A Monologue On The Radio About Food And Restaurants In The Local Area - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

IELTS Listening section comprises four sections that include both conversations and monologues. The candidates are required to listen to the audio carefully and answer the 40 IELTS listening questions. This topic - A Monologue on the radio about food and restaurants in the local area is IELTS listening part 2 topic. The candidate needs to answer the following question types:

• Multiple-choice questions
• Identifying information

Audio Transcript:

You will hear someone talking on the radio about food and restaurants in the local area. First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14.

Pause the recording for 30 seconds.

Now listen and answer questions 11 to 14.

And now we have our “know your town” section where we look at what's on offer in our area. Today, John Monroe is going to tell us about local food and eating out. John.

John: Well, most of us buy our food in supermarkets these days, but we're very lucky having a wonderful market here. It was originally on the piece of land in front of the cathedral. But at the beginning of the 20th century it was moved to a site by the river. When the new shopping center was built in the 1960s, it found a home beneath the multi-storey car park where it still is, but there are plans to move it back to its previous home by the river. The market is now open six days a week. On Tuesday to Saturday, you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese from the area as well as a whole range of imported produce. But if you come on a Sunday, you will find a different market where crafts people sell what they have made. Things like bags, cards, clothes. During the week, there are a few stalls selling more everyday utensils like saucepans and cleaning products alongside the fruits and vegetables. As well as one new stall selling antique furniture, which is proving to be very popular. People often ask what our local dishes are. As we are by the sea, They expect it to be some kind of fish recipe. Our fish is good, of course, but there isn't one particular dish that stands out. What we do have is an apple cake that isn't really made anywhere else.

There's a new cafe in the High Street, Bartons, which bakes them fresh every morning and serves them with delicious homemade ice cream in a choice of flavorus.

Now the harbour is obviously the place to buy fresh fish. Every morning, there's a stall where local fishermen sell a selection of the day's catch before the rest goes to London or abroad. They've been doing that for as long as anyone can remember of course, but the harbour itself looks very different from a few years ago. Most of the restaurants used to be at the far end, but that part was redeveloped and the restaurants had to relocate to the other end. Many of them are simply the old ones in new premises but a couple of new ones have opened recently. So there's a good range now both in the harbour and the town itself. I'm now going to give you my top 6 places to eat in different parts of the town.

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

Pause the recording for 30 seconds.

Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.

So number one for me is Merivales which is in one of the busiest parts of the town leading down to the harbour. It's in a side street, so it doesn't look out over the water but it's very close. So you can take a walk after your meal and find one of the cafes with live music. At Merivales, you can enjoy delicious fresh fish and seafood. The friendly staff offer very attentive service and a really enjoyable evening.

The Lobster Pot is on the main road going down to the harbour. So it also misses out on the sea view, but the food makes up for that. It serves a huge range of fish and seafood as well as vegetarian and meat dishes. So there's something for everyone. Prices are from mid-range to fairly expensive. So it's really only for a special occasion.

Elliott's is in the city centre and is a very upmarket restaurant in the evening, but during the day it serves lunch and coffee. It's on the 20th floor, above some offices and it's a great place to sit for a while as you can see most of the city spread out from there. It does get very busy though, and you may have to wait to be served.

Not far from the city center is the Cabin which is on the Canal bank. You can't park your car there. It's a 15-minute walk from the nearest car park but it's very peaceful. A good place to relax away from the traffic. It's not cheap, but it's an ideal place for a long lunch.

The Olive Tree is a family-run restaurant in the city centre offering beautifully prepared Greek dishes. Its well-known locally and very popular. Service can be slow when it's busy as all the food is freshly made. There's plenty of room and on Friday and Saturday nights the wooden floors resound with live music and dancing which is certainly worth going for.

The last place I want to recommend has only just opened in a converted school building. The old school restaurant has been very cleverly renovated. The use of mirrors, plants and the colours on the walls makes you feel as though you're in a large garden instead of the city center. There are only a few dishes on the menu, but they change every day.

Section 2

Questions 11-20

17. 11-14

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

11. The market is now situated ________

1. under a car park.
2. beside the cathedral.
3. near the river.

Answer: A

Explanation: The market is located under the multi-storey car park but there are plans of moving it to its previous location beside the river.

Also check:

12. On only one day a week the market sells ________

1. antique furniture.
2. local produce.
3. hand-made items.

Answer: C

Explanation: On Sundays, the market sells hand-made items, and the remaining days it sells vegetables and fruits.

13. The area is well known for ________

1. ice – cream.
2. a cake.
3. a fish dish.

Answer: B

Explanation: The area of the market is well known for the apple cake which is baked by a new cafe named Bartons. They bake it fresh every morning and serve it with ice cream.

14. What change has taken place in the harbour area?

1. Fish can now be bought from the fishermen.
2. The restaurants have moved to a different part.
3. There are fewer restaurants than there used to be.

Answer: B

Explanation: The restaurants have moved to the other end of the harbor. Previously it used to be located on the opposite end of the harbor area.

17. 15-20

Which advantage is mentioned for each of the following restaurants?

Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter A-H next to questions 15-20.

Advantages

1. the decoration
2. easy parking
3. entertainment
4. excellent service
5. good value
6. good views
7. quiet location
8. wide menu

15. Merrivales
16. The Lobster Pot
17. Elliots
18. The Cabin
19. The Olive Tree
20. The Old School Restaurant

Question 15:

Answer: D

Explanation: Merivales is very close to the water though it doesn’t look out to the water. One can take a walk after eating, and they offer very attentive service.

Question 16:

Answer: H

Explanation: Lobster Pot has a wide menu that consists of seafood, fish, vegetarian well as meat dishes.

Question 17:

Answer: F

Explanation: Elliots is located in the upmarket area and is in the 20th floor of an office building. It offers a great city view.

Question 18:

Answer: G

Explanation: The Cabin is located not very far from the city center. But the car cannot be parked before the restaurant, there is a 15 minutes walk to be made.

Question 19:

Answer: C

Explanation: The Olive Tree restaurant is filled with live music and dancing and is located in the city center.

Question 20:

Answer: A

Explanation: The old school restaurant consists of great decoration as it is completely renovated.