Cambridge IELTS 12 Listening Test 1 answers for all forty questions are collected on this page, with the official key, playable audio for all four sections, an explanation for every question and the complete transcripts. The paper opens with a visitor booking family excursions at a trip centre, moves to a restaurant manager’s induction talk for new kitchen assistants, continues with two students planning a paper on public libraries, and closes with a lecture on values in business.

Question types run from form-style note completion in Section 1 through multiple choice, choose-TWO and matching in Section 2, agreement questions and list completion in Section 3, to a ten-gap lecture summary in Section 4. Read the note completion strategy and the multiple choice strategy guides to cover both halves of that range, then work through each section in exam order.

Section Walkthroughs

• Trip Centre Holiday Booking (Questions 1–10) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section
• Restaurant Staff Induction (Questions 11–20) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section
• Public Libraries Paper Discussion (Questions 21–30) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section
• Values in Business (Questions 31–40) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section

Section 1 — Trip Centre Holiday Booking

Questions 1–10

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Section 1 Answer Explanations

1. mountains — the note asks what appears in the photos all round the lake, and the agent says “don’t forget to take pictures of the mountains”. Pictures paraphrases photos, and “They’re all around you when you’re on the boat” paraphrases surround the lake, so the plural noun is the only fit.

2. horse — the note reads a 40-minute ride on a something, and the agent offers exactly that excursion: “there’s also a 40-minute trek round the farm”. A trek that an animal-loving seven-year-old rides is on horseback, and the parent’s worry “He hasn’t done that before” meets the reply “It’s suitable for complete beginners”, the language of beginner riding lessons.

3. gardens — the note is visitors can walk in the farm’s something by the lake, and the agent points to the “very beautiful gardens along the side of the lake”. Walking paraphrases the invitation to “explore the farm on their own”, and the speaker uses the plural, so gardens scores.

4. lunch — the note is something is available at extra cost, and the visitor supplies the word himself: “And can we get lunch there”. The agent confirms and adds “though it’s not included in the basic cost”, the exact paraphrase of at extra cost. The café earlier in the talk is on the boat, so it cannot fill this farm gap.

5. map — the note is a something is provided, and the agent promises “They’ll give you a map when you get your ticket”. Give you paraphrases provide, and the clause “there’s no extra charge” rules out ticket or charge as answers. The repair kit arrives later, so it cannot fill this earlier gap.

6. experience — the note is only suitable for cyclists who have some something, and the difficulty verdict is “It needs someone who’s got a bit more experience”. The agent first rejects the seven-year-old with “It wouldn’t be suitable for your seven-year-old”, so the missing noun is the quality the trail demands.

7. Ratchesons — the note is bikes can be hired from a place near the Cruise Ship Terminal, and the agent names the shop: “It’s called Ratchesons”. The location check works too, because the shop sits by “the cruise ship terminal”. The name is spelled letter by letter on the recording, so a single wrong letter costs the mark.

8. helmet — the note lists what cyclists need, and the visitor names the missing item: “I can rent a helmet from the bike place”. Rent matches the note’s can be hired, while the repair kit, the snack and the water are already printed in the notes, so helmet is the only item left to supply.

9. shops — the note is there are no something or accommodation in the area, and the agent covers both gaps at once: “you won’t see any shops round there, or anywhere to stay”. Anywhere to stay paraphrases accommodation, and the negative no in the note matches won’t see in the speech, so shops must be plural.

10. 267 — the note asks for the family total, and three figures come first: $117, $214 and the daughter’s $75 adult fare. The total only lands after the age check, with “Then I’m afraid it’s $267 because she has to pay the adult fare”. A number is allowed, so 267 scores, but anyone who wrote 214 stopped listening one turn too early.

Section 2 — Restaurant Staff Induction

Questions 11–14

Choose the correct letter, A , B or C .

• Talk to new kitchen assistants

11. According to the manager, what do most people like about the job of kitchen assistant? the variety of work the friendly atmosphere the opportunities for promotion

• A — the variety of work
• B — the friendly atmosphere
• C — the opportunities for promotion

12. The manager is concerned about some of the new staff’s jewellery. hair styles. shoes.

• A — jewellery.
• B — hair styles.
• C — shoes.

13. The manager says that the day is likely to be busy for kitchen staff because it is a public holiday. the head chef is absent. the restaurant is almost fully booked.

