IELTS Listening: Bidcaster Archaeological Dig｜IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

Hi there, this is Fiona from Isles with Fiona and the Members Academy.

Today I'm going to walk you through a listening part two about an archaeological dig.

It's called Bidcaster Archaeological Dig, and I've chosen this topic because I've just added a new lesson onto the website and it's all about the vocabulary of civilization and culture.

Now this comes up so often in IELTS and there are reading and listening texts about ancient societies such as the Sumerians and Neolithic farmers.

Then there are indigenous cultures such as the Easter Island civilisation, Aboriginal people like the Inuit and the Polynesians, and there are many texts about ancient buildings such as Stonehenge, the Pyramids and the Lost City.

There are also quite a few listenings about explorers, so there's a lot of language related to this which You'll see coming up in the listening about this archaeological dig, and we'll go through the most useful ones that you'll need to be aware of.

Of course, you don't need to be an expert in this topic.

The reason they choose this kind of historical subject for their texts is because they give really good examples of academic research where scientists or historians try to prove or disprove theories about the past.

And this reflects the type of reading you'll do at university, where you must understand evidence, compare explanations and evaluate different viewpoints.

In the writing test you might get questions about the preservation of cultural identity and thinking about how traditional cultures can survive in a modern world shaped by globalisation.

In the speaking test, you might see discussions about responsible tourism, which focuses on visiting places in ways that respect local communities, traditions and environments.

In speaking part one, you might get questions about your cultural experiences, such as visiting other countries.

And in part two you might get asked to describe a cultural tradition in your country that you find interesting.

We've already talked about that in a different lesson, about traditions and ceremonies and things like that.

So that's all on the website and you can catch up there.

Even if you just join for one month, you'll get everything there, all right, oh sorry.

Also in this lesson there are quizlet quizzes to review all the words and there are videos that help walk you through Everything.

Basically,

And today's is particularly useful in this sense because it includes a map.

And I am going to describe the map so that I can give you a few tips in the listening review today.

But of course, it's much better if you can see the map or you can find it online.

If you just Google this Bidcaster Archaeological Dig, you can see the map that I'm referring to.

So let's get started.

The first set of questions is a multiple choice and we're going to listen to Hayden, one of the archaeologists investigating the site at Bidcaster and the first question says who was responsible for starting the community project.

The three choices are the castle owners, a national charity and the local council.

So in all of these multiple choice questions, you'll see that there are destructors.

You will hear all three things.

So you're listening for signalling language which tell you that your answer is correct.

So remember the three choices, castle owners, a national charity or the local council.

And Hayden says this is the third summer for this community project and most of the people digging here are volunteers.

I'm a full-time archaeologist for the town council, but I was asked to join the project by NHA, a charity which sets up projects like this up and down the country.

As you can see, we're next to Bidcaster Castle, which is great because the owners let us use their facilities.

So you first heard council and he works for the council.

He said, I'm a full time archaeologist for the town council.

But the answer comes in the next sentence.

B, I was asked to join the project by NHA, a charity which sets up projects like this.

Then you heard a mention of the castle and the owners, but they just left.

Let them use their facilities.

So A and C are destructors.

The answer is B, the charity.

Now you hear a signal to move to the next question.

He says, so how did we get to where we are today?

That kind of question, it's called a rhetorical question, signals that you should move on.

The question is, how was the gold coin found?

And the three choices are heavy rain removed the soil.

B, rabbits.

The ground was dug up by wild rabbits.

And C, a person with a metal detector searched the area.

Now, remember, you'll hear all three, rain, rabbits. or metal detector which one is correct.

Many archaeology projects happen when an ancient object is found, and in our case, that object was a gold coin.

Coins are often found by people using metal detectors to look for things buried in the ground.

Coins are uncovered when wild animals like rabbits have been digging tunnels.

Here a Walker found it on the ground after a rainstorm washed away some of the earth and sand.

So the three things he mentioned.

Often people find them by metal detectors.

Sometimes they are uncovered When wild animals like rabbits dig tunnels.

But here, and that's the signal for the answer.

A walker found it after a rainstorm washed away the earth and sand.

So the answer is A. Heavy rain had removed some of the soil.

13.

What led? the archaeologists to believe there was an ancient village on this site.

So this is where we learn what researchers believe.

This is what you'll do at university and they look for evidence.

So what led them to believe there was an ancient village on the site?

