Cambridge IELTS 21 Listening Test 3 answers are set out in full on this page, with the official key for all forty questions, a clear explanation for every item, audio for each of the four parts, and complete transcripts you can follow line by line.

The paper opens with a conversation about an overnight ferry to the Shetland Islands, moves to a talk by a vegan street food trader, continues with two students comparing research for a sustainable fashion project, and closes with a lecture on invasive species. Every explanation quotes the exact line of the recording that proves the key, so you can see why each word or letter scores and why the traps fail.

Prepare by task type: the note completion strategy shows how to predict the word class of every gap, and the multiple choice strategy covers the elimination routine that cracks the Choose TWO pairs and both matching boxes.

Section Walkthroughs

• Travel to the Shetland Islands (Questions 1–10) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section
• Vegan Street Food Business (Questions 11–20) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section
• Sustainable Fashion Project (Questions 21–30) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section
• Invasive Species Lecture (Questions 31–40) — audio, answers and a full transcript for this section

Section 1 — Travel to the Shetland Islands

Questions 1–10

Complete the notes below.

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

(if cancelled a month in advance)

– luxury cabins have a TV

• Ferry to Shetland Islands
• Name of ferry company: 1 ………… Ferries
• Ferries depart seven times per 2 ………… in summer
• Cost for four people with car: a little less than £ 3 …………
• Cancellation policy: receive a 4 ………… (if cancelled a month in advance)
• Advice
• Cabins: – book one with a 5 ………… – luxury cabins have a TV
• Bring snacks and 6 ………… for the children
• A 7 ………… is required for the dog kennels
• Try to see 8 ………… in the morning
• If time, visit 9 ………… Castle
• The 10 ………… restaurant in a nearby village is recommended

Section 1 Answer Explanations

1. Northern — the company name completes the stem that ends in the printed word Ferries, because Paul confirms “it’s called Northern Ferries”. Write the capital N, since it is a proper name; Aberdeen fails because “The ferries all leave from Aberdeen” identifies the port, not the operator.

2. week — the note says the ferries depart seven times per …… in summer, and the frequency line is “seven days a week”. One sailing each evening over seven days makes the period a week, and “They may only run on four or five days then” belongs to winter, so it fails the stem.

3. 250 — the family trip “worked out at just under £250”, and the notes ask for a little less than £ ……, so the number is 250. The £400 figure is only Tammy’s expectation of “more like £400 during the peak season”, and Part 1 accepts a number in figures.

4. voucher — refunds are refused in the words “I don’t think it’s their policy to give refunds”, and the credit passengers receive instead is “just a voucher”. The month-in-advance condition is already printed beside the gap, so voucher is the missing noun.

5. window — the recommended cabin is the one Paul missed: “We booked too late to get a cabin with a window”. Luxury cabins with their TV appear in the notes as printed context, and the inner cabins are the cheaper contrast, so window fills the advice line.

6. books — the children need a second item beside snacks, and the weak onboard wifi produces the advice “it’s best to bring some books for them”. Snacks cannot repeat, because “The selection on board is quite limited” is why they are packed in the first place.

7. blanket — the dog travels in the on-board kennels, and “The kennels on board are OK” comes with one requirement: “you just need to provide a blanket”. Kennels name the facility, and blanket is the single item owners supply.

8. dolphins — the morning watch is described as “keeping a lookout for dolphins”, and the sighting was plentiful because “we saw loads”. The plural is required, as the children spot groups of them from the deck.

9. Drum — the castle that fills the gap is named outright as “Drum Castle”. The spelling is settled by Tammy’s check “Is that spelt like the instrument?”, so a capital D and the plain form Drum both matter.

10. Italian — the castle keeps only a coffee shop, and the recommended meal came when the family “found an Italian one in a village nearby”. The note needs a cuisine in front of restaurant, and Italian takes its capital letter as a nationality adjective.

Section 2 — Vegan Street Food Business

Questions 11–12

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

11–12. Which TWO explanations for the popularity of street food are given? low price locally sourced freshly made convenience unusual food

• A — low price
• B — locally sourced
• C — freshly made
• D — convenience
• E — unusual food

Questions 13–14

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

13–14. Which TWO places are recommended for new street food businesses? music festivals food markets weddings parties parks

• A — music festivals
• B — food markets
• C — weddings
• D — parties
• E — parks

Questions 15–16

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

15. What does the speaker say about getting equipment for a street food business? High quality equipment is a good investment. It’s best to buy second-hand equipment. Renting equipment can be cheap.

