King's Restaurant Job Enquiry: listening answers and explanations
Peter Chin, a first-year Physics student, phones King's Restaurant about a part-time job he heard about from a friend. The woman who answers explains the work, the branch, the pay and the extra benefits, then sets up an interview for him.
One ten-gap note block, in the same order as the call: the job itself, location, pay, benefits, qualities, then the interview details. Almost every answer comes from the woman at the restaurant, except the interview date in question 9, which Peter suggests.
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 1-10 · Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 1-10
How to attack this block: The notes follow Peter's questions one by one, so each new question he asks is your signal to move to the next gap. Watch for guesses that get corrected (washing up, two nights) and for two numbers close together, like the old and new hourly pay. Copy names and the street exactly as you hear them.
Question 1
Answer: answering phonePeter's first question, when he guesses it might be washing up
Also accepted: answering the phone / answer phone / answer the phone
What will Peter actually be doing in the job?
what sort of work is it - washing up? … It's answering the phone.
Question says → You hear
Type of workwhat sort of work is it
Why: Peter guesses, and the woman corrects him straight away: the job is answering the phone. That fits within three words, so 'answering phone' or 'answering the phone' both work.
The trap: Washing up is said first, as Peter's guess, and waiting at table comes next as something the job is not. Neither is the type of work.
Question 2
Answer: Hillsdunne RoadWhen Peter asks where exactly the restaurant is
Which branch is Peter applying to work in?
we have two branches - the one we're recruiting for is in Hillsdunne Road.
Question says → You hear
Work in the ... branchthe one we're recruiting for is in Hillsdunne Road
Why: There are two branches, and 'the one we're recruiting for' tells you which one Peter would work in. The branch is identified by its street, so write Hillsdunne Road with capitals.
The trap: Spelling. Peter asks her to spell it, so the exam expects the exact form: Hillsdunne, double l and double n, plus 'Road'.
Question 3
Answer: libraryStraight after the street name, when Peter asks about buses
What is the nearest bus stop next to?
Is it near a bus stop? … The nearest one would probably be just beside the Library.
Question says → You hear
next tojust beside the Library
Why: 'Just beside' is the paraphrase of 'next to' in the notes. The gap only needs the place: library.
Question 4
Answer: 4.45When Peter asks about the pay
What is the hourly pay for this job?
We're offering £4.45 an hour. … My last job was £3.95 an hour.
Question says → You hear
Pay: £ ... an hourWe're offering £4.45 an hour
Why: The restaurant is 'offering' £4.45, so that is the pay for this job. The note already has the £ sign, so write 4.45.
The trap: £3.95 is said a moment later, but it was Peter's last job. It's there to catch you if you write the last number you heard.
Question 5
Answer: national holidaysAfter the free dinner, the second fringe benefit
When do staff get extra pay?
we also offer extra pay for working on national holidays.
Question says → You hear
extra pay when you work onextra pay for working on national holidays
Why: The note repeats 'extra pay' and 'work on' almost word for word, so the answer is the next two words: national holidays.
The trap: Weekends were mentioned earlier as the busy time, but that's about the shifts, not extra pay. Keep the plural, holidays.
Question 6
Answer: after 11The third benefit, when she mentions problems with public transport
Also accepted: after 11 o'clock
When do staff get a lift home?
because of the difficulties of getting public transport, if you're working after 11 o'clock we drive you home.
Question says → You hear
transport homewe drive you home
when you workif you're working after 11 o'clock
Why: 'We drive you home' is the transport home, and the condition is working after 11 o'clock. 'After 11' and 'after 11 o'clock' are both accepted.
The trap: Writing only '11' changes the meaning: the lift is for working after 11, not at 11. Keep 'after'.
Question 7
Answer: clear voiceWhen Peter asks what qualities they're looking for
What is the first quality the restaurant wants?
a clear voice, which you obviously do have!
Question says → You hear
Qualities requiredwhat qualities you're looking for
Why: For a job answering the phone, the first quality she names is a clear voice. Two words, and it fits the bullet as a noun phrase.
The trap: Don't write just 'voice': the quality is having a clear one.
Question 8
Answer: think quicklyRight after the clear voice
What is the second quality, the ability to do what?
And you must be able to think quickly, you know.
Question says → You hear
ability toyou must be able to think quickly
Why: 'Must be able to' turns into 'ability to' in the notes, so the gap takes the verb phrase: think quickly.
The trap: The gap follows 'to', so it needs a verb. 'Quick thinking' means the same but doesn't fit the grammar.
Question 9
Answer: 22 OctoberWhen she asks when he could come in, and he turns down tonight and tomorrow
Also accepted: 22nd October / October 22
What date is the interview on?
Sorry, I couldn't come tonight. Or tomorrow, I'm afraid. Thursday's okay - that'd be 22
Question says → You hear
Interview arranged for: ThursdayThursday's okay - that'd be 22
Why: Peter rules out tonight and tomorrow, then accepts Thursday, the 22nd of October. Write the date: 22 October, 22nd October or October 22 are all fine.
The trap: Tonight and tomorrow are both offered first and turned down. Times come up too (after 5 p.m., 6 o'clock), but 6 p.m. is already printed in the note.
Question 10
Answer: ManujaThe very end of the call, when Peter asks who to ask for
What is Samira's surname?
My name is Samira Manuja. … M-A-N-U-J-A.
Question says → You hear
Ask for: SamiraMy name is Samira Manuja
Why: She spells her surname letter by letter, which is the signal that you have to write it exactly: Manuja, with a capital M.
The trap: Spelling only. Listen for each letter: 'Manuja', not 'Manuya' or 'Manooja'.
The branch is named by its street, Hillsdunne Road, and you have to spell an unfamiliar name correctly. The note says 'Work in the ... branch', so the street name is what goes in, not a description.
Two prices come right after each other: £4.45 for this job and £3.95 for Peter's last job. The second one is the trap. Write 4.45 only, since the £ sign is already printed.
The note says 'when you work ...', so the gap is a time phrase: after 11. Many students write just '11' or 'at night', which miss the word 'after'.
Words from this recording worth keeping
vacant(Start of the call)
available, not yet filled by anyone
advert(Start of the call)
an advertisement for a job
interfere with(Hours)
get in the way of something
work permit(Hours)
an official document allowing a foreign national to work
recruiting(Location)
looking for new staff
fringe benefits(Extra benefits)
extras given with a job on top of the pay
perk(Extra benefits)
an extra advantage you get from a job
referees(Interview)
people who will describe your character or past work to an employer
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The full Cambridge 9 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 9, 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.