• A — it is a public holiday.
• B — the head chef is absent.
• C — the restaurant is almost fully booked.

14. Only kitchen staff who are 18 or older are allowed to use the waste disposal unit. the electric mixer. the meat slicer.

• A — the waste disposal unit.
• B — the electric mixer.
• C — the meat slicer.

Questions 15–16

Choose TWO letters, A-E .

15–16. According to the manager, which TWO things can make the job of kitchen assistant stressful? They have to follow orders immediately. The kitchen gets very hot. They may not be able to take a break. They have to do overtime. The work is physically demanding.

• A — They have to follow orders immediately.
• B — The kitchen gets very hot.
• C — They may not be able to take a break.
• D — They have to do overtime.
• E — The work is physically demanding.

Questions 17–20

What is the responsibility of each of the following restaurant staff?

Choose FOUR answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F , next to Questions

• A. training courses
• B. food stocks
• C. first aid
• D. breakages
• E. staff discounts
• F. timetables

• Responsibilities
• Restaurant staff

17. Joy Parkins

18. David Field

19. Dexter Wills

20. Mike Smith

Section 2 Answer Explanations

11. A (the variety of work) — the manager says the assistants “they’re pleased that they have so many different things to do”, and different things to do is the variety of work. The friendly atmosphere fails because the team “might get shouted at sometimes”, and promotion fails because “moving you up and giving you some more responsibility” is a future possibility, not what staff enjoy now.

12. A (jewellery.) — the concern is explicit: “some of you’ll need to remove your rings and bracelets”, and rings and bracelets are jewellery. Hair styles fail because “Those of you with long hair have got it well out of the way” already satisfies her, and shoes fail because “I’m glad to see none of you have unsuitable footwear”.

13. C (the restaurant is almost fully booked.) — the pressure comes from bookings: “we don’t have any tables free for this evening, and only a few for lunch”. The head chef is not the cause because “Fortunately we’ve got our Head Chef back”, and a public holiday is never mentioned at all.

14. C (the meat slicer.) — the age rule is explicit: “there are two of you here who are under 18”, and “for you two, the meat slicer is out of bounds”. The waste disposal system fails because it is restricted for everyone until training, and the electric mixer fails because “none of you are allowed to use the electric mixer until you’ve been shown how it works”, whatever their age.

15. A (They have to follow orders immediately.) — immediately on the page is straightaway in the speech: “when someone tells you to do something you need to do it straightaway”. The stress point is that there is no easing off, as the line “You’ll find you don’t have much chance to take it easy” confirms.

16. E (The work is physically demanding.) — the body takes the strain: “you’re on your feet all day long, lifting and carrying”, which is physical demand in other words. The kitchen is not hot, because “we do have a very efficient air conditioning system”, breaks are guaranteed by “you’ll get a break in the middle”, and overtime is voluntary since staff have “the chance to do overtime after that as well if you want to”.

17. F (timetables) — Joy Parkins introduces herself as the allocator: “I decide who does what during the day and how long they work for”. Deciding who works when and for how long is timetable planning, so F fits her and no other box option.

18. C (first aid) — David Field owns injuries: “If you injure yourself at all, even if it’s really minor, you must report to him”. The treatment line clinches the letter, because “He’s trained to give basic treatment to staff himself”, which is first aid.

19. D (breakages) — Dexter Wills handles damage to crockery: “he’s the person you need to see if you smash a plate”. Smashed plates are breakages, and the warning “Don’t just leave it and hope no one will notice” shows why reporting damage to him matters.

20. B (food stocks) — Mike Smith keeps the supplies: he “takes care of all the stores of perishables”. Perishables such as “flour or sugar” are food, and “if you notice we’re getting low in flour or sugar” he is the one who puts in the order, which is food stock control.

Section 3 — Public Libraries Paper Discussion

Questions 21–23

Choose the correct letter, A , B or C .

• Paper on Public Libraries

21. What will be the main topic of Trudie and Stewart’s paper? how public library services are organised in different countries how changes in society are reflected in public libraries how the funding of public libraries has changed

• A — how public library services are organised in different countries
• B — how changes in society are reflected in public libraries
• C — how the funding of public libraries has changed

22. They agree that one disadvantage of free digitalised books is that they may take a long time to read. they can be difficult to read. they are generally old.

• A — they may take a long time to read.
• B — they can be difficult to read.
• C — they are generally old.