• A — High quality equipment is a good investment.
• B — It’s best to buy second-hand equipment.
• C — Renting equipment can be cheap.

16. What advice is given about creating a product for a street food business? Provide information about the ingredients. It is important to have an original product. The presentation is an important factor.

• A — Provide information about the ingredients.
• B — It is important to have an original product.
• C — The presentation is an important factor.

Questions 17–20

What problem did the owners of each of the following street food businesses experience?

Choose FOUR answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F.

• A. Some ingredients were too expensive.
• B. The meals took a long time to prepare.
• C. They had no money for marketing.
• D. It was difficult to get a permit to sell food.
• E. A competitor was selling similar food in their area.
• F. They worked very long hours.

17. Thai Basil

18. Basque

19. Lou’s kitchen

20. Chip Chop

Section 2 Answer Explanations

11. C (freshly made) — customers respond to “seeing food prepared in front of them” and to produce that “hasn’t come straight out of a freezer”. A fails because “fast food is cheap and easy to find” assigns low price to fast food, the sector street food reacts against. Questions 11 and 12 accept C and E in either order.

12. E (unusual food) — novelty is the second draw: “People like the idea of trying something they can’t get anywhere else”. D fails because it is fast food that is criticised as “the same everywhere”, so convenience explains the rival’s weakness rather than street food’s rise.

13. B (food markets) — markets receive the verdict “Food markets, on the other hand, are great”, because customers there “give great feedback”. A fails on both counts, as “the cost of renting a space can be huge” at festivals and the competition is constant.

14. E (parks) — the approval begins “if you can get a spot in your local park”, a relaxed site with “lots of customers passing by”. Weddings and parties fail because they follow success: “Once you get established you’ll start getting asked to do parties”.

15. B (It’s best to buy second-hand equipment.) — the stated advice is “I’d try to get things like hobs and fridges second hand if you can”. C fails because renting means “you’ll end up spending more money rather than saving it”, and A defers quality purchases to the day the business can afford “better quality stuff if your business takes off”.

16. C (The presentation is an important factor.) — the factor traders forget is “how you’re going to serve it”, with the rule “It’s got to be easy to eat and look attractive”. B fails because checking rivals is assumed research, “to find out if anyone else is selling a similar product”, not the advice Jon highlights.

17. F (They worked very long hours.) — Thai Basil’s owners were “working til midnight in the restaurant all week” and then they “took their food truck to markets on their days off”. Their “work-life balance was non-existent”, which restates option F.

18. A (Some ingredients were too expensive.) — Basque struggled since “the price of fish” behind essential dishes “was so high”, while “it was hard to charge customers a lot more”. An expensive key ingredient is option A in plain terms.

19. B (The meals took a long time to prepare.) — at Lou’s kitchen “some of their dishes were quite complicated”, and the delay created “people standing in a long queue for more than 15 minutes” until “many of them lost patience”. Slow service from complex dishes is option B.

20. D (It was difficult to get a permit to sell food.) — Chip Chop’s site had “there weren’t any other street food trucks”, but “they’d need a special licence” for it, and “in the end they gave up”. A licence is the permit of option D, not a marketing or rival problem.

Section 3 — Sustainable Fashion Project

Questions 21–22

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

21–22. Which TWO points do the speakers make about the terms ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ fashion? Their definitions keep changing. People think they mean the same thing. The term ‘eco-friendly’ is preferable. They are often used imprecisely. Companies should avoid using them on clothing labels.

• A — Their definitions keep changing.
• B — People think they mean the same thing.
• C — The term ‘eco-friendly’ is preferable.
• D — They are often used imprecisely.
• E — Companies should avoid using them on clothing labels.

Questions 23–24

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

23–24. Which TWO claims about wool production do the speakers disagree with? Sheep are generally well-treated. Wool is easy to recycle. Wool is a long-lasting fabric. Wool production involves few chemicals. Sheep do less environmental damage than other livestock.

