The 6 O’clock News - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 01 Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 2 · Questions 11–21
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–13 Three Choices
Tick the THREE other items which are mentioned in the news headlines.
Questions 14–21 Note Completion
Complete the notes below by writing NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER in the spaces provided.
The Government plans to give $ 14 to assist the farmers. This money was to be spent on improving Sydney’s 15 but has now been re-allocated.
Australia has experienced its worst drought in over fifty years.
Farmers say that the money will not help them because it is 16 .
An aeroplane which was carrying a group of 17 was forced to land just 18 minutes after take-off. The passengers were rescued by boats and 19 . The operation was helped because of the good weather. The passengers thanked the 20 for saving their lives but unfortunately they lost their 21 .
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | — | — | |
| Q12 | — | — | |
| Q13 | E / F / H | And in Sydney a group of school children are successfully rescued from a plane which landed in the sea shortly after take-off. Transport workers are on strike in Melbourne over a pay claim and the strike looks set to spread to other states. And on a fashionable note, there s to be a new look for the staff of QANTAS, Australia's national airline | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that some kids were safely taken out of an airplane that was in the ocean. It also says that travel workers are on strike to ask for more money, and this might happen in other parts of the country. Finally, it mentions that the people who work at Qantas will have a new look for their clothes. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the news broadcast selected three specific stories to highlight: the rescue of people from an airplane in the water, a growing strike by travel workers across the country, and new clothing styles for the employees of Qantas airline. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E, F, and H because these items directly match the details in the news headlines within the transcript. Choice E refers to children being saved from a plane that landed in the sea. Choice F refers to 'transport workers' (like bus and train drivers) who are striking, with the news saying the strike might spread to more states (creating a national threat). Choice H refers to a 'new look' for workers at the national airline, which means they are getting new uniforms. |
| Q14 | 250 million / 250 000 000 / 250,000,000 / 250000000 | The Prime Minister has pledged today that he will make two hundred and fifty million dollars available to help the drought stricken farmers who have not seen rain for years, get through the next five years | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the leader of the government promised to give two hundred and fifty million dollars to help farmers survive the next five years of dry weather. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the amount of money the government intends to provide to farmers, which is 250 million dollars. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the section of the news report discussing the Prime Minister's plan. He promised that a specific amount of money, two hundred and fifty million dollars, would be made available to assist farmers suffering from a long period without rain. The notes use a dollar sign, so the number 250 million completes the sentence correctly. |
| Q15 | roads / road system | Money that was to have been spent on the re-structuring of Sydney's road system has been re-allocated to what the Prime Minister described as 'a more worthy cause' | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the money planned for work on Sydney's streets is now being used for something that the leader of the country believes is more important. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the network of streets or paths for cars in the city of Sydney. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the news report, which explains that the government decided to take money originally intended for fixing or changing Sydney's streets and instead give it to farmers who have no rain. This change in where the money goes is called re-allocation. |
| Q16 | too late | Many farmers feel that while the money is welcome it has come too late to save them and their farms from financial ruin and are angry that the government did not act sooner | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that even though farmers are happy to get the money, they believe it arrived past the time it could have saved their business. They are upset that the government took a long time to help. Answer Explanation: The answer 'too late' means that the help or money arrived after it was needed to solve the problem. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer comes from the part of the news about farmers. The report says that farmers feel the money was given after they had already lost too much. Because the government waited, the money cannot fix the damage that has already happened. Keywords like 'financial ruin' show that the situation is already very bad, and 'not act sooner' shows they waited too long. |
| Q17 | school children / boys | A group of school children who were travelling in a privately chartered aeroplane from Sydney to Queensland to take part in a musical concert found themselves swimming for the shore when their aeroplane had to land in the sea just three minutes after taking off from Sydney airport The pilot managed to bring the aircraft and its 50 passengers down safely in the calm waters of Botany Bay where boats and pleasure craft were able to come to the rescue of the boys |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript first describes the passengers as a group of school children flying to a concert. In the second part, it refers to these same people as boys when describing how boats came to help them in the water. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the people who were on the plane. These people were students from a school or young males. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the news report which talks about a plane accident. The report first calls the passengers 'school children' when explaining that their plane landed in the sea. Later, the report uses the word 'boys' to describe the same group of people who were saved from the water. |
