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Estimated with the standard Listening conversion. Every question below now shows the correct answer and what confirmed it — and the full transcript is open at the bottom so you can trace anything you missed.
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Section 1
A caller arranges a house viewing with an estate agent · Agent, Caller
Questions 1-7
Complete the form below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
1Surname: ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
2Mobile number: 0782 446 ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
3Property to view: 14 ______ Road
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
4Buyer status: ______ (no chain)
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
5Maximum budget: £ ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
6Day of viewing: ______
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
7Time: ______ pm
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Questions 8-10
Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
8Where should the caller leave his car on the day of the viewing?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
9What type of property does the caller refuse to view?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
10Who should the caller telephone if he is delayed on Thursday?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Section 2
A market manager briefs stallholders before the new season at a farmers' market · Manager
Questions 11-13
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
11What does the manager say about pitch fees this season?
12What is the new rule about generators?
13What change is being made for the winter months?
Questions 14-17
Where will the following be located? Choose the correct letter, A–F, from the plan description below.
Plan of the market square — the main gate is on the south side, off Bridge Street; the clock tower stands on the north side; the fountain is in the centre; a covered arcade runs along the east side; the bank building is at the south-west corner.
A = beside the clock tower B = just inside the main gate C = around the fountain D = under the covered arcade E = in the corner by the bank F = along the west wall
- A beside the clock tower
- B just inside the main gate
- C around the fountain
- D under the covered arcade
- E in the corner by the bank
- F along the west wall
14hot food vans
15fruit and vegetable stalls
16craft stalls
17the manager's office
Questions 18-20
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
18All vehicles must leave the square by ______ for insurance reasons.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
19Traders must take away their own ______ at the end of the day.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
20Applications for the Christmas market must arrive by ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Section 3
Two students and their supervisor revise a research ethics application · Dr Whittaker, Rosa, Dan
Questions 21-24
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
21Why did the ethics panel return the students' application?
22What do the students finally decide about the £15 voucher?
23Where will the interview recordings be kept?
24What does Dr Whittaker say about the ethics panel meeting?
Questions 25-27
Who proposes each change to the application? Choose A, B or C. NB You may use any letter more than once.
- A Rosa
- B Dan
- C Dr Whittaker
25rewriting the information sheet in plain English
26offering participants a summary of the findings
27using pseudonyms from the transcription stage
Questions 28-30
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
28Research data involving minors must now be kept for ______ years.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
29The file linking real names to pseudonyms must be kept ______ from the transcripts.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
30The ethics panel will now meet on the ______ of June.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
Section 4
A lecture on ocean currents and their role in the climate system · Lecturer
Questions 31-40
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
31The thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in temperature and ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
32Journalists often call the global loop of currents the 'conveyor ______'.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
33North Atlantic surface water sinks because its ______ is so great.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
34The northward current carries energy equal to about a million ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
35Much of Europe's mild winter climate is actually produced by westerly ______.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
36A total shutdown would cause regional cooling of a few ______, not an instant ice age.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
37Melting Greenland ice adds ______ to the region where water normally sinks.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
38Since 2004, the RAPID programme has used a line of ______ across the Atlantic.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
39Detecting a real decline will need several ______ of continuous measurement.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
40Most models project a gradual ______ of the circulation rather than a sudden shutdown.
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
Audio script / transcript
Trace every answer back to the exact words. Distractors — changes of mind, corrections, rejected options — are part of the recording, so read the whole exchange, not just one line.
Section 1 — A caller arranges a house viewing with an estate agent
Agent:Good afternoon, Hartley and Cole Estate Agents, Sophie speaking.
Caller:Hello. I saw a house on your website yesterday and I'd like to arrange a viewing, if that's possible.
Agent:Certainly. Let me open a record for you first. Could I take your full name?
Caller:It's Peter Marchbank.
Agent:Marshbank — is that M-A-R-S-H-B-A-N-K?
Caller:No, there's no S-H, it's C-H. M-A-R-C-H-B-A-N-K. Like the month of March.
Agent:Ah, M-A-R-C-H-B-A-N-K. Thank you. And a contact number?
Caller:It's oh-seven-eight-two, four-four-six, three-one-five... actually, hang on, that's the old SIM. It should end four-one-five. So oh-seven-eight-two, four-four-six, four-one-five.
Agent:Zero seven eight two, double four six, four one five. Got it. And which property caught your eye?
Caller:The three-bedroom house at number fourteen. The street was something like Ashwood?
Agent:That'll be fourteen Ashfield Road — the one with the long back garden. It's a popular listing, so you've timed it well. Are you buying for the first time, or do you have a place to sell?
Caller:We're first-time buyers, so there's no chain on our side. We're renting at the moment, and our lease runs out at the end of August, so we're hoping to move before then.
Agent:That's always attractive to sellers. And may I note your budget? It helps us suggest alternatives.
Caller:We've been approved up to two hundred and eighty-five thousand.
