Cambridge IELTS Book 18 Listening Test 1 Answers with Explanation /

Cambridge IELTS Book 18 Listening Test 1

Part-1 Transport Survey

Question No.	Answer	Keywords of the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Answer-Containing Sentence)	Synonyms of the Keywords in Question / Equivalent Words in the Audio Script	Explanation
1	DW30 7YZ	Postcode	"It’s DW3Q 7YZ."	-	The postcode is clearly stated in the audio, though there is a minor spelling variation in the transcript.
2	24(th) April	Date of bus journey	"OK. And that was today. It’s the 24th of April, isn’t it?"	-	The speaker confirms the date of travel as 24th April.
3	Dentist	Reason for trip	"Yes. I did some shopping but the main reason I came here was to go to the dentist."	-	The reason for travel is directly mentioned in the audio.
4	Parking	Cost of (too high)	"I stopped driving ages ago because parking was so difficult to find and it costs so much."	"costs so much" = "too high"	The speaker states that the cost of parking was high, leading them to use the bus.
5	Claxby	Got on bus at	"At the bus stop on Claxby Street."	-	The location where the bus journey started is clearly mentioned.
6	Late	Bus today was	"...but this morning it was late. Only about 10 minutes, but still."	-	The bus was late by 10 minutes, confirming the answer.
7	Evening	Frequency of buses in the	"...any time I’ve been in town in the evening... I’ve noticed you have to wait a long time for a bus."	"wait a long time" = "low frequency"	The speaker complains that buses are not frequent in the evening.
8	Supermarket	Goes to the (by car)	"Well, I have got a car but I don’t use it that often. Mainly just to go to the supermarket."	-	The primary reason for using the car is stated explicitly.
9	Pollution	Dislikes travelling by bike in the city centre because of	"I’m not keen on cycling there because of all the pollution."	-	The reason for disliking cycling in the city center is clearly mentioned.
10	Storage	Doesn’t own a bike because of a lack of	"Well, I live in a flat – on the second floor and it doesn’t have any storage."	-	The lack of storage space is given as the reason for not owning a bike.

Part-2 Becoming a volunteer at ACE

Question No.	Answer	Keywords of the question	What we hear in the audio (answer-containing sentence in quotation marks)	Synonyms of the keywords used in question (equivalent words/expression in the audio script)	Explanation (why this is the correct answer)
11	C	Seats, apologise	"...but it does mean that the people at the back of the room may be a bit squashed."	Squashed = very close together	The speaker apologizes for the seating arrangement being cramped, meaning some seats are too close together.
12	A	Age of volunteers	"Other considerations, such as reliability, are crucial in voluntary work and age isn’t related to these, in our experience."	Considerations = factors, reliability = important quality	The speaker emphasizes that age is less important than reliability, making option A correct.
13	A	Training	"What’s more, training doesn’t end when you start working for us – it takes place before, during and after periods of work."	Continuous = ongoing, doesn’t end	The speaker states that training happens before, during, and after work, meaning it is continuous.
14	B	Commitment	"But it is critical that you have enough hours in the day for whatever role we agree is suitable for you."	Commitment = dedication, enough hours = availability	The speaker stresses the importance of dedication to voluntary work.
15	E	Availability	"...if being a volunteer becomes stressful then it’s best not to do it at all."	Availability = enough time, hours in the day	The speaker highlights the need to have enough time for volunteer work.
16	B	Fundraising	"If you have the creativity to come up with an imaginative or novel way of fundraising, we’d be delighted..."	Imaginative = original, novel = new ideas	The speaker mentions creativity as a key quality for fundraising.
17	G	Litter collection	"...for this it’s useful if you can walk for long periods, sometimes uphill."	Walk for long periods = good level of fitness	The speaker suggests physical endurance is necessary for litter collection.
18	D	‘Playmates’	"...it’s good if you know something about nutrition and can give clear instructions."	Nutrition = food and diet, clear instructions = understanding	Knowledge of food and diet is needed for playmates helping children learn about health.
19	A	Story club	"...especially if you have done some acting. We put on three performances a year..."	Acting = experience on stage, performances = theatre	Acting skills help with performances in the story club.
20	F	First aid	"Initially, though, your priority will be to take in a lot of information and not forget any important steps or details."	Not forget details = good memory, take in a lot of information = retention	First aid requires remembering crucial information, making a good memory essential.

