Cambridge IELTS 20 · Listening · Test 1 · Part 1

Listening Test 1, Part 1: answers explained

The recording and its 10 questions (1–10). Every answer is explained with the words that give it away.

Take the whole test, timed Show the answers

Part 1 recording

Play it once, as in the exam, and answer the questions below as you listen.

Questions 1–10

Note completion
1 Good for people who are especially keen on ______
2 Quite expensive The ______ is a good place for a drink
3 ______ food, good for sharing
4 Staff are very friendly Need to pay £50 deposit A limited selection of ______ food on the menu
5 The ______
6 At the top of a ______
7 A famous chef All the ______ are very good Only uses … ingredients
8 A famous chef All the … are very good Only uses ______ ingredients
9 Set lunch costs £ ______ per person Portions probably of … size
10 Set lunch costs £ … per person Portions probably of ______ size

Answers explained

Answer the questions first: finding the evidence yourself teaches more than reading it. The answers stay folded until you ask.

Question 1

fish

What you hear

If you like fish, it’s probably the best restaurant in town

Why

The man praises The Junction's food and singles out one kind: "if you like fish", it is probably the best place in town. The note's "especially keen on" is a paraphrase of that "if you like". He then adds that all the food is good, but fish is the speciality the gap wants.
Question 2

roof

What you hear

you can go up on the roof and have a drink

Why

Before dinner, the man says, you can go up on the roof for a drink, and he stresses you must book because of the views. The notes shorten this to a single noun after "The". Grayson Street and the station are only about location, so they don't fit a place for drinks.
Question 3

Spanish

What you hear

is all the food they serve Spanish

Why

Paloma is the second restaurant, and the woman asks whether everything is Spanish. The man's "Yeah" confirms it and he adds the small dishes to share, which matches "good for sharing" in the notes. Don Felipe's, the chef's old restaurant, is only a name, not a cuisine, so listen for the confirmation.
Question 4

vegetarian

What you hear

good choice of vegetarian dishes

Why

The woman says some friends have stopped eating meat and wants to check for vegetarian choices. The man replies that the selection of those would be quite limited, so "limited" in the notes matches his wording. Note that he never says the menu lacks meat, only that vegetarian options are few.
Question 5

Audley

What you hear

A-U-D-L-E-Y

Why

The man spells the name out letter by letter, A-U-D-L-E-Y, so the answer is a single word you write exactly as spelt. The woman has never heard of it, which is why the spelling is given. Nothing else in the conversation is a candidate, because the earlier restaurants are The Junction and Paloma.
Question 6

hotel

What you hear

in that hotel near Baxter Bridge, on the top floor

Why

Asked where the Audley is, the man says it is in the hotel near Baxter Bridge, on the top floor. The note says "at the top of a", so the noun needed is the building, hotel. Baxter Bridge is a landmark for finding it, not the thing the restaurant sits on top of.
Question 7

reviews

What you hear

excellent reviews from all the newspapers

Why

Having mentioned the chef's fame, the man ends with the restaurant's reception: excellent reviews from all the newspapers. "All the ... are very good" in the notes becomes "excellent reviews from all", with the adjective swapped for a synonym. The plural noun is needed to fit the gap, so press coverage in general would not be a precise match.
Question 8

local

What you hear

only likes cooking with local products

Why

The woman remarks that the chef likes cooking with local products, and the man confirms it: everything must be sourced within a short distance, with nothing flown in from abroad. The note's "only uses … ingredients" compresses that rule into one adjective, local. "Short distance" and "from abroad" describe the idea but are not single words that fit the gap.
Question 9

30/thirty

What you hear

you could go for the set lunch

Why

Asked about cost, the man suggests the set lunch and gives the price as thirty pounds a head, which the note turns into £ ___ per person. Take care: he then says the evening meal would be nearer £50, and £50 was also Paloma's deposit earlier. Only the lunch figure, 30, fits this gap; thirty written in words is accepted too.
Question 10

average

What you hear

With tiny portions

Why

The woman fears tiny portions, but the man says the reviews never mentioned that and guesses the helpings would be average. The note's "probably" mirrors his "I imagine", so the gap wants the size he predicts: average. "Tiny" is her worry, which he does not confirm, so it cannot be the answer.