23. Stewart expect that in the future libraries will maintain their traditional function. become centres for local communities. no longer contain any books.

• A — maintain their traditional function.
• B — become centres for local communities.
• C — no longer contain any books.

Questions 24–30

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

• Study of local library: possible questions
• whether it has a 24 ………… of its own
• its policy regarding noise of various kinds
• how it’s affected by laws regarding all aspects of 25 …………
• how the design needs to take the 26 ………… of customers into account
• what 27 ………… is required in case of accidents
• why a famous person’s 28 ………… is located in the library
• whether it has a 29 ………… of local organisations
• how it’s different from a library in a 30 …………

Section 3 Answer Explanations

21. B (how changes in society are reflected in public libraries) — Trudie sets the angle: “concentrate on this country, and try relate the changes in libraries to external developments”. Her examples, “far more people can read than a century ago” and the languages people speak, are changes in society. A fails because she narrows the focus to one country after Stewart floats “how different countries organise them”, and C fails because “it’s probably best if we don’t go into funding in any detail”.

22. C (they are generally old.) — Stewart’s point carries the agreement: free digitalised books are “mostly out of copyright”, and “copyright in this country lasts for 70 years after the author dies”, so “you won’t find the latest best-seller or up-to-date information”. A fails because longer reading times on screens are Trudie’s separate complaint, and B fails because Stewart answers her concentration problem with “I suppose it’s just a personal preference”.

23. C (no longer contain any books.) — the question asks what Stewart expects, and his fear is plain: “books and magazines will all disappear, and there’ll just be rows and rows of computers”. He rejects A with “I’d like to think so”, adding “but I’m not so sure” about the traditional function, and B belongs to Trudie, who notes that “Some have already become centres where community activities take place”.

24. budget — the note is whether it has a something of its own, and Stewart proposes they “find out whether the library has its own budget”. The alternative in the same line, control by the local council, is the contrast that proves the missing word.

25. employment — the note is how it’s affected by laws regarding all aspects of something, and Stewart names the field: “how the library is affected by employment laws”. Laws is already printed in the note, so the gap takes the topic word that sits beside it in the speech.

26. safety — the note is how the design needs to take the something of customers into account, and Trudie asks “what measures does the library take to ensure their safety”. Floor coverings and emergency exits are her examples of design features, not the missing headword.

27. insurance — the note is what something is required in case of accidents, and Trudie raises “the kind of insurance the library needs to have” in case “anyone gets injured”. Injured matches accidents and points to insurance as the required cover.

28. diary — the note is why a famous person’s something is located in the library, and Stewart describes how “they’ve got the diary of a well-known politician”. A famous person paraphrases a well-known politician, and the archive of newspapers standing next to it is the distractor.

29. database — the note is whether it has a something of local organisations, and Trudie wonders “I wonder if they keep a database” for enquiries about local clubs. Sports clubs illustrate the local organisations, so database is the storage word the note needs.

30. museum — the note is how it’s different from a library in a something, and Stewart wants to compare a public library with “one that’s part of a museum”. The differences are the point of the comparison, and museum completes the final gap of the list.

Section 4 — Values in Business

Questions 31–40

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

The speaker’s team won because they reduced collaboration.

Companies that always aim at excellence may miss opportunities.

• Four business values
• Many business values can result in 31 ………… .
• Senior managers need to understand and deal with the potential 32 ………… that may result.
• Collaboration
• During a training course, the speaker was in a team that had to build a 33 ………… .
• Other teams experienced 34 ………… from trying to collaborate.
• Sales of a 35 ………… were poor because of collaboration.
• Industriousness
• Hard work may be a bad use of various company 36 ………… .
• The word ‘lazy’ in this context refers to people who avoid doing tasks that are 37 ………… .
• Creativity
• An advertising campaign for a 38 ………… was memorable but failed to boost sales.
• Creativity should be used as a response to a particular 39 ………… .
• Excellence
• According to one study, on average, pioneers had a 40 ………… that was far higher than that of followers.

Section 4 Answer Explanations

31. damage — the note is many business values can result in something, and the speaker warns that values “can actually cause damage, which is not at all the intention”. Cause paraphrases result in, and the noun after cause is the noun the gap needs.

32. side effects — the note is understand and deal with the potential something, and the lecture continues that leaders adopt “values without understanding and managing the side effects that arise”. Managing paraphrases deal with, and two words are allowed, so write side effects in the plural exactly as spoken.

