Listening practice - mistake log IELTS Practice Set 17 listening test 3
1 Cambridge IELTS 18 - listening test 2
2 Performance Summary
2.0.1 Part-by-Part Analysis
Part 1 (Booking/Everyday Conversation)
Strengths: You understood practical details like names, addresses, and numbers.
Weaknesses: Occasional uncertainty with spelling and numbers.
Band Level: 7.0
Part 2 (Tourist / Public Information)
Strengths: Caught the main instructions and general message.
Weaknesses: Struggled with distractors (when the speaker corrected themselves or added extra information).
Band Level: 6.5–7.0
Part 3 (Student Discussion / Academic)
Strengths: Good at recognizing topic shifts and key phrases like “I chose X for two reasons”.
Weaknesses: Lost accuracy with word forms (Q24, Q25 mistake). Example: missed plural/singular endings or exact synonyms required.
Band Level: 6.5
Part 4 (Lecture on Pockets – History)
Strengths: Followed the chronological development and caught academic vocabulary (waistcoat, breeches, silhouette).
Weaknesses: Some confusion with specific terminology and collocations (e.g., “tie-on pockets” vs just “pockets”).
Band Level: 6.5–7.0
2.0.2 Strengths
Good understanding of main ideas.
Able to track logical flow in academic lectures.
Strong vocabulary awareness (you actively build tables & themes).
2.0.3 Weaknesses
Detail accuracy: losing marks for one word, plural/singular, or minor spelling.
Distractors: when the speaker corrects themselves, you sometimes write the wrong answer.
Specialist terms: some fashion/history vocabulary in Part 4 caused mistakes.
2.0.4 Suggested Focus to Improve to Band 8+
Word Forms Practice
Train with minimal pairs: student / students, pocket / pockets.
After each practice test, highlight every wrong answer by word form.
Dictation Training (2–3 min daily)
Listen to BBC podcasts / IELTS audios.
Write exactly what you hear (focus on articles, plurals, prepositions).
Distractor Training
- Pause when you hear corrections (e.g., “It’s £30 – no sorry £13”) and train to always write the final version.
Theme Vocabulary
Build word banks by IELTS themes (Fashion, Society, Education, Environment).
Review spelling and collocations weekly. # Recording 1
6. WIVENHOE (you wrote “WAVENHOE”)
In the audio the recruiter spells it: “W-I-V-E-N-H-O-E”.
Trap: unfamiliar UK place names + similar /w/ vs /v/ sounds.
Fix: when a name is spelled, write letter-by-letter as you hear it. If you’re unsure of a consonant (v vs w), mark it and confirm when they repeat (“It’s quite central, just off Cork Street.”).
8. £9.75 (you wrote £9.70)
Exact line: “to begin with, you’d be getting £9.75, but that goes up to £11.25 after three months.”
Trap: IELTS often says decimals as “nine seventy-five” (not “nine point seven five”). It’s easy to drop the “five”.
Fix: train your ear for pay figures said as “seventy-five / twenty-five”. Also listen for contrast markers (“to begin with… but… goes up to…”) to lock in the starting rate vs the raise.
9. deliveries (you wrote “delivery”)
Exact cue: “making sure there’s enough stock each week — and sorting out all the deliveries.”
Trap: the table prompt “Maintaining stock and organising ______” doesn’t force plural, but the audio does (“all the deliveries”).
Fix: Use grammar signals from the audio: “all the” → plural count noun → deliveries. (Also note the table heading: “Responsibilities include” → plural tasks.)
3 Confirming the rest
1 training, 2 discount, 3 taxi, 4 service, 5 English, 7 equipment, 10 Sunday → all correct.
- Nice catch on service (uncountable) and equipment (uncountable → “is clean”).
4 Mini skill boosts
Spelling names: write them down exactly as spelled (W-I-V-E-N-H-O-E). Say it back in your head once.
Money & decimals: expect “£9.75” to be said as “nine seventy-five”; “£11.25” as “eleven twenty-five”.
Plural cues: “all the / several / many / a number of” → plural noun (“deliveries”).
Anchor phrases: “to begin with… goes up to…” separates starting pay vs pay after probation.
5 Recording 2
5.1 1) Q11–14 — short corrections + why
Q11 & Q12 — your answers: E, B — correct.
E (convenient for workers) — Mark says the site was chosen because there’s demand for housing for employees (commuting problem).
B (easy access to local facilities) — he mentions the excellent hospital and a large secondary school nearby.
Q13–14 — you answered: 13 B (correct), 14 E (incorrect).