• A — Sheep are generally well-treated.
• B — Wool is easy to recycle.
• C — Wool is a long-lasting fabric.
• D — Wool production involves few chemicals.
• E — Sheep do less environmental damage than other livestock.

Questions 25–30

What comment do the speakers make about each of the following semi-synthetic fabrics?

Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-H.

• A. The production process is fuel efficient.
• B. It is the least sustainable of alternative fabrics.
• C. Production costs are high.
• D. It provides additional health benefits.
• E. It is not durable in the long-term.
• F. It needs to be produced in a certain way to be sustainable.
• G. Chemicals required for production can be reused.
• H. This is from a wholly sustainable source.

25. Lyocell

26. Cupro

27. Bamboo

28. EcoVero

29. Cork

30. Hemp

Section 3 Answer Explanations

21. B (People think they mean the same thing.) — the confusion is stated at the outset: “most people use these terms interchangeably”, despite the real distinction that “Sustainable relates to the environment”. Questions 21 and 22 accept B and D in either order.

22. D (They are often used imprecisely.) — product descriptions are “deliberately vague, I think”, and companies “don’t provide enough information about how their products are made”. C fails because eco-friendly earns the verdict “which is actually quite meaningless”, so it is anything but preferable.

23. D (Wool production involves few chemicals.) — Ryan rejects the claim that wool “doesn’t use many chemicals” by asking “what about all the fungicides and insecticides”. Questions 23 and 24 accept D and E in either order.

24. E (Sheep do less environmental damage than other livestock.) — the unsupported claim is met with “I couldn’t find any evidence for the claim about sheep farming being better for the environment than cattle farming”. B and C fail because the speakers agree wool “lasts a long time and can be recycled”.

25. G (Chemicals required for production can be reused.) — Lyocell’s strength is recycling inside the factory: “Over 99% of dissolving agents used in the manufacturing process are used again”. Reused processing chemicals is option G almost word for word.

26. B (It is the least sustainable of alternative fabrics.) — Cupro attracts the judgement “It doesn’t compare favourably with all the other sustainable fabrics we’ve looked at”, reinforced by “so many reports of pollution caused by the manufacturing process”.

27. F (It needs to be produced in a certain way to be sustainable.) — the bamboo caveat is that “only organic bamboo that’s truly sustainable”, since much of the rest is “chemically quite intensive”. Sustainability conditional on the production method is option F.

28. A (The production process is fuel efficient.) — EcoVero “takes up half as much energy as conventional fabrics”, and “manufacturing causes 50 percent fewer emissions”. C fails because the speakers note the process saves production costs instead of raising them.

29. H (This is from a wholly sustainable source.) — cork is “the only fabric that’s fundamentally sustainable”, because “the cork trees it comes from are renewable” and the material is recyclable and biodegradable.

30. D (It provides additional health benefits.) — clothes made from hemp “protect the wearer from the sun and it’s also antibacterial”. The drawback that hemp is hard to grow explains its rarity and matches no letter in the box.

Section 4 — Invasive Species Lecture

Questions 31–40

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Definition: an animal or plant that causes harm to an environment after being introduced by humans

• Invasive species
• An invasive species can be a problem when it:
• eats native species.
• introduces a new 31 ………… .
• takes food from native species.
• threatens an entire 32 ………… .
• How invasive species spread
• accidentally e.g. via people returning from their 33 ………… or on cargo ships
• intentionally e.g. for pest control, or as 34 ………… .
• Examples of invasive species
• Rhinella marina (toads) were introduced to Australia from Hawaii in 1935 to eat a type of insect that was damaging the 35 ………… plantations. failed to solve the problem and became widespread in the north of Australia. are poisonous for any species that eats them and reduce the food available for native frogs.
• failed to solve the problem and became widespread in the north of Australia.
• are poisonous for any species that eats them and reduce the food available for native frogs.
• Japanese knotweed plants were popular among 19th-century gardeners in the UK.
• Rhododendron plants prevent 36 ………… from reaching native plants.
• Grey squirrels from N. America reduce sources of food for the UK’s native red squirrels and spread a 37 ………… that kills red squirrels.
• Tackling invasive species
• Monitoring helps us to understand the 38 ………… of invasive species and the impact they have.
• Setting up a national 39 ………… makes it easier to track them.
• Asking the public to 40 ………… and report them helps with monitoring.

