The Becoming a Lifeboat Volunteer listening test page gives you Section 2 of Cambridge IELTS 19 Listening Test 2 in full: the official answer key for Questions 11–20, playable audio, an explanation for every question with the exact transcript line that proves it, and the complete recording script. In this monologue a volunteer explains why he left website design in London for the coast, how the Northsea lifeboat station was funded, the health assessment he passed, the launch times the crew works to, his responsibilities as a helmsman, and what keeps him motivated on cold stormy nights. Questions 11–16 are single-answer multiple choice and Questions 17–20 form two Choose TWO items, so elimination matters as much as selection. Underline the paraphrased stem words before the audio starts with the multiple choice strategy, then confirm every letter on the complete Cambridge IELTS 19 Listening Test 2 answers page covering all four sections.

Listening Audio — Section 2

Play the recording once, without pausing, and answer Questions 11–20 before you check the key. In the real exam you hear each section exactly once.

Questions 11–20

Questions 11–16

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

• Working as a lifeboat volunteer

11. What made David leave London and move to Northsea? He was eager to develop a hobby. He wanted to work shorter hours. He found his job in website design unsatisfying

• A — He was eager to develop a hobby.
• B — He wanted to work shorter hours.
• C — He found his job in website design unsatisfying

12. The Lifeboat Institution in Northsea was built with money provided by a local organisation. a local resident. the local council.

• A — a local organisation.
• B — a local resident.
• C — the local council.

13. In his health assessment, the doctor was concerned about the fact that David might be colour blind. was rather short-sighted. had undergone eye surgery.

• A — might be colour blind.
• B — was rather short-sighted.
• C — had undergone eye surgery.

14. After arriving at the lifeboat station, they aim to launch the boat within five minutes. six to eight minutes. eight and a half minutes.

• A — five minutes.
• B — six to eight minutes.
• C — eight and a half minutes.

15. As a ‘helmsman’, David has the responsibility of deciding who will be the members of his crew. what equipment it will be necessary to take. if the lifeboat should be launched.

• A — who will be the members of his crew.
• B — what equipment it will be necessary to take.
• C — if the lifeboat should be launched.

16. As well as going out on the lifeboat, David gives talks on safety at sea. helps with fundraising. recruits new volunteers.

• A — gives talks on safety at sea.
• B — helps with fundraising.
• C — recruits new volunteers.

Questions 17–18

Choose TWO letters, A–E .

17–18. Which TWO things does David say about the lifeboat volunteer training? The residential course developed his leadership skills. The training in use of ropes and knots was quite brief. The training exercises have built up his mental strength. The casualty care activities were particularly challenging for him. The wave tank activities provided practice in survival techniques.

• A — The residential course developed his leadership skills.
• B — The training in use of ropes and knots was quite brief.
• C — The training exercises have built up his mental strength.
• D — The casualty care activities were particularly challenging for him.
• E — The wave tank activities provided practice in survival techniques.

Questions 19–20

Choose TWO letters, A–E .

19–20. Which TWO things does David find most motivating about the work he does? working as part of a team experiences when working in winter being thanked by those he has helped the fact that it keeps him fit the chance to develop new equipment

• A — working as part of a team
• B — experiences when working in winter
• C — being thanked by those he has helped
• D — the fact that it keeps him fit
• E — the chance to develop new equipment

Becoming a Lifeboat Volunteer Listening Answers

Questions and Answers

Becoming a Lifeboat Volunteer Answer Explanations

11. A (He was eager to develop a hobby) — his teenage love of boats comes back at the coast: “I might be able to pursue that interest a bit more in my free time”. C fails because website design “was interesting”; he left because “I didn’t like city life”, not the job.

12. B (a local resident) — the building “was built 15 years ago with funds provided by a generous member of the public, who’d lived here all her life”. C fails because the charity relies on donations “rather than funding provided by the government”, and A fails because one lifelong resident is not an organisation.

13. A (might be colour blind) — the doctors probed his vision: “They gave me tests for colour blindness and they thought I might have a problem there”. C fails because the surgery had already fixed his sight — “I’d had laser eye surgery two years earlier so that was OK” — so it caused no concern.

14. B (six to eight minutes) — the launch window after reaching the station is to get “out to sea in another six to eight minutes”. A fails because five minutes is the target for the dash to the station itself, and C fails because “the average time across the country’s eight and a half minutes” is a national figure, not his team’s.

15. C (if the lifeboat should be launched) — the ultimate responsibility is spelled out: “it’s ultimately my decision whether it’s safe to launch the boat”. B fails because he merely has to “check that the equipment we use is in working order”, not decide what to take, and crew membership is never discussed.

16. A (gives talks on safety at sea) — his extra duty is education: “I speak to youth groups and sailing clubs in the area”. B fails because fundraising belongs to “volunteers who organise activities to raise money”, and C fails because he never recruits.

17. C (The training exercises have built up his mental strength) — the continuous training “given me the confidence to deal with extreme situations without panicking”, which is mental strength in question wording. A fails because the residential course was “led by specialists” with no leadership claim, and B fails because ropes and knots are “an essential skill”, not brief. Questions 17 and 18 accept the letters C and E in either order.

