Festival Information - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 1 · Questions 1–10
Audio
Questions
Questions 1–4 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
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Festival information |
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| Date | Type of event | Details |
| 17th | a concert | performers from Canada |
| 18th | a ballet | company called 1 |
| 19th-20th (afternoon) | a play | type of play: a comedy called Jemima has had a good 2 |
| 20th (evening) | a 3 show | show is called 4 |
Questions 5–10 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Workshops
- Making 5 food
- (children only) Making 6
- (adults only) Making toys from 7 using various tools
Outdoor activities
- Swimming in the 8
- Walking in the woods, led by an expert on 9
See the festival organiser’s 10 for more information
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Eustatis | The next day, the 18th, there’s a performance by a ballet company called Eustatis. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that on the 18th, there is a ballet performance by a company. Answer Explanation: The answer is the name of the ballet company. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'Eustatis' is the name of the ballet company because the transcript says 'a performance by a ballet company called Eustatis' |
| Q2 | review | I haven’t seen it myself, but the review in the local paper was very good. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript mentions that the AI assistant has not personally seen a particular show, but mentions that a review in the local newspaper gave positive feedback about it. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to a critical evaluation or assessment of something, usually in the form of a written opinion piece. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'review' is fitting because it relates to the positive evaluation mentioned in the excerpt from the local paper about the show, indicating an assessment of its quality. The review influenced the AI assistant’s perception even though it hadn't seen the show. |
| Q3 | dance | And what about dance? | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript mentions dance, which is a type of performance where people move rhythmically to music. Answer Explanation: The answer dance refers to a type of event or show that involves performers moving rhythmically to music. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is dance because the excerpt directly mentions dance, which fits the context of the types of events happening during the festival, such as a ballet performance and a concert. The word 'dance' matches the general theme of the events listed in the table. |
| Q4 | Chat | The show is about how people communicate, or fail to communicate, with each other, so it’s got the rather strange name, Chat. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript discusses a show that focuses on how people communicate with each other, highlighting the title 'Chat.' Answer Explanation: The answer 'Chat' refers to the name of the show that revolves around communication between people. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'Chat' aligns with the information provided in the excerpt where it mentions the show's theme about communication, which is reflected in the title 'Chat.' |
| Q5 | healthy | It’s going to focus on how to make food part of a healthy lifestyle, and it’ll show that even sweet things like cakes can contain much less sugar than they usually do. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about a workshop focusing on how to make food a part of a healthy lifestyle. It mentions that even sweet foods like cakes can have less sugar, which is better for your health. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the workshops at the festival are related to being good for your body and overall health. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'healthy' fits well because the excerpt mentions making food part of a healthy lifestyle and reducing sugar content, indicating a focus on health and well-being in the workshops at the festival. |
| Q6 | posters | Another workshop is just for children, and that’s on creating posters to reflect the history of the town. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about a workshop for children where they will be creating posters that show the history of the town. Answer Explanation: The answer points to the festival organizer's posters, which are likely displayed to provide more details and information about the event. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer matches because the festival organizer's posters usually contain more information about the event, such as schedules, locations, and additional activities. In this case, the excerpt mentions another workshop for children making posters, implying those posters could be seen around the festival to provide more details. |
| Q7 | wood | Because it involves carpentry – participants will be making toys out of wood, so there’ll be a lot of sharp chisels and other tools around. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that people will use sharp tools like chisels to make toys. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'wood' because the toys will be made from it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'wood' because the excerpt explains that people will be making toys with tools like chisels. These tools are used for making things out of wood. |
| Q8 | lake | In a lake, for instance. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that people were swimming in a lake. Answer Explanation: The answer 'lake' is a place where people can swim. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'lake' is right because the excerpt tells us that people were swimming in a lake, matching the activity mentioned in the notes. |
| Q9 | insects | The leader is an expert on insects. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the leader knows a lot about insects. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'insects', which are small creatures like ants, butterflies, and bees. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'insects' because the activity is about walking in the woods led by someone who is an expert on insects. |
| Q10 | blog | If you’d like to read about how the preparations for the festival are going, the festival organizer is keeping a blog. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The excerpt mentions that the person in charge of the festival is writing about the festival's preparations on a website. Answer Explanation: The answer indicates that the festival organiser's blog is where you can find more information about the festival. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer fits perfectly with the context as it aligns with the idea that more details about the festival can be obtained by visiting the festival organiser's blog, as stated in the excerpt. |
Transcript
TIM: Good morning. You’re through to the tourist information office, Tim speaking. How can I help you?
