Lecture: Bamboo as a Building Material: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 10 questionsPart 4medium
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Right everyone, settle down. Today we're looking at a material that many of you will think of as rather old-fashioned, even primitive, but which materials scientists are now taking extremely seriously as a building material of the future — bamboo.”
- Transcript length: about 517 words
- Questions: 10
- Question types: Note Completion, Summary Completion, Sentence Completion, Short Answer
“Lecture: Bamboo as a Building Material” 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: Bamboo as a Building Material answers with explanations
Questions 1–3: Note Completion
What bamboo is and how it grows
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 1
Bamboo is not a tree but the largest member of the ______ family.(max 1 word)
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Answer: grass
Why: The answer is found in the second sentence of the passage, where it clarifies that bamboo, despite its woody appearance, is botanically classified as the largest member of the grass family.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 2 “Botanically, it is a grass — the largest member of the grass family.”
- 2
Some species grow up to ______ centimetres in a single day.(max 1 word)
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Answer: ninety (also accepted: 90)
Why: The answer is found in the part of the passage where it discusses the growth rate of bamboo, stating that some species can grow as much as ninety centimetres in just one day.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 3 “Some species can grow up to ninety centimetres in a single day, and a bamboo plant can reach its full height in just a few months.”
- 3
By contrast, an oak tree may take ______ years or more before harvest.(max 1 word)
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Answer: fifty (also accepted: 50)
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it states that a hardwood tree like oak may take fifty years or more to be ready for harvesting, highlighting the slow growth compared to bamboo.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 3 “Compare that with a hardwood tree such as oak, which may take fifty years or more before it can be harvested.”
Questions 4–6: Summary Completion
The mechanical properties of bamboo
Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 4
For its weight, bamboo's tensile strength is greater than that of ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: steel
Why: The answer is found where the passage states that bamboo, when measured by its tensile strength, can withstand a greater pulling force than a steel wire of the same weight.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “Yes, you heard that correctly: a bamboo fibre can resist a greater pulling force than a steel wire of the same weight.”
- 5
This has earned bamboo the nickname 'vegetable ______'.(max 1 word)
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Answer: steel
Why: The answer "steel" is found in the passage where it states that bamboo's tensile strength surpasses that of steel, leading to its nickname "vegetable steel.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 “This is why it has earned the nickname vegetable steel.”
- 6
Because it is very ______, bamboo bends instead of snapping in earthquakes.(max 1 word)
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Answer: flexible
Why: The answer "flexible" comes from the part of the passage where it states that bamboo is exceptionally flexible, allowing it to bend in the wind without breaking, which helps buildings made of bamboo perform well during earthquakes.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 5 “It bends in the wind without snapping, which is precisely why buildings made of bamboo perform so well in earthquakes.”
Questions 7–9: Sentence Completion
Drawbacks of natural bamboo
Complete the sentences below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 7
Untreated bamboo is easily damaged by ______, especially beetles.(max 1 word)
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Answer: insects
Why: The passage states that untreated bamboo is highly susceptible to damage from insects, with beetles being particularly destructive.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 7 “The first is that, in its natural state, it is highly vulnerable to insects.”
- 8
To protect it, bamboo is soaked in a ______ solution.(max 1 word)
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Answer: preservative
Why: The answer is found in the section where it explains that untreated bamboo is vulnerable to insects, so it must be soaked in a solution that preserves it before being used in construction.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 7 “So before it can be used in construction, it has to be treated, usually by soaking it in a preservative solution.”
- 9
Because it burns easily, bamboo must be coated to resist ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: fire
Why: The answer is found in the section where the speaker mentions that bamboo is highly flammable and therefore needs to be treated with a coating to enhance its resistance to fire.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 7 “The second problem is fire: bamboo burns readily, so it must be coated to make it more resistant.”
Question 10: Short Answer
Answer the question below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS .
- 10
What is the stronger, processed form of the material now being developed called?(max 2 words)
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Answer: engineered bamboo (also accepted: engineered)
Why: The answer is found near the end of the passage, where it mentions that engineers are creating a stronger, processed form of bamboo by gluing thin strips together, which is referred to as "engineered bamboo.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 “Engineers are now developing what's called engineered bamboo, in which thin strips are glued together under pressure to form beams and panels, much as we already do with wood.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 10 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 |
|---|---|
| 10 / 10 | 9.0 |
| 9 / 10 | 8.0 |
| 8 / 10 | 7.5 |
| 7 / 10 | 6.5 |
| 6 / 10 | 6.0 |
| 5 / 10 | 5.5 |
| 4 / 10 | 5.0 |
| 3 / 10 | 4.0 |
| 2 / 10 | 3.5 |
| 1 / 10 | 2.5 |
| 0 / 10 | 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: Bamboo as a Building Material” under exam conditions
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