18. E (The wave tank activities provided practice in survival techniques) — the training tank recreated disaster: “experience an overturned lifeboat scenario” in a storm at night. D fails because casualty care is helped by the fire and sea survival test, never called particularly challenging.

19. A (working as part of a team) — the crew pulls him out of bed together: “we’re like a family really”. C fails because no thanks from rescued people is mentioned, and D fails because fitness never appears. Questions 19 and 20 accept the letters A and B in either order.

20. B (experiences when working in winter) — the reward peaks in the cold season: “it’s the colder months that can be the most rewarding time”, when incidents are more serious. E fails because “I’ve learned a lot about the technology involved” but he never develops new equipment.

Listening Transcript — Section 2

I never really planned to be a lifeboat volunteer when I came to live in Northsea. I’d been working in London as a website designer, but although that was interesting, I didn’t like city life. I’d been really keen on boats as a teenager, and I thought if I went to live by the sea, I might be able to pursue that interest a bit more in my free time. Then I found that the Lifeboat Institution was looking for volunteers, so I decided to apply.

The Lifeboat Institution building here in Northsea’s hard to miss; it’s one of the largest in the country. It was built 15 years ago with funds provided by a generous member of the public, who’d lived here all her life. As the Lifeboat Institution is a charity that relies on that kind of donation, rather than funding provided by the government, that kind of help is much needed.

When I applied, I had to have a health assessment. The doctors were particularly interested in my vision. I used to be short-sighted, so I’d had to wear glasses, but I’d had laser eye surgery two years earlier so that was OK. They gave me tests for colour blindness and they thought I might have a problem there, but it turned out I was OK.

When the coastguard gets an alert, all the volunteers are contacted and rush to the lifeboat station. Our target’s to get there in five minutes, then we try to get the boat off the dock and out to sea in another six to eight minutes. Our team’s proud that we usually achieve that – the average time across the country’s eight and a half minutes.

I’ve recently qualified as what’s called a ’helmsman’, which means I have the ultimate responsibility for the lifeboat. I have to check that the equipment we use is in working order – the crew have special life jackets that can support up to four people in the water. And it’s ultimately my decision whether it’s safe to launch the boat. But it’s very rare not to launch it, even in the worst weather.

As well as going out on the lifeboat, my work involves other things too. A lot of people underestimate how windy conditions can change at sea, so I speak to youth groups and sailing clubs in the area about the sorts of problems that sailors and swimmers can have if the weather suddenly gets bad. We also have a lot of volunteers who organise activities to raise money for us, and we couldn’t manage without them.

The training we get is a continuous process, focusing on technical competence and safe handling techniques, and it’s given me the confidence to deal with extreme situations without panicking. We had to do a fire and sea survival test first, and that’s a big help with the casualty care activities we do. We’ve done a lot on how to deal with ropes and tie knots – that’s an essential skill. After a year, I did a one-week residential course, led by specialists. There’s a wave-tank where we could experience an overturned lifeboat scenario-so we could get experience at what to do if the boat turned over in a storm at night, for example.

Since I started, I’ve had to deal with a range of emergency situations.

But the work’s hugely motivating. It’s not just about saving lives-I’ve learned a lot about the technology involved. My background in IT’s been useful here, and I can use my expertise to help other volunteers. They’re a great group-we’re like a family really, which helps when you’re dragging yourself out of bed on a cold stormy night. But actually, it’s the colder months that can be the most rewarding time. That’s when the incidents tend to be more serious, and you realise that you can make a huge difference to the outcome.

So if any of you listeners are interested…

Key Vocabulary and Spelling

Study Tips

The stems paraphrase the recording heavily, so translate before you listen. “He was eager to develop a hobby” stands for “pursue that interest a bit more in my free time”, and “a local resident” stands for “a generous member of the public, who’d lived here all her life”. Underline the noun every option hinges on and hold it in mind with the multiple choice strategy checklist.

Numbers decide Questions 12 and 14, and each one sits inside a contrast. Five minutes is the run to the station, six to eight minutes the launch, and eight and a half the national average, while 15 years is the building’s age and two years the gap since his eye surgery. Write each figure beside its event the moment you hear it, the discipline the Band 8 listening strategy trains for number-dense monologues.

The Choose TWO items punish options that twist the recording. The speaker “learned a lot about the technology involved”, yet E “the chance to develop new equipment” fails because using expertise to help other volunteers is not development, and D fails because germs never appear in the talk. Bank the either-order pairs early: C and E for Questions 17–18, A and B for Questions 19–20, and cross out every option you can disprove with an exact line.

Practice More Listening Tests

Mark the ten answers, reread the explanation for each miss, and add the result to your record on the full Cambridge IELTS 19 Listening Test 2 answers page, which collects the keys, explanations and transcripts for all four sections. The free IELTS listening practice course from Simply IELTS builds the multiple choice and Choose TWO skills this section demands. Then try this interactive listening test: boat trip around tasmania listening answers for another single-speaker paper under exam conditions, and revisit the Section 1 guitar group enquiry and the Section 3 recycling footwear discussion to close out the full test.