Section 4 Answer Explanations

31. disease — invaders damage native wildlife when “they may bring a disease with them”, one that locals “have no defences against”. Eating native species and consuming their food supplies are printed in the notes, leaving disease for the third line.

32. ecosystem — the note about a threatened whole comes from “damage in an ecosystem, actually putting its survival at risk”, so the singular noun ecosystem completes the gap after entire.

33. holiday — accidental spread includes plant seeds travelling with “people who’ve been on holiday in another country”. ONE WORD ONLY forces the singular holiday, exactly the form the lecturer uses.

34. pets — deliberate transport has two purposes, delivered together: “to control pests on farms, or to be pets”. Pest control already stands in the notes, so the second purpose, pets, fills the gap after as.

35. sugar — the toads were recruited against beetles “destroying crops of sugar on many of the plantations”, so the plantation crop in the notes is sugar rather than the beetles that ate it.

36. light — rhododendrons are harmful because “they block out so much light” that “native wild flowers can’t grow beneath them”. The flowers are what suffers, and light is what never reaches them, which is the noun the stem prevents.

37. virus — grey squirrels “carry a type of virus that is deadly to the red squirrels”, matching the note about something spread that kills. Virus is the precise word spoken, and it scores where disease does not.

38. behaviour — control begins with “learning about the behaviour of new species”, so the noun after the in the notes is behaviour, spelt the British way with -our.

39. database — the shared tracking tool is the plan to “create a database for the whole country”, so the record-keeping noun after national is database, not the authorities who use it.

40. photograph — the public should be “encouraged to photograph harmful species” and then report them. The gap needs the bare verb after to, report is already printed in the notes, and destroy and touch are the actions the lecture rules out.

Cambridge IELTS 21 Listening Test 3 Answers

Questions and Answers

Where two letters are shown for a single question, either order is accepted, exactly as in the official answer key.

Listening Transcripts

Section 1 Transcript

TAMMY: You know when you went to the Shetland Islands last year, Paul? Did you go by ferry or did you fly?

PAUL: We went by ferry, Tammy. I prefer driving to flying – the journey feels like part of the holiday.

TAMMY: Mmm. Which ferry company did you use?

PAUL: There’s only one – it’s called Northern Ferries. The ferries all leave from Aberdeen.

TAMMY: How frequent are they?

PAUL: The service is pretty limited – there’s only one ferry leaving every evening in summer anyway, seven days a week – I’m not sure about the winter months. They may only run on four or five days then.

TAMMY: OK. So it’s an overnight trip. I quite like that idea. Leaving at night and waking up as you arrive on the island. Can you remember how much you paid for your tickets?

PAUL: They were really cheap and four people and a car worked out at just under £250.

TAMMY: Really? I was expecting it to be more like £400 during the peak season.

PAUL: So was I. It’s great value. It’s a good idea to book in advance because I think they get booked up quite quickly – especially during the school holidays.

TAMMY: Yes, I suppose so. I’m just not 100% sure of our plans yet. What if I had to cancel?

PAUL: That could be a problem. I don’t think it’s their policy to give refunds – just a voucher – which you can use at a later date. But you have to cancel a month in advance to get that.

TAMMY: Right. Well we need to make up our minds quickly then.

PAUL: You’d want to book a cabin too. We booked too late to get a cabin with a window. They’re more expensive but much nicer than the inner cabins. You don’t have to book a cabin at all but I think it’s worth paying for. They also have luxury cabins, which are only for two people and have a TV – but I wouldn’t bother with those.

TAMMY: No, I agree.

PAUL: The only other thing I can think of is to make sure you bring snacks for the kids. The selection on board is quite limited and not that healthy either.

TAMMY: Mmm. What about wifi on board? Is that any good?

PAUL: Not really. So it’s best to bring some books for them.

TAMMY: OK. We may need to bring the dog if I can’t get anyone to look after him.

PAUL: We brought ours and it was fine. The kennels on board are OK – they’re quite big – you just need to provide a blanket.

TAMMY: Uhuh. Sounds good.

