Lecture: A History of Timekeeping: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 12 questionsPart 4hard
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Good morning. Today I want to trace one of humanity's oldest projects — the measurement of time.”
- Transcript length: about 673 words
- Questions: 12
- Question types: Note Completion, Summary Completion, Sentence Completion, Short Answer
“Lecture: A History of Timekeeping” is an original IELTS-style practice recording written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Lecture: A History of Timekeeping answers with explanations
Questions 1–3: Note Completion
Early timekeeping devices
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 1
The earliest known timekeeping device is the ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: sundial
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it states that the sundial is the first known timekeeping device, used by the ancient Egyptians over three thousand years ago.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 2 “The very first timekeeping device we know of is the sundial, which the ancient Egyptians were using more than three thousand years ago.”
- 2
A sundial works by casting a ______ onto a marked surface.(max 1 word)
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Answer: shadow
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it explains that a sundial operates by casting a shadow, which moves across a marked surface as the sun travels across the sky.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 2 “A sundial works by casting a shadow, and as the sun moves across the sky, the shadow moves across a marked surface.”
- 3
A water clock could be affected by cold ______, which slowed the flow.(max 1 word)
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Answer: weather (also accepted: temperature / temperatures)
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it explains that the water clock's weakness was temperature, as cold conditions could cause the water to thicken or freeze, slowing down the flow.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 3 “Its weakness, though, was temperature: in cold weather the water could thicken, or even freeze, and the flow would slow down, so the clock ran slow.”
Questions 4–6: Note Completion
Mechanical clocks
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 4
The first mechanical clocks appeared in the ______ century.(max 1 word)
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Answer: thirteenth (also accepted: 13th)
Why: The passage states that the first mechanical clocks, which were powered by falling weights, emerged in medieval Europe during the thirteenth century.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “Now we jump forward to medieval Europe, and one of the great turning points: the first mechanical clocks, which appeared in the thirteenth century, driven not by water but by falling weights.”
- 5
They were driven by falling ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: weights (also accepted: weight)
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing medieval Europe, where it mentions that the first mechanical clocks, which appeared in the thirteenth century, operated using falling weights.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “Now we jump forward to medieval Europe, and one of the great turning points: the first mechanical clocks, which appeared in the thirteenth century, driven not by water but by falling weights.”
- 6
Many early tower clocks had no face and simply rang a ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: bell
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing early mechanical clocks in medieval Europe, which mentions that these clocks were built into cathedral towers and primarily functioned to ring a bell for calling people to prayer.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “Interestingly, many of the earliest ones had no face and no hands at all — their only job was to ring a bell to call people to prayer.”
Questions 7–9: Summary Completion
Greater accuracy
Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 7
In 1657 Huygens built the first ______ clock, which was far more accurate.(max 1 word)
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Answer: pendulum
Why: The passage states that in 1657, Christiaan Huygens constructed the first pendulum clock, which significantly enhanced accuracy, reducing the error from many minutes to just a few seconds per day.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 5 “The breakthrough came in sixteen fifty-seven, when the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens built the first pendulum clock.”
- 8
Sailors needed an accurate clock to calculate their ______ at sea.(max 1 word)
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Answer: longitude
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it explains that sailors required an accurate clock to determine their east-west position, or longitude, at sea to avoid getting lost and wrecked.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 6 “A pendulum clock is hopeless on a rolling ship, and this mattered enormously, because sailors needed an accurate clock to work out their longitude — their east-west position at sea.”
- 9
Harrison's marine chronometer used a ______ instead of a pendulum.(max 1 word)
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Answer: spring
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing John Harrison's invention, where it states that he built a marine chronometer using a spring to maintain accurate time on a moving ship, unlike the pendulum.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 6 “He used a spring rather than a pendulum.”
Questions 10–11: Sentence Completion
Modern clocks
Complete the sentences below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 10
A quartz clock keeps time using the steady ______ of a crystal.(max 1 word)
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Answer: vibration (also accepted: vibrations)
Why: The answer is found in the section discussing quartz clocks, where it states that the steady vibration of a quartz crystal, when electricity is passed through it, is counted to keep time.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 7 “When a small crystal of quartz has electricity passed through it, it vibrates at an extremely precise frequency, and that steady vibration can be counted to keep time.”
- 11
The most accurate clocks are ______ clocks, which count the vibrations of atoms.(max 1 word)
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Answer: atomic
Why: The answer is found in the passage's final section, which states that atomic clocks are the most precise, as they measure time by counting the highly consistent vibrations of atoms, typically using the element caesium.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 “These measure time by counting the incredibly regular vibrations of atoms — usually the element caesium.”
Question 12: Short Answer
Answer the question below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
- 12
Which everyday technology relies on atomic clocks in orbit?(max 3 words)
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Answer: satellite navigation (also accepted: sat nav / satnav / GPS)
Why: The answer is found at the end of the passage, where it states that satellite navigation systems depend on the precise timekeeping of atomic clocks located in orbit.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 “Every time you use satellite navigation to find your way, you are relying on atomic clocks in orbit, because working out your position depends on measuring time to billionths of a second.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 12 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Listening conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single recording is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 12 / 12 | 9.0 |
| 11 / 12 | 8.5 |
| 10 / 12 | 7.5 |
| 9 / 12 | 7.0 |
| 8 / 12 | 6.5 |
| 7 / 12 | 6.0 |
| 6 / 12 | 5.5 |
| 5 / 12 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 12 | 4.5 |
| 3 / 12 | 4.0 |
| 2 / 12 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 12 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 12 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Listening Part 4
- Spend the whole preparation time on the notes: the headings tell you the lecture’s sections, and each gap’s surrounding words tell you the grammar and meaning of its answer.
- Predict the word class for every gap — noun, adjective, number — and any obvious semantic field (a material, an animal, a place).
Common trap: Losing your position mid-lecture and missing a run of answers — the single biggest cause of Part 4 disasters.
Full Listening Part 4 strategyPractise “Lecture: A History of Timekeeping” under exam conditions
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