Three options.

A lucky discovery of old records.

B. The bases of several structures visible in the grass.

Or C. The unusual stones found near the castle.

So discovery of old records, structures in the grass, unusual stones.

He says, when the story of the gold coin hit the news, Peter Swift, an amateur historian, contacted me to say he believed there had been a village on this site centuries before the castle was built.

So there's the theory, the belief that there was an ancient village on the site.

Just by chance, the team found some old maps and documents in our library which showed drawings of ruined buildings on the grassy area between the stone walls of the castle and the river.

We knew then we were on to something.

So the answer comes in the first line, just by chance is a synonym for lucky.

The team found is a synonym for discovery some old maps and documents.

Old maps and documents is a synonym for old records.

So the answer is a.

He does mention the grassy area and the stones, but it was the records which helped them believe that there was an ancient village there next.

Now they Question is interesting.

What are the team still hoping to find?

So rephrase that.

Something they haven't found yet, but they are hoping to in the future.

Comes up quite a lot in the listening test.

And the choices are everyday pottery, animal bones or pieces of jewellery.

So as I read, try to cross off the distractors and look for the signal for the right answer.

Over the three summers the team has been here, we found the remains of several buildings and more broken pots than you can count.

Normally, you'd expect to find brooches and other jewellery.

But we're still waiting to uncover any such items.

Now, I've talked about such a lot.

It's a word you have to get familiar with, because such refers back to the brooches and other jewellery.

We're still waiting to uncover any, any such items.

So that is the answer.

It's c pieces of jewelry.

He does say we found many broken pots and then he says the people who once lived here were skilled at making tools from animal bones, as you'll see when you visit the exhibition.

So they have found animal bones, they have found pottery, But they haven't found jewellery yet.

15.

What was found on the other side of the river to the castle?

Here are your options.

The remains of a large palace, the outline of fields or a number of small huts.

So a palace, fields or small huts, he says.

Besides the discovery of the village, we've also found evidence of human activity on the other side of the river.

No houses or huts so far, but we can see the borders of an ancient field system.

And that's the answer.

The borders is a synonym for outline and the field system is answer B.

The trick there was there were no huts so far, so it's not C.

And then he says A.

At one point we found a long wall.

We thought it was an ancient palace, but it turned out to be a modern wall.

So they didn't find this ancient palace.

It's not A, that's a trick.

Finally, question 16 is quite easy.

I think, what do the team plan to do after work ends this summer?

A, prepare a display for a museum.

B, take part in a television programme.

C start to organize school visits.

He says this summer's work will end soon, but we'll be back next summer.

In the meantime we're putting on a series of guided tours for school groups this autumn.

That's the answer the school visits.

Answer C here are the tricks.

He says maybe you saw the TV documentary about our project.

So they've done the TV programme that suggests the objects we found are going to the town's museum.

So that's A, the distractor.

But we don't know that for sure yet, he says.

So the TV documentary says they're going to put a display in the museum.

But both of those are wrong.

The answer is school visits.

So then we move on to the map.

And just a few tips.

It's not a tricky map.

But my few tips are, well, I'll go through them.

But remember, it's not as straightforward as this.

The things that the course books tell you.

They usually say things like turn right, turn left, go straight on.

But it's more advanced for IELTS and I'll show you why.

However, the you are here sign is usually right at the bottom.

So you've got a few seconds to look at this.

Look at the map.

Make sure you know north, south, east, west.

Make sure you know where you are and also look for extra clues.

So here they've written there's a river, there's castle walls, there's the site of the current dig and there are information boards.

So quickly scan those.

We're looking for just four things.

The first thing we're looking for is the bridge foundations, so let's focus on that, he says.

Take a look at the map.

Our present location is marked at the bottom.

This year we've identified the foundations of an ancient bridge and it's really exciting today Because a team of divers are in the river searching for lost objects.

Now, that's a little clue.

So you move your eye to the river and you can see that there are two letters by the river.

Letters B and letters C. So it's one of those.

He says to reach the bridge, take the main path ahead of you.

Go straight on and keep going till the path bends to the left.

Now that's on my list of more advanced map vocabulary on the website.

The path bends to the left.

So when you see the bend, you'll see a smaller track leading off to the right.

Basically it means turn right down the small track.

Follow that take you to the river where the divers are.

So the answer then is B.

It's right next to the river and it's just next to the path that you followed.

