Management diploma courses: listening answers and explanations
Andrew, who works in a hospital office, asks a college adviser, Monica, about ways to take a diploma in management. She compares the full-time, part-time and modular courses, and they talk through the workload and the money.
Questions 21-23 come from the first half: Andrew's job, who pays, and how long the part-time course takes. Questions 24-25 are the part-time coursework. When Andrew asks about the 'modular' course, the summary for 26-30 starts and runs in order to the end.
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.
How to attack this block: Each question has numbers or options that are all said in the conversation: two years, three years, five years; fees, costs, salary; one year, 18 months, two years. Tie each figure to what it describes before you choose.
Question 21
Answer: BWhen Monica asks if he is working at the moment
How long has Andrew worked at the hospital?
I've been working in the administration section of the local hospital … the last three years. And before that I worked in the office of a computer engineering
Why: He links the hospital job directly to 'the last three years', so the answer is B.
The trap: Two years (A) is his earlier job at a computer engineering company. Five years (C) is his total work experience, adding both jobs together.
Question 22
Answer: AWhen Monica checks he doesn't want the full-time course
What will Andrew's employers pay for?
my office have agreed … pay the cost of the course itself, but I would have to take unpaid leave
Why: 'The cost of the course itself' means the fees, so A. That's all the employer covers.
The trap: His salary (C) is exactly what he would lose: full-time study means 'unpaid leave'. Living costs (B) are what he worries he can't afford, not what the office pays.
Question 23
Answer: CWhen Monica sets out his two remaining options
How long does the part-time course take?
you could either do the part-time course that would be over … years and you wouldn't have to take any
Why: Monica says the part-time course 'would be over two years', so C.
The trap: Eighteen months (B) comes a moment later, but for the modular course. One whole year (A) is linked to the full-time option he can't afford.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 24-25
How to attack this block: Monica lists three kinds of coursework in one answer. The question asks what is required each month, so listen for the time phrase attached to each task, not just the task.
Question 24-25
Answer: B and D (in either order)When Andrew asks what kind of coursework he'd have to do
Which two pieces of coursework are due every month on the part-time course?
Youd be expected to write an essay each month … study to do by the end of the course, which might involve doing … need to hand in a short report every four
Why: B: an essay 'each month'. D: a short report 'every four weeks', which is monthly in different words.
The trap: The case study (A) is the most tempting, as it's in the same answer, but it's due 'by the end of the course', not each month. The survey (C) is only something the case study might involve, and a study diary (E) is never mentioned.
Summary completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 26-30
How to attack this block: The summary describes the modular course only, in order. Most gaps are filled with Monica's own words, so write what you hear: full-time, a term, intensive, two modules, a topic.
Question 26
Answer: full-timeAs soon as Andrew asks about the 'modular' course
Also accepted: full time
How do students study during a module?
That's where you get the opportunity to study full-time for short periods.
Question says → You hear
Students study ... during each modulestudy full-time for short periods
Why: On a module you study full-time, but only for a short period. The gap after 'study' needs that adverb: full-time.
The trap: Part-time is the course they've just been discussing. The modular course is the opposite: full-time in short blocks.
Question 27
Answer: a termRight after Monica mentions lectures and seminars during the day
Also accepted: one term
How long is one module?
attend lectures and seminars during the day. And each … for one term
Question says → You hear
A module takesfor one term
Why: Each module lasts one term. 'A term' or 'one term' both fit after 'takes'.
The trap: She adds 'about twelve weeks' straight after. The key lists only the term wording, so stick with that.
Question 28
Answer: intensiveWhen Monica names the main advantage of modules
What is the work on a module like?
much more intensive way, which suits some people much better
Question says → You hear
the work is verymuch more intensive way
Why: 'Study in a much more intensive way' becomes 'the work is very intensive'. You need an adjective: intensive.
The trap: Andrew calls the part-time course 'really tiring', but that's the other course, and it's not what the summary is describing.
Question 29
Answer: two modulesWhen Andrew asks how many modules he would need
Also accepted: 2 modules / for two terms / two terms
What must students complete first to get the diploma?
The current programme is two modules - and then you have to choose
Question says → You hear
each student has to studyThe current programme is two modules
Why: The programme is two modules. Write two modules (2 modules is also fine).
The trap: Eighteen months, said earlier, is the overall time. The gap needs what you study, not how long it takes.
Question 30
Answer: a topicStraight after 'two modules - and then'
Also accepted: one topic
What do students work on in depth at the end?
and then you have to choose … topic to work … more depth
Question says → You hear
work on ... in depthtopic to work … more depth
Why: After the two modules you choose a topic to study in more depth. The gap needs a noun phrase: a topic.
The trap: 'Your job' is mentioned next, but only as something you can base the topic on. The thing you work on is the topic.
Three numbers in two sentences: three years at the hospital, two years at the computer company, and about five years' experience in total. Only three is about the hospital.
Monica describes the part-time course (two years) and the modular course (eighteen months) in one breath. Many students write 18 months for the wrong course.
Monica says one term, then 'about twelve weeks'. The key is a term (or one term). Keep to the first wording, which is the one that fits the key.
Words from this recording worth keeping
prospectus(Opening)
a booklet describing a college and its courses
qualifications(Andrew's situation)
diplomas or certificates you earn by studying
unpaid leave(Paying for the course)
time off work without a salary
seminar(Part-time course)
a small class where students discuss a topic
final assessment(Part-time coursework)
the overall mark at the end of a course
coursework(Modular course)
essays and projects done during a course that count towards the mark
intensive(Modular course)
with a lot of work packed into a short time
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 5 Test 1 listening paper with the real audio: all four parts, played once, marked the moment you finish. Already done it? Take it again and listen for the traps this page showed you.
Cambridge IELTS 5, Test 1, 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.
