Listening practice - mistake log IELTS Practice Set 16 listening test 3
1 Cambridge IELTS 16 - listening test 1
- Total Score: 34/40
- Date: 18/08/2025
2 Performance Summary
2.0.1 ✅ Recording 1 – Cycle Camp
Result: 10/10, no mistakes.
Strengths: Careful with everyday details (colours, numbers, places). Excellent concentration.
What to Learn: Trap signals like “first… then… actually”. Review singular/plural in daily items.
2.0.2 ⚠️ Recording 2 – Agriculture & Horticulture Jobs
Mistakes: Q14, Q17, Q19, Q20.
Problem Areas:
Misinterpreted disadvantages vs requirements.
Confused training vs experience.
Didn’t catch contrast phrases clearly.
Theme to Study: Employment vocabulary (contract, promotion, training course, accommodation, overtime).
Key Learning: Watch for “not… but…” / “instead of…” signals.
2.0.3 ⚠️ Recording 3 – Calories & Nutrition
Mistakes (you told me earlier): Q11, Q12, Q16, Q27.
Problem Areas:
Misheard numbers/details about calorie calculations.
Distracted by fast speech and lost focus on key data.
Theme to Study: Food, health, measurements (calorie, portion, intake, nutrients, balanced diet).
Key Learning: Practice listening for numbers + units carefully (kcal, grams, percentages).
2.0.4 ⚠️ Recording 4 – Hand Knitting
Mistakes: Q33 (equipment not equipments), Q40 (sheep not sheeps).
Problem Areas: Grammar slips with uncountable nouns and irregular plurals.
Theme to Study: History & crafts (garment, yarn, wool, technique, tradition).
Key Learning: Revise common uncountable nouns + irregular plurals list.
3 📌 Overall Pattern Today
Strengths: You can follow lectures and everyday dialogues well. You catch main ideas and sequences.
Weaknesses:
Plural vs singular forms (equipments, sheeps).
Numbers & details (nutrition test).
Traps with contrast (job test).
4 🎯 Next Steps
Daily Grammar Fix: Drill 10 uncountable nouns + 10 irregular plurals.
Numbers Practice: Do 5 “mini listening” clips where you only write down numbers/units.
Trap Training: Highlight but, however, instead, rather than during practice and pause to predict the change.
Vocabulary Notebook: Split by IELTS themes (Work, Health, History, Daily Life). Add 5 new collocations each day. # Recording 1 ## 🔎 Common IELTS traps in this passage
| Q | Trap | Why it’s tricky |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (park) | They first mention “on the site here” → but then correct: “first they’re taken to the park.” | IELTS loves “false starts” – you must wait for the correction. |
| 2 (blue) | 3 different shirt colors: supervisors (red), instructors (blue), Jake (not mentioned directly). | They try to confuse by layering details. Must focus only on the group in the question. |
| 3 (reference) | Could sound like “qualification,” “certificate,” but it’s specifically a reference from someone who saw them work with children. | Vocabulary trap – must write exact word. |
| 4 (story) | Distractor: “quiet times” → options include story or game. Both mentioned, but question asks one example (story first). | Need to notice which comes first. |
| 5 (rain) | Some might expect “cancelled” → but they continue even in rain. | Common sense trap: don’t assume. |
| 6 (snack) | Woman asks about “a drink” → but Jake says drink is provided. | This is a classic misdirection Q. |
| 7 (medication) | Easy to confuse with “snack” or “clothes.” | Need to follow parent’s concern carefully. |
| 8 (helmet) | Many kids bring clothes, shoes, etc. → but helmet check is the focus. | Detail listening needed. |
| 9 (tent) | Could think “classroom” → but they say “meet up in the tent, you can’t miss it.” | Visual distraction trap. |
| 10 (199) | They mention last year’s cost: 190 → then correct it to “199.” | IELTS often compares “last year vs this year” to trick you. |
4.1 📘 What you should learn from this recording
Be careful with corrections & false starts
– IELTS speakers often say one thing, then correct or add new info. Always wait.
Watch for distractors
– They throw in multiple items (red shirts vs blue shirts, snack vs drink, 190 vs 199).
– You must match exactly to the question.
Numbers are dangerous
– They like to mention a number, then another number → only the final one is correct.
Exact wording matters
– “Reference” ≠ “certificate.” “Story” ≠ “game.” Always take the first correct match.
