Cambridge IGCSE™ (9–1)
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 0991/42
Paper 4 Listening (Extended) May/June 2021
TRANSCRIPT Approximately 50 minutes
This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
© UCLES 2021 [Turn over
2
TRACK 1
R1 This is the Cambridge Assessment International Education, Cambridge IGCSE, June 2021
examination in English as a Second Language.
Paper 4, Listening.
Welcome to the exam.
In a moment, your teacher is going to give out the question papers. When you get your
paper, fill in your name, Centre number and candidate number on the front page. Do not
talk to anyone during the exam.
If you would like the recording to be louder or quieter, tell your teacher NOW. The recording
will not be stopped while you are doing the exam.
Teacher: please give out the question papers, and when all the candidates are ready to
start the test, please turn the recording back on.
[BEEP]
TRACK 2
R1 Now you are all ready, here is the exam.
Exercise 1
You will hear four short recordings. Answer each question on the line provided. Write no
more than three words, or a number, for each answer.
You will hear each recording twice.
R1 Question 1
(a) What did the woman buy as a present at the department store?
(b) How much did the woman spend at the department store?
M: male, early twenties
F: female, early twenties
F: * I went to that new department store yesterday. They’ve got some great sports stuff.
M: Don’t tell me you’ve already broken that tennis racket you bought!
F: Oh, nothing like that – I needed something for my nephew’s birthday. They had a great cricket bat
– perfect size for him. But I finally settled on a football – that’s more his sport, really.
M: How much was that?
F: It was 15% off – so I got it for 22 pounds, but some were as much as 50 pounds! Then I had a
coffee in the store’s café, so altogether my day out cost 25 pounds. There wasn’t much left of the
30 pounds I went in with!
M: Expensive trip! **
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
3
Pause 00’10”
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’05”
R1 Question 2
(a) Where will the boat tour stop next?
(b) What time will the tourists arrive back at the harbour?
F: female, late twenties
* I hope you’re all enjoying your boat tour round the coast! We’ve fitted in a lot so far – the visit
to the art gallery, and the outdoor market, which I hope you liked. And we’ll soon see the famous
Golden Bridge, so get ready to take photos! But before that, you’ll have time to get off and look
round the castle. We expect to reach our last stop at 3 pm. Then we’ll be heading back to the
harbour again, so we’ll return to our starting point at 4:30 pm – which completes our six-hour trip.
OK? Any questions? **
Pause 00’10”
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’05”
R1 Question 3
(a) Where in town did Jack meet his friend?
(b) How did Jack’s friend get into town?
M: male, mid twenties
F: female, mid twenties, mild Australian accent
F: * Did you see your friend in town yesterday, Jack?
M: Eventually, yes – there was a mix-up over where we’d wait for each other. I’m sure I’d suggested
the town square, but he was convinced I’d said the park! Anyway, then I spotted him outside the
library, so I ran over and said hello! Then we went to a café.
F: Did he have trouble getting into town? The traffic was awful!
M: Yeah, so he left his car at home and came by bike. A wise decision – much quicker than travelling
by bus, as it turned out.
F: Mm, I’d certainly have got into town faster on foot than by car yesterday! **
Pause 00’10”
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’05”
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21 [Turn over
4
R1 Question 4
(a) Who gave the talk that the man went to last night?
(b) Which topic in the talk was the man particularly interested in?
M: male, early thirties
M: * I went to a talk about space last night at my college. I wasn’t sure what to expect, really, but I was
under the impression it was going to be given by an astronaut, or at least a researcher of some
kind. Then the speaker turned out to be a scientist, so she was able to give us some fascinating
insights into the planets, and space travel. What really caught my attention, though, was what she
said about the Moon. She told us loads I didn’t know. Then she mentioned at the end that she’s
studying Mars now, and she’s giving a talk about that on Friday – so I’ll definitely be going! **
Pause 00’10”
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’05”
R1 That is the end of the four short recordings. In a moment you will hear Exercise 2. Now look
at the questions for this part of the exam.
Pause 00’20”
TRACK 3
R1 Exercise 2
You will hear a woman called Becky talking about her hobby, swimming. Listen to the talk
and complete the details below. Write one or two words only in each gap.
You will hear the talk twice.
F: female, late twenties, standard accent
* Hi everyone! I’m Becky, and I’d like to tell you about my swimming experiences, and hopefully
inspire you to experiment with swimming in different places!
I’d been looking for a form of exercise that I could fit around studying – and swimming seemed
the perfect thing. I wasn’t a great swimmer, though, so I booked some group classes at my local
outdoor pool. To be honest, that was the last place I’d usually go to swim. I preferred the indoor
one – even though it had crowds of people all trying to swim at once, and higher entrance fees.