PAUL: It was all very easy really – and it was quite an adventure for the kids. They loved being on the sea at night and in the morning keeping a lookout for dolphins – we saw loads.

TAMMY: Oh, the kids would love that!

PAUL: One other thing. We arrived in Aberdeen hours before the ferry was due to leave so we decided to go somewhere else rather than hang around at the port for so long.

TAMMY: Where did you go?

PAUL: Drum Castle.

TAMMY: I’ve never heard of it. Is that spelt like the instrument?

PAUL: Yeah. It’s really worth visiting. It’s got an impressive tower and beautiful gardens and ancient woodland.

TAMMY: Sounds lovely. Does it have a restaurant?

PAUL: It’s only got a coffee shop – no restaurant. We looked up restaurants in the area and found an Italian one in a village nearby. I can check the name of it for you if you’re interested.

TAMMY: Oh thanks Paul that would be ….

Section 2 Transcript

Good evening everyone. My name’s Jon and I run Veg Out, a street food business selling vegan food. Since 2012 I’ve been travelling all around the country cooking vegan food in my converted van and selling it at all kinds of outdoor events. I’m here to give you some advice based on my experience.

The good news is that there’s never been a better time to start your own street food business. Street food continues to grow in popularity. I think there are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that street food is a reaction against fast food. Street food ranges from high quality burgers to vegan curries and everything in between. But while fast food is cheap and easy to find, it’s not particularly good for you. It’s also the same everywhere. What you get with street food on the other hand is something different. People like the idea of trying something they can’t get anywhere else. They also like seeing food prepared in front of them and which hasn’t come straight out of a freezer.

You need to think about the best place to sell your street food. People always think music festivals are an obvious place to start but the cost of renting a space can be huge. And there’s always a lot of competition. Food markets, on the other hand, are great because customers are always really interested in food and give great feedback. And if you can get a spot in your local park – fantastic. Usually very relaxed but with lots of customers passing by. Once you get established you’ll start getting asked to do parties – which can be really challenging but lots of fun. Having street food at weddings has become quite fashionable too – but you need to really know what you’re doing as everything needs to be perfect.

Setting up a street food business costs a lot less than opening a restaurant or café but you’ll have to buy some basic equipment. I’d try to get things like hobs and fridges second hand if you can. You can replace them with better quality stuff if your business takes off. Renting is another option but you’ll end up spending more money rather than saving it.

You’ve probably got a good idea about the food you’re planning to sell. I expect you’ve done some research to find out if anyone else is selling a similar product. And you’ll have thought about any possible allergies to nuts or eggs etc. But there’s one thing people don’t always think about and that’s how you’re going to serve it. On a plate? In a bag? Will you provide a fork? Will it all be easily recyclable or reusable? It’s got to be easy to eat and look attractive or customers won’t come back.

Once you get started, you should be prepared for things to go wrong. Every business faces problems and here are a few examples from street food businesses that I know.

My friends who run Thai Basil started by juggling their street food business with their day jobs in a restaurant. Their work-life balance was non-existent as they were working til midnight in the restaurant all week and then took their food truck to markets on their days off.

The owners of Basque found it was hard to make a profit because the price of fish – essential for some of their dishes – was so high. And it was hard to charge customers a lot more for those dishes. So they had to stop focussing on fish dishes and include more vegetarian food.

The owners of Lou’s kitchen were making salads to order from their van and some of their dishes were quite complicated. At one of their first events they ended up with people standing in a long queue for more than 15 minutes – and many of them lost patience. So make sure whatever you offer can be served quickly and efficiently.

The owners of Chip Chop had found a perfect venue near a beach where there weren’t any other street food trucks. But what they hadn’t realised was that they’d need a special licence – which individual businesses don’t need at markets or festivals. It was a complicated process and in the end they gave up.

So I hope that’s given you a flavour of ….

Section 3 Transcript

MADDY: Shall we go through our research for our sustainable fashion project?

RYAN: Good idea. I think I’ve done enough reading now.

MADDY: Me too. I’ve learnt such a lot about what sustainability actually means.

RYAN: Mmm, same for me with ethical fashion. I didn’t really appreciate the difference between that and sustainable fashion before doing this research.