Agent:Two eighty-five, lovely — Ashfield Road is on at two seventy-nine, so you're comfortably inside that. Now, viewings. The owner had offered Wednesday at two o'clock this week.
Caller:Wednesday at two would suit me perfectly.
Agent:Ah — I'm sorry, I've just seen a note here. The surveyor for another buyer's mortgage is booked in on Wednesday afternoon, so the owner has asked us to move viewings to Thursday. Could you manage four thirty on Thursday?
Caller:Thursday at four thirty... yes, I can leave work a little early. That's fine.
Agent:Wonderful. I'll meet you outside the house itself rather than here at the office — it saves you a trip across town.
Caller:Great. Is there anywhere to park? I don't know that end of town.
Agent:Don't park on Ashfield Road itself — it's residents' permits only and the wardens are quick. There's a free car park on Mill Street, just two minutes' walk away, next to the swimming pool.
Caller:Mill Street, by the pool. Perfect.
Agent:While I have you — we've also just listed a two-bedroom flat on Verner Court, same price range, brand-new kitchen. Shall I book you in for that as well?
Caller:It's kind of you, but no. A flat's no good for us — we've got a dog, so a garden is the one thing we won't compromise on.
Agent:Understood, I'll note that — houses with gardens only. One last thing: if you're running late on Thursday, please ring the office rather than my mobile, because I'll be driving between appointments.
Caller:Call the office if I'm delayed. Will do. Thanks very much, Sophie.
Agent:My pleasure, Mr Marchbank. See you outside number fourteen on Thursday.
Section 2 — A market manager briefs stallholders before the new season at a farmers' market
Manager:Morning, everyone — thanks for coming in before the season starts. I'm Carol, the market manager, and I'll run through the arrangements for the square, a couple of rule changes, and then you can collect your pitch numbers from me at the end.
Manager:First, the thing everybody's been emailing me about: fees. There was a rumour going round that pitch fees were going up this year. I'm happy to say that's not true — the council agreed to freeze them, so you'll pay exactly what you paid last season. Electricity is still charged separately, though, so don't let anyone tell you it's been bundled in.
Manager:Second, generators. We had a string of complaints last year from the flats overlooking the square — not about smells, in fact, but about noise. So from this season, only the silenced, suitcase-style inverter generators are allowed. If yours is one of the old open-frame ones, I'm afraid it stays at home. There's no rule about switching off at a set time, and you can position them wherever is safe — it's purely about the model you bring.
Manager:Third — and please spread the word to customers — winter opening hours. From November to February we'll open at nine thirty instead of eight thirty. The dark mornings mean hardly anyone shops in that first hour, and the early start was costing you all heating and lighting for an empty square. Closing time stays the same, two o'clock.
Manager:Right, the layout. Picture the square with the main gate at the south side — that's where customers come in off Bridge Street. The old clock tower is in the middle of the north side, the fountain is right in the centre of the square, there's a covered arcade running along the east side, and the bank building sits at the south-west corner.
Manager:Hot food is always the awkward one because of fire regulations. The vans need a clear escape route for the fire officer, so they'll be in the corner by the bank, where the engine can pull in directly off the side street. Not by the gate, please — we tried that two years ago and it blocked the flow of shoppers completely.
Manager:Fruit and vegetable stalls — you're the biggest group, and you'll be arranged in a ring around the fountain in the centre. It gives you the most passing trade from every direction.
Manager:Craft stalls, you're under the covered arcade on the east side. I know some of you asked for the centre, but honestly, your stock is the most fragile in wet weather, and the arcade keeps the rain off without you paying for a gazebo.
Manager:And if you need me on the day, my office is the little green cabin beside the clock tower — anyone can point you to it. Lost children, faulty card machines, disputes over pitches: that's where you come.
Manager:A few housekeeping points to finish. All vehicles must be off the square by nine o'clock — the insurance simply doesn't cover vans moving among the public after that. Every trader takes home their own rubbish; the council bins are for shoppers, and we lost our deposit twice last year because of trade waste. And finally, if you want a pitch at the Christmas market, applications have to reach me by the first of November — it fills up fast, and last year I turned away over thirty traders. Right — questions, anyone?
Section 3 — Two students and their supervisor revise a research ethics application
Dr Whittaker:Right, Rosa, Dan — the ethics panel has sent your application back. Don't look so glum; almost every first application comes back. Let's fix it together.
Dan:We read the feedback letter twice. Is the main problem the consent form? I thought we might have missed a signature page or used an old template.
Dr Whittaker:The paperwork was all complete, actually. Their central objection is the language. Your consent form talks about 'longitudinal attitudinal data' and 'semi-structured elicitation'. The panel's view is that a fifteen-year-old — or their parents — couldn't reasonably understand what they're agreeing to.
Rosa:That's fair, honestly. I'd suggest we rewrite the whole information sheet in plain English — short sentences, no methodology terms at all, and put the technical detail in an appendix for anyone who wants it.
Dr Whittaker:Good. Make that your first task, Rosa. Now, the second sticking point: the fifteen-pound shopping voucher for every participant.