But at least the temperature wasn’t as low as at the outdoor pool – though I knew I’d get used to
that.
Nevertheless, I was a bit worried about attending swimming classes. At classes I’d been to before
– when I was at school – I just remembered being bored. We just had to swim up and down the
pool! I was sort of hoping I’d be exhausted this time, as that would show how enthusiastic I’d been
in my swimming!
Anyway, we started our first lesson with our swimming teacher, John. I could quickly see he was
inspiring for the better swimmers, but also very skilled at teaching the less brilliant ones – like me!
What helped me most though was that he was very encouraging – exactly what I needed!
With each class, John became more familiar with the way we were all swimming, and started
giving individual advice to each person, such as how to increase their confidence. When it came
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
5
to my turn, John proposed that I work on increasing my speed, which I accepted. Other people
focused on building their strength in the water.
Surprisingly, I’d always thought that while I was swimming, I put pressure on my arms, while my
legs weren’t really doing much work. Then John watched how I swam across the pool and said he
thought I might eventually injure my back if I wasn’t careful. I realised that I’d always swum along
with my head well out of the water because I didn’t want to get my face wet!
Once we’d had a few lessons, John started getting us to try a few things we’d never have dared to
do at the beginning. So he taught a few of us how to dive, although I found that quite hard. On the
other hand, I thought the lessons on how to float were great, as I’d never managed to do that very
well before!
After a while, though, I felt swimming in a pool was too limiting, so I decided to stop my classes
and try swimming somewhere different. It was popular in my area to go to a nearby lake and swim
there, and in fact we weren’t that far from the sea. Anyway, the river close to where I lived was
beautifully clear, so that’s where I chose to go.
I really liked being close to nature, seeing the wild creatures that lived on the riverbank, and their
colours. When I finally tried swimming beneath the surface of the water, the silence that greeted
me was astonishing. I’d definitely recommend outdoor swimming to everyone. **
Pause 00’30”
R1 Now you will hear the talk again.
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’30”
R1 That is the end of the talk. In a moment you will hear Exercise 3. Now look at the questions
for this part of the exam.
Pause 00’25”
TRACK 4
R1 Exercise 3
You will hear six people talking about their friends and why they like them. For each of
speakers 1 to 6, choose from the list, A to G, which opinion each speaker expresses. Write
the letter in the appropriate box. Use each letter only once. There is one extra letter which
you do not need to use.
You will hear the recordings twice.
R1 Speaker 1
F: female, early twenties, standard accent
F: * Sasha and I didn’t hit it off immediately when we first met at university – maybe because we’re
an unlikely combination. Sasha’s keen on art and poetry, which I wouldn’t have discovered so
much about if I hadn’t met her. And she’s got into sport since knowing me! So I’d say sharing what
we’re individually passionate about has kept us together. She moved away recently though, which
is really sad as I miss her a lot, but I hope we can stay friends forever.
Pause 00’10”
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21 [Turn over
6
R1 Speaker 2
M: male, early twenties, standard accent
It was our love of football that brought Jack and me together, although that’s where the similarity
ends! We have different personalities – but we just get on. There’ve been times when we’ve
disagreed about something – but it hardly ever happens, really, and that’s what makes him
important to me as a friend. But he doesn’t live close by and if we didn’t play football occasionally,
we’d probably never get around to seeing each other. Still, we could always message each other if
there was anything important!
Pause 00’10”
R1 Speaker 3
F: female, twenties, mild Australian accent
Millie was in my class at school, but I didn’t really get to talk to her until we ended up in the same
college singing group a few months ago. We immediately got on well, and since then, whenever
I have a problem with something, I’m just so grateful she’s there to talk to. And I’ve helped her in
the same way, too. Weirdly, though, we don’t make a big effort to contact each other when we’re
away on holiday – but we’ll chat non-stop when we meet again afterwards!
Pause 00’10”
R1 Speaker 4
M: male, twenties, mild US accent
I don’t see Mark all that often, sadly, as we’ve both got busy lives these days. But when we do get
together, there’s always plenty to talk about, like favourite TV programmes, sports – and music!
And for me, it’s these similarities that make him a close friend – and I hope it’ll stay that way. That
doesn’t mean we agree about everything – far from it! But I guess if ever anything went wrong in
my life, he’d be the first person I’d talk to.
Pause 00’10”
R1 Speaker 5
F: female, early twenties, standard accent
There’s never much to do at weekends where I live, so I mostly end up just going shopping in town
and my friend Gemma sometimes comes too. We usually have a good time together, even though
we never agree with each other’s choices of what clothes to buy! I can’t honestly remember when
we first met – she seems to have been in my life for ages, and certainly from primary school
onwards. She’s like a sister to me, which is lovely.
