All answers on this page include the question number, correct answer and a brief explanation of where to find it in the passage or audio. Use these alongside the original Cambridge IELTS books for the best practice experience.
Test 2 Listening Answers with Clear Explanations
Find all 40 Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 2 Listening answers with evidence-based explanations. The recording, questions and answer key are the same for Academic and General Training, so every answer link on this page supports both routes.
Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 2 Listening Answer Key
Use the key for quick marking, then read the explanations below. A slash separates accepted alternative forms. Where two letters are required, enter both letters across the two question numbers, in either order.
Part 1: Copying photos to digital format
Questions 1 to 10Part 2: Dartfield House school
Questions 11 to 20Part 3: Assignment on sleep and dreams
Questions 21 to 30Part 4: Health benefits of dance
Questions 31 to 40Part 1: Copying photos to digital format
Questions 1-10. A customer asks a company about copying printed photographs into digital format.
1Photos must not be in a ____ or an album.
Answer: frame
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as frame. In the relevant exchange, centimetres. And each picture must be at least 4 centimetres, that’s the minimum we can cope with. That should be fine. And some of them are in a frame -.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
2The cost for 360 photos is £____, including one disk.
Answer: 195
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as 195. In the relevant exchange, oK, that’s not a problem. So can you give me an idea of how much this will cost? I've got about 360 photos I think. We charge £195 for 300.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
3Before the completed order is sent, ____ is required.
Answer: payment
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as payment. In the relevant exchange, that's good. So do I need to pay when I send you the photos? No, we won't need anything until we’ve actually copied the pictures. Then we'll let you know.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
4Photos can be placed in a folder, for example with the name ____.
Answer: Grandparents
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as Grandparents. In the relevant exchange, sure. We'll save each group in a different folder on the disk and if you like, you can suggest a name for each folder. So I could have one called.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
5The ____ and contrast can be improved if necessary.
Answer: colour / color
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as colour / color. In the relevant exchange, and do you do anything besides scan the photos? Like, can you make any improvements? Yes, in the standard service each photo is checked, and we can sometimes touch up.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
6Photos which are very fragile will be scanned by ____.
Answer: hand
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as hand. In the relevant exchange, oK. And some of the photos are actually quite fragile - they won't get damaged in the process, will they? No, if any look particularly fragile, we’d do them by.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
7It may be possible to remove an object from a photo, or change the ____.
Answer: background
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as background. In the relevant exchange, sure. And another thing is we can make changes to a photo if you want - so if you want to remove an object from a photo, or maybe alter.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
8A photo which is not correctly in ____ cannot be fixed.
Answer: focus
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as focus. In the relevant exchange, really? I might be interested in that. I’ll have a look through the photos and see. Oh, and talking of fixing photos - I’ve got a few that aren’t properly.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
9Orders are completed within ____.
Answer: ten days
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as ten days / 10 days. In the relevant exchange, we aim to get the copying done in ten days. This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
10Send the photos in a box, not ____.
Answer: plastic
Where to Listen: Part 1, questions 1 - 10
The recording gives the detail as plastic. In the relevant exchange, right. If you’ve got a strong cardboard box, that’s best. We've found that plastic ones sometimes break in the post. OK. Right, thanks for your help. Bye. Bye. This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
Part 2: Dartfield House school
Questions 11-20. A speaker explains changes to a school site, its catering and new after-school lessons.
11Dartfield House school used to be
Answer: C - a local council building.
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 11 - 15
The speaker's final point is the last five years, and of course Dartfield House is over a century old. It was commissioned by a businessman, Neville Richards, and intended as his family home, but he.... That meaning matches a local council building.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
12What is planned with regard to the lower school?
Answer: B - The lower school site will be used for new homes.
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 11 - 15
The speaker's final point is news about the lower school site, which is separated from the main site by a road. Planning permission has been granted for development of both sites. The lower school will.... That meaning matches The lower school site will be used for new homes.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
13The catering has been changed because of
Answer: A - long queuing times.
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 11 - 15
The speaker's final point is as you know, the school buildings date from various times: some from the 1970s, some from the last five years, and of course Dartfield House is over a century old. That meaning matches long queuing times.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
14Parents are asked to
Answer: A - help their children to decide in advance which serving point to use.
