Cycling Courses in London - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 2 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–14 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 15–17 Note Completion
List THREE types of organisations for which CitiCyclist provides services.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
15
16
17
Questions 18–20 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
website address: citicyclist.co.uk
phone: 18
cost (single person): £19 per lesson
usual length of course: 20 (except complete beginners)
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | B | here in London it's completely different, you're approaching the point where a whole generation of people have grown up not being allowed by their parents to cycle, because it was considered to be getting too dangerous, and so in turn, they can't teach their children | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that in London, many parents stopped their children from cycling for safety reasons. This led to a group of people who never learned how to ride and who are now unable to help their own children learn. Answer Explanation: The answer means that many people living in London have never ridden a bike or learned how to bike. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Jack explains that a whole generation of people in London grew up without being allowed to ride bikes. Their parents prevented them from cycling because they thought it was too dangerous. Because these people never learned, they cannot teach their own children, resulting in many people having no experience with the activity. |
| Q12 | A | We believe in realistic training, so if someone wants to use a bike regularly, say to get to work or school, we aim to train them by teaching them to ride on the actual roads they'll use, so they can develop the basic skills they need and build up their confidence that way | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the training is real and practical. If a person wants to bike to work or school, the company trains them on the real roads they will use. This helps them learn the skills they need and feel more brave while cycling. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the company teaches people how to ride their bikes on the specific paths or streets they plan to use every day. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the trainer's statement about 'realistic training.' He explains that for people who want to cycle to work or school, the company teaches them on the 'actual roads they'll use.' This matches the idea of 'giving cycling lessons on the route they take.' By practicing on the real streets they will travel on, students can learn the specific skills needed for their daily journey and feel more sure of themselves. |
| Q13 | C | We do complete beginners and also advanced courses – that's for urban cyclists who want to deal with things like riding in streets with complicated intersections and things like that | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that they have classes for experienced riders who want to learn how to ride in city streets that have difficult road crossings. Answer Explanation: The answer means that advanced bike riders take courses to feel sure and safe when riding through difficult road areas like big intersections where many streets meet. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Jack explains that their advanced courses are designed for city cyclists who need to handle difficult traffic situations. He specifically mentions 'complicated intersections,' which are types of complex road systems. By learning how to navigate these areas, cyclists gain the skills and confidence needed for urban riding. Key words to note are 'advanced courses' and 'complicated intersections' (which means complex road spots). |
| Q14 | C | We believe the key to safe cycling is assertiveness – taking your place on the road. This has to be instilled right from the beginning. Assertive road positioning and behaviour is the key to safe cycling in congested urban environments | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that being assertive—which means being bold and certain—and knowing exactly where to ride on the street is the most important way to stay safe when there are many vehicles around. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the group believes people on bicycles should learn to be brave and feel sure of themselves when they ride on roads with many cars. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Jack Hays says his company focuses on building 'confidence' and 'assertiveness' in cyclists so they can handle 'congested urban environments' (roads with a lot of heavy traffic). He specifically mentions that they do not agree with separating bikes from cars on every road (which makes option A wrong) and they do not push the use of safety gear like helmets (which makes option B wrong). |
| Q15 | schools | Now as well as courses for individuals, CitiCyclist provides a number of services for organisations. For example, we can deliver fun, safe cycle-training activities at schools | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that while the company helps individual people, they also help organizations. It gives schools as a specific example of where they provide bicycle training. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies schools as one of the groups or organizations that CitiCyclist works with. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the section where Jack Hays discusses the different services his company offers. After mentioning that they provide services for organizations, he explicitly names schools as the first example of where they deliver cycle-training activities. The context of 'organisations' combined with 'activities at schools' confirms this is a correct category of service recipient. |
| Q16 | local councils | As well as this, in order to promote safe cycling we have provided training courses for employees and staff of local councils | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the company offers classes to teach safety to the people who work at local government offices. Answer Explanation: The answer points out one of the three specific groups or organizations that CitiCyclist helps by giving them training. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is local councils because Jack Hays explains that his company helps different groups. Besides teaching individuals, they also work with schools, companies, and local councils. He specifically says they have given training classes to the people who work for these local government groups. |