33. bridge — the note is had to build a something, and the training task was to “construct a bridge across a stream”. Build paraphrases construct, and building blocks nearby is the trap that repeats the idea of construction without naming the finished object.

34. confusion — the note is other teams experienced something from trying to collaborate, and the rival teams “descended into confusion, with everyone getting in each other’s way”. The winning team avoided exactly this, because their leader let one member “build it alone”.

35. smartphone — the note is sales of a something were poor because of collaboration, and the failed launch is introduced with “In the case of a smartphone that a certain company launched”. The directors’ split between the business market and consumers explains why “it met the needs of neither group”.

36. resources — the note is about hard work as a bad use of various company something, and misdirected effort “wastes the resources that companies value most”. The speaker names those resources as time and energy, but the note asks for the summary noun, so time or energy alone fails.

37. unnecessary — the note is people who avoid doing tasks that are something, and the model defines lazy as “having a rational determination not to carry out unnecessary tasks”. The clarification that “It doesn’t mean trying to avoid work altogether” rules out lazy and altogether as answers.

38. chocolate bar — the note is an advertising campaign for a something was memorable but failed to boost sales, and the case is the launch “of a chocolate bar”. Consumers “remembered the adverts, but had no idea what was being advertised”, which is memorable with no sales.

39. problem — the note is creativity should be used as a response to a particular something, and the lecture states that creativity needs “to solve a problem that the company has identified”. Response to paraphrases solve, so the noun is problem, not novelty or product.

40. market share — the note is pioneers had a something that was far higher than that of followers, and the study found that “the pioneers commanded an average market share of 29 percent”. The figure 29 is the trap; the note needs the measured quantity itself, and two words are allowed.

Cambridge IELTS 12 Listening Test 1 Answers

Questions and Answers

Listening Transcripts

Section 1 Transcript

TC EMPLOYEE: Hi. Can I help you?

VISITOR: I’d like to find out if you have any excursions suitable for families.

TC EMPLOYEE: Sure. How about taking your family for a cruise? We have a steamship that takes passengers out several times a day – it’s over 100 years old.

VISITOR: That sounds interesting. How long is the trip?

TC EMPLOYEE: About an hour and a half. And don’t forget to take pictures of the mountains. They’re all around you when you’re on the boat and they look fantastic.

VISITOR: OK. And I assume there’s a café or something on board?

TC EMPLOYEE: Sure. How old are your children?

VISITOR: Er, my daughter’s fifteen and my son’s seven.

TC EMPLOYEE: Right. Well there are various things you can do once you’ve crossed the lake, to make a day of it. One thing that’s very popular is a visit to the Country Farm. You’re met off the boat by the farmer and he’ll take you to the holding pens, where the sheep are kept. Children love feeling them!

VISITOR: My son would love that. He really likes animals.

TC EMPLOYEE: Well, there’s also a 40-minute trek round the farm on a house, if he wants.

VISITOR: Do you think he’d manage it? He hasn’t done that before.

TC EMPLOYEE: Sure. It’s suitable for complete beginners.

VISITOR: Ah, good.

TC EMPLOYEE: And again, visitors are welcome to explore the farm on their own, as long as they take care to close gates and so on. There are some very beautiful gardens along the side of the lake which also belong to the farm – they’ll be just at their best now. You could easily spend an hour or two there.

VISITOR: OK. Well that all sounds good. And can we get lunch there?

TC EMPLOYEE: You can, and it’s very good, though it’s not included in the basic cost. You pay when you get there.

VISITOR: Right.

————————

VISITOR: So is there anything else to do over on that side of the lake?

TC EMPLOYEE: Well, what you can do is take a bike over on the ship and then go on a cycling trip. There’s a trail there called the Back Road – you could easily spend three or four hours exploring it, and the scenery’s wonderful. They’ll give you a map when you get your ticket for the cruise – there’s no extra charge.

VISITOR: What’s the trail like in terms of difficulty?

TC EMPLOYEE: Quite challenging in places. It wouldn’t be suitable for your seven-year-old. It needs someone who’s got a bit more experience.

VISITOR: Hmm. Well, my daughter loves cycling and so do I, so maybe the two of us could go, and my wife and son could stay on the farm. That might work out quite well. But we don’t have bikes here… is there somewhere we could rent them?

