Shadowing Practice: Cambridge IELTS 14 listening section 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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IELTS 14 Tests 1 to 4 Published by Cambridge University Press and Uccles 2019
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This recording is copyright.
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Test 1 You will hear a number of different recordings and you will have to answer questions on what you hear.
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There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work.
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All the recordings will be played once only.
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The test is in four sections.
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At the end of the test, you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.
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Now turn to Section 1.
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Section 1.
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You will hear a woman reporting a theft to an officer in a police station.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 3.
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You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.
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On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.
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Good morning.
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What can I do for you?
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I want to report a theft.
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I had some things stolen out of my bag yesterday.
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I'm sorry to hear that.
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Right, so I'll need to take a few details.
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Can I start with your name?
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Louise Taylor.
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The woman's name is Louise Taylor.
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So Taylor has been written in the space.
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Now we shall begin.
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You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time.
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Listen carefully and answer questions one to three.
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Good morning.
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What can I do for you?
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I want to report a theft.
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I had some things stolen out of my bag yesterday.
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I'm sorry to hear that.
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Right, so I'll need to take a few details.
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Can I start with your name?
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Louise Taylor.
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Okay, thank you.
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And are you resident in the UK?
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No, I'm actually Canadian, though my mother was British.
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And your date of birth?
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December 14th, 1977.
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So you're just visiting this country?
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That's right.
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I come over most summers on business.
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I'm an interior designer, and I come over to buy old furniture.
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Antiques, you know?
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There are some really lovely things around here, but you need to get out to the small towns.
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I've had a really good trip this year, until this happened.
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Okay.
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So you've been here quite a while?
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Yes.
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I'm here for two months.
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I go back next week.
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So may I ask where you're staying now?
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Well, at present, I've got a place at Park Apartments that's on King Street.
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I was staying at the Riverside Apartments on the same street, but the apartment there was only available for six weeks, so I had to find another one.
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Okay.
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And the apartment number?
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Fifteen.
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Right.
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Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 4 to 10.
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Now listen and answer questions 4 to 10.
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Now, I need to take some details of the theft.
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So, you said you had some things stolen out of your bag?
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That's right.
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And were you actually carrying the bag when the theft took place?
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Yes.
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I really can't understand it.
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I had my backpack on, and I went into a supermarket to buy a few things, and when I opened it up, my wallet wasn't there.
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And what did your wallet have in it?
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Well, fortunately, I don't keep my credit cards in that wallet.
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I keep them with my passport in an inside compartment in my backpack, but there was quite a bit of cash there.
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About 250 pounds sterling, I should think.
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I withdrew 300 pounds from my account yesterday, but I did a bit of shopping, so I must have already spent about 50 pounds of that.
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Okay.
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At first I thought, oh, I must have left the wallet back in the apartment.
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But then I realized my phone had gone as well.
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It was only a week old and that's when I realized I'd been robbed.
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Anyway, at least they didn't take the keys to my rental car.
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Yes.
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So you say the theft occurred yesterday?
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Yes.
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So that was September the 10th?
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And do you have any idea at all of where or when the things might possibly have been stolen?
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Well, at first I couldn't believe it
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because the bag had been on my back ever since I left the apartment after lunch.
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It's just a small backpack, but I generally use it when I'm traveling because it seems safer than a handbag.
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Anyway, I met up with a friend, and we spent a couple of hours in the museum.
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But I do remember that as we were leaving there, at about four o'clock, a group of young boys ran up to us,
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and they were really crowding round us, and they were asking us what time it was.
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Then all of a sudden, they ran off.
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Can you remember anything about them?
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The one who did most of the talking was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of something.
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Ah, let's see.
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A tiger.
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Right.
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Any idea of how old he might have been?
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Around 12 years old.
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And can you remember anything else about his appearance?
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Not much.
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He was quite thin.
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Color of hair?
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I do remember that.
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He was blonde.
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All the others were dark-haired.
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And any details of the others?
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Not really.
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They came and went so quickly.
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Right.
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So what I'm going to do now is give you a crime reference number so you can contact your insurance company.
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So this is ten digits.
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8795482361. Thank you. So should I contact...
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That is the end of section one.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now turn to section 2.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Cambridge IELTS 14 listening section 1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: questions, answer, hear, theft, apartment. This video has 113 sentences and 940 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:38. The speaker talks slowly, about 109 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 22 of its 113 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| theft noun | /θɛft/ | The act of stealing property. |
| wallet noun | /ˈwɑl.ət/ | A small case, often flat and often made of leather, for keeping money (especially paper money), credit cards, etc. |
| backpack noun | /ˈbæk.pæk/ | A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when… |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| handbag noun | /ˈhændˌbæɡ/ | A small bag used chiefly by women for carrying various small personal items, sometimes considered as a fashion accessory. |
| starling noun | /ˈstɑɹlɪŋ/ | A family, Sturnidae, of passerine birds. |
| blond adjective | /blɑnd/ | Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour. |
| compartment noun | /kəmˈpɑɹtmənt/ | A room, or section, or chamber, typically within a vehicle. |
| digit noun | /ˈdɪd͡ʒɪt/ | A position in a sequence of numerals representing a place value in a positional number system. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| antique adjective | /ˌanˈtiːk/ | Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome. |
| fortunately adverb | /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/ | In a fortunate manner. |
| withdraw verb | /wɪðˈdɹɔ/ | To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation. |
| passport noun | /ˈpæspɔɹt/ | An official document normally used for international journeys, which proves the identity and nationality of the person for whom it was issued. |
| rental noun | /ˈɹɛntəl/ | Something that is rented. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
| run off verb | To flee or depart quickly. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What can I do for you?
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- Right, so I'll need to take a few details.
- Can I start with your name?
- Can you remember anything about them?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be played · will be given · has been done |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been done · has been written · you've been |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was staying · were leaving · were really crowding |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should answer · should think · should I contact |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 20 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: theft /θɛft/, withdraw /wɪðˈdɹɔ/
- Long words — get the stress right: supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like theft, wallet, backpack.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.