Part 2 maps: a tour of a redesigned town square
You can follow a speaker's directions round a map and ignore the places that moved or were only planned.
In Listening Part 2 you hear one person talking about an everyday subject, such as a guide describing a place. One task you may get is a map with letters on it.
You match each place the speaker names to a letter. The words are everyday ones, such as on your left, at the far end and opposite. The hard part is keeping track of where the speaker is standing, and which way she is facing.
Warm-up
Follow the directions
Play the voice message once and follow the directions in your head.
Clip 1: directions to a pharmacy
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Where is the new pharmacy?
How it works
Label the map below. Write the correct letter, A-F, next to Questions 11-15.
- 11Bike park11
- 12Café12
- 13Public toilets13
- 14Outdoor stage14
- 15Playground15
This map has six letters for five questions, so one letter is never used.
You come in from Station Road, at the bottom of the map, through the entrance between E and F.
Before and during the talk
- 1Find where the speaker starts
Before the talk, find the entrance, or any place marked You are here. That is where the directions will begin.
- 2Face the way the speaker faces
If she is looking up the map, her left is your left. If she faces another way, turn the map in your head so on your left means the same to both of you.
- 3Learn the fixed points
Places already named on the map, here the library, the fountain and the entrance, are what she describes everything else from. Know where they are before she starts.
- 4Keep to the order of the list
The places on the question list usually come in the order the speaker reaches them. When one is settled, move your eyes to the next.
- 5Wait for where it is now
Speakers mention where things used to be, or were going to be. The answer is where the place is today.
Words that place things
From the entrance, looking into the place. As you come in, the ticket office is on your right.
The end furthest from where you stand. The lifts are at the far end of the hall.
In the middle of a side, a street or a corridor. The gift shop is halfway along the corridor.
Exactly facing it, across a space. The museum is directly opposite the station.
On the left side of something, as you look at it. The ticket machine is to the left of the gate.
Where a place was in the past, or in an old plan. Keep listening for where it is now.
Question 11: the bike park
Have a go at question 11 first, then compare with my working below. One play only, and your answer is a letter, A-F.
Clip 2: the entrance
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Bike park:
Write no more than 1 word.
Watch me do one
Question 11 is the bike park. Before she starts, I find the entrance: bottom of the map, between E and F. She is looking up the square, so her left is my left.
She says The old bike racks used to be just here, on your left. Just inside the entrance on the left is E. But used to be means the racks have gone.
She confirms it straight away: that spot's now an information kiosk. So E is the kiosk, and the kiosk is not on my list.
Then: The new bike park is on the other side of the entrance, on your right. The other side from E is F.
I write F. The trap was E, the first place she pointed to, with the word bike right next to it.
The map again, for questions 12 to 15. The entrance is at the bottom, and the speaker is facing up the map.
Practice with Elita5 questions
One question on a phrase that misleads people, then the rest of the tour. Each clip is the next part of the talk, and you hear it once.
Where is it now?
A guide in a museum says this sentence and then pauses.
Read thisThe gift shop was going to be next to the main doors.
What does the sentence tell you about the gift shop?
Question 12: the café
Write the letter, A-F, for the café. Two places are mentioned.
Clip 3: the café
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Café:
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 13: the public toilets
Write the letter for the public toilets. This clip follows straight on from the last one.
Clip 4: the toilets
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Public toilets:
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 14: the outdoor stage
Write the letter for the outdoor stage.
Clip 5: the stage
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Outdoor stage:
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 15: the playground
Write the letter for the playground.
Clip 6: the playground
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Playground:
Write no more than 1 word.
Words to keep
The end furthest from where you are standing. You'll find the café at the far end, beside the library.
In the middle of a side, a street or a corridor. The toilets are halfway along the left-hand side.
Exactly facing something, across a space. The stage is directly opposite the toilets.
A small building or stand where one person sells things or gives information. You can pick up a town map at the information kiosk.
The way the parts of a place are arranged. The new layout puts the café far from the road.
At a safe or comfortable distance from. The playground is well away from the road.
Before you go
Before the talk, find the entrance and decide which way the speaker is facing.
Learn the places already named on the map. The speaker describes everything else from them.
Treat used to be and was going to be as a warning. The answer is where the place is now.
Keep to the order of the list, and move on as soon as an answer is settled.
Next: Next, you answer Speaking Part 3 questions about how cities are changing and what they will be like.