TC EMPLOYEE: Yes, there’s a place here in the city. It’s called Ratchesons.

VISITOR: I’ll just make a note of that – er, how do you spell it?

TC EMPLOYEE: R-A-T-C-H-E-S-O-N-S. It’s just be the cruise ship terminal.

VISITOR: OK.

TC EMPLOYEE: You’d also need to pick up a repair kit for the bike from there to take along with you, and you’d need to take along a snack and some water – it’d be best to get those in the city.

VISITOR: Fine. That shouldn’t be a problem. And I assume I can rent a helmet from the bike place?

TC EMPLOYEE: Sure, you should definitely get that. It’s a great ride, but you want to be well prepared because it’s very remote – you won’t see any shops round there, or anywhere to stay, so you need to get back in time for the last boat.

VISITOR: Yeah. So what sort of prices are we looking at here?

TC EMPLOYEE: Let’s see, that’d be one adult and one child for the cruise with farm tour, that’s $117, and an adult and a child for the cruise only so that’s $214 dollars altogether. Oh, wait a minute, how old did you say your daughter was?

VISITOR: Fifteen.

TC EMPLOYEE: Then I’m afraid it’s $267 because she has to pay the adult fare, which is $75 instead of the child fare which is $22 – sorry about that.

VISITOR: That’s OK. Er, so how do …

Section 2 Transcript

Good morning everyone. My name’s Joy Parkins and I’m the restaurant manager. And I understand that none of you’ve had any previous experience as kitchen assistants? Well, you might be feeling a bit nervous now, but most of our kitchen assistants say they enjoy the work. OK, they might get shouted at sometimes, but it’s nothing personal, and they’re pleased that they have so many different things to do, which means they never get bored. And I’ll tell you straightaway that if you do well, we might think about moving you up and giving you some more responsibility.

Right, well, you’ve all shown up on time, which is an excellent start. Now I’m glad to see none of you have unsuitable footwear, so that’s good – you need to be careful as the floors can get very wet and slippery. Those of you with long hair have got it well out of the way, but some of you’ll need to remove your rings and bracelets – just put them somewhere safe for today, and remember to leave them at home tomorrow, as they can be a safety hazard.

Now it’s going to be a busy day for you all today – we don’t have any tables free for this evening, and only a few for lunch. Fortunately we’ve got our Head Chef back – he was away on holiday all last week which meant the other chefs had extra work. Now, I’ll tell you a bit more about the job in a minute but first, some general regulations. For all of you, whatever your age, there’s some equipment you mustn’t use until you’ve been properly trained, like the waste disposal system for example, for health and safety reasons. Then I think there are two of you here who are under 18 – that’s Emma and Jake, isn’t it? Right, so for you two, the meat slicer is out of bounds. And of course none of you are allowed to use the electric mixer until you’ve been shown how it works.

Now you may have heard that this can be a stressful job, and I have to say that can be true. You’ll be working an eight-hour day for the first week, though you’ll have the chance to do overtime after that as well if you want to. But however long the hours are, you’ll get a break in the middle. What you will find is that you’re on your feet all day long, lifting and carrying, so if you’re not fit now you soon will be! You’ll find you don’t have much chance to take it easy – when someone tells you to do something you need to do it straightaway – but at least we do have a very efficient air conditioning system compared with some kitchens.

——————

Now let me tell you about some of the people you need to know. So as I said, I’m Joy Parkins and I decide who does what during the day and how long they work for. I’ll be trying to get you to work with as many different people in the kitchen as possible, so that you learn while you’re on the job. One person whose name you must remember is David Field. If you injure yourself at all, even if it’s really minor, you must report to him and he’ll make sure the incident is recorded and you get the appropriate treatment. He’s trained to give basic treatment to staff himself, or he’ll send you off somewhere else if necessary. Then there’s Dexter Wills – he’s the person you need to see if you smash a plate or something like that. Don’t just leave it and hope no one will notice – it’s really important to get things noted and replaced or there could be problems late. And finally, there’s Mike Smith. He’s the member of staff who takes care of all the stores of perishables, so if you notice we’re getting low in flour or sugar or something, make sure you let him know so he can put in an order.

OK, now the next thing …

Section 3 Transcript

TRUDIE: OK, Stewart. We need to start planning our paper on public libraries. Have you thought of an angle yet?

