Overseas students' experiences: listening answers and explanations
A counsellor at Student Services interviews two overseas students, Kate and Luki, for a guide for new students. Each describes their accommodation, their course, what has gone wrong and what would help.
Questions 1-5 are Kate's, questions 6-10 are Luki's, and the counsellor's line 'I'd just like to ask Luki some questions' is the switch. Within each block the answers follow the order of the notes: accommodation, then course, then suggestions.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the part yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 1-10 · Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
reserve computer timeAlso accepted: reserving computer time
Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 1-10
How to attack this block: These are short opinion notes, not facts like numbers and names, so the answers are often a paraphrase squeezed into three words ('awful food', 'not friendly'). Keep to the limit and make the answer fit the heading: a type of place, a feeling, a problem, a suggestion.
Question 1
Answer: student accommodationWhen the counsellor asks where she lived when she first arrived
Also accepted: hostel / student hostel
What kind of place did Kate live in when she arrived?
I went straight into student accommodation; it was a kind of student hostel.
Question says → You hear
Type of accommodationstudent accommodation; it was a kind of student hostel
Why: She names it twice in one sentence, and the key accepts either: student accommodation or student hostel.
The trap: 'Student house' is Luki's second home, later in the call. Don't borrow it for Kate.
Question 2
Answer: awful foodWhen the counsellor says she didn't have to do her own cooking
Also accepted: the food is awful
What did Kate think of the hostel?
No, but sometimes I wished I had! The food at the hostel was awful.
Question says → You hear
Her feelings about the accommodationThe food at the hostel was awful
Why: Her complaint about the hostel is the food. Turn the sentence into a short note: 'awful food' or 'the food is awful'.
The trap: Cooking comes up first, but it's the counsellor's idea. Kate's actual feeling is about the food being awful.
Question 3
Answer: not friendlyWhen the counsellor asks 'how were the other students?'
Also accepted: kept to themselves / unfriendly
What did Kate think of the other students?
People seem to keep to themselves; they're not really very friendly.
Question says → You hear
Her feelings about the other studentsthey're not really very friendly
Why: 'Not really very friendly' shortens to 'not friendly' (or 'unfriendly'). 'Kept to themselves' is accepted too.
The trap: 'The place is full' is said just before, but that's about the hostel, not her feelings about the people.
Question 4
Answer: lecturers busyAfter she says she has enjoyed the course
Also accepted: lecturers too busy / lecturers are too busy
What difficulty did Kate have on her course?
I feel there hasn't been enough contact with the lecturers. They all seem to be incredibly busy.
Question says → You hear
Difficulties experienced on the courseThey all seem to be incredibly busy
Why: The key gives the reason for the lack of contact: the lecturers are busy. 'Lecturers busy' or 'lecturers too busy' fits the three-word limit.
The trap: The field trip is mentioned, but as the only time she did get to talk to the lecturers. It's not a difficulty.
Question 5
Answer: regular meetingsWhen the counsellor asks if anything could be done to improve it
Also accepted: meetings with lecturers / fortnightly meetings
What does Kate suggest to improve the course?
I think it would be helpful to have meetings with lecturers on the course. Say once a fortnight … Regular meetings.
Question says → You hear
Suggestions for improving the courseit would be helpful to have meetings with lecturers
Why: Meetings every two weeks are regular meetings, and the counsellor uses exactly those words to sum it up. 'Meetings with lecturers' and 'fortnightly meetings' are also accepted.
The trap: Copying 'meetings with lecturers on the course' breaks the three-word limit.
Question 6
Answer: familyWhen the counsellor asks Luki about his accommodation
Also accepted: homestay / home stay / a family
Where did Luki live first?
At first I stayed with a family for three months.
Question says → You hear
First type of accommodationAt first I stayed with a family
Why: 'At first' matches 'first type'. He stayed with a family, which you can write as 'family' or 'homestay'.
The trap: 'Three months' comes in the same sentence, but it's how long, not what type.
Question 7
Answer: lot of noiseStraight after he says the family were very kind
Also accepted: a lot of noise / children made noise / difficult to study / noise
What was the problem with living with the family?
They were very kind to me but they had three young children and I found it difficult to study
Question says → You hear
Problem with the first accommodationthey had three young children and I found it difficult to study
Why: The 'but' after 'very kind' introduces the problem. The key's main answer, 'lot of noise', is an inference from the young children; what you actually hear is 'difficult to study', which the key also accepts.
The trap: 'Very kind' is positive, so it's not the problem. And don't write 'three young children' on its own: the children aren't the problem, the effect on his studying is.
Question 8
Answer: student houseAfter three months, when he says he moved out
Also accepted: a student house
Where does Luki live now?
now I live with two other students in a student house. It's much cheaper and we like it there.
Question says → You hear
Second type of accommodationnow I live with two other students in a student house
Why: 'Now' signals his second home: a student house.
The trap: 'Much cheaper' is the reason he likes it, not the type of accommodation.
Question 9
Answer: ComputingWhen the counsellor asks what he is studying
Also accepted: Bachelor of Computing
What course is Luki doing?
I'm doing a Bachelor of Computing.
Question says → You hear
Name of courseI'm doing a Bachelor of Computing
Why: His course is Computing, and the counsellor repeats it. 'Bachelor of Computing' is also accepted.
The trap: Environmental Studies is Kate's course, and it's printed in her half of the notes.
Question 10
Answer: reserve computer timeWhen the counsellor asks if you can reserve time in the computer room
Also accepted: reserving computer time
What does Luki suggest to improve his course?
No, you can't … but it would certainly help if we could reserve computer time.
Question says → You hear
Suggestions for improving the courseit would certainly help if we could reserve computer time
Why: 'It would certainly help if' introduces the suggestion: reserve computer time, exactly three words.
The trap: 'Computer room busy' is printed as his comment. The suggestion is the fix, not the problem.
Luki never says the word 'noise'. He says the family had three young children and he found it difficult to study. 'Difficult to study' is accepted and is the safest thing to write.
Kate talks about not enough contact, then explains why: the lecturers all seem incredibly busy. The key wants 'lecturers busy', the reason behind the lack of contact.
Kate's suggestion is too long for three words: 'meetings with lecturers on the course'. The counsellor sums it up as 'Regular meetings', which gives you the short version.
Words from this recording worth keeping
first impressions(Kate: the town)
what you think of something when you first see it
student hostel(Kate: accommodation)
a building where many students live and eat
keep to themselves(Kate: other students)
avoid talking to or mixing with others
coursework(Kate: course)
work done during a course rather than in exams
field trip(Kate: course)
a study visit outside the classroom
once a fortnight(Kate: suggestions)
once every two weeks
practical work(Luki: course)
hands-on tasks rather than reading or lectures
reserve(Luki: suggestions)
book something in advance
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The rest of Cambridge 1 Test 2 Listening
Part 1 · Questions 1-10 · You're hereOverseas students' experiences
