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 3 Listening Answers with Clear Explanations
Find all 40 Cambridge IELTS 17 Test 3 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 17 Test 3 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: Advice on surfing holidays
Questions 1 to 10Part 2: Extended hours childcare service
Questions 11 to 20Part 3: Holly’s Work Placement Tutorial
Questions 21 to 30Part 4: Bird Migration Theory
Questions 31 to 40Part 1: Advice on surfing holidays
Questions 1-10. Two people discuss surfing holidays, Irish surfing locations, weather and equipment costs.
1Jack recommends surfing for ____ holidays in the summer.
Answer: family
Where to Listen: Part 1, suitability of surfing
Jack says surfing can be enjoyed together by people of different ages and abilities. That supports family holidays rather than holidays for experts only.
2You need to be quite ____.
Answer: fit
Where to Listen: Part 1, physical demands
The woman suggests that surfers need to be fit, and Jack agrees that fitness helps them learn faster and tire less easily. The adjective fit completes the sentence.
3County Clare: Lahinch has some good quality ____ and surf schools.
Answer: hotels
Where to Listen: Part 1, accommodation in Lahinch
Jack confirms there are very nice hotels. Hostels and campsites are also available, but he describes those as basic, not the good-quality accommodation asked about.
4County Mayo: There is a good surf school at ____ beach.
Answer: Carrowniskey
Where to Listen: Part 1, County Mayo beach
Jack names Carrowniskey and spells it aloud. Pay particular attention to the double r. The place name goes before beach, which is already printed.
5The surf camp lasts for one ____.
Answer: week
Where to Listen: Part 1, surf camp duration
The camp runs for three hours each day for a week. The question asks for the whole camp's duration, not the length of a daily session.
6You can also explore the local ____ by kayak.
Answer: bay
Where to Listen: Part 1, kayaking nearby
While the children surfed, the adults hired kayaks to explore the nearby bay. The cliffs belong to an earlier discussion of another area's attractions.
7The best month to go is ____.
Answer: September
Where to Listen: Part 1, recommended month
Jack prefers September because the water is warmer. August is mentioned as a wetter month, and the children's school timetable does not change his recommendation.
8The average temperature in summer is approximately ____ degrees.
Answer: 19 / nineteen
Where to Listen: Part 1, summer temperature
The average is about 19 degrees. Twenty-five is the temperature it usually does not exceed, so it is not the average requested.
9A wetsuit and surfboard cost ____ euros per day.
Answer: 30 / thirty
Where to Listen: Part 1, equipment hire
A wetsuit and board cost about 30 euros per day. Forty euros is the potential saving from weekly hire, not the daily rental price.
10It is also advisable to hire ____ for warmth.
Answer: boots
Where to Listen: Part 1, keeping warm
Jack recommends boots as well as a good wetsuit because they keep feet warm and make surfing easier. The additional item is boots, in the plural.
Part 2: Extended hours childcare service
Questions 11-20. A school manager explains an extended-hours childcare service and the activities it offers.
11Which TWO facts are given about the school’s extended hours childcare service?
Answer: B + E (Either Order)
Where to Listen: Part 2, attendance patterns
Afternoon attendance is around 50-60, while breakfast attendance is roughly half that. More children therefore attend after school, supporting B. The second choice is E.
12Which TWO facts are given about the school’s extended hours childcare service?
Answer: B + E (Either Order)
Where to Listen: Part 2, service capacity
Insurance allows care for up to 70 children, supporting E. This is the maximum rather than attendance at every session. Enter B and E in either order for Questions 11-12.
13How much does childcare cost for a complete afternoon session per child?
Answer: C - £7.20
Where to Listen: Part 2, afternoon prices
The complete 3.30-6 p.m. session costs £7.20. The lower prices cover only one or two hours, so neither answers the question about a complete afternoon.
14What does the manager say about food?
Answer: C - Children are given a proper meal at 5 p.m.
Where to Listen: Part 2, food arrangements
Children receive substantial food such as pasta or casserole at 5 p.m. The earlier snack is separate. Staff provide suitable alternatives for allergies rather than requiring food from home.
15What is different about arrangements in the school holidays?
Answer: A - Children from other schools can attend.
Where to Listen: Part 2, school holidays
Holiday places can be filled by children from other schools when regular attendees are absent. The age limit remains eleven, and no increase in overall capacity is stated.
16Spanish
Answer: E - involves an additional fee
Where to Listen: Part 2, Spanish
Spanish is the only activity with an extra charge. It has separate sessions for younger and older children, so it is not restricted to those over eight.
17Music
Answer: D - requires help from parents
Where to Listen: Part 2, music
The school asks parents who sing or play instruments to help with music sessions. That request identifies parental support as the relevant feature.
18Painting
Answer: G - was requested by children
Where to Listen: Part 2, painting
Staff initially hesitated because of the mess but introduced painting after children repeatedly requested art. The reason for offering it matches G.
19Yoga
Answer: F - is a new activity
Where to Listen: Part 2, yoga
The school has finally found someone to teach yoga after wanting to offer it for some time. It is now being introduced, making it a new activity.
20Cooking
Answer: C - is for over 8s only
Where to Listen: Part 2, cooking
Younger children enjoyed cooking, but staff now restrict it to over-eights because they clean up better. Listen for the change from previous participation to the current rule.