This was a two-answer question (choose TWO letters B—E); the correct pair is B and C.
B (the impact on the environment) — the public said the layout “blended in well with the natural features” and there was “provision made for protecting trees and wildlife.” That’s direct evidence for B.
C (encouragement of good relations between residents) — Mark said the development “seem[s] a place where people of all ages can live together happily.” That indicates social harmony / good relations.
E (rural location) is not a positive comment extracted in that passage (they did say “short drive to get out into the countryside” but that’s not framed as a positive feedback about the development itself the same way B and C are).
i missed the word ‘short drive to get out’
So: correct pair = B and C.
6 Recording 3
6.1 Correct answers + brief justification
21 — C
It had a profound effect on society.
Michelle: “what I found more significant was how it impacted directly and indirectly on political events, as well as having massive social and economic consequences.”
22 — A
The number of places producing observations.
Adam: “I was surprised there were so many weather stations established by that time — so… you can see how the weather changed, often by the hour.”
23 — B
It was associated with health issues.
“Reports from the period blamed the haze for an increase in headaches, respiratory issues and asthma attacks.”
24 — B
He was the first to identify the reason for the haze. (what Michelle claimed and Adam corrects)
Michelle implied Franklin realised it first; Adam says “He’s often credited with that… but a French naturalist beat him to it.” So Adam corrects her claim that Franklin was first.
25 & 26 — A and B (choose TWO)
A. how widespread the effects were
B. how long-lasting the effects were
They note strange weather events reported two years after the eruption and as far away as North America and North Africa, showing both widespread and long-lasting effects.
Trap: D (speed of ash cloud) is mentioned (“the ash drifted so swiftly”) but the question asks for two issues that surprised them — the dialogue stresses extent and duration most clearly.
I choose D, mistake, and trapped. They said 2 answer in 1 sentence and i missed ‘the far away ….’
27 — D (Iceland)
Animals suffered from sickness.
“the effect on livestock was devastating… they were poisoned because they ate vegetation that had been contaminated with fluorine.”
28 — A (Egypt)
This country suffered the most severe loss of life.
“the famine there led to more people dying than any other country. It was worse than the plague.”
29 — C (UK)
There was a significant increase in deaths of young people.
“mortality rate… about double the usual number and included an unusually high percentage of people under the age of 25.”
30 — F (USA)
It caused a particularly harsh winter.
George Washington: “they were snowbound until March in Virginia” and reports of “ice floating down the Mississippi.”
6.2 Quick exam tips from this section
For “what surprised them” style questions, listen for explicit surprise phrases (“I found all that hard to believe,” “It must have been terrible”) tied to concrete facts (distance, duration).
When two answers are required, don’t pick a detail mentioned in passing (D/speed) unless the speakers emphasise it as surprising.
Note attributions: words like “credited with” vs “actually first” indicate subtle corrections (see Q24).
6.2.1 ❌ Q24 (Franklin and the haze)
Your answer: not correct.
Correct answer: B — He was the first to identify the reason for the haze.
Why?
Michelle says Franklin realised the haze was caused by a volcano. Adam then corrects her:
“He’s often credited with that… but in fact a French naturalist got there first.”
So the claim about Franklin = He was the first. That’s exactly what option B says. The answer is B (even though it was wrong historically, the question is about the claim).
Trap: Many test-takers confuse what Franklin actually did with what he was credited for.
6.2.2 ❌ Q25 (two things that surprised them)
Your answer: one wrong.
Correct answers: A — how widespread the effects were & B — how long-lasting the effects were.
Why?
Adam says:
“Reports came in not just from Europe but from North America and North Africa too.” → Widespread
“And even two years later there were still odd weather events linked to it.” → Long-lasting
Option D (how quickly the ash cloud spread) is mentioned:
“The ash drifted so swiftly…”
But notice — they don’t say they were surprised by that. The question is “What surprised them?” So only A & B fit.
Trap: IELTS loves to mention three things, but only two are correct. Many candidates pick the wrong extra detail (here: speed).
✅ Key learning for you:
Q24: Focus on the claim (not the correction).
Q25: Only tick things explicitly linked to “surprised / amazed / hard to believe.” # Recording 4
6.3 Quick corrections
Q32 (correct): SUITS
Q34 (correct): PROFESSION
6.4 Q32 — you wrote SUIT(incorrect) → correct SUITS
6.4.1 Why you likely erred
Plural ending missed in the audio. The speaker said “suits became popular” — the final /s/ can be soft and easily missed.