Pause 00’10”
R1 Speaker 6
M: male, early twenties, standard accent
Ben and I don’t generally see each other much at college at the moment, as we’re studying different
courses this term. And even the rugby club we play for has reorganised the teams recently, and
we’ve found ourselves in different ones. So that means it’s all the more important that we always
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
7
arrange to go somewhere together, like weekly trips to the cinema or whatever. If we didn’t, our
friendship wouldn’t be as strong, I don’t think, because we’re hopeless about getting in touch on
social media and stuff! **
Pause 00’10”
R1 Now you will hear the six speakers again.
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’30”
R1 That is the end of Exercise 3. In a moment you will hear Exercise 4. Now look at the
questions for this part of the exam.
Pause 00’25”
TRACK 5
R1 Exercise 4
You will hear an interview with Tamsin Mateus, a classical musician whose professional
career started when she took part in a major music competition. Listen to the interview and
look at the questions. For each question, choose the correct answer, A, B or C, and put a
tick in the appropriate box.
You will hear the interview twice.
M: Interviewer, male, thirties
F: Tamsin Mateus, female late twenties
M: * I’m with Tamsin Mateus, a professional musician whose career began after she entered a big
music competition some years ago. Tamsin, how did you first get into music?
F: Well, unlike a lot of young musicians’ parents, mine weren’t particularly musical. But they were
keen for me to experience a range of different activities. So they’d pay for me to do stuff after
school – dance, languages, and also music. I had individual tuition from a music teacher, and
that’s where it all started, I’d say. That was lucky, because although there were always events
organised by the music department at my school, none of my friends showed much interest, so I
guess that’s why I didn’t either.
M: And you became especially keen on learning to play the cello.
F: Yes! I tried out a number of instruments initially, and I was very attracted to the sound of the
piano. It was difficult to play, but it helped me a lot with music generally, and I learnt to play some
wonderful pieces of music on it – things I’d heard my favourite composers play. But as soon as I
saw a cello, I knew playing it meant I’d stand out from the crowd – and I loved it from the moment
I played a few notes on it.
M: And you became so successful on the cello that you eventually decided to enter a major music
competition. Tell us about that.
F: It was for young musicians like me. I think what motivated me was the opportunity to see whether
I could play as well as other performers my age. But I wasn’t thinking about what would happen if
I actually came first. And I can’t really say I practised day and night for it, either.
M: And your performance in the competition final didn’t go smoothly, did it?
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21 [Turn over
8
F: No! – although being alongside a big orchestra playing at full volume made me relax, surprisingly
– it’s better than being the only musician on stage! Anyway, at the beginning, I’d intended to take a
few seconds to tune my cello to the orchestra. But instead, they got going immediately, so I had no
choice but to begin, too – in a rush! I’m not sure anyone noticed, though – and luckily, I’d got the
music I’d chosen in front of me.
M: And what did you play?
F: It was something quite different from what I’d normally play. It turned out to be a good choice by
my teacher because in other pieces I’ve played, it was more difficult for me to find my own voice.
But this piece let me do exactly that. And it’s music that many people would’ve been familiar with,
which helped.
M: So how did you feel when you found out you were the winner?
F: Well, when the judges announced the result, they mispronounced my name, but I’m used to
that, so I knew it was me they were referring to. But my first thought really was for the other
competitors who’d taken part. It was such a pity we couldn’t have all shared the prize, as they’d
played brilliantly. To be honest though, I wasn’t disappointed to see the end of the competition!
M: So that was a few years ago – but you’ve recently listened to a recording of your performance that
day, haven’t you? What was your impression?
F: Well, there must’ve been things I did well – otherwise I wouldn’t have won! But what struck me
most was how the music needed to be played by someone who’d studied it and understood it
in depth – which wasn’t me at that stage, I don’t think. It was a very clear recording, though,
considering it was made in a concert hall.
M: How’s your career developed since the competition?
F: Well, as a result of winning, I was invited to take part in a couple of TV series – neither of which
appealed! Following that though, I was extremely lucky to be offered a place at a famous music
college, where I’m now extending my knowledge of music composition, which is amazing! So – I
owe a lot to that competition!
M: Tamsin – thanks! **
Pause 00’20”
R1 Now you will hear the interview again.
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’30”
That is the end of the interview. In a moment you will hear Exercise 5. Now look at the
questions for this part of the exam.
