IELTS PREPARATION

UNIT 7: Education systems

Lesson 28: Answers

Pre-class

Exercise 1
Amy first went to her local 1. primary school at the age of five. The year before
that she attended a 2. nursery school, but her parents didn’t send her to a 3.
creche when she was very small. When Amy was ready to go on to secondary
school, she passed a special exam and so gained 4. admission to her local 5.
grammar school. Her friends didn’t do that exam. Like most children, they went
to a 6. comprehensive school. Only a few children from very rich families go to
famous 7. public schools and Amy only knew one girl from her class at primary
school who did. At the age of 16, Amy went on to 8. sixth-form college , where
she is currently studying English, History and Maths. Her ambition is to go on to
9. higher education and become a teacher.

Exercise 2:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1 Sally likes her maths Sally: Hi. Dad. How are you?
course because it is not
Father: I'm fine, Satly. How's the course going?
that difficult.
Satly: It’s going well, actually. (1) I’m really enjoying
2 She has four tutors who
my math course at the moment, mainly because it
are (highly)
is not that difficult compared to the other modules.
knowledgeable, but she
prefers Professor Jones due Father: Good. And what about the tutors - what are
to his style of teaching. they like?

3 Although course Sally: (2) Well I've got four, and they’re all highly
the
includes a lot of group knowledgeable, but Professor Jones is my favourite - I
really respond well to the way he teaches.

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work, Sally prefers to study Father: And are your fellow students nice, too?
alone.
Salty: Yes. I've made Lots of new friends and everyone
4 Sally is worried that she seems to be very hard-working. The course has lots of
will not pass her statistics group work, but to be honest, this isn't really the way I
module as she finds it Like to study - (3) I prefer to study alone.
much harder than the
Father: Oh well, I suppose not everything can be
other.
perfect.

Sally: I know. Dad, you're right. In fact, there is one

thing I'm a bit concerned about. (4) My statistics
module, I think I might not pass it.

Father: Well. Let’s wait and see, shall we - there’s

plenty of time to improve. Don't worry about it yet. OK?

Sally: Thanks, Dad, I’ll try not to.

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In-class

Exercise 1.

KEYS EXPLANATION

Nursery: 4 Conversation 4
A: I think it's really useful for them to start early. I know it can
be expensive, but it's worth It because they already know
what it's like to be with others in a class when they start
school.
B: That's true. In my case, it's not just the benefits of
socialising with other children, it also means I can go back
to work. It's a pity I can't get a free place for my son - though I
don't have to pay very much, thank goodness.

Useful vocabulary:

● socialise (v) giao tiếp xã hội

Primary school: 2 Conversation 2

A: So how's Jenny settling down? It's always difficult when
they start school. My son, Timmy, took weeks to get used to
being away from me all day.
B: Oh, she's fine. She loves it, especially learning to write. She
doesn't miss me at all. I'm the one with the problem. I really
miss her being at home all day. But after all, it's the law - she
has to go!

Secondary school: 6 Conversation 6

A: I'm a bit worried about my son. He's not doing very well.
The thing is he needs to understand that it's not like his last
school, when he did everything in the same class. He has to
make sure he knows his timetable and gets to the right
classroom on time. He keeps getting to class late and not
doing his homework.
B: Don't worry. It often takes time for them to adjust to the
idea of having more responsibility. I'm sure he'll do better
when he settles down.

Sixth form college: 7 Conversation 7

A: My son passed all his GCSE exams and wants to go to
university in two years' time. We can't decide whether he

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should continue at his school or go to that new college near

our house. What do you think?
B: Well, the college has taken the best kids from the local
schools since it opened two years ago and almost all of them
have passed their A levels and gone on to university, so I
think it's really good. Also, it makes them feel more grown-up
when they go there.

Further education: 1 Conversation 1

A: I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get the grades to get into
university. What are you going to do now?
B: I'm not sure. I can take my exams again at the local
college, but I'm not sure if I want to do that. Maybe I'll take a
vocational course there instead to learn the skills for a
particular job, like accountancy or business studies. At
least if I pass that, I can go straight into work.