Next is the rubbish pit.

He says you might be interested to see the rubbish pit.

This is very near the castle walls in the northwest corner of the site.

So when you look at the castle walls, there are two letters.

There's A in the northwest and F in the southwest.

So you already have the answer.

But again there's always two to choose from.

So make sure you practice that kind of northwest southeast, southwest language when you're preparing for maps.

By the way, this map will go into my listening course as well, so if you're in the listening course, i will add this today.

So the rubbish pit Is near the castle walls in the northwest corner of the site.

So that is answer A. He says it dates to the time of the castle, not the village.

We found shells and fish bones and so on.

Not important.

Move on to the next one.

The next one is the meeting hall.

He introduces it.

He says one area we excavated in the first summer uncovered the site of a meeting hall.

We knew it was an important building because it had two rows of post holes deep enough to support a large roof.

That's not really relevant to you.

You need to learn again what to ignore and what to focus on.

The next line is important.

He says it's the largest structure in the central area of the site, next to the current excavation area.

So in the central area, you go to the middle of the map.

The largest structure, you use the size of the boxes.

There are two boxes.

There's a large one, G, and a small one, D. So we know it's the largest one.

The answer is G. But it might also help you.

Here is why vocabulary is so important.

He says next to the current excavation area.

So excavation is a formal word for dig.

And on the map, it says current dig.

So dig, excavation are synonyms.

And this is why learning this kind of language related to archaeology and civilization in your preparation will help you on the day.

You might think, why do I need to know this language?

But I only teach the language that I know will come up in the test.

Finally, you're looking for a fish pond.

And he says, last year we discovered a fish pond in the ancient village.

Normally these were beside a river.

The pond here is further away.

But it's possible the river has moved slightly.

Again, ignore this.

You don't need to know this.

Anyway, to get there from here, you turn right at the first information board.

So there's a symbol for the information board on the map and you turn right.

On that path, again, you've got two letters, E and C.

E is in the middle of the trees and C is at the end of the path.

So he says, follow the path into the trees.

Before you come out of the trees, you'll see it on your right.

If you reach the river, you've gone too far.

So the answer is the one that's in the trees.

It's E.

And he says, before you come out of the trees, you'll see it on your right.

So that's it.

I hope, even without looking at the map, that you were able to follow those instructions and that it was helpful for you.

At the end of my lesson I always put the keyword list and These are the words related specifically to this listening, but also related to the topic of civilization.

So there's things like archaeologist.

And in this listening, there were volunteers, community projects, charities and the divers, the people who explore underwater.

In terms of ancient settlements and structures, we had words like site.

Ancient is often mispronounced.

So remember ancient, not ancient.

And there's the ruined buildings.

You might get this in writing, task one, and you have to describe things like the bridge And the meeting hall, the fish pond, the rubbish pit.

In terms of artefacts and objects, there's the gold coins.

This comes up so often.

I've got a little listening about Greek coins which came up before.

And then things like pots and jewellery, tools.

And then the research and evidence, things like...

Documents, evidence of human activity, to excavate, excavation.

And finally, environment and landscape.

There's things like tunnels.

There's lots of readings about Roman tunnels.

And a little bit about exhibitions and museums and guided tours.

These all come up very frequently in IELTS.

So do let me know if you've got any questions about that.

The full lesson is on my website.

You do need to be a bronze member, but you can sign up and get that for just one month and get over 230 lessons.

Or you can get all of the courses in the Members Academy.

And that includes all of the downloads and the videos and everything else.

All right.

Thanks for listening.

Good luck with your test and I hope everything is going well with your preparation.

Bye for now.

Bye bye.

[雅思聽力實戰：Bidcaster 考古挖掘專題解析]-[IELTS Listening: Bidcaster Archaeological Dig]

📋 Summary

雅思聽力考古專題：Bidcaster 挖掘案深度解析

一、聽力中的「陷阱」與訊號詞

二、聽力地圖題的進階技巧

三、核心詞彙與備考建議

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript

[雅思聽力實戰：Bidcaster 考古挖掘專題解析]-[IELTS Listening: Bidcaster Archaeological Dig]

📋 Summary

雅思聽力考古專題：Bidcaster 挖掘案深度解析

一、 聽力中的「陷阱」與訊號詞

二、 聽力地圖題的進階技巧

三、 核心詞彙與備考建議

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