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 11 - 15
The speaker's final point is so we've had a new Food Hall built, and this will come into use next week. It'll have several serving areas, and I'll give you more details about those in.... That meaning matches help their children to decide in advance which serving point to use.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
15What does the speaker say about the existing canteen?
Answer: C - Pupils can take their food into it.
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 11 - 15
The speaker's final point is and there’s no change to the current system of paying for lunches by topping up your child’s electronic payment card online. You may be wondering what will happen to the.... That meaning matches Pupils can take their food into it.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
16World Adventures
Answer: D - daily change in menu
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 16 - 18
The speaker's final point is amore imminent change concerns the catering facilities and the canteen. That meaning matches daily change in menu; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
17Street Life
Answer: A - pupils help to plan menus
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 16 - 18
The speaker's final point is day, maybe Chinese one day and Lebanese the next. The menus will be planned for a week at a time, so pupils will know what's going to be available the.... That meaning matches pupils help to plan menus; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
18Speedy Italian
Answer: B - only vegetarian food
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 16 - 18
The speaker's final point is to make suggestions, so perhaps sometimes there'll be food from Thailand, Ethiopia and Mexico, and then one of them will be replaced by Jamaican food for a week or two.... That meaning matches only vegetarian food; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
19Which TWO optional after-school lessons are new?
Answer: B + C (Either Order)
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 19 and 20
The speakers identify the two required points as piano / acting. The key exchange - favourite, and I'm delighted that dozens of pupils make use of the chance to learn to ride in off-road conditions. It means that more and more cycle to and from... - confirms both selections, while the other options are rejected, corrected or not stated. Enter the two letters in either order.
20Which TWO optional after-school lessons are new?
Answer: B + C (Either Order)
Where to Listen: Part 2, questions 19 and 20
The speakers identify the two required points as acting / piano. The key exchange - favourite, and I'm delighted that dozens of pupils make use of the chance to learn to ride in off-road conditions. It means that more and more cycle to and from... - confirms both selections, while the other options are rejected, corrected or not stated. Enter the two letters in either order.
Part 3: Assignment on sleep and dreams
Questions 21-30. Two students discuss research on sleep and dreams and plan an assignment.
21Luke read that one reason why we often forget dreams is that
Answer: B - we might otherwise be confused about what is real.
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 21 - 24
The speaker's final point is right. I’ve just read an article suggesting why we tend to forget most of our dreams soon after we wake up. I mean, most of my dreams aren’t that interesting.... That meaning matches we might otherwise be confused about what is real.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
22What do Luke and Susie agree about dreams predicting the future?
Answer: A - It may just be due to chance.
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 21 - 24
The speaker's final point is it’s a belief that you get all over the world. Yeah, lots of people have a story of it happening to them, but the explanation I’ve read is that for.... That meaning matches It may just be due to chance.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
23Susie says that a study on pre-school children having a short nap in the day
Answer: C - failed to reach any clear conclusions.
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 21 - 24
The speaker's final point is but most pre-school children have a short sleep in the day don’t they? There was an experiment some students did here last term to see at what age kids should.... That meaning matches failed to reach any clear conclusions.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
24In their last assignment, both students had problems with
Answer: C - self-assessment.
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 21 - 24
The speaker's final point is working out the most appropriate methodology, but the results didn’t seem to show any obvious patterns. Right. Anyway, let’s think about our assignment. Last time I had problems with the.... That meaning matches self-assessment.; nearby alternatives are examples, earlier ideas or distractors.
25Decide on sample: twelve students from the ____ department.
Answer: history
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 25 - 30
The recording gives the detail as history. In the relevant exchange, oK. Then we need to think about who we'll do the study on. About 12 people? SUSIE? Right. And shall we use other psychology students? Let's use people from a.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
26Decide on procedure: answers on ____.
Answer: paper
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 25 - 30
The recording gives the detail as paper. In the relevant exchange, no. It needs to be self-reporting I think. And we could ask them to answer questions online. But in this case, paper might be better as they'll be doing it.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
27Check ethical guidelines for working with ____.