Useful vocabulary:

● vocational course: khóa dạy nghề

● particular job: một công việc cụ thể

University: 5 Conversation 5
A: Well, my daughter is off tomorrow to start her degree
course – a whole new adventure in a new city. I'm nervous,
but she's really thrilled about it. There's a week for the new
students - it's called Freshers' Week-when they find out
what they need to know, join clubs and get used to being
away from home, and then the course starts the week after.
B: Well, don't worry. I'm sure she'll be fine. After all, she's 18
now and they all have to make their own way in the world
sometime.

Useful vocabulary:

● degree (n) bằng cấp (thường chỉ bằng đại học)

● fresher (n) người mới

Adult education: 3 Conversation 3

A: I've found this evening course in photography at my
local centre. It's two evenings a week and only costs £150 for
the term. You've always been interested in photography as
a hobby. Why don't you come too?

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B: Oh, I did that course last year. It's really good. I'm planning
to take a course on setting up a website, so that I can display
all my photos. It does seem strange, though, to be learning
something new again after so many years!

Exercise 2:

KEYS EXPLANATION

Nursery: E Conversation 4
A: I think it's really useful for them to start early. I know it
can be expensive, but it's worth it because they already
know what it's like to be with others in a class when they start
school.
B: That's true. In my case, it's not just the benefits of
socialising with other children, it also means I can go back to
work. It's a pity I can't get a free place for my son - though
I don't have to pay very much, thank goodness.

Primary school: F Conversation 2

A: So how's Jenny settling down? It's always difficult when
they start school. My son, Timmy, took weeks to get used to
being away from me all day.
B: Oh, she's fine. She loves it, especially learning to write. She
doesn't miss me at all. I'm the one with the problem. I really
miss her being at home all day. But after all, it's the law - she
has to go!

● being away from me all day ~ full time education

Secondary school: D Conversation 6

A: I'm a bit worried about my son. He's not doing very well.
The thing is he needs to understand that it's not like his last
school, when he did everything in the same class. He has
to make sure he knows his timetable and gets to the right
classroom on time. He keeps getting to class late and not
doing his homework.
B: Don't worry. It often takes time for them to adjust to the
idea of having more responsibility. I'm sure he'll do better
when he settles down.

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● no longer study in one classroom ~ did everything in

the same class
● have to go to different classrooms ~ he knows his
timetable and gets to the right classroom on time

Sixth form college: G Conversation 7

A: My son passed all his GCSE exams and wants to go to
university in two years' time. We can't decide whether he
should continue at his school or go to that new college near
our house. What do you think?
B: Well, the college has taken the best kids from the local
schools since it opened two years ago and almost all of
them have passed their A levels and gone on to university,
so I think it's really good. Also, it makes them feel more
grown-up when they go there.

Further education: C Conversation 1

A: I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get the grades to get into
university. What are you going to do now?
B: I'm not sure. I can take my exams again at the local college,
but I'm not sure if I want to do that. Maybe I'll take a
vocational course there instead to learn the skills for a
particular job, like accountancy or business studies. At
least if I pass that, I can go straight into work.

● prepare students for work in a certain profession ~ to

learn the skills for a particular job

University: A Conversation 5
A: Well, my daughter is off tomorrow to start her degree
course – a whole new adventure in a new city. I'm nervous,
but she's really thrilled about it. There's a week for the new
students - it's called Freshers' Week-when they find out what
they need to know, join clubs and get used to being away from
home, and then the course starts the week after.
B: Well, don't worry. I'm sure she'll be fine. After all, she's 18
now and they all have to make their own way in the world
sometime.

● first time students become completely independent…

study in places a long way from their homes ~ a whole

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new adventure in a new city … they all have to make

their own way in the world sometime

Adult education: B Conversation 3

A: I've found this evening course in photography at my local
centre. It's two evenings a week and only costs £150 for the
term. You've always been interested in photography as a
hobby. Why don't you come too?
B: Oh, I did that course last year. It's really good. I'm planning
to take a course on setting up a website, so that I can display
all my photos. It does seem strange, though, to be learning
something new again after so many years!