| Q18 | 3 / three | when their aeroplane had to land in the sea just three minutes after taking off from Sydney airport | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the plane had to go down into the sea exactly three minutes after it left the ground at the Sydney airport. Answer Explanation: The answer is the number of minutes that passed after the plane started its journey before it had to land in the ocean. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 3 because the news report explicitly states that the aircraft was forced to land in the water only three minutes after it left the airport. The notes ask for the specific number of minutes that elapsed between take-off and the landing. |
| Q19 | pleasure craft | The pilot managed to bring the aircraft and its 50 passengers down safely in the calm waters of Botany Bay where boats and pleasure craft were able to come to the rescue of the boys | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that when the plane landed in the water, many small boats and private water vehicles used for fun (pleasure craft) were able to reach the group and help them. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the types of small water vehicles that saved the children from the sea after their plane landed in the water. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the text's description of the emergency landing. It explains that since the event happened on a weekend, there were many private boats nearby for fun. These 'boats' or 'pleasure craft' were in the area and could quickly reach the airplane to save the passengers. In this context, 'rescue' is a synonym for 'save from danger'. |
| Q20 | pilot | 'We owe our lives to the skill of the pilot,' said one of the boys, but the pilot replied modestly that it was 'all part of a day's work' | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that one of the young passengers said they were still alive because the pilot was very good at his job. Even though the pilot was humble about it, the children recognized him as the person who saved them. Answer Explanation: The answer 'pilot' refers to the person who is in control of and flies an aircraft. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'pilot' because the text mentions that the children, who were the passengers on the plane, believed they were alive because of the person flying the plane. They expressed their gratitude for the person's ability to safely land the aircraft in the water. We can use the word 'pilot' to identify who they thanked. |
| Q21 | musical instruments / instruments | However, all their musical instruments were lost and they never got to play at their concert | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that although the rescue was successful, the items the group needed for their music show were missing, so they could not do the concert. Answer Explanation: The answer means the tools used to make music, such as guitars, violins, or drums. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the end of the news story about the school children's plane accident. While every person on the plane was saved, the report mentions that they could not keep their gear for playing music. Because these objects were lost in the water, the children missed their chance to perform. 'Musical instruments' is the specific term used for these items. |
Transcript
Newsreader: This is the 6 o'clock news for Tuesday 25 November. And first the headlines:
The Prime Minister has promised to help the drought stricken farmers in the northern part of the country who haven't seen rain for nearly two years. And in Sydney a group of school children are successfully rescued from a plane which landed in the sea shortly after take-off. Transport workers are on strike in Melbourne over a pay claim and the strike looks set to spread to other states. And on a fashionable note, there s to be a new look for the staff of QANTAS, Australia's national airline.
The Prime Minister has pledged today that he will make two hundred and fifty million dollars available to help the drought stricken farmers who have not seen rain for years, get through the next five years. Money that was to have been spent on the re-structuring of Sydney's road system has been re-allocated to what the Prime Minister described as 'a more worthy cause'. Farmers are to receive financial assistance to help see them through the worst drought in over 50 years. Many farmers feel that while the money is welcome it has come too late to save them and their farms from financial ruin and are angry that the government did not act sooner.
A group of school children who were travelling in a privately chartered aeroplane from Sydney to Queensland to take part in a musical concert found themselves swimming for the shore when their aeroplane had to land in the sea just three minutes after taking off from Sydney airport. The pilot managed to bring the aircraft and its 50 passengers down safely in the calm waters of Botany Bay where boats and pleasure craft were able to come to the rescue of the boys. The fact that it was a weekend meant that there were hundreds of boats in the bay enjoying the good weather and this undoubtedly helped the rescue operation. 'We owe our lives to the skill of the pilot,' said one of the boys, but the pilot replied modestly that it was 'all part of a day's work'. However, all their musical instruments were lost and they never got to play at their concert.