Daisy Childcare Centre - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Road to IELTS Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–17 Plan Labeling
Label the plan below.
Write the correct letter, A–I.
Questions 18–20 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- The official ratio of adults to children who are two or older is one adult to 18 children.
- Parents who are often late may be asked to 19 .
- The quickest waiting time for a place in the Day Care is 20 .
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | F | First of all, I will have to ask you to leave your sneakers and sandals etc. here on the shoe rack just inside the main door | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the shoe rack is the very first area visitors see when they walk through the front door. Answer Explanation: The answer F refers to the location of the shoe rack on the map of the childcare centre. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because Doreen, the receptionist, mentions the 'shoe rack' at the very start of the tour. She says it is 'just inside the main door.' On maps for visitor tours, the first letters or labels usually start at the entrance where people come in. Since the shoe rack is the first thing visitors are asked to use upon entering, F is the location that matches this description. Doreen explains people must leave their 'street footwear' (shoes worn outside) there to keep the floors clean for crawling children. |
| Q12 | B | This central area to the left is where we all gather for stories, songs and some games. That's why the big circular carpet is there — everyone comes to sit there two or three times a day | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript describes a large, round rug located in the middle-left area of the building where kids sit together several times every day. Answer Explanation: The answer B represents the spot on the map where the big rug, or carpet, is located. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Doreen mentions a central area on the left side where a 'big circular carpet' is placed. This is the spot where children sit for stories and songs. The letter B on the map matches this description of the location. |
| Q13 | D | That bookcase there beside the TV gets a lot of use, though | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the bookshelf is located right next to the television. Answer Explanation: The answer is D, which is the letter on the map that points to where the bookcase is located. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the speaker points out the bookcase while talking about the television (TV). She mentions that the bookcase is sitting right next to the TV. In English, 'beside' is a synonym for 'next to' or 'at the side of'. The transcription shows that while the TV is not used often, the bookcase beside it is used a lot by the children. |
| Q14 | I | If you look along the wall on the far side of the little gate leading into the main room, you can see our kitchen play area. It has lots of utensils, pots and pans and that cupboard closer to the corner is the dress-up cupboard | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that there is a kitchen play area along the wall, and the piece of furniture for storage (the cupboard) that is near the corner is used for dressing up. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'I', which is the letter on the map that shows where the dress-up cupboard is located. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'I' because the speaker describes the location of the dress-up cupboard by saying it is along the wall and is the cupboard 'closer to the corner'. This specific location helps identify the correct letter on the plan. |
| Q15 | G | To the right of those outside doors you can see hooks and little cubbyholes on the wall for coats, bags and outdoor shoes | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that if you look to the right side of the doors that go outside, you will find hooks and small boxes (cubbyholes) on the wall where children put their clothes and bags. Answer Explanation: The answer G represents the location of the cubbyholes on the map of the childcare centre. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is G because the speaker describes the cubbyholes as being located to the right of the doors that lead outside. In the transcript, the speaker points out the sinks and painting area first, then the outside doors, and finally mentions the hooks and cubbyholes specifically on the right side of those doors. |
| Q16 | A | The slide beside that is popular, and so are the three climbing walls over by the fence | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the climbing walls are located right next to the fence. Answer Explanation: The answer means that on the map or drawing of the childcare centre, the climbing walls are shown at the location marked with the letter A. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker describes the outdoor play area and explains that the three climbing walls are 'over by the fence'. When you look at the plan, you find the area for climbing next to the fence boundary. |
| Q17 | E | and then the chickens are way over on the far right, so they can have a bit of peace and quiet occasionally | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the chickens are kept at the very end of the right side so that it is quiet for them. Answer Explanation: The answer is the spot on the map marked with the letter E. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because the speaker explains the layout of the outdoor area from left to right. After mentioning things on the left and in the middle, she says that the chickens are located on the 'far right' side of the area. Map labels usually follow the order of the description, and E represents the rightmost position in this section of the tour. |
| Q18 | 8 / eight | The older kids have a one to 8 ratio, and again, we try to have an extra staff member on site | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that for children in the older category, the set number (ratio) is one adult for every 8 children. Answer Explanation: The answer 8 or eight represents the count of children managed by a single adult in the group for kids aged two and older. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 8 or eight because Doreen explains that the childcare center follows specific rules for child-to-adult ratios based on age. For the 'older kids'—which refers to those who are two or older—she explicitly mentions that they use a ratio of one adult to 8 children. |