STEWART: Well, there’s so much we could look into. How libraries have changed over the centuries, for instance, or how different countries organise them. What do you think, Trudie?

TRUDIE: Maybe we should concentrate on this country, and try relate the changes in libraries to external developments, like the fact that far more people can read than a century ago, and that the local population may speak lots of different languages.

STEWART: We could include something about changes in the source of funding, too.

TRUDIE: Yes, but remember we’re only supposed to write a short paper, so it’s probably best if we don’t go into funding in any detail.

STEWART: Right. Well, shall we just brainstorm a few ideas, to get started?

TRUDIE: OK. We obviously need to look at the impact of new technology, particularly the internet. Now that lots of books have been digitalised, people can access them from their own computers at home.

STEWART: And if everyone did that, libraries would be obsolete.

TRUDIE: Yes.

STEWART: But the digitalised books that are available online for free are mostly out of copyright, aren’t they? And copyright in this country lasts for 70 years after the author dies. So you won’t find the latest best-seller or up-to-date information.

TRUDIE: That’s an important point. Anyway, I find it hard to concentrate when I’m reading a long text on a green. I’d much rather read a physical book. And it takes longer to read on a screen.

STEWART: Oh, I prefer it. I suppose it’s just a personal preference.

TRUDIE: Mm. I expect that libraries will go on evolving in the next few years. Some have already become centres where community activities take place, like local clubs meeting there. I think that’ll become even more common.

STEWART: I’d like to think so, and that they’ll still be serving their traditional function, but I’m not so sure. There are financial implications, after all. What I’m afraid will happen is that books and magazines will all disappear, and there’ll just be rows and rows of computers. They won’t look anything like the libraries we’re used to.

TRUDIE: Well, we’ll see.

———————

TRUDIE: I’ve just had an idea. Why don’t we make an in-depth study of our local public library as background to our paper?

STEWART: Yes, that’d be interesting, and raise all sorts of issues. Let’s make a list of possible things we could ask about, then work out some sort of structure. For instance, um, we could interview some of the staff, and find out whether the library has its own budget, or if that’s controlled by the local council.

TRUDIE: And what their policies are. I know they don’t allow food, but I’d love to find out what types of noise they ban – there always seems to be a lot of talking, but never music. I don’t know if that’s a policy or it just happens.

STEWART: Ah, I’ve often wondered. Then there are things like how the library is affected by employment laws. I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff, and so on.

TRUDIE: Right. Then there are other issues relating to the design of the building and how customers use it. Like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety? They’d need floor coverings that aren’t slippery, and emergency exits, for instance. Oh, and another thing – there’s the question of the kind of insurance the library needs to have, in case anyone gets injured.

STEWART: Yes, that’s something else to find out. You know something I’ve often wondered?

TRUDIE: What’s that?

STEWART: Well, you know they’ve got an archive of local newspapers going back years? Well, next to it they’ve got the diary of a well-known politician from the late 19th century. I wonder why it’s there. Do you know what his connection was with this area?

TRUDIE: No idea. Let’s add it to our list of things to find out. Oh, I’ve just thought – you know people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs? Well, I wonder if they keep a database, or whether they just look online.

STEWART: Right. I quite fancy finding out what the differences are between a library that’s open to the public and one that’s part of a museum, for example – they must be very different.

TRUDIE: Mmm. Then something else I’d like to know is …

Section 4 Transcript

In public discussion of business, we take certain values for granted. Today I’m going to talk about four of them: collaboration, hard work, creativity and excellence. Most people would say they’re all ‘good things’. I’m going to suggest that’s an over-simple view.

The trouble with these values is that they’re theoretical concepts, removed from the reality of day-to-day business. Pursue values by all means, but be prepared for what may happen as a result. They can actually cause damage, which is not at all the intention.

Business leaders generally try to do the right thing. But all too often the right thing backfires, if those leaders adopt values without understanding and managing the side effects that arise. The values can easily get in the way of what’s actually intended.

OK. So the first value I’m going to discuss is collaboration. Er, let me give you an example. On a management training course I once attended, we were put into groups and had to construct a bridge across a stream, using building blocks that we were given. The rule was that everyone in the team had to move at least one building block during the construction. This was intended to encourage teamwork.