Part 3: Holly’s Work Placement Tutorial
Questions 21-30. Holly and Dr Green discuss a stadium work placement and important events-management skills.
21Holly has chosen the Orion Stadium placement because
Answer: B - it is outdoors.
Where to Listen: Part 3, placement choice
Holly says fresh air attracts her and indoor work has less appeal. Although the event involves children and may be enjoyable, the outdoor setting is her stated reason.
22Which aspect of safety does Dr Green emphasise most?
Answer: A - ensuring children stay in the stadium
Where to Listen: Part 3, main safety priority
Dr Green emphasises keeping every child within the stadium boundaries. Checking for trip hazards also matters, but equipment belongs to the schools' responsibility and is not his main emphasis.
23What does Dr Green say about the spectators?
Answer: A - They can be hard to manage.
Where to Listen: Part 3, spectators
Parents may prioritise filming and resist being moved away from an event. This can make them difficult to manage. Dr Green does not ban all photography or recommend relying on them as volunteers.
24What has affected the schedule in the past?
Answer: B - an injury
Where to Listen: Part 3, previous delays
Holly recalls that someone getting hurt caused a major delay the previous year. Rain and extra time are possible scheduling issues, but neither is identified as the past cause.
25Communication
Answer: C - having a smart appearance
Where to Listen: Part 3, communication
Face-to-face communication includes how Holly presents herself to potential sponsors. She agrees to dress appropriately, so a smart appearance is the relevant aspect.
26Organisation
Answer: A - being flexible
Where to Listen: Part 3, organisation
Unexpected problems can require immediate timetable changes. Holly and her tutor agree that readiness to adapt matters, which is the meaning of being flexible.
27Time management
Answer: D - hiding your emotions
Where to Listen: Part 3, time management
As deadlines approach, Holly must appear calm even if she feels panicked. They focus on not displaying pressure, rather than avoiding multitasking.
28Creativity
Answer: B - focusing on details
Where to Listen: Part 3, creativity
Clients may supply the overall idea, leaving the event manager to work out its finer points. Creativity therefore includes attention to the details that make the idea workable.
29Leadership
Answer: F - trusting your own views
Where to Listen: Part 3, leadership
The tutor explains that Holly has final responsibility and must make decisions she believes are best. Listening to the team does not remove the need to trust her own judgement.
30Networking
Answer: H - thinking of the future
Where to Listen: Part 3, networking
Networking can help with future job applications. Dr Green links it to Holly's ambitions, making thinking ahead the important aspect rather than relying only on present experience.
Part 4: Bird Migration Theory
Questions 31-40. A lecture reviews historical theories and scientific discoveries about bird migration.
31It was believed that birds hibernated underwater or buried themselves in ____.
Answer: mud
Where to Listen: Part 4, early hibernation theories
One historical theory said birds spent winter hidden in mud. This is presented as an incorrect past belief, not as an explanation accepted by modern science.
32Aristotle observed that redstarts experience the loss of ____ in autumn and thought they then turned into robins.
Answer: feathers
Where to Listen: Part 4, Aristotle's observation
Aristotle observed redstarts losing feathers in autumn. That observation led him to an incorrect theory that they transformed into robins. Feathers names what was actually lost.
33Aristotle’s assumptions were logical because the two species of birds had a similar ____.
Answer: shape
Where to Listen: Part 4, similarity between birds
Redstarts and robins have similar shapes, helping explain Aristotle's mistaken interpretation. The gap refers to their shared physical form, not their seasonal feather loss.
34Charles Morton popularised the idea that birds fly to the ____ in winter.
Answer: moon
Where to Listen: Part 4, Morton's theory
Morton proposed that birds travelled to the moon and back each year. The lecturer treats this as a bizarre historical claim, not an established migration route.
35In 1822, a stork was killed in Germany which had an African spear in its ____.
Answer: neck
Where to Listen: Part 4, the stork discovery
The stork found in Germany had an African spear lodged in its neck. Germany is where it was killed, while neck is the body part requested.
36Previously there had been no ____ that storks migrate to Africa.
Answer: evidence
Where to Listen: Part 4, importance of the stork
The spear supplied the first evidence that storks wintered in sub-Saharan Africa. The question paraphrases first evidence as previously having none.
37Little was known about the ____ and journeys of migrating birds until the practice of ringing was established.
Answer: destinations
Where to Listen: Part 4, knowledge before ringing
Before birds were ringed, people knew little about where particular species went or how they travelled. Destinations supplies the first of those two missing areas of knowledge.
38Large birds were thought to carry small birds because the smaller birds were considered incapable of travelling across huge ____.
Answer: oceans
Where to Listen: Part 4, the bird taxi theory
People doubted that very small birds could cross vast oceans unaided. This mistaken assumption helped produce the idea that larger birds carried them.
39Ringing depended on what is called the “____” of dead birds.
Answer: recovery
Where to Listen: Part 4, identifying ringed birds
Recovery is the term used for finding and identifying ringed birds after migration. Here it concerns recovering identifiable birds, not their recovery from illness.
40In 1931, the first ____ to show the migration of European birds was printed.
Answer: atlas
Where to Listen: Part 4, the 1931 publication
An atlas published in 1931 showed where common European birds migrated. The gap needs the publication type, not the year, which is already given.
Academic and General Training Listening Answers
Are the Academic and GT Test 3 Listening Answers the Same?
Yes. Cambridge IELTS 17 Test 3 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.