| Q17 | companies | For example, we can deliver fun, safe cycle-training activities at schools, arranging courses so that the disruption of curriculum time is kept to a minimum. As well as this, in order to promote safe cycling we have provided training courses for employees and staff of local councils. And we are also increasingly looking at developing training courses in companies in order to help employers work towards green transport plans by helping to increase the number of staff cycling to work | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript lists the different types of groups that CitiCyclist helps: it mentions schools for students, local councils for their staff, and companies to help business owners encourage their employees to cycle to their jobs. Answer Explanation: The answer is companies, which refers to businesses or firms that use CitiCyclist's services to help their employees learn how to ride bicycles to work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the part of the transcript where Jack discusses the services they provide for different organizations. He mentions schools, local councils, and specifically companies as places where they develop training courses. This helps staff cycle to work, supporting "green transport plans." A keyword to look for is "organisations," which introduces the list of groups they work with. |
| Q18 | 020 7562 4028 | And in order to book lessons, you can either phone us on 020 7562 4028, or do it online – there's an application form on our website, and you can just download that and send it in | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that if you want to sign up for classes, you can call the office using the number 020 7562 4028, or you can go on the internet. Answer Explanation: The answer is the telephone number you should call to schedule or reserve a cycling lesson. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found when Jack explains how people can get in touch with CitiCyclist to book lessons. He mentions two ways: using their website or calling them. He then says the phone number clearly for the listeners to write down. |
| Q19 | 27.50 | We charge £27.50 per hour for one-to-one lessons plus £6.00 for each extra person – so you're looking at just £39.50 for a family of three, say | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the cost for a single person (one-to-one) is £27.50, and it mentions how much more it costs if you add more people. Answer Explanation: The answer is the hourly price for a single person to receive a cycling lesson. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the section of the transcript where Jack Hays mentions the price for different types of lessons. He explicitly states that 'one-to-one' (which means one teacher for one student) lessons cost £27.50 per hour. Keywords like 'charge' and 'per hour' help identify this as the cost information. |
| Q20 | 3 hours / three hours | for most people a course of road training usually takes three hours | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript clearly states that for the majority of people, the training for riding on the street normally occupies three hours of time. Answer Explanation: The answer means that most people who want to learn how to ride a bike safely on roads should expect the course to last for 3 hours. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because Jack, the trainer, gives specific times for his lessons. He mentions that while one hour is enough for absolute beginners to start riding, a standard road training course typically takes three hours for most individuals. The word 'usually' used in the speech matches the request for the 'usual length' in the notes. |
Transcript
Announcer: There's been a great deal of interest lately in encouraging people to use bicycles instead of cars as a means of transport. But not everyone is confident about riding a bike at the best of times, let alone in the middle of a city like London. Jack Hays is a professional trainer who works for a London-based company, CitiCyclist, which provides cycle training for the public. What exactly does CitiCyclist do, Jack?
Jack: Well, our basic purpose is to promote cycling as a sustainable form of transport. We believe the best way to promote cycling is to teach people to use their bikes safely and with confidence. In European countries, people all learned from their parents, and they also learned in school, and when I tell them I teach people to ride bikes they laugh, they think it's crazy, but here in London it's completely different, you're approaching the point where a whole generation of people have grown up not being allowed by their parents to cycle, because it was considered to be getting too dangerous, and so in turn, they can't teach their children ...
We believe in realistic training, so if someone wants to use a bike regularly, say to get to work or school, we aim to train them by teaching them to ride on the actual roads they'll use, so they can develop the basic skills they need and build up their confidence that way.
At CitiCyclist we believe cycling's for everyone, no matter what age or level of ability or mobility. We do complete beginners and also advanced courses – that's for urban cyclists who want to deal with things like riding in streets with complicated intersections and things like that. We don't promote the use of personal protective equipment for cyclists and we endorse the policy of the European Cyclists Federation that parents should be allowed to make an informed choice as to whether or not their child wears a helmet. We believe the key to safe cycling is assertiveness – taking your place on the road. This has to be instilled right from the beginning. Assertive road positioning and behaviour is the key to safe cycling in congested urban environments. Some people are surprised that we don't promote the segregation of cyclists from motorised traffic, but we don't think that's practical in all urban environments. Instead, we teach people to use as much road space as they need to travel safely and effectively.
Now as well as courses for individuals, CitiCyclist provides a number of services for organisations. For example, we can deliver fun, safe cycle-training activities at schools, arranging courses so that the disruption of curriculum time is kept to a minimum. As well as this, in order to promote safe cycling we have provided training courses for employees and staff of local councils. And we are also increasingly looking at developing training courses in companies in order to help employers work towards green transport plans by helping to increase the number of staff cycling to work.
Right, so that's a brief summary of what we do. If any listeners would like to find out more about the organisation, you can have a look at our website – that's citicyclist – c-i-t-i cyclist – .co.uk. And in order to book lessons, you can either phone us on 020 7562 4028, or do it online – there's an application form on our website, and you can just download that and send it in. We charge £27.50 per hour for one-to-one lessons plus £6.00 for each extra person – so you're looking at just £39.50 for a family of three, say. If you've never been on a bike in your life before, we reckon we can get you riding in one hour, and for most people a course of road training usually takes three hours. But whether you're a parent or a child, an individual or an institution, we'll be happy to discuss your special needs and make a programme just for you.