● courses in all kinds of subjects, usually after work or at

the weekend ~ this evening course in photography at
my local centre/photograph as a hobby/a course on
setting up a website
● The courses are usually quite cheap ~ only costs £150
for the term

Exercise 3:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. Reception Transcript:
2. Infant
Lecturer: The British education system is not the same
3. Junior
everywhere in the UK. Scotland has its own system, and while
4. Standard
Northern Ireland has the same basic system as England and
Assessment
Wales, there are some differences. Because of this, I'm going to
Tests
focus mainly on England and Wales. The system in England and
5. Teacher
Wales is divided into three main levels: primary, secondary and
Assessments
tertiary. In the first part of my lecture, I'll talk about the primary
6. General
and secondary levels up to the age of 16, and in the second part
Certificates of
I'll discuss the options between 16 and 18. Then, finally, I'll talk
Secondary
about tertiary, or 'higher' level, education. As in most similar
Education
countries, education at school is compulsory between the ages of
7. Modern
five and 16. Pupils can leave school at 16 but they must stay in an

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Foreign approved learning environment until the age of 18. This can be
Languages full-time education, a job or volunteering combined with
part-time study, or an apprenticeship, sometimes called a
'traineeship'. Before the age of five, children can attend nursery,
though they don't have to attend any educational institution at all
before the age of five. (1) However, when they reach the age of
four, they usually start school in an early class called
'Reception', which helps them to adjust to regular schooling.
Primary school runs from the ages of five to 11. (2) The first
part of primary school, between the ages of five and seven, is
traditionally known as 'infant school' and this is where
children learn to manipulate numbers, read and write.
Traditional infant schools offer an informal education using
child-centred techniques. (3) The second part of primary
school, from seven to 11, is known as 'junior school'. The
education system has undergone various changes in the last 30
years, most notably with the National Curriculum, which was put
in place in 1988 to specify a set of core main subjects that all
school pupils have to study. (4) These subjects have to be
assessed at four key stages up to the age of 16. At certain
stages, the children take exams known as 'Standard
Assessment Tests', or 'SATS'. These tests are designed to check
the pupils' progress against the national standards, as well as to
provide teachers and parents with an assessment of their
school's performance. (5) Key Stage 1 assessment comes at the
age of seven, when the pupils do their first 'Teacher
Assessments'. Key Stage 2 comes at the age of 11, when the
pupils are ready to leave primary school. Although teachers
assess their pupils' progress throughout primary school, at the
end of Key Stage 2, unlike in Key Stage 1, pupils have to take
SATS. Key Stage 3 is reached after the first three years in
secondary school, when the pupils are 14. However, this time, the

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students are assessed directly by the teachers and not by sitting

national tests. These assessments help teachers, students and
parents to decide which subjects the students should choose to
prepare for (6) Key Stage 4, when they take exams which will
help decide their future career choices. Unlike SATS, these
assessments, known as 'General Certificate of Secondary
Education' exams, or 'GCSEs', are not primarily designed to
assess progress or give schools an official statement of their
performance, but to provide students with their own personal
qualifications.
The National Curriculum defined a set of compulsory subjects.
These are subjects which the law requires all students to study.
There are also some subjects which pupils and students have to
study at different stages. (7) For example, Modern Foreign
Languages start in primary school, and continue up to Key
Stage 3, after which they're optional. In secondary school,
students take Citizenship from Key Stage 3. When they enter Key
Stage 4, pupils are allowed to make more choices. For example,
all learners have to take History and Design and Technology up to
the age of 14, but then they can choose whether to continue them
or not.

Exercise 4:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. Academic Transcript:
Lecturer: Now I'd like to turn to educational opportunities
2. Further
between the ages of 16 and 18. There are various choices open
education/ FE to pupils of this age. The first thing to decide is whether to start
3. University work or to continue studying full-time. Of course, starting work
4. Employment means going straight into employment, although young people
aged between 16 and 18 will still need either to study part-time,
5. Apprenticeship as well as doing their job, or to join an apprenticeship or