Dan:I still think the voucher is reasonable. Recruitment is going to be slow without it — these are busy teenagers.
Rosa:But the panel called it 'potentially coercive', Dan. For school pupils, fifteen pounds is real money. Some of them might join just for the voucher even if they'd rather not be interviewed.
Dan:Hmm... when you put it like that. If a pupil feels they can't afford to say no, the consent isn't really free, is it? All right, I give in — let's drop the payment altogether.
Dr Whittaker:I think that's wise, and it's the quickest route through the resubmission. Offer them a summary of the findings instead — schools genuinely value that, and the panel can't object to it.
Rosa:Okay. Next on the list is data storage. Dan, you were going to keep the interview recordings on your laptop, weren't you?
Dan:I was, and I've been told firmly that's not happening. Even with a password, a laptop can be left on a train. So the recordings go straight onto the university's encrypted server, and I delete the copy on the recorder the same day.
Dr Whittaker:Exactly what the panel wants to hear. And how long will the data be retained? You need to state a figure.
Dan:The department rule is five years... no, wait, sorry — that changed last September. It's ten years now for anything involving under-eighteens. I'll put ten in the form.
Dr Whittaker:Ten, correct. One more addition from me: at the point of transcription, replace every pupil's name with a pseudonym, and keep the key file separate from the transcripts. That way even a data breach exposes nothing identifiable.
Rosa:Pseudonyms at transcription — I'll write that into the data management section.
Dan:So when do we face the panel again? They meet on the fifth of June, don't they?
Dr Whittaker:They did — but the chair is at a conference that week, so the meeting has been pushed back to the nineteenth. Which is actually a gift: it means you have a fortnight longer to polish the resubmission. Shall we meet next Tuesday to read the final draft?
Rosa:Tuesday works. We'll have the plain-English sheet done by then.
Section 4 — A lecture on ocean currents and their role in the climate system
Lecturer:This week we turn from the atmosphere to the ocean, and to the great system of currents that moves heat around our planet — a system whose possible weakening has produced some of the most misunderstood headlines in climate science.
Lecturer:Let's begin with the engine itself. Oceanographers speak of the thermohaline circulation. The name tells you exactly what drives it: 'thermo' for heat, 'haline' for salt. Water that is cold and salty is heavier than water that is warm and fresh, so differences in temperature and salinity set the whole system in motion. Because the resulting loop threads through every ocean basin, taking roughly a thousand years to complete one circuit, journalists like to call it the global conveyor belt — a nickname that is vivid, if a little too mechanical.
Lecturer:The critical step happens in the North Atlantic, off Greenland and in the Nordic seas. Surface water arriving from the tropics has been cooled by Arctic winds and concentrated by evaporation along the way. By the time it reaches these latitudes, its density is so great that it literally sinks — plunging two or three kilometres and creeping south along the sea floor. That sinking is the pump; without it, the surface flow northwards would stall.
Lecturer:And that surface flow matters enormously, because it is a heat delivery service. The North Atlantic branch carries warmth polewards on a staggering scale — the standard comparison is that it moves energy equivalent to about a million power stations running continuously. Some of that warmth is released to the air above the ocean and blown eastwards over Europe.
Lecturer:Which brings me to the myth. You will have heard the popular version: 'the Gulf Stream is the only reason Britain isn't Canada, and if it collapses, Europe freezes overnight' — there was even a Hollywood film built on the idea. The reality is less cinematic. Careful modelling shows that a large share of Europe's mild winters comes not from the ocean at all but from the prevailing westerly winds and the simple fact that maritime air moderates coastal climates. If the circulation shut down completely, models suggest cooling of a few degrees in north-west Europe — disruptive, certainly, but a regional shift, not an instant ice age.
Lecturer:Now, why do we worry about weakening at all? The mechanism is straightforward cause and effect. As the Greenland ice sheet melts, it releases enormous volumes of freshwater into exactly the region where sinking occurs. Freshwater dilutes the salty surface layer, the water becomes less dense, and the pump loses power. Less sinking, weaker circulation, less heat delivered north — a chain with very few links in it.
Lecturer:Is it already happening? Here we must be careful. Direct measurement only began in two thousand and four, when the RAPID programme laid a line of moorings right across the Atlantic at twenty-six degrees north, recording temperature, salinity and flow from the surface to the sea bed. Those instruments have revealed something humbling: the circulation naturally swings by a large margin from one season to the next, and even from year to year. Against that background noise, a slow decline is genuinely hard to detect. Most researchers now say that a confident trend will require several decades of continuous records.
Lecturer:So what should you take away? Not the poster of a frozen Thames. The consensus position is more sober: a sudden shutdown this century is considered unlikely, but a gradual weakening is projected by nearly every model — and because the system integrates so much of the planet's heat budget, even a modest slowdown would redraw rainfall patterns far beyond the Atlantic. Next week: El Niño, and what happens when the Pacific rearranges the weather.