Kira's university experience: listening answers and explanations
Kira, a former student, visits Paul, her old language course teacher, a year after finishing his course. She tells him about her first year at university studying Pharmacy: writing assignments, the lecturers, a very busy timetable and her advice for overseas students.
Answers come in order. 21-22 are about her course and assignments, 23-25 about the lecturers (24 is Paul's suggestion, not Kira's view), and 26-30 come after Paul asks about her timetable, ending with her advice for overseas students.
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.
education systemAlso accepted: the education system
Multiple choice
Questions 21-22
How to attack this block: Kira mentions numbers and skills that appear in the options, but in a different context. Listen for her reason and for 'in fact', which introduces what really mattered.
Question 21
Answer: AWhen Paul asks if credits were why she chose the course
What had Kira done in her home country?
as I'd already finished a course in it in my country, I thought it would be easier if I studied something I already knew.
Question says → You hear
completed a courseI'd already finished a course in it in my country
Why: 'Already finished a course' is 'completed a course', A.
The trap: B uses the two years, but those are the credits she was given here, so she went straight into third year. C is about her course here, which was hard because she skipped two years.
Question 22
Answer: CWhen Paul asks about the big differences between the two countries
What did Kira have to do to succeed with assignments?
People expect you to have problems with the process of reading and writing but, in fact, it is more a question of … altering your viewpoint towards academic study.
Question says → You hear
change her way of thinkingaltering your viewpoint towards academic study
Why: 'Altering your viewpoint' means changing your way of thinking, C. Lecturers expected her to be critical, and she had to get used to that.
The trap: A and B come from 'reading and writing', but that's what people expect the problem to be. 'In fact' tells you the real issue is something else.
Sentence completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 23-25
How to attack this block: One word per gap, and the word form must fit the sentence: a verb after 'easier to', an adjective after 'more', a verb after 'that'. Question 24 is Paul's idea, which Kira then rejects, but the sentence only asks what Paul suggests.
Question 23
Answer: approachWhen Paul asks if the lecturers are the same as in her country
In what way are the lecturers easier here?
Well actually, no. Here, they're much easier to approach.
Question says → You hear
lecturers are easier tothey're much easier to approach
Why: The sentence copies 'easier to', and the verb is approach.
The trap: 'Understand' is near, but it's about the lectures' content and her questions, not the lecturers. Keep the verb she uses.
Question 24
Answer: maturePaul's reply after Kira describes asking lecturers for help
What does Paul suggest Kira may be now?
Maybe you found them different because you're a more mature student now, whereas when you were studying in your country you were younger and not so assertive.
Question says → You hear
Paul suggests that Kira may be moreMaybe you found them different because you're a more mature student now
Why: Paul's suggestion is that she's a more mature student now. The gap follows 'more', so write mature.
The trap: 'Assertive' is in the same sentence, but Paul uses it to describe her when she was younger ('not so assertive'). Kira then rejects his idea, which is a trap too: the question asks for Paul's suggestion.
Question 25
Answer: interestWhen Kira says most students make appointments
Besides worries, what do students want to discuss with lecturers?
usually to talk about something in the course that's worrying them, but sometimes just about something that might really interest them
Question says → You hear
things that worry them or that ... them very muchsomething in the course that's worrying them … something that might really interest them
Why: 'Really interest them' becomes '... them very much', so the verb is interest. Base form after 'that', with 'them' printed.
The trap: 'Specialise' follows straight after, but 'that specialise them' doesn't work. The gap needs interest.
Short answers (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 26-30
How to attack this block: Kira lists a lot of work in quick succession: practical sessions, pharmacy hours, hospital days, a full-time block. Each question asks about one of these, so match the question words (how, how often, how much) to the right part of her list.
Question 26
Answer: groupsWhen Paul asks about her timetable
Also accepted: in groups
How were the practical sessions done?
Apart from lectures, we had practical sessions in a lot of subjects. We did these in small groups.
Question says → You hear
How did the students do their practical sessions?We did these in small groups
Why: They did them in small groups. 'Groups', 'in groups' or 'small groups' all fit within three words.
The trap: 'A lot of subjects' describes which sessions, not how they were done.
Question 27
Answer: every 2 daysAfter the community pharmacy, 'Then in second semester'
Also accepted: every two days
How often did Kira work in a hospital in semester two?
Then in second semester, we had to get experience in hospital dispensaries, so every second day we went to one of the big hospitals and worked there.
Question says → You hear
In the second semester how oftenin second semester … every second day we went to one of the big hospitals
Why: 'Every second day' is the same as every two days. Write every 2 days or every two days, or the words you heard.
The trap: 'Four hours every week' just before is the community pharmacy, not the hospital.
Question 28
Answer: 2 weeksAt the end of her list, when she says 'I nearly forgot'
Also accepted: two weeks
How much full-time work did Kira do?
between first and second semesters, we had to work full-time for two weeks in a hospital.
Question says → You hear
How much full-time workwe had to work full-time for two weeks
Why: 'Full-time' is repeated from the question, and the amount is two weeks. Write 2 weeks or two weeks.
The trap: Four hours a week in the pharmacy is part-time. Every second day in hospitals is a pattern, not a block of full-time work.
Question 29
Answer: confidentWhen Paul asks if she feels a sense of achievement
How does Kira feel now she has finished the year?
Yeah, I do feel much more confident, which I suppose is the most important thing.
Question says → You hear
how does Kira feelI do feel much more confident
Why: She feels much more confident. One word is enough, or 'more confident' / 'much more confident' within the limit.
The trap: 'Pleased' and 'sense of achievement' are Paul's words in his question. Kira answers with confident.
Question 30
Answer: education systemWhen Paul asks 'Anything else?' after her advice about English
Also accepted: the education system
Besides language, what do overseas students need to get to know?
Well, as I said before, the biggest problem for me was a lack of familiarity with the education system here.
Question says → You hear
become familiar witha lack of familiarity with the education system here
Why: 'A lack of familiarity with' tells you what they need to become familiar with: the education system.
The trap: English is her first piece of advice, and the question excludes it with 'in addition to the language'.
Reading and writing are both said, so A and B are tempting. But Kira says people expect that to be the problem, 'but, in fact', it's about altering your viewpoint. That's changing her way of thinking, C.
Kira disagrees with Paul, so some people look for a different word. But the sentence asks what Paul suggests: that she's a more mature student now. 'Assertive' is the other word in his sentence, but it's about when she was younger.
Kira says 'I nearly forgot', and this is the one full-time block: two weeks in a hospital. Four hours a week in a pharmacy and every second day in hospitals are other kinds of work, not full-time.
Words from this recording worth keeping
enrol(Her course)
officially join a course
credited(Her course)
given official recognition for study already done
critical(Assignments)
judging the good and bad points of something
viewpoint(Assignments)
a way of thinking about something
assertive(Lecturers)
confident about saying what you want or think
specialise(Lecturers)
focus on one particular area
dispensaries(Timetable)
places in a hospital where medicines are prepared and given out
familiarity(Advice)
good knowledge of something from experience
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The full Cambridge 9 Test 4 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 9, 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.