Part 1 audioscript

Part 1 · audioscript

WOMAN I’ve been meaning to ask you for some advice about restaurants. I need to book somewhere to celebrate my sister’s 30th birthday, and I liked the sound of that place you went to for your mum’s 50th.

MAN The Junction. Yeah, I’d definitely recommend that for a special occasion. We had a great time there. Everyone really enjoyed it.

WOMAN Where is it again? I can’t remember.

MAN It on Grayson Street only about a two walk from the station.

WOMAN Oh that's good I prefer not to have to drive anywhere but I don't want to have to walk too far either.

MAN Yes, the location’s perfect, but that’s not necessarily why I’d recommend it. The food’s amazing. If you like fish, it’s probably the best restaurant in town for that. It’s always really fresh and there are lots of interesting dishes to choose from But all the food is good there.

WOMAN Is it really expensive?

MAN It’s certainly not cheap, but for a special occasion I think it’s fine It’s got a great atmosphere and before dinner you can go up on the roof and have a drink It’s really nice up there, but you need to book It’s very popular as the views are spectacular.

WOMAN Sounds good. So that’s definitely a possibility then. Is there anywhere else you can think of?

MAN If you want somewhere a bit less formal, then you could try Paloma.

WOMAN Where’s that? I haven’t heard of it.

MAN No, it’s quite new. It’s only been open a few months, but it’s got a great reputation already. It’s in a really beautiful old building on Bow Street.

WOMAN Oh, I think I know where you mean. Right beside the cinema.

MAN Yes, that’s it. I’ve only been there a couple of times, but I was really impressed. The chef used to work at Don Felipe’s, apparently. I was really sorry when that closed down.

WOMAN So is all the food they serve Spanish, then?

MAN Yeah. You can get lots of small dishes to share, which always works really well if you’re in a group.

WOMAN Hmm. Worth thinking about.

MAN Yeah. There’s a lively atmosphere and the waiters are really friendly. The only thing is that you need to pay a £50 deposit to book a table.

WOMAN A lot of restaurants are doing that these days. I should have a look at the menu to check if there is a good choice of vegetarian dishes. A couple of my friends have stopped eating meat

MAN Not sure I say the selection of those would be quite limited.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions five to ten. Now listen and answer questions 5 to 10.

MAN I’ve just thought of another idea. Have you been to the Audley?

WOMAN No, don’t think I’ve heard of it. How’s it spelt?

MAN A-U-D-L-E-Y. You must have heard of it. There’s been a lot about it in the press.

WOMAN I don’t tend to pay much attention to that kind of thing. So where is it exactly?

MAN It’s in that hotel near Baxter Bridge, on the top floor.

WOMAN Oh, the views would be incredible from up there.

MAN Yeah, I’d love to go. I can’t think of the chef’s name, but she was a judge on that TV cookery show recently. And she’s written a couple of cookery books.

WOMAN Oh, Angela Frayne.

MAN That’s the one. Anyway, it had excellent reviews from all the newspapers.

WOMAN

That would be a memorable place for a celebration.

MAN

Definitely. Obviously it’s worth going there just for the view, but the food is supposed to be really special.

WOMAN

She only likes cooking with local products doesn’t she?

MAN

Yes. Everything at the restaurant has to be sourced within a short distance and absolutely nothing flown in from abroad.

WOMAN

I imagine it’s really expensive, though.

MAN

Well, you could go for the set lunch. That’s quite reasonable for a top-class restaurant. £30 a head. In the evening, I think it’d be more like £50.

WOMAN

At least that, I should think. But I’m sure everyone would enjoy it. It’s not the kind of place you leave feeling hungry, though, is it? With tiny portions?

MAN

No, the reviews I’ve read didn’t mention that. I imagine they’d be average.

WOMAN

Well, that’s all great. Thanks so much.

Part 1 recording

Questions 1–10

Answers explained

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Part 1 audioscript