Pause 00’30”
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
9
TRACK 6
R1 Exercise 5 Part A
You will hear a man called James Davidson giving a talk about a conservation project he
has recently been involved in. Listen to the talk and complete the notes in Part A. Write one
or two words, or a number, in each gap.
You will hear the talk twice.
M: male, early thirties, standard accent
M: * My name’s James Davidson, and I’d like to tell you about a conservation project I’ve been
involved in, based near the Dutch city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The project’s been
centred on a huge lake called the Markermeer.
Now, some background information about the project area. You may know that, for centuries, the
Dutch have been concerned about environmental risks to their country. Over a quarter of the land
is low-lying which makes it vulnerable to the effects caused by climate change, and especially the
rising sea level, which will certainly pose a problem to the Markermeer area. One of the original
strategies was to build a barrier to enclose the lake and keep out the North Sea. However, over
the years, the barrier was slowly washed away, badly affecting wildlife populations living there.
Now, however, the project I’ve been involved in intends to reverse the damage to the area, through
a process called rewilding. In fact, it’s currently one of the biggest rewilding projects in Europe. Its
primary purpose is the restoration of the ecology of the area. The plan is to do this through getting
animals, birds and plants to return.
So within the lake, as many as five new artificial islands have been built from shells and sand
found on the shore nearby. They also used mud that had to be dug up from the lake bed. Already,
vegetation is beginning to cover these islands, together with plankton that provides food for the
birds, which live there in large numbers. The islands have already provided the perfect resting
places for 30 000 migrating swallows.
However, the project has not been without its costs. Constructing the islands, which cover 700 km2
in total, has up to now required a sum of €78 million but a further €220 million may well be needed
to develop the lake, together with half a million euros annually to maintain the site.
As a result, there are plans to develop the islands so that some of the funds required can be
raised through tourism. Visitors can already travel by ferry to the main island, where they land at
the new harbour there. And a plan is in progress to create some holiday homes, which, I feel, are
going to go down well with visitors. So I’d encourage everyone to come and see what we’ve done
so far. **
Pause 00’25”
R1 Now you will hear the talk again.
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’30”
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21 [Turn over
10
R1 Part B
Now listen to a conversation between two university students about the Markermeer
conservation project, and complete the sentences in Part B. Write one or two words only in
each gap. You will hear the conversation twice.
M: male, early twenties, standard accent
F: female, early twenties, standard accent
M: * That was an interesting talk!
F
About the Markermeer? Yeah, absolutely. I’m keen to go and see the place for myself now.
M: Me too. In fact, I’ve been thinking quite seriously about applying to take part in something on the
islands there – you know, help out in some way.
F: What, as an engineer? You’ve got the background for that – you could probably make a valuable
contribution.
M: Well, I was thinking more about becoming a volunteer – I’m sure they need people to do things
like observe the wildlife there. There’s a vacancy for a photographer too, but my skills aren’t up to
that!
F: OK ... well, in the meantime, maybe we could plan a trip. I mean, the number of birds they’ve got
there is amazing. You might expect them to arrive from Europe, or even Russia, as some migratory
birds do, but it’s amazing to think that Africa is the starting point for many of these species.
M: I know. I’ve been reading all about the different bird species, as many as 60 spotted on some
days – there’s a huge range. I bet there are probably lots of seagulls, and there are definitely
falcons, which have nested there and laid eggs. But spotting some swans would be brilliant. I love
watching them take off and fly – so elegant.
F: Mm, that’d be a really great sight. Falcons would be quite impressive, too – and I’d love to see
birds arriving as part of their migration. But I think we might be too late this year to see that.
M: Right … Anyway, don’t forget, our visit will help to fund the work on the islands, so it’s all in a good
cause.
F: That’s true. I mean, all the plans they have for the development of the main island are exciting,
I think. The solar panels they intend to put in ought to keep running costs low. And the beaches
they’ve created will attract visitors, I’m sure, plus ferry charges and so on will raise money.
M: Well, that’s right. Maybe they could do with some more publicity. After our visit, we could suggest
to the people in charge that we do a presentation to show what it’s like.
F: Sounds good – but maybe a documentary might be better? I’ve got the IT skills for that.
M: That’d certainly be better than a report - my other suggestion! Right, let’s start planning ... **
Pause 00’25”
R1 Now you will hear the conversation again.
Repeat from * to **
Pause 00’30”
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
11
That is the end of Exercise 5, and of the exam.
In a moment your teacher will collect your papers. Please check that you have written
your name, Centre number and candidate number on the front of your question paper.
Remember, you must not talk until all the papers have been collected.
Pause 00’10”
R1 Teacher, please collect all the papers.
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
12
BLANK PAGE
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2021 0991/42/M/J/21