JEAN: Oh hello. Could you give me some information about next month’s festival, please? My family and I will be staying in the town that week.
TIM: Of course. Well it starts with a concert on the afternoon of the 17th.
JEAN: Oh I heard about that. The orchestra and singers come from the USA, don’t they?
TIM: They’re from Canada. They’re very popular over there. They’re going to perform a number of well-known pieces that will appeal to children as well as adults.
JEAN: That sounds good. My whole family are interested in music.
TIM: The next day, the 18th, there’s a performance by a ballet company called Eustatis.
JEAN: Sorry?
TIM: The name is spelt E-U-S-T-A-T-I-S. They appeared in last year’s festival, and went down very well. Again, their programme is designed for all ages.
JEAN: Good. I expect we’ll go to that. I hope there’s going to be a play during the festival, a comedy, ideally.
TIM: You’re in luck! On the 19th and 20th a local amateur group are performing one written by a member of group. It’s called Jemima. That’ll be on in the town hall. They’ve already performed it two or three times. I haven’t seen it myself, but the review in the local paper was very good.
JEAN: And is it suitable for children?
TIM: Yes, in fact it’s aimed more at children than at adults, so both performances are in the afternoon.
JEAN: And what about dance? Will there by any performances?
TIM: Yes, also on the 20th, but in the evening. A professional company is putting on a show of modern pieces, with electronic music by young composers.
JEAN: Uh-huh.
TIM: The show is about how people communicate, or fail to communicate, with each other, so it’s got the rather strange name, Chat.
JEAN: I suppose that’s because that’s something we do both face to face and online.
TIM: That’s right.
———————
TIM: Now there are also some workshops and other activities. They’ll all take place at least once every day, so everyone who wants to take part will have a chance.
JEAN: Good. We’re particularly interested in cookery – you don’t happen to have a cookery workshop, do you?
TIM: We certainly do. It’s going to focus on how to make food part of a healthy lifestyle, and it’ll show that even sweet things like cakes can contain much less sugar than they usually do.
JEAN: That might be worth going to. We’re trying to encourage our children to cook.
TIM: Another workshop is just for children, and that’s on creating posters to reflect the history of the town. The aim is to make children aware of how both the town and people’s lives have changed over the centuries. The results will be exhibited in the community centre. Then the other workshop is in toy-making, and that’s for adults only.
JEAN: Oh, why’s that?
TIM: Because it involves carpentry – participants will be making toys out of wood, so there’ll be a lot of sharp chisels and other tools around.
JEAN: It makes sense to keep children away from it.
TIM: Exactly. Now let me tell you about some of the outdoor activities. There’ll be supervised wild swimming …
JEAN: Wild swimming? What’s that?
TIM: It just means swimming in natural waters, rather than a swimming pool.
JEAN: Oh OK. In a lake, for instance.
TIM: Yes, there’s a beautiful one just outside the town, and that’ll be the venue for the swimming. There’ll be lifeguards on duty, so it’s suitable for all ages. And finally, there’ll be a walk in some nearby woods every day. The leader is an expert on insects. He’ll show some that live in the woods, and how important they are for the environment. So there are going to be all sorts of different things to do during the festival.
JEAN: There certainly are.
TIM: If you’d like to read about how the preparations for the festival are going, the festival organizer is keeping a blog. Just search online for the festival website, and you’ll find it.
JEAN: Well, thank you very much for all the information.
TIM: You’re welcome. Goodbye.
JEAN: Goodbye.