This city centre developments talk listening test covers Section 2 of Cambridge IELTS 10 Listening Test 2, with the complete answer key for Questions 11–20. The recording is a single speaker presenting two new city projects, and this page lets you play the audio, attempt four multiple-choice questions and a six-item matching task under exam conditions, and then mark your work. Every answer is explained with a short quotation from the transcript, showing the paraphrase that links each option to the speaker’s words and why the near-miss options fail. The full transcript follows the explanations for careful re-listening. Read the multiple choice strategy guide and the technique of predicting answers before you hear them to prepare for the distractors in this talk. The Cambridge IELTS 10 listening test 2 answers page gathers all four sections of the paper.

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 11–14

Choose the correct letter, A , B or C .

• New city developments

11. The idea for the two new developments in the city came from local people. the City Council. the SWRDC.

• A — local people.
• B — the City Council.
• C — the SWRDC.

12. What is unusual about Brackenside pool? its architectural style its heating system its method of water treatment

• A — its architectural style
• B — its heating system
• C — its method of water treatment

13. Local newspapers have raised worries about the late opening date. the cost of the project. the size of the facilities.

• A — the late opening date.
• B — the cost of the project.
• C — the size of the facilities.

14. What decision has not yet been made about the pool? whose statue will be at the door the exact opening times who will open it

• A — whose statue will be at the door
• B — the exact opening times
• C — who will open it

Questions 15–20

Which feature is related to each of the following areas of the world represented in the playground?

Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-I , next to questions

• A. ancient forts
• B. waterways
• C. ice and snow
• D. jewels
• E. local animals
• F. mountains
• G. music and film
• H. space travel
• I. volcanoes

• Features
• Areas of the world

15. Asia

16. Antarctica

17. South America

18. North America

19. Europe

20. Africa

City Centre Developments Talk Listening Answers

Questions and Answers

City Centre Developments Talk Answer Explanations

11. A — local people — the speaker states that “the idea for these initiatives came from you, the public”, so the public, meaning local people, originated the projects. B fails because the City Council only conducted the consultation exercise, and C fails because the SWRDC supplied the money. Funding and organising are different from having the idea.

12. C — its method of water treatment — the special feature is the recycling system that “enables seawater to be used in the pool”, the only one of its kind in the world. A fails because the 1930s style deliberately blends with the surrounding buildings rather than standing out. B fails because the pool is simply described as heated, with no claim that the heating is unusual.

13. C — the size of the facilities — the local press questioned “enough room for the number of visitors”, and room maps onto the size of the facilities. A fails because the speaker confirms they are “on schedule for a June 15th opening date”. B fails because the project is “well within budget”, so the cost raises no concern.

14. A — whose statue will be at the door — one decision remains open: a competition will let the public “decide on the sculpture we plan to have at the entrance”. Sculpture paraphrases statue, and the famous historical figure is still to be chosen. C fails because Coral White is already engaged to declare the pool open, and B fails because the June 15th date is fixed.

15. E — local animals — Asia is represented by equipment shaped like “snakes, orang-utans, tigers and so on”, which the speaker calls fauna native to the forests of the region. Fauna is the formal word for local animals, so E matches. No other area in the list uses animals as its feature.

16. F — mountains — the Antarctic area offers “climbing blocks in the shape of mountains”. C is the deliberate trap, because the speaker refused an ice rink and rejected slides for the glaciers, so ice and snow feature nowhere. The rejected options confirm that mountains is the final choice.

17. D — jewels — South America takes El Dorado as its theme, with “mines full of precious stones”. Precious stones paraphrase jewels, which D states directly. The games replicate a search for treasure, and no other area involves mining, so D belongs only here.

18. H — space travel — after considerable debate, the designers “opted for rockets and the international Space Station” for North America. G is the trap, because the contribution of cinema and jazz was considered and then dropped. Rockets and the Space Station both point straight to space travel.

19. A — ancient forts — Europe offers “medieval castles and other fortifications”, the most traditional choice of all the areas. Fortifications paraphrases forts, and medieval signals ancient. The answer is the buildings themselves, since no weapons or battles are mentioned.