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traineeship scheme. (1) For those who want to continue

studying full-time, there are two paths: academic and
vocational. Academic qualifications, mainly Advanced level
exams, known as 'A levels', are taken by students aiming for
university study. (2) Vocational qualifications, such as those
offered by the Business and Technology EducationCouncil (or
'BTEC' for short), prepare pupils for a specific profession,
such as engineering or computing. Most of those who wish to
continue academic studies will go to the sixth form in their
school or a specialist sixth form college. Alternatively, they
can study A levels at a further education college, also known
as an 'FE' college. (3) Either of these routes will take
students to university. On the other hand, those who wish to
study a vocational qualification will typically go to a Further (4)
Education college and, after qualifying, will be ready for
employment. There are other options for those who want to
start work at 16. Since 2015, young people between the ages of
16 and 18 must continue to learn in a specified learning
environment, in addition to working for an employer. The first
option is to work for an employer and study part-time for a
vocational qualification, such as a National Vocational
Qualification (or 'NVQ' for short). (5) The second is to apply
for an apprenticeship or traineeship. With apprenticeships,
young people get to work with experienced staff and gain
job-related skills. They earn a wage, although this is typically
less than a 'regular' employee, and get to continue studying
part-time - usually one day a week. They study towards a
qualification related to the job they are doing and their
apprenticeship can last anywhere between one and four years.
Almost always, they are offered a permanent job by the same
employer at the end of their apprenticeship.

Exercise 5:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. five Mr Green: So, Amanda, you want me to help you with your
application. Let's have a look at the UCAS website. Do you know
2. statement
what 'UCAS' stands for, by the way? It's the University and
3. reference Colleges Admissions Service. Have you set up an account with
them yet?
4. conditional
Amanda: Yes. I did it last week, but I haven't completed my
application. One thing I need to know is how many universities I

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5. confirm can apply to.

Mr Green: Well, first of all, you need to see how many offer the
6. clearing
course you want. Remember, you'll want to choose the
universities which have the best reputation, but you need to
have some kind of back-up in case you don't get into your first
choice. What are you studying?
Amanda: I'm doing A levels in Biology, Chemistry and
Psychology, so I'm thinking of taking Biochemistry.
Mr Green: OK. Well, there are seven good choices I could give
you. Apart from Oxford and Cambridge, Imperial College in
London is very good, and York is also a good possibility and
easier to get into.
Amanda: OK. I don't think I'll get into Oxford or Cambridge, so I
can include York and Imperial College.
Mr Green: OK. (1) I think you should go for those two, plus
three others, because the maximum number that you can
put on your application is five. How about Durham, Sheffield
and Exeter?
Amanda: OK, I'll look at those. Another thing I'm not sure about
ishow to make a good assessment of myself and my skills and
abilities. I've always found that difficult.
Mr Green: (2) You mean your 'personal statement'? Well, just
be honest. I can help you phrase it so that it reads well, but you
need to note down what you want to include. If you can do that
by Friday, we can write it up together.
Amanda: That's great! Thanks.
Mr Green: Well, that's what I'm here for - to give you the advice
that you need. (3) After you've completed your application, I
can add the reference and your predicted grades before
sending it to UCAS.
Amanda: Great! After we send it in, what happens next?
Mr Green: Well, UCAS processes your application and sends it
on to each university that you've chosen. Then the universities
assess it and decide whether to make you an offer. Remember
that your predicted grades are only provisional, which means
they are not confirmed until you get your actual results, so you
need to pass the exams to actually get those grades. (4) Usually
any offer from a university will be a conditional offer. That
means they can't give you a definite offer because it
depends on your final grades. Then, when your exam results
come through, they get sent to the school here
and to the universities.
Amanda: Do I have to contact the universities to ask them about
my application?
Mr Green: No. They'll contact UCAS about their offer. (5) If you
meet the predicted grades, they'll usually confirm the
original offer, but if not, they don't tend to renew it or change
it.

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Amanda: Oh, I hope that doesn't happen. But if it does, what can
I do?
Mr Green: Well, if you don't get a place at any of your chosen
universities, you can take a year off and try reapplying next year.
(6) Alternatively, you can try to get a place through
'clearing'. This is a way universities fill remaining places on
their courses and it's a second chance for students to get into
another university if they didn't succeed with any of their
chosen ones. It's a sort of safety net, but I hope it doesn't come
to that.
Amanda: Well, thanks for your help. I'll complete my
application and then come and see you on Friday.
Mr Green: Glad to help, Amanda. See you then.