MADDY: I know – most people use these terms interchangeably – but in fact the difference is quite distinct when you think about it. Sustainable relates to the environment and ethical relates more to the way workers or animals are treated.

RYAN: I totally understand why people get confused, though. There are so many other terms used – like ‘eco-friendly’, which is actually quite meaningless.

MADDY: And the way companies use these terms when describing their products doesn’t help. They’re often deliberately vague, I think, and don’t provide enough information about how their products are made.

RYAN: Yes.

MADDY: It was interesting to read about the debates surrounding wool production and how ethical and sustainable that is. It’s generally considered to be sustainable because it’s a natural product.

RYAN: And it also lasts a long time and can be recycled. All very positive. But I wasn’t convinced by the argument that wool production is sustainable because it doesn’t use many chemicals – what about all the fungicides and insecticides used in sheep farming?

MADDY: Good point. And I couldn’t find any evidence for the claim about sheep farming being better for the environment than cattle farming.

RYAN: No – they’re both really bad. I read different reports about how unethical it is to even shear sheep. Some people say it’s cruel but as long as the sheep are kept in good condition I can’t see anything wrong with it.

MADDY: Me neither.

RYAN: Shall we talk about some of the semi-synthetic new fabrics now?

MADDY: OK, let’s do that.

RYAN: Let’s start with Lyocell, I’ve been reading about that.

MADDY: Yeah, that’s the one produced from the pulp of eucalyptus trees, isn’t it?

RYAN: Yes, and what happens with that is really impressive. Over 99% of dissolving agents used in the manufacturing process are used again.

MADDY: Yeah. Now, there are a few semi-synthetic fabrics that I’d never heard of. Like Cupro, for example.

RYAN: Made from byproducts of the cotton industry to create a kind of vegan silk. But I’m not sure how sustainable this really is as there are so many reports of pollution caused by the manufacturing process.

MADDY: Mmm. It doesn’t compare favourably with all the other sustainable fabrics we’ve looked at, no.

RYAN: Bamboo is one fabric we’re all familiar with. But I didn’t know that it was only organic bamboo that’s truly sustainable.

MADDY: Me neither. Apparently, the manufacturing process for a significant proportion of bamboo is chemically quite intensive – which obviously can be quite damaging.

RYAN: EcoVero is an example of a semi-synthetic fabric which is becoming really popular.

MADDY: Probably because manufacturing causes 50 percent fewer emissions and takes up half as much energy as conventional fabrics. That saves production costs as well as being better for the environment.

RYAN: That’s true. I think demand for cork will continue to grow. It works really well in vegan shoes and bags.

MADDY: Mmm and it’s the only fabric that’s fundamentally sustainable – the cork trees it comes from are renewable and the product itself is both recyclable and biodegradable – which is unique.

RYAN: And the harvesting process is actually good for the trees. There are no downsides to using this source at all.

MADDY: Hemp is another really good sustainable fabric from a natural source.

RYAN: Yes. Did you know that clothes made from hemp protect the wearer from the sun and it’s also antibacterial?

MADDY: No, I didn’t. But I did read that it’s quite hard to grow, so perhaps that’s why it’s not as common as you’d think.

RYAN: I’m sure that’ll change.

Section 4 Transcript

Today I’m going to talk about invasive species. Let me start by saying what an invasive species is and what it’s not. Invasive species are any animal or plant that is introduced into an environment by humans, and which is then harmful to that environment. It’s important to be clear that not all introduced species are invasive. Many introduced – or non-native – species thrive in new areas without posing any threat.

In some cases, invasive species have changed the natural world beyond recognition, so let’s look at the different ways they can be problematic. First of all, invasive species may eat native species, or sometimes they may bring a disease with them, which native species have never faced before and therefore have no defences against. Often the invasive species breed very quickly – which further adds to the problem of native species losing their sources of food. Species invasions are one of the biggest causes of damage in an ecosystem, actually putting its survival at risk.

So, how do invasive species spread? Without a doubt, the biggest cause is human activity. This could be intentional, or it could be accidental, such as when people who’ve been on holiday in another country come back with, say, the seeds of plants on their clothes or shoes. Plants and animals, especially insects, arrive in or on the cargo of ships, and then escape into their new ‘home’. But sometimes humans deliberately move animals and plants around the world, for example to use them to control pests on farms, or to be pets. This can go very wrong if those animals and plants move into wild settings and start breeding or begin growing in ways that weren’t predicted.