20. B — waterways — Africa features “wonderful mosaics and trails to represent the great rivers”. Rivers paraphrase waterways, so B is the match. The mosaics and trails are the artwork, but the feature they represent is the rivers of the continent.

Listening Transcript — Section 2

Good morning. I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to say a little about two exciting new developments in the city: the Brackenside Open-Air Swimming Pool and the children’s Adventure Playground in Central Park. As many of you may know, the idea for these initiatives came from you, the public, in the extensive consultation exercise which the City Council conducted last year. And they have been realised using money from the SWRDC – the South West Regional Development Commission.

First of all, Brackenside Pool. As many of the older members of the audience will remember, there used to be a wonderful open-air pool on the sea front 30 years ago but it had to close when it was judged to be unsafe. For the design of this new heated pool, we were very happy to secure the talents of internationally renowned architect Ellen Wendon, who has managed to combine a charming 1930s design, which fits is so well with many of the other buildings in the area, with up-to-the-minute features such as a recycling system – the only one of its kind in the world – which enables seawater to be used in the pool.

Now, there has been quite a bit of discussion in the local press about whether there would be enough room for the number of visitors we’re hoping to attract, but the design is deceptive and there have been rigorous checks about capacity. Also, just in case you were wondering, we’re on schedule for a June 15th opening date and well within budget: a testimony to the excellent work of local contractors Hickman’s.

We hope that as many people as possible will be there on June 15th. We have engaged award-winning actress Coral White to declare the pool open and there’ll be drinks and snacks available at the pool side. There’ll also be a competition for the public to decide on the sculpture we plan to have at the entrance: you will decide which famous historical figure from the city we should have.

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And now, moving on the Central Park Playground, which we’re pleased to announce has just won the Douglas Award for safety: the news came through only last week. The unique design is based on the concept of the Global Village, with the playground being divided into sex areas showing different parts of the world – each with a representative feature. For example, there is a section on Asia, and this is represented by rides and equipment in the shape of snakes, orang-utans, tigers and so on – fauna native to the forests of the region. Moving south to the Antarctic – we couldn’t run to an ice rink I’m afraid but opted instead for climbing blocks in the shape of mountains – I thought they could have had slides for the glaciers but the designers did want to avoid being too literal! Then on to South America – and here the theme is El Dorado – games replicating the search for mines full of precious stones. And then moving up to North America, here there was considerable debate – I know the contribution of cinema and jazz was considered but the designers finally opted for rockets and the international Space Station. Eastwards to Europe then, and perhaps the most traditional choice of all the areas: medieval castles and other fortifications. Then last, but not least, moving south to Africa and a whole set of wonderful mosaics and trails to represent the great rivers of this fascinating and varied continent.

Now, the opening date for our Global Playground is 10th July. And again we’d love to see you there – so make a date and come and see this magnificent, original new amenity right in the heart of the city.

Key Vocabulary and Spelling

Study Tips

Section 2 is one uninterrupted monologue, so use the preview time to underline the key words in every option. The multiple choice strategy shows how to eliminate options that borrow the speaker’s words with the wrong meaning, which is exactly how Questions 11–14 are built.

The matching task gives you nine features for six areas of the world, so three letters are never used. Cross out each letter as you place it, because options work once only, and the areas arrive in the order the speaker walks through them.

Paraphrase decides the whole matching set: fauna for local animals, fortifications for ancient forts, precious stones for jewels and great rivers for waterways. Listen for meaning rather than the exact words printed in the box.

Track rejected ideas as closely as accepted ones. The designers considered cinema and jazz before choosing rockets and the Space Station, and slides were dismissed for the Antarctic, so the final choice, not the first mention, always carries the mark.

Practice More Listening Tests

Section 2 is done, so finish the paper on the Cambridge IELTS 10 listening test 2 answers page, which collects the key for all forty questions. Go back to the Town Centre Visitor Survey in Section 1 if the spelling of names and postcodes caught you out, or push on to the Thor Heyerdahl Presentation in Section 3. The free IELTS listening practice course from Simply IELTS then shows you how to handle monologues, distractors and paraphrase in every section. When you are ready for a fresh recording, try this interactive listening test: childcare services and match your performance against this talk.