Exercise 6:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1-a Dr Harris: Hi, Terry. Come in. What can I do for you?
Terry: Hi, Dr Harris. Well, I just wanted to check on some information
2-b
about the course, as it's all new to me.
3-a Dr Harris: Of course. What do you need to know?
Terry: Well, first of all, (1) I'm not sure exactly what a seminar is
4-a
for. We never had them at school. I know it's to discuss things
5-b together, but is it more than that?
Dr Harris: Well, yes, you're right, it really is. You see, at university
we typically have lectures, you know, with about 100 or 200
students in the lecture theatre together. It's a one-way form of
learning. The lecturer sets out the topic and discusses it and you take
notes. Then you need to review your notes following the lecture and
also do some extra reading.
Terry: And where does the seminar fit in?
Dr Harris: It could come at any time once you've had some time to
think about the lecture. When you attend the seminar, you should have
some of your own ideas to discuss with the other students, usually up
to ten of you. It allows you to discuss the topic, exchange ideas and
prepare for your assignments.
Terry: OK, thanks. And what about tutorials? Are they like seminars?
Dr Harris: Well, usually we try to space them out over the term, so
that we can have a chance to check on your progress and how well
you're doing with your assignments. It often depends on when your
tutor is available, and at times that might mean you have three weeks
between tutorials. (2) Normally, every term you should have one at
the beginning, then usually another four, spaced out depending
on your programme, and one before the holiday. So that works
out at about one every two weeks.

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Terry: Right. And what about assessment? How many exams do we

have to do?
Dr Harris: Well, that varies from course to course, but generally we
focus on continuous assessment more than exams, though exams are,
ofcourse, very important too. (3) We tend to assess you over the
first two years through your assignments, which is over half of
your overall assessment, usually 60%, and then most of your
exams will come in the final year.
Terry: OK, I'm happy with that. I get really nervous before exams. And
talking about assignments, how long should they be?
Dr Harris: On all undergraduate courses, students tend to write about
3,000 words or so, but it varies depending on the question. (4)
However, there's a minimum of 2,000, and while there's no upper
limit, you should be careful that you don't write too much as a lot of
that might not be relevant to the question.
Terry: So I should aim for between two and three thousand as a rule ...
there's one last thing I wanted to check about assignments, and that's
references. How many do we need generally?
Dr Harris: Well, as your course is international finance, you have to
use banking, finance and news sources as well as academic sources.
(5) Ideally, you should have around ten references for each
assignment to show that you've read widely, but we expect a
minimum of five sources which are academic journals and books.
From the other sources, we'd generally expect three to be used.
Terry: OK, thank you, Dr Harris. That cleared up a lot of things for me.
Dr Harris: Glad to be of help, Terry. See you next week.

Exercise 7:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. Postgraduate Dr Ross: So, Jessica, congratulations! You got a first class

Certificate degree. I always knew you could manage it. What are your
plans now?
2. Master ... Science Jessica: Thank you! I couldn't have done it without all your
help. Well, I'm not sure. I'm still thinking about the
3. research degree possibilities. I'm not sure if I want to teach or go into research,
or even find a position in a company, perhaps.
4. company Dr Ross: Well, anyone with a degree in Chemistry will always
internship be in high demand. Have you thought about teaching?
Jessica: Yes, but don't you need a degree in education to do
5. graduate fair that?
Dr Ross: Well, many teachers do that, but, of course, you have
to be sure that you want to teach before starting your degree
course. In your case though, (1) your main route into

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teaching would be to do a Postgraduate Certificate in

Education. That's another year of study, and you'll learn
everything you need to know about teaching, while also
getting teaching practice in your subject at local schools. You
could study that here if you want.
Jessica: That sounds like a good idea. I'll think about it, but I
feel I have more studying to do in chemistry before I think
about teaching it.
Dr Ross: (2) Then you could always take a Master of
Science degree. That will allow you to specialise in a
particular area of chemistry, but if you want to teach
secondary schools, you won't need to have such a
specialisation. It's up to you.
Jessica: Yes, I see. (3) Actually, I've often thought of doing a
research degree.
Dr Ross: That would be a very good idea, but remember that
it will take you at least three years to complete that.It would
probably be better to do a Master's degree first and then
transfer onto a PhD course. It also costs a lot, and you may
need to fund yourself while you're studying. Have you thought
of going straight into work?
Jessica: Yes, I have, but I'm not sure if that's the best choice for
me.
Dr Ross: Well, you could try doing a company internship for a
few months. (4) A company internship is a chance to work
in a company without actually being an employee, but
possibly with somepay. It'll give you a chance to develop
your career and also learn more about your subject
specialisation in a commercial environment. After that, you
may well get a good position in the company. We have some
good commercial contacts for internships here.
Jessica: That might be the best option, but I wouldn't earn
much to begin with, would I?
Dr Ross: No, you wouldn't. You could try getting a permanent
job now if you want. (5) There's a graduate fair here in the
city every year, as well as in other cities around the
country. You'll have the chance to meet all the leading
companies in the sector and discuss opportunities with
them.
Jessica: It's worth considering. Well, I have a lot to think
about. Can I meet you again next week?