Answer: humans / people
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 25 - 30
The recording gives the detail as humans / people. In the relevant exchange, but in this case, paper might be better as they'll be doing it straight after they wake up ... in fact while they're still half-asleep. Right. And we'll have to.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
28Ensure that risk is assessed and ____ is kept to a minimum.
Answer: stress
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 25 - 30
The recording gives the detail as stress. In the relevant exchange, sUSIE? Mm, because our experiment involves humans, so there are special regulations. Yes, I had a look at those for another assignment I did. There’s a whole section on risk.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
29Analyse the results: calculate the correlation and make a ____.
Answer: graph
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 25 - 30
The recording gives the detail as graph. In the relevant exchange, then when we've collected all our data we have to analyse it and calculate the correlation between our two variables, that’s time sleeping and number of dreams and then present.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
30____ the research.
Answer: evaluate
Where to Listen: Part 3, questions 25 - 30
The recording gives the detail as evaluate. In the relevant exchange, correlation between our two variables, that’s time sleeping and number of dreams and then present our results visually in a graph. Right. And the final thing is to think about.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
Part 4: Health benefits of dance
Questions 31-40. A lecture describes recent findings on the physical and psychological benefits of dance.
31An experiment on university students suggested that dance increases ____.
Answer: creativity
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as creativity. In the relevant exchange, while they listened, or to get up and dance. All were given cognitive tasks to perform before and after. The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
32For those with mental illness, dance could be used as a form of ____.
Answer: therapy
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as therapy. In the relevant exchange, doctor Lovatt at the University of Hertfordshire believes dance could be a very useful way to help people suffering from mental health problems. He thinks dance should be prescribed as.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
33Dance is accessible for older people with low levels of ____.
Answer: fitness
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as fitness. In the relevant exchange, people in their sixties and beyond. One of the great things about dance is that there are no barriers to participation. Anyone can have a go, even those whose standard.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
34Better ____ reduces the risk of accidents.
Answer: balance
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as balance. In the relevant exchange, dancing lowers the risk of falls, which could result in a broken hip, for example, by helping people to improve their balance. There are some less obvious benefits of dance.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
35Dance improves ____ function by making it work faster.
Answer: brain
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as brain. In the relevant exchange, requires a lot of concentration because you need to remember different steps and routines. For older people, this kind of activity is especially important because it forces their brain to.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
36Dance gives people more ____ to take exercise.
Answer: motivation
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as motivation. In the relevant exchange, participants, which can last up to a week after a class. Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active and do daily activities such as.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
37Dance can lessen the feeling of ____, which is very common in older people.
Answer: isolation
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as isolation. In the relevant exchange, require collaboration and often involve touching a dance partner, all of which encourages interaction on the dance floor. This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people's sense.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
38Doing Zumba for 40 minutes uses up as many ____ as other quite intense forms of exercise.
Answer: calories
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as calories. In the relevant exchange, porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, analysed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a class lasting 40 minutes.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
39Women suffering from ____ benefited from doing Zumba.
Answer: obesity
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as obesity. In the relevant exchange, a study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that when women with obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 1.2.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
40Zumba became a ____ for the participants.
Answer: habit
Where to Listen: Part 4, questions 31 - 40
The recording gives the detail as habit. In the relevant exchange, did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 1.2 kilos and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%. More importantly, the women enjoyed.... This supplies the exact word or number required by the gap.
Academic and General Training Listening Answers
Are the Academic and GT Test 2 Listening Answers the Same?
Yes. Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 2 uses the same Listening questions, recording and answers for both routes. This single guide supports Academic and General Training candidates.
Which Practice Link Should I Use?
Choose the Academic or GT button for your test pathway. Both lead to the same Listening content. Reading and Writing are different, so choose the correct route for those skills.
How Do I Mark Two-Answer Questions?
Enter both required letters, one per question number. Either order is accepted. Repeating one correct letter does not supply the second required answer.
What to Do After Marking
Group your errors by misunderstanding, distractors, spelling and instructions. Review the difficult section, then try another complete test to check whether your accuracy improves.