But it was really a job best done by one person. The other teams tried to collaborate on building the structure, and descended into confusion, with everyone getting in each other’s way. Our team leader solved the challenge brilliantly. She simply asked everyone in the team to move a piece a few centimetres, to comply with the rule, and then let the person in the team with an aptitude for puzzles like this build it alone. We finished before any other team. My point is that the task wasn’t really suited to teamworking, so why make it one?

Teamwork can also lead to inconsistency – a common cause of poor sales. In the case of a smartphone that a certain company launched, one director wanted to target the business market, and another demanded it was aimed at consumers. The company wanted both directors to be involved, so gave the product a consumer-friendly name, but marketed it to companies. The result was that it met the needs of neither group. It would have been better to let one director or the other have his way, not both.

Now industriousness, or hard work. It’s easy to mock people who say they work hard: after all, a hamster running around in a wheel is working hard – and getting nowhere. Of course hard work is valuable, but only when properly targeted. Otherwise it wastes the resources that companies value most – time and energy. And that’s bad for the organisation.

There’s a management model that groups people according to four criteria: clever, hard-working, stupid and lazy. Here ‘lazy’ means having a rational determination not to carry out unnecessary tasks. It doesn’t mean trying to avoid work altogether. Most people display two of these characteristics, and the most valuable people are those who are both clever and lazy: they possess intellectual clarity, and they don’t rush into making decisions. They come up with solutions to save the time and energy spent by the stupid and hard-working group. Instead of throwing more man-hours at a problem, the clever and lazy group looks for a more effective solution.

Next we come to creativity. This often works well – creating an attention-grabbing TV commercial, for example, might lead to increased sales. But it isn’t always a good thing. Some advertising campaigns are remembered for their creativity, without having any effect on sales. This happened a few years ago with the launch of a chocolate bar: subsequent research showed that plenty of consumers remembered the adverts, but had no idea what was being advertised. The trouble is that the creator derives pleasure from coming up with the idea, and wrongly assumes the audience for the campaign will share that feeling.

A company that brings out thousands of new products may seem more creative than a company that only has a few, but it may be too creative, and make smaller profits. Creativity needs to be targeted, to solve a problem that the company has identified. Just coming up with more and more novel products isn’t necessarily a good thing.

And finally, excellence. We all know companies that claim they ‘strive for excellence’, but it takes a long time to achieve excellence. In business, being first with a product is more profitable than having the best product. A major study of company performance compared pioneers – that is, companies bringing out the first version of a particular product – with followers, the companies that copied and improved on that product. The study found that the pioneers commanded an average market share of 29 percent, while the followers achieved less than half that, only 13 percent – even though their product might have been better.

Insisting on excellence in everything we do is time-consuming, wastes energy and leads to losing out on opportunities. Sometimes, second-rate work is more worthwhile than excellence. ‘Make sure it’s excellent’ sounds like a good approach to business, but the ‘just-get-started’ approach is likely to be more successful.

Listening Band Score Conversion

Your raw score out of 40 converts to an IELTS band score using the official listening conversion table below.

Key Vocabulary and Spelling

Study Tips

Treat the four sections as one 30-minute paper: 10 answers each, rising difficulty, one play-through. Section 1 rewards fast spelling and number capture, Section 2 tests paraphrase across three formats, Section 3 splits its ideas between two speakers, and Section 4 demands note-taking stamina through a lecture. The Band 8 listening strategy shows how to hold one method across all four.

Read ahead in the pauses, because every section gives you time to study its questions before the voice starts. Predict the word class of each note gap and the kind of evidence each multiple choice option needs; the habit of predicting answers before you hear them converts dead pauses into free marks.

Watch the word limits: ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER in Section 1, ONE WORD ONLY in Questions 24–30, and NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS in Section 4. Answers like side effects and market share are legal in Section 4 but illegal one section earlier, so check the instruction line each time it changes.

Spelling counts everywhere: Ratchesons is dictated letter by letter in Section 1, and single letters decide marks in budget, database and helmet. Write clearly, keep British spelling, and correct a slip the moment you make it, because the recording moves on without you.

Practice More Listening Tests

Work through all four sections in one sitting, mark your forty answers against the keys above, and reread the explanation behind every miss. The free IELTS listening practice course from Simply IELTS then turns each error type into targeted drills across all ten question formats. Finish with this interactive listening test: maple syrup ielts listening test with answer to test your corrected technique on a fresh recording, and repeat the full paper once your score is stable section by section.