A Guide Talking Visitors About The Tourist Attractions - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

In IELTS Listening you will hear a number of different recordings and you will have to answer the questions on what you hear. The IELTS Listening section examines a candidate’s listening skills through four sections. IELTS listening section two contains a guide talking to visitors about the tourist attractions. This IELTS listening sample contains a total of ten questions and two question types:

• Choose the correct answers
• Summary completion

Audio Transcript

You'll hear a guide talking to visitors about a tourist attraction. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the Roman baths. My name is Amanda and I'm your guide for today. Before we begin the tour, I'd like to point out that we have child carriers, free of charge, of course for those of you with young children and I can see that there are one or two of you here, this morning. It might make things a bit easier for you than using a pushchair. If you don't want to carry your coats and bags around with you, there is a cloakroom behind reception where they'll be quite safe. Also, should anyone want to use the bathroom? There's one here in the reception hall, opposite the ticket office and another one by the shop where we end our tour, right by the exit.

Having mentioned the shop, I should tell you that it's full of interesting things for you to remember your visit by. Posters, postcards, replicas of the gorgon's head, the haruspex stone and the statues that you'll be seeing on your tour. There are also games, books and videos for children and other souvenirs. Our first stop will be the terrace where you will get your first view of the baths. Now the statues that line the terrace here are of Roman emperors, governors of Britain and various military leaders. These aren't from Roman times either. In fact, they were sculpted in 1894, especially for the grand opening of the baths in 1897.

But what you can see from here is only a fraction of the whole Roman bath site, which stretches below ground level under the surrounding streets and squares of the town. While we're here on the terrace, getting our first look at the baths, let me fill you in on a bit of the history. This site with its hot springs has long been seen as a sacred place. And the first people to build here were the Celts and the shrine they built was dedicated to the goddess Sulis. Of course, back in those days, they had no way of explaining how hot water came to be bubbling out of the ground. So they believed it to be the work of the Gods. When the Romans came, they too built a temple here and dedicated it to their goddess Minerva.

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.

Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.

The bath you can see from here is called the Great bath, not very imaginative, I know, but it is the biggest. Impressive, isn't it? At one time it was housed in a huge vaulted hall, 40 meters high, which for many people of the period must have been the largest building they'd ever seen in their lives. The bath itself is 1.6 meters deep, ideal for bathing and has steps leading down to the water on all sides. The niches or alcoves, you can see all around the bath would have had benches and possibly small tables for drinks and snacks. Not a bad way to spend your free time, relax and tell yourself, it's all good for your health.

Let's move on to our next stop, the sacred spring. This is the heart of the site where the hot water bubbles up from the ground at a temperature of 46 degrees centigrade. The water comes up from a depth of between roughly two and a half thousand and four and a half thousand metres where geothermal energy raises the water temperature to between 64 degrees and 96 degrees. Over a million litres of this hot water rise up here every day and as well as being hot, the water is rich in minerals and it was thought it would cure various ailments and illnesses. In fact people came here from all over the Roman empire to try out it's healing powers.

Before we take a look at the changing rooms and saunas which are known as the east baths and the plunge pools and heating rooms of the west part of the bathhouse, we will pass through the site of the temple and the temple courtyard. Here, we are. This temple is one of the only two known classical Roman temples in Britain. The other is the temple of Claudius at Colchester. This Temple is said to date from the late first century AD, being built between 60 and 70 AD, but the original temple has been knocked about and added to over the centuries and what you can see here are just bits of the original temple. Okay, shall we move on?

That is the end of section 2.

Questions 11-14

Choose the correct answers A-C and write them next to 11-14 on your answer sheet.

Question 11. What can visitors use free of charge?

1. pushchairs
2. child carriers
3. coats and bags

Answer: B

Explanation: Before starting the tour the guide points out that people with young children can use the child carriers for free as they

Also, check:

Question 12. Which of the following can visitors buy at the shop?

1. coins
2. refreshments
3. postcards

Answer: C

Explanation: As stated by the speaker “Posters, postcards, replicas of the gorgon's head, the haruspex stone and the statues that you'll be seeing on your tour.” Therefore option C is the correct answer

Question 13. When did the Grand Opening of the baths occur?

1. 1894
2. 1897
3. 1994

Answer: B

Explanation: the speaker informs the tourists that the grand opening of the baths occured in 1897. Hence option B is the correct answer.

Question 14. The Romans built on the site ____________

1. after the Celts.
2. before the Celts.
3. at the same time as the Celts.

Answer: A

Explanation: As stated by the speaker “And the first people to build here were the Celts and the shrine they built was dedicated to the goddess Sulis.” which means that Romans built it after them. Therefore the correct answer is option A.

Questions 15-20

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

The Great Bath is 15________ deep. Around the bath, the area is alcoves where there were

16________ and tables where bathers could relax. The water temperature of the Sacred Spring is 17________The water is rich in 18________ In Roman times, the Sacred Spring was well-known for its 19________ The Temple was constructed between 20________ AD.

Question 15.

Answer: 1.6 m/metres

Explanation: While talking about the bath the speaker states “The bath itself is 1.6 meters deep, ideal for bathing and has steps leading down to the water on all sides.” According to this 1.6 meters is the answer.

Question 16.

Answer: benches

Explanation: The speaker states that there were benches and tables around the bath where the bathers can relax.

Question 17.

Answer: 46° C/forty-six degrees centigrade

Explanation: As stated by the guide about the Sacred Spring “ This is the heart of the site where the hot water bubbles up from the ground at a temperature of 46 degrees centigrade.” Hence, 46 degrees centigrade is the correct answer.

Question 18.

Answer: minerals

Explanation: it is said that the water of Sacred Spring is rich in minerals. Also, it would cure several ailments and illnesses.

Question 19.

Answer: healing powers

Explanation: People from all over Rome would come to Sacred Springs to try out its healing powers. Therefore, healing powers is the correct answer.

Question 20.

Answer: 60/sixty and 70/seventy

Explanation: The guide informs “This Temple is said to date from the late first century AD, being built between 60 and 70 AD,” so the answer is 60 and 70.