Part - 3 Talk on jobs in fashion design

Question No.	Answer (Bold)	Keywords from Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Answer-Containing Sentence in Quotes)	Synonyms / Equivalent Expressions in Audio	Explanation (Why This Answer Is Correct)
21	A	Problem, start of the talk	"I went early so that I’d get a seat and not have to stand, but then this guy sat right in front of me and he was so tall!"	View was blocked → "this guy sat right in front of me and he was so tall!"	Option A is correct because Chantal couldn't see the speaker due to a tall person blocking her view. Option B is incorrect because she found a seat. Option C is incorrect because it was not noise from students that was the problem.
22	B	Surprised, job market	"Yeah, but it looks like there’s a whole range of … areas of work that we hadn’t even thought of – like fashion journalism, for instance."	Variety → "a whole range of … areas of work"	Option B is correct because Hugo and Chantal were surprised by the variety of jobs available. Option A is incorrect because competition was expected. Option C is incorrect because excitement was not their main reaction.
23	A	Agree, speaker’s message	"She did. She kept saying things like ‘I know you all think this, but …’ and then she’d tell us how it really is."	Unfair → "It was a bit harsh, though!"	Option A is correct because they felt the speaker's tone was harsh and somewhat unfair. Option B is incorrect because they followed the talk. Option C is incorrect because the speaker was not criticizing the industry itself.
24	C	Criticise, school careers advice	"We were told about lots of different careers – just when we needed to be, but not by the experts who really know stuff."	Who gave advice → "not by the experts who really know stuff"	Option C is correct because they criticized the lack of expert career guidance. Option A is incorrect because timing was not the issue. Option B is incorrect because they received plenty of advice.
25	B	Disagree, future career	"Well. I promised myself that I’d go through this course and keep an open mind till the end." vs. "But I think it’s better to pick an area of the industry now and then aim to get better and better at it."	When to choose a career → "keep an open mind" vs. "pick an area now"	Option B is correct because Hugo wants to decide now, while Chantal prefers to wait. Option A is incorrect because they did not argue over the best career. Option C is incorrect because their reasons for choosing fashion were not debated.
26	A	Hugo, unpaid assistant	"I’m prepared for that, aren’t you?"	Realistic → "I’m prepared for that"	Option A is correct because Hugo accepts that unpaid work is part of the industry. Option B is incorrect because he does not call it dishonest. Option C is incorrect because he does not say others want to change it.
27 & 28 (Either Order)	B, E	Speaker, first job mistakes	"And then he was so mean, telling her she was more interested in her own appearance than his!" / "Well, as she said, she should have hidden her negative feelings about him, but she didn’t."	Paying too much attention to appearance → "more interested in her own appearance than his" / Openly disliking client → "she should have hidden her negative feelings about him"	B is correct because she admitted she focused too much on her own looks. E is correct because she regretted showing her dislike. A, C, and D are incorrect as they were not mentioned as mistakes.
29 & 30 (Either Order)	A, C	Useful retail information	"Imagine you worked in an expensive shop and you found out the garments sold there were being returned because they … fell apart in the wash!" / "However, it would be useful to know if there’s a gap in the market – you know, an item that no one’s stocking but that consumers are looking for."	People return fashion items → "garments … being returned" / Fashion designs people want but can’t find → "an item that no one’s stocking but that consumers are looking for"	A is correct because knowing why items are returned helps designers. C is correct because understanding gaps in the market helps in design choices. B, D, and E are incorrect as they were not discussed as critical information.

Part 4 Elephant translocation

Question No.	Answer (Bold)	Keywords from Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Answer-Containing Sentence in Quotes)	Synonyms / Equivalent Expressions in Audio	Explanation (Why This Answer Is Correct)
31	Fences	Damage, park	"Elephants were routinely knocking down fences around the park, which then had to be repaired at a significant cost."	Breaking barriers → "knocking down fences"	"Fences" is correct because elephants were damaging them due to overpopulation.
32	Family	Suitable group, same	"Elephants were moved in groups of between eight and twenty, all belonging to one family."	Group → "belonging to one family"	"Family" is correct because elephants were relocated in groups based on their family ties.
33	Helicopters	Guide, elephants, open plain	"A team of vets and park rangers flew over the park in helicopters and targeted a group, which were rounded up and directed to a designated open plain."	Directing elephants → "rounded up and directed"	"Helicopters" is correct because they were used to guide the elephants.
34	Stress	Reduce, translocation process	"This also had to be done as quickly as possible so as to minimise the stress caused."	Minimize discomfort → "minimise the stress caused"	"Stress" is correct because the process had to be done quickly to avoid causing stress to the elephants.
35	Sides	Position, lungs	"So all the elephants had to be placed on their sides."	Prevent suffocation → "placed on their sides"	"Sides" is correct because elephants needed to be positioned this way to prevent lung damage.
36	Breathing	Monitored constantly	"It was very important to keep an eye on their breathing – if there were fewer than six breaths per minute, the elephant would need urgent medical attention."	Check respiration → "keep an eye on their breathing"	"Breathing" is correct because it had to be continuously observed for safety.
37	Feet	Data, tusk size	"Measurements were taken of each elephant’s tusks – elephants with large tusks would be at greater risk from poachers – and also of their feet."	Measurements → "also of their feet"	"Feet" is correct because foot measurements were recorded along with tusk sizes.
38	Employment	Opportunities	"Employment prospects have improved enormously, contributing to rising living standards for the whole community."	Job chances → "employment prospects have improved"	"Employment" is correct because translocation led to more job opportunities.
39	Weapons	Reduction, poachers	"In fact, many of them volunteered to give up their weapons, as they were no longer of any use to them."	Hunting tools → "volunteered to give up their weapons"	"Weapons" is correct because poachers surrendered them after finding alternative incomes.
40	Tourism	Contributor, GDP	"All this has been a big draw for tourism, which contributes five times more than the illegal wildlife trade to GDP."	Economic growth → "big draw for tourism"	"Tourism" is correct because it significantly boosted the economy.