Amina's local history project: listening answers and explanations
Amina meets her tutor, Dr Bryson, to get feedback on the draft of her project about a local hospital. He tells her what works, which parts to rewrite or cut, which books to read, and what she must do and by when before handing it in.
In order. 21-23 come in the opening chat about the draft. 'Let's have a look at my notes here' starts 24-26, one section at a time. The reading list and Dr Bryson's holiday lead into the schedule for 27-30, which ends with the Faculty Office.
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.
10 JulyAlso accepted: July 10 / 10th July / July 10th / the 10th of July / 10/7
Multiple choice
Questions 21-23
How to attack this block: Short, quick answers at the very start. All the options are mentioned or hinted at, so listen for which one is actually chosen or praised. Note that question 23 is about Amina's reaction, not Dr Bryson's.
Question 21
Answer: BRight at the start, when Amina says she changed the topic
What is the subject of Amina's project?
I had been interested in looking at Barings Factory. … Oh, I think the hospital was a much better choice.
Question says → You hear
a localthe hospital was a much better choice
Why: Amina switched topics, and Dr Bryson approves of the hospital as 'a much better choice'. That's B.
The trap: C, the factory, is the topic she was first interested in and then dropped. A school is never mentioned.
Question 22
Answer: CAfter he says there are plenty of good ideas
Which part did Dr Bryson like most?
It opens well and the first chapter is fine but the middle section really stood out for me ... most interesting.
Question says → You hear
particularly likedreally stood out for me
Why: 'Really stood out' and 'most interesting' are strong praise, and they're for the middle section: C.
The trap: The opening and the first chapter are mentioned first, but 'opens well' and 'fine' are milder. The 'but' moves to his favourite part.
Question 23
Answer: CAmina's reply to the praise of the middle section
Why was Amina surprised?
That's amazing because I really didn't find it a bit easy to write
Question says → You hear
found it difficult to doI really didn't find it a bit easy to write
Why: 'Didn't find it a bit easy' means she found it difficult. That's why the praise surprised her: C.
The trap: B uses 'quickly' from her later answer about how long the project took. That's a different question, and it isn't the reason for her surprise.
Matching (A-C)
Questions 24-26
How to attack this block: For each part, Dr Bryson gives a verdict, but not always in the words of the options. 'Isn't relevant' and 'take them out' both mean remove; 'making the data a lot clearer' means rewrite. Amina's worries are distractors: listen for his final word.
Question 24
Answer: CAfter 'Let's have a look at my notes here', once the section headings are done
What should Amina do with the information on housing?
Now, this information on local housing ... I can see why you put it there but it really isn't relevant to the approach you've taken.
Question says → You hear
Information on housingthis information on local housing
Why: If it isn't relevant, it has no place in the project, so the advice is to remove it completely: C.
The trap: 'I can see why you put it there' sounds sympathetic, which may push you to A. The 'but' that follows is his real advice.
Question 25
Answer: BWhen Dr Bryson asks 'what did I say about the interviews?'
What should Amina do with the interview data?
they're very complex and rather unclear at the moment. You're going to have to spend a bit of time making the data a lot clearer.
Question says → You hear
Interview datamaking the data a lot clearer
Why: The interviews stay in, but she has to make the data clearer, which means rewriting it: B.
The trap: Amina worries she'll have to remove them, but he answers 'No, don't worry'. So C is wrong, and 'valuable' doesn't mean keep them unchanged.
Question 26
Answer: CWhen they turn to 'the list of dates'
What should Amina do with the chronology?
My advice on that is to take them out. I feel it makes the whole piece appear too simplistic.
Question says → You hear
Chronologythe chronology ... the list of dates
Why: 'Take them out' means remove completely: C.
The trap: Amina wonders whether she should rewrite the dates, which is option B. Dr Bryson goes further and says take them out.
Note completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 27-30
How to attack this block: A to-do list in time order. The two dates come in one sentence and are easy to swap: one is a deadline for a task, the other is when the computer centre closes. Match each date to its verb.
Question 27
Answer: Sight and SoundAfter 'Approaches to Local History', when he mentions ways of representing interview data
Which book by Kate Oakwell should she read?
Have a look at Sight and Sound by Kate Oakwell.
Question says → You hear
by Kate OakwellSight and Sound by Kate Oakwell
Why: The title comes just before the author's name, and Amina repeats it. Write Sight and Sound with capitals.
The trap: Approaches to Local History is the first book, and it's already printed.
Question 28
Answer: Support TutorWhen Dr Bryson says he's going away on holiday next week
Also accepted: the Support Tutor
Who should she show the revised work to?
So when you've made the changes I suggest you show the work to your Support Tutor.
Question says → You hear
Make changes and show towhen you've made the changes I suggest you show the work to your Support Tutor
Why: The note copies the sentence closely: make changes, then show to the Support Tutor, because Dr Bryson will be away.
The trap: Dr Bryson himself is the obvious guess, but he's just said he's going on holiday.
Question 29
Answer: proof readingRight after the Support Tutor
Also accepted: proof read / proofreading / proof-reading
What must she do by 29 June?
Then you do the proof reading . . . … When by, do you think? … I'd aim for 29 June
Question says → You hear
Do ... by 29 JuneThen you do the proof reading
Why: The step after showing the Support Tutor is the proof reading, and Dr Bryson sets it for 29 June.
The trap: Laser printing comes after 'and after that', so it's the next step, not the 29 June one.
Question 30
Answer: 10 JulySame sentence as the 29 June deadline
Also accepted: July 10 / 10th July / July 10th / the 10th of July / 10/7
By what date must she get the work laser printed?
after that you should get it laser printed . . . but be careful because the computer centre closes on 10 July
Question says → You hear
Laser print beforethe computer centre closes on 10 July
Why: Printing has to happen before the computer centre closes, on 10 July.
The trap: 29 June is in the same sentence, but it's the proofreading deadline in the line above.
Dr Bryson never says 'remove'. He says the housing information 'really isn't relevant to the approach you've taken', which means it should come out completely: C.
B is tempting because Amina later says she 'dashed the writing off very quickly'. But her surprise is about the middle section: she didn't find it easy to write, so C.
29 June is said first, but it's the proofreading deadline. The laser printing has to be done before the computer centre closes on 10 July.
Words from this recording worth keeping
draft(Start of the tutorial)
an early version that will be improved
stood out(Feedback on the draft)
was clearly better than the rest
par for the course(Time spent)
normal or what you would expect
relevant(Information on housing)
connected to the subject being discussed
chronology(Chronology)
a list of events in the order they happened
simplistic(Chronology)
making something seem simpler than it really is
proof reading(Schedule of action)
checking a text for mistakes before it is finished
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Cambridge IELTS 3, Test 4, Listening Part 3. The recording, transcript and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts of the transcript only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full material, or sit the test on Langujet.
