the controls resets the heater when it goes out. That's the reset button, C.
The trap: Its job is linked to the alarm light, which flashes when you need to reset. The light and the button are separate labels.
Question 13
Answer: EThe last thing on the heater, the square under the third knob
What is the control labelled 13?
Then there's a little square indicator under the third knob that's a kind of alarm light. It'll … flash if you need to reset the heater.
Question says → You hear
warning indicatora little square indicator under the third knob that's a kind of alarm light
Why: An alarm light that flashes when something's wrong is a warning indicator, E.
The trap: A, electricity indicator, sounds possible for a light, but nothing about electricity is said. The light warns you to reset.
Matching (A-G)
Questions 14-18
How to attack this block: Five items, seven places, in the order of the list. Each place has a near-miss in the box (on the television versus under it, on a shelf above the sink versus under the sink), so listen for the exact position word.
Question 14
Answer: BWhen Laura asks about pillows and washing powder
Where are the extra pillows?
If you look in the cupboard, the large white one upstairs - to the left of the bathroom door - there should be four or five on the top shelf.
Question says → You hear
in cupboard on landingthe cupboard, the large white one upstairs - to the left of the bathroom door
Why: A cupboard upstairs next to the bathroom door is on the landing, B.
The trap: 'Top shelf' might pull you to E, but E is the shelf by the back door. The pillows are on a shelf inside the upstairs cupboard.
Question 15
Answer: EStraight after the pillows
Where is the washing powder?
probably by the back door. There's a kind of shelf there above the sink. In fact, I'm sure there's some there, in a large blue box.
Question says → You hear
on shelf by back doorby the back door. There's a kind of shelf there above the sink
Why: It's on a shelf by the back door, E.
The trap: G, under kitchen sink, is the trap: the shelf is above the sink, not under it. The 'large blue box' could also suggest A, but that box is the light bulbs' one.
Question 16
Answer: DWhen the owner says 'that reminds me'
Where is the spare key?
the spare key to the back door is hangingonahook … on the wall by the sitting room window.
Question says → You hear
next to window in living roomon the wall by the sitting room window
Why: 'Sitting room' is another word for living room, and 'by the window' is 'next to window', D.
The trap: It's the key to the back door, but it isn't kept there. E is about the back door, and that's where the washing powder is.
Question 17
Answer: AAfter the story about the previous guests losing the key
Where are the spare light bulbs?
you'll find some spare bulbs in a large cardboard box. It's on top of the washing machine
Question says → You hear
in box on washing machinein a large cardboard box. It's on top of the washing machine
Why: A box on top of the washing machine is A.
Question 18
Answer: CWhen the owner says there's 'another thing I forgot to mention'
Where is the local map?
I put it in the top drawer of the chest under the TV in your bedroom.
Question says → You hear
in chest of drawersin the top drawer of the chest
Why: A chest with a top drawer is a chest of drawers, C.
The trap: F, on top of television, uses the TV, but the chest is under the TV and the map is inside it.
Note completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 19-20
How to attack this block: Two phone numbers are read out in British style ('double 2'), and only one is for pizzas. For the museum, the closed day comes at the end of a long sentence about the best days to visit.
Question 19
Answer: 732281When the owner recommends the takeaways
What number do you call for takeaway pizzas?
the Italian one does really good pasta and pizzas. Call … 7-3 double 2, 8-1 for that one, or 7 double 6, double 1, 9 for the Chinese.
Question says → You hear
Phone number for takeaway pizzasthe Italian one does really good pasta and pizzas. Call … 7-3 double 2, 8-1
Why: Pizzas are from the Italian, and its number is 7-3 double 2, 8-1: 732281.
The trap: The Chinese number, 766119, comes straight after. Also check you write 'double 2' as 22.
Question 20
Answer: ThursdayThe last tip, about the railway museum
Also accepted: Thursdays
Which day is the railway museum closed?
It gets very crowded on Sundays … but not on … Thursdays which is market day - you won't find anywhere to park and it's also the only day of the week when not open!
Question says → You hear
closed onthe only day of the week when not open
Why: Thursday is market day and 'the only day of the week when not open', so the museum is closed on Thursday.
The trap: Sunday is said first, but it's the crowded day, not the closed one.
The square light under the third knob is called 'a kind of alarm light' and 'flashes if you need to reset'. That's the warning indicator. The little square under the main switch is a different thing: it just shows the switch is off.
Two numbers: 732281 for the Italian, which does pizzas, and 766119 for the Chinese. You have to unpack 'double 2' as 22.
Words from this recording worth keeping
radiators(Water heater)
metal heaters on the wall that warm a room
setting(Water heater)
a position on a control
reset(Water heater)
start a machine again after it stops
indicator(Water heater)
a light that shows the state of a machine
spare(Finding things)
extra, kept in case you need it
previous guests(Finding things)
the people who stayed before
takeaway(Visiting the town)
a cooked meal you buy to eat at home
crowded(Visiting the town)
full of people
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 9 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 9, Test 4, 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.