IELTS loves practical detail
– Equipment, clothing, times, costs → everyday details are often tested.
👉 So, even though you got all correct, the lesson here is:
Don’t answer too quickly.
Wait to see if the speaker changes, corrects, or contrasts the detail.
When two possible answers appear, IELTS usually wants the first one mentioned that matches the question.
5 Recording 2
5.0.1 ❌ Q14 – Disadvantages of working outdoors
Your answer: A (the increasing risk of accidents)
Correct answer: B + C (quiet/remote location + difficult weather)
Transcript clue:
“It’s fine in summer, but can be extremely unpleasant when it’s cold and windy (weather). … But if you like a lively city environment … these jobs are probably not for you – they’re often in pretty remote areas (quiet location). … Standards of health and safety are much higher now … so fewer work-related accidents.”
Trap: You picked “accidents” because it looked logical with outdoor jobs. But the speaker explicitly said accidents are fewer now, so that eliminated A.
5.0.2 ❌ Q17 – Fresh produce buyer
Your answer: E (chance to earn more through overtime)
Correct answer: A (not a permanent job)
Transcript clue:
“A leading supermarket is looking for a fresh produce buyer who is available for a 12-month maternity cover contract.”
Trap: “Competitive salary” misled you into thinking about money (E). But the key detail was “12-month maternity cover” = not permanent.
5.0.3 ❌ Q19 – Tree technician
Your answer: G (accommodation available)
Correct answer: C (experience not essential)
Transcript clue:
“A year’s experience would be preferred but the company might be prepared to consider someone who has just completed an appropriate training course.”
Trap: You overlooked the “experience not essential” phrase. Accommodation (G) appeared elsewhere (farm worker, Q20), so maybe you mis-assigned answers.
🔎 Transcript line:
“A year’s experience would be preferred but the company might be prepared to consider someone who has just completed an appropriate training course.”
5.0.4 Why “completed training course” ≠ experience
Experience = practical work done in real jobs (on-site, real tasks).
Training course = education, not real-world job experience.
The clue is in contrast:
“A year’s experience would be preferred” (real work)
“but… might consider training course” (no experience, only training).
So IELTS wants you to hear that experience is not essential.
5.0.5 Why you thought it was experience
The word “completed” misleads. It feels like you “did” something, which is close to work.
But in IELTS logic: completing a course = qualification, not experience.
5.0.6 IELTS trick here
They want to see if candidates can distinguish between “preferred but not essential” vs. “required”.
So the correct label = C (experience not essential).
5.0.7 ❌ Q20 – Farm worker
Your answer: B (involves leading a team)
Correct answer: G (accommodation available)
Transcript clue:
“Perks of the job include the possibility of renting a small cottage on the estate, and the chance to earn a competitive salary.”
Trap: Maybe rushed here and confused it with “manager roles” that involve leading a team (B). The key signal word: “cottage on the estate” → accommodation.
I didn’t know the cottage words i a small house, so i missed it.
small cottage on the estate
✅ Pattern in your mistakes:
You sometimes default to common-sense answers (e.g. accidents, money, leadership) instead of anchoring to the transcript.
You may misplace answers — using a keyword from one job (farm worker) and applying it to another (tree technician).
You sometimes stop listening after the first clue (“competitive salary”) instead of listening for the whole detail.
👉 Suggestion for next time:
Always underline the unique job detail: maternity cover = not permanent, cottage = accommodation.
For disadvantages/advantages, watch for contrasts (e.g. “health and safety are much higher now” kills option A).
Use process of elimination — ask yourself: “Did she actually say this, or am I assuming?” # Recording 3
5.1 Why your Q26 was wrong
Question type: “What do the students agree about…?”
You must hear both speakers endorse the same idea.
5.2 What the audio actually says
Rosie: “…calorie counts… are sometimes really confusing and I suspect they do it on purpose.”
Adam: “Yeah…” (clear agreement)
→ Paraphrase: manufacturers deliberately make calorie counts hard to understand.
✅ Correct: A
5.3 Why B & C are wrong
B. fail to provide accurate calorie counts
No one says the numbers are inaccurate—only confusing (clarity ≠ accuracy).
C. use ineffective methods to reduce calories
They don’t talk about manufacturers reducing calories at all—only labelling.
5.4 Signal words to lock it in next time
Deliberately = on purpose, intentionally
Hard to understand = confusing, unclear, not straightforward
Agreement cues: “yeah”, “exactly”, “right”, “I know”, “that’s true”.