Let’s now look at an example of an invasive species here in Australia: Rhinella marina is a species of toad that was deliberately introduced from Hawaii in 1935 as a form of biological control. It was hoped that the toads would eat the grey-backed beetles responsible for destroying crops of sugar on many of the plantations. At first, just a handful of toads were released by scientists into Queensland, but this number soon grew as other states followed suit. Within two years, 62,000 young toads had been released into the wild. The toads did nothing to protect the plantations, but they did reproduce rapidly and could soon be found all over the northern half of the country. The toads are poisonous at every stage of their life cycle, and anything that eats them will die.

My second example regarding invasive species is the United Kingdom. Actually, there are more than three-thousand invasive species there, including some that are extremely common. Some invasive plants, such as Japanese knotweed, have had a devastating impact on parts of the UK. Gardeners in the nineteenth century considered it a beautiful ornamental plant – which it is, when it’s kept under control – but it soon spread into the countryside and remains a problem even to this day as it’s so hard to eradicate. Another invasive plant is rhododendrons, which can be found in UK parks and woodlands. Their introduction dates back to 1763, but they’re now seen as harmful because they block out so much light that native wild flowers can’t grow beneath them.

And then there are grey squirrels, which are one invasive species almost everyone in the UK will have come across. They were brought to the UK from North America and introduced to private estates around the 1870s but are now found everywhere, from forests to city squares. Grey squirrels have outcompeted the smaller, native red squirrels. They both eat the same food, and the grey squirrels carry a type of virus that is deadly to the red squirrels. Red squirrel populations have collapsed, and there are only a handful of sites left in the UK where they’re found.

An important question for ecologists worldwide is, what can we do to tackle the problem of invasive species? The first step in controlling invasive species is learning about the behaviour of new species coming into the country. Monitoring is an important part of this, so that we can know if the new species begins to have a negative impact in its new environment. One effective way to keep track of invasive species is to create a database for the whole country. That way, all relevant authorities and agencies can share important information and take whatever action’s needed. But the public also have a vital role to play in this process. They should be encouraged to photograph harmful species – because this helps with identification – and then to report when and where these were observed. But it’s important to tell people not to destroy or even touch what they’ve found.

Now, I’m going to move on to …

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Key Vocabulary and Spelling

Study Tips

Both completion parts punish answers that break the word limit. Part 1 allows ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER, so Question 3 scores with 250 in figures and Question 2 with week alone, while Part 4 allows ONE WORD ONLY, so Question 33 must be the singular holiday and Question 34 the plural pets, each exactly as spoken. Check every answer against its instruction line before the recording ends.

Spelling and capitals decide marks across the paper: Northern, Drum — confirmed in the recording as spelt like the instrument — and Italian all need capital letters, dolphins needs its plural s, and behaviour needs its British -our ending. The listening spelling rules list the words that most often cost candidates a point in exactly this way.

Parts 2 and 3 are won by elimination, because the wrong options quote the recording. Cheap fast food is not a reason street food sells, renting is rejected as the expensive route to equipment, and weddings reward only traders who already know their craft. The Section 3 strategy shows how to hold two speakers and a box of options in play at once, which is what Questions 25 to 30 demand.

The Choose TWO pairs at Questions 11 to 14 and 21 to 24 accept their letters in either order, so never spend transfer time re-ranking them. The Band 8 listening strategy builds the single-pass discipline this paper rewards: four sections, forty questions, one hearing and no going back.

Practice More Listening Tests

Mark all four sections, then keep the rhythm going with the free IELTS listening practice course from Simply IELTS, which drills every task type in this paper: note completion, Choose TWO, multiple choice and matching. When you are ready for another full paper under exam conditions, try this interactive listening test: childcare services first, then this interactive listening test: stoicism ielts listening test with answers and audio. Carry on to the Cambridge IELTS 21 Listening Test 4 answers page for the next paper, review every explanation for the questions you missed, and start a fresh test only when the word limits and either-order pairs stop costing you marks.