| Q19 | leave | We have had to ask a couple of consistently late parents to leave, but of course this is only a last resort | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that for parents who are late many times, the center has used the "last resort" or final option of asking those parents to go away and not use the center anymore. Answer Explanation: The answer "leave" means that parents who frequently arrive late to pick up their children might be told they can no longer use the childcare center's services. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "leave" because the speaker explains that the center has strict rules about when children must be picked up. If parents are late too often, it creates a problem with the ratio of staff members to children. The speaker mentions that they have actually had to tell parents who are "consistently late" (which means often late) to "leave" the center as a final solution. |
| Q20 | 3 months | The average lead time is usually about 9 months, but sometimes we get unexpected vacancies, for example, maybe a family has to move to another city for work or something so their child is withdrawn. This means, if you’re lucky, your child could be admitted in three months or so | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that while people usually wait nine months for a spot, a child might be able to start in three months if an opening appears suddenly because another family moves away. Answer Explanation: The answer means that if there is a surprise opening, the shortest amount of time a parent might have to wait for a spot is three months. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the person talking explains that while most families wait for nine months, some special situations allow a child to start much faster. The speaker mentions that if they are lucky, a child could start in 'three months.' In the question, the word 'quickest' refers to this shorter possible time compared to the nine-month average. |
Transcript
Doreen: Hello everyone. I'm Doreen, the receptionist at the Daisy Childcare Centre. Thank you all for coming to our open evening. I’ll just show you round, and tell you a bit about the place. First of all, I will have to ask you to leave your sneakers and sandals etc. here on the shoe rack just inside the main door. You know how the young ones love crawling around the floor, so our policy is — no street footwear inside.
As you can see, our facility is very open-plan. There are lots of different activity areas, and we like to have pretty good visibility throughout the centre. This central area to the left is where we all gather for stories, songs and some games. That's why the big circular carpet is there — everyone comes to sit there two or three times a day.
I can see some of you looking at our TV. Some parents worry that we might just dump the kids there to watch rubbish all day, but of course that’s not the case! In fact, we only use it occasionally … for example, we use it if we have a story on a DVD, and then we get the kids to do a bit of acting based on that. That bookcase there beside the TV gets a lot of use, though. Some of the older kids choose to sit and read or look at picture books in their free time, but we never allow them unsupervised TV.
If you look along the wall on the far side of the little gate leading into the main room, you can see our kitchen play area. It has lots of utensils, pots and pans and that cupboard closer to the corner is the dress-up cupboard. That’s a very popular area, with the boys as well as the girls. You’d be surprised how much the boys get into acting and make believe.
Now, over here opposite the gate and behind the big lunch table are the sinks and the painting area, and then the doors to the outside. To the right of those outside doors you can see hooks and little cubbyholes on the wall for coats, bags and outdoor shoes. The children can keep slippers in there, but most of them run around indoors in their socks or bare feet.
If you can bear it, I think we should pop out into the cold for a moment to have a look round outdoors. We’ll just stay under the verandah. The sandpit is over there at the far left of the outside area, and that box next to it is storage space for buckets and spades, and lots of trucks and diggers to push round or even ride on. The slide beside that is popular, and so are the three climbing walls over by the fence. Some parents think that’s a bit adventurous for pre-schoolers, but the older ones love them. The ground is covered with bark so it's not a harsh surface when they do fall. The ordinary swings and a tyre swing are here in front where we can keep an eye on everyone, and then the chickens are way over on the far right, so they can have a bit of peace and quiet occasionally!
Ok, so let’s go back inside and I can talk about our rules and policies.
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 18 to 20.
Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20.
As you probably already know, the government sets limits on adult/child ratios, but we try to improve on those wherever we can. There are different ratios for under and over 2 year olds. For the under twos, the rules are one adult to four children, and we basically stick to that except that we have an extra, roving staff member with no allocated children who helps out wherever there’s a need. The older kids have a one to 8 ratio, and again, we try to have an extra staff member on site. All of our staff are fully qualified, but we do have trainees from the local polytech at certain times of the year.
We do have pretty strict rules about pickup times here. It’s a real problem if parents are late and we end up with far too many kids for the number of staff, so we ask you to be very punctual about collecting your children. We have had to ask a couple of consistently late parents to leave, but of course this is only a last resort.
We have quite a long waiting list here, especially for the over twos, but you’re welcome to put your name down. The average lead time is usually about 9 months, but sometimes we get unexpected vacancies, for example, maybe a family has to move to another city for work or something so their child is withdrawn. This means, if you’re lucky, your child could be admitted in three months or so.
Now, are there any questions …
That is the end of section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
Now turn to section 3.