5.5 Mini tip
When a “agree” question appears:
Find the claim (Rosie).
Wait for explicit uptake (Adam’s “Yeah/Exactly/Right”).
Match to the closest paraphrase; avoid options introducing new ideas (accuracy / calorie reduction).
5.6 🎯 IELTS Listening Traps in Recording 3
5.7 🧪 Experiments & Research
Trap (Q21–22):
Adam: “It was hard to keep track… I had so many people… had to make sure I kept a proper record”
The distractor = “simple to set up” (B) → ❌ BUT he said it was hard.
Correct answers = C (large sample) + D (subjects unaware).
🔑 Tip: If speaker says “hard / difficult”, never choose “easy / simple”.
Trap (Q23–24):
Rosie: “results problematic… seemed lower than package… probably I didn’t grind enough… scales not accurate enough.”
Distractor = “package info was incorrect” → ❌ She rejects that idea (“I reckon package info was right”).
Correct = C (not grind finely enough) + E (scales unsuitable).
🔑 Tip: Watch for phrases like “I think probably / I suspect / but actually I believe” → these show what the real answer is, not the first statement.
5.8 🍔 Obesity & Nutrition
Trap (Q26):
Rosie: “labels sometimes really confusing… I suspect they do it on purpose.”
Correct = A (make calorie counts hard to understand).
Distractors:
“fail to provide accurate counts” ❌ (she never said they were false, just confusing).
“use ineffective methods to reduce calories” ❌ (not mentioned).
🔑 Tip: Confusing ≠ inaccurate. IELTS loves this distinction.
Trap (Q25):
Adam: “Items at start/end of menu more likely to be chosen → put low-calorie items there → people will go for them.”
Correct = C (organised in a particular way).
Distractors: “fewer options” (not said), “more low-calorie foods” (not said).
🔑 Tip: When they talk about positioning / structure / arrangement, the answer is about organisation, not quantity.
5.9 🏃 Exercise & Health
Trap (Q27):
Rosie: “40% men say they do… but actually only 6% do. 30% women say… only 4% do.”
Correct = B (Most people overestimate how much they do).
Distractor = “recommended too low” ❌ (she never said that).
Distractor = “women now exercise more” ❌ (not mentioned).
🔑 Tip: Look for contrast markers (“say… but actually”). The real answer is always after the contrast.
Trap (Q29):
Adam: “Not sure if we should include exercise… our tutor said focus on nutrition… that will be simpler.”
Correct = A (probably leave it out).
Distractors:
“need to do more research” ❌ (they didn’t say they lacked research).
“should discuss with tutor” ❌ (they didn’t mention asking tutor again).
🔑 Tip: When they conclude “that will be simpler,” it means decision is made.
✅ So your main mistakes (Q26 earlier) happened because:
You mixed up confusing vs inaccurate.
You trusted the first idea mentioned, but IELTS hides the answer in the clarification or contrast. # Recording 4
5.10 ❌ Q33 – “People are buying more (33) ……… for knitting nowadays.”
You wrote: equipments
Correct answer: equipment
📌 Why?
In English, “equipment” is uncountable → ❌ no plural “equipments.”
The speaker said: “…we’re also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting_ equipment_.”
IELTS listening tests your grammar awareness: even if you hear “equipmentS” in your head, you must know the correct word form.
👉 Trap: They test if you know that some nouns don’t take “s” (e.g. furniture, information, advice, luggage, equipment).
How to avoid next time:
- If you hear a word that could be uncountable, write it in singular form unless you are 100% sure plural is correct.
5.11 ❌ Q40 – “Everyday tasks like looking after (40) ……… were done while knitting.”
You wrote: sheeps
Correct answer: sheep
📌 Why?
“Sheep” is irregular plural → both singular & plural form is the same.
The speaker said: “…men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, for example, while watching over_ sheep_.”
IELTS loves to check if you know irregular plurals (sheep, deer, fish, species, etc.).
👉 Trap: You heard the plural idea (many sheep), so you added s by instinct. But the rule is: no “s” for sheep in plural.
How to avoid next time:
Revise irregular plurals: sheep, deer, fish, series, species, offspring, aircraft.
When in doubt, trust grammar rules — IELTS will never break them.
✅ So both mistakes were not about listening but about word form & grammar.
Q33 = uncountable noun rule.
Q40 = irregular plural rule.