Prediction error: when asked “Men started to wear ___ in the 18th century” you may have focused on the singular form of the clothing word instead of the general plural (we usually say men wear suits, plural).
Part-of-speech/number mismatch: the subject men normally collocates with a plural clothing noun in this type of general statement.
6.4.2 Rule / test strategy
When the subject is a plural noun (men, women, people) and the blank asks for what they wear in general, expect a plural count noun (e.g., suits, coats, trousers).
Listen carefully for final /s/ or /z/ sounds — these indicate plurals. If you missed it, predict plurals when grammar & context allow.
6.4.3 How to avoid it (practical tips)
Predict before listening: with subject men, mentally pre-fill a plural noun (suits).
Sound-focus: train your ear for final /s/ and /z/ in speech (listen to short phrases and check if plural).
Write as you hear letters/sounds: if you think you heard “su…”, jot suit(s) and confirm when the phrase repeats.
6.4.4 Quick practice (write the missing word)
Women in the Victorian era often wore ______. (dresses)
In winter many people wear ______ to keep warm. (coats)
Farmers usually wear ______ for work. (boots)
Gentlemen in the 18th century began wearing ______. (suits) ← target item
6.5 Q34 — you wrote INSTRUMENTS(incorrect) → correct PROFESSION
6.5.1 Why you likely erred
Misreading the referent: the passage mentions medical instruments immediately after describing bigger pockets, so you may have copied that nearby noun instead of the intended abstract noun.
Question grammar misread: the test item asked “men who belonged to a certain type of ___” — grammatically this calls for a category noun (type of person/role), not an object carried by that person.
Surface association trap: because instruments is topically related, it looked plausible, but it doesn’t fit the grammatical frame.
6.5.2 Rule / test strategy
Predict part of speech from the question frame. Phrases like “type of _” generally require a group/category noun (e.g., profession, class, occupation), not an object.
Check grammar in the question: if the blank is followed by “who” or “that” and describes people, expect a noun referring to people’s category (profession/occupation) rather than tools.
6.5.3 How to avoid it (practical tips)
Scan the question structure before listening: ask yourself “Do I need a person-type (profession) or an object (instrument)?”
Listen for signal words: in the transcript the speaker says “if the wearer was someone with a profession who needed to carry medical instruments” — the phrase “someone with a profession” is the direct clue you should capture.
Paraphrase mentally as you listen: translate the clause into something like “men of a certain profession (e.g., doctor)” — then write profession.
6.5.4 Quick practice (fill-in; predict part of speech first)
Decide whether the blank expects person-category or object, then fill:
Bigger pockets were made for men who practised a certain type of ______. (profession) ← target pattern
Tradesmen carried a lot of ______ for their work. (tools)
The label reads “members of this ______ get discounts.” (group/club)
People in that ______ often wore protective clothing. (occupation/profession)
6.6 General micro-skills & drills (5–10 minutes daily)
Prediction Drill (1 min): read the question stem, underline subject and grammatical frame (e.g., “men” → expect plural clothing noun; “type of ___” → expect category noun).
Sound Drill (2–3 min): practise listening for final /s/ and /z/ endings (e.g., suit/suits, coat/coats). Say them aloud and note the difference.
Frame Drill (2–3 min): convert sample sentences into expected part of speech:
“a type of ___” → NN (profession, occupation)
“carry ___” → object (tools, instruments, belongings)
Error reconstruction (3–5 min): take one you got wrong, locate the sentence in the transcript, and rewrite the sentence with the correct target word (e.g., Men started to wear suits in the 18th century; Bigger pockets might be made for men who belonged to a certain type of profession.)
6.7 Summary — one-line takeaways
For Q32: when the subject is plural and discussing clothing generally, write plural (SUITS).
For Q34: use grammatical cues (“type of _”) to predict category nouns (PROFESSION), not nearby objects (INSTRUMENTS).
Fix: Use grammar signals from the audio: “all the” → plural count noun → deliveries. (Also note the table heading: “Responsibilities include” → plural tasks.)
When the subject is a plural noun (men, women, people) and the blank asks for what they wear in general, expect a plural count noun (e.g., suits, coats, trousers).
Listen carefully for final /s/ or /z/ sounds — these indicate plurals. If you missed it, predict plurals when grammar & context allow.
- Predict part of speech from the question frame. Phrases like “type of _” generally require a group/category noun (e.g., profession, class, occupation), not an object.
Check grammar in the question: if the blank is followed by “who” or “that” and describes people, expect a noun referring to people’s category (profession/occupation) rather than tools.