Listening practice - mistake log IELTS Practice Set 17 listening test 1

english

listening

IELTS Practice Set 17 listening test 1

Author

Affiliation

Barron’s Writing for IELTS

Published

August 21, 2025

1 Cambridge IELTS 17 - listening test 1

You wrote: DOG
Correct answer: DOGS
Recording clue:

Peter: “I’m afraid not, as they’re banned from the beach itself.”
Why plural?
- The question asks about what is banned generally. English grammar requires plural nouns when talking about things in general: dogs are banned, not dog is banned.
Tip: Look for general statements about rules—these usually take the plural form.

You wrote: BEACH
Correct answer: ISLAND
Recording clue:

Peter: “We’ll be meeting in the car park at Dunsmore Beach at low tide – that’s when the sands are dry enough for us to walk to the island without getting wet.”
Why ISLAND?
- The destination of the walk is the island, not the beach (the beach is just the starting point).
Tip: Pay attention to prepositions and verbs indicating direction, e.g., “walk to …” → destination is the answer.

You wrote: SPOON
Correct answer: SPOONS
Recording clue:

Peter: “You’ll be starting with wooden spoons … anything you make is yours to take home with you.”
Why plural?
- The participants can make more than one spoon, so the plural form is correct.
Tip: Listen for plural references in sentences like “anything you make” or “we keep the number … down,” which imply multiple items.

✅ Summary of your error pattern:

Singular vs plural: always check if the statement is general or multiple items.
Destination vs starting point: listen carefully for “to” / “towards”.
Minor spelling/plural errors can cost points—listen for context clues.

You answered: A. dark red
Correct answer: C. light green
Recording clue:

“They used to be jet black, but our new ones now have these comfortable dark red seats and a light-green exterior in order to stand out from others …”
Why C is correct:
- The seats are dark red, but the exterior (the main visible part of the boat) is light green.
- IELTS often tests attention to exact detail; don’t confuse interior features with overall appearance.

You answered: C. Lunchbox 3
Correct answer: B. Lunchbox 2
Recording clue:

“Lunchbox 1 contains ham and tomato sandwiches. Lunchbox 2 contains a Cheddar cheese roll and Lunchbox 3 is salad-based and also contains eggs and tuna.”
Why B is correct:
- A vegetarian would avoid meat and fish.
- Lunchbox 2 contains Cheddar cheese (no meat, no fish) → suitable.
- Lunchbox 3 contains tuna, which is fish → not vegetarian.
Tip: Always check all ingredients, not just the label like “salad-based.”

✅ Key takeaways from these mistakes:

Distinguish parts of objects (seats vs exterior).
Always read/listen carefully for hidden ingredients when identifying dietary suitability.
Double-check “contains” statements; first impressions may mislead. # Recording 3

You answered: (probably B or C)
Correct answer: A. making initial contact with suitable farms
Recording clue:
- Tim: “I found mine through a friend of my mother’s, but it wasn’t easy.”
- Diana: “finding the right sort of farm to apply to wasn’t easy.”
Why A is correct: Both struggled to find a farm and make initial contact.
Why B and C are wrong:
- Tim mentions transport and length issues, but Diana’s main issue was finding the right farm. The shared problem is initial contact.

You answered: B or C
Correct answer: A. These should only be given if specially needed
Recording clue:

“my farmer said some are overpriced… he didn’t give them as a matter of routine, just at times when the chickens seemed to particularly require them.”
Why A is correct: Supplements are not routine, only when required.
Why B/C are wrong:
- The discussion did not mention effectiveness or limiting amounts; it focused on necessity.

You answered: D. They were both surprised how little is known…
Correct answer: C. Diana may do some further study on this
Recording clue:

Diana: “I thought I might write my dissertation on something connected with that.”
Why C is correct: She may do further study, not that they were surprised.
Why D is wrong: Tim mentions being surprised in another module (animal disease), not wildlife medication.

✅ Key takeaways:

Focus on shared vs individual experiences when the question asks “both.”
Look for explicit statements of opinion or intention (e.g., “I might write my dissertation…”).
Don’t confuse examples of surprise with the module being asked about.

For Q33, the correct answer is CONFUSION.

Text evidence:

“The word ‘maze’ is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion.”
Why “CONFUSION” is correct: The passage explicitly links the origin of the word maze to confusion, not “amazing.”
Common mistake: Some might be misled by the text mentioning amazing, but that just explains the etymology of the English word amazing, not the meaning of maze.