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Dr Ross: Of course. Just send me an email and let me know

when would be a good time.

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Post-class

Exercise 1:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. Youth club Transcript:

2. Welcome pack The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a programme of activities
3. Coordinator/ designed to help young people from all backgrounds develop
personally. There are three levels: Bronze. Silver and Bold, and
Co-ordinator
for each level participants have to complete a series of activities
4. Record book in four categories: volunteering, physical. skills, and expedition.
5. badge
This talk will explain what you have to do in order to get a Bronze
award. (1) The first thing you need to do is find a Duke of
Edinburgh centre near you. This could be your school,
college, or youth club. Then you'll need to pay a small fee to
enrol in the programme. (2) Once you’ve enrolled, you’ll get a
welcome pack which explains the four categories in more detail.
Then you can start planning what to do. (3) You can do many
different types of activity for each category, but you must get
them approved by your Duke of Edingurgh Coordinator
before you start so you don't waste time doing something which
is not approved. The other important person is your assessor. (4)
This is the person who will certify that you’ve completed
each activity by signing your record book. After you've
completed all the activities in the time given, your assessor will
send your record book results to the operating authority, who
will check it. (5) If everything is satisfactory, you’ll get your
certificate and badge to confirm you’ve completed the award.
And after that, you can start working on the Silver award!

Exercise 2:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. less reliable Tutor: Good morning, Phil, Jackie. I hope your project is going
2. (general/very) well.
expensive (to Phil: Morning, Mr Jackson.
produce)

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3. critical analysis Jackie: Hi Mr Jackson. Well, we've made a start on analysing the
4. wide reading different forms of renewable energy, but unfortunately we don't
really agree on some points.

Tutor: OK, why don't we talk about it?

Phil: Well, Jackie believes that all forms of renewable energy are
beneficial economically, whereas I doubt that that's true for all of
them.

Tutor: Such as?

Phil: (1) Such as wind, wave and solar energy because

they're less reliable.

Tutor: That's a valid point but I don't think that's a large enough
factor to disregard it completely.

Jackie: Exactly, that's what I said.

Phil: (2) However, another drawback is that they're

generally very expensive to produce.

Tutor: Yes, you're right. And that is a concern when evaluating

their usefulness in future.

Jackie: I agree with you to a point, but it's likely that the cost
will come down. I read a report in the Journal of Environmental
Science that estimates the cost would fall by twenty per cent
over the next ten years, which is significant, isn't it?

Tutor: Absolutely, Jackie. But you need to think about how

difficult it is to predict the future cost of non- traditional energy
sources before you believe the report. (3) Remember: in your
project I want to see evidence of critical analysis. Make sure
you've analysed all the information rather than just
accepting the information that you agree with. (4) Also it's
very important that you demonstrate wide reading around
the subject.

Jackie: I know, it's just that I'm not convinced that it's going to
continue to be that expensive, especially if there's a demand
from consumers.

Phil:Well, what about if we analyse the costing process as part of

our project?

UNIT 7/ Listening
 IELTS PREPARATION

Tutor: That's an excellent idea, Phil. OK, so let's imagine that we

want to forecast the cost of producing solar energy. How could
we do that, Jackie?

Jackie: Urn, well, I think we'd have to start by working out

how many hours of daylight there are in the UK per year.

Phil: The Meteorological Office would have data on that.

Jackie: Then estimate the number of hours of sun to get a rough

total.

Phil: And then I suppose we'd need to work out how much it
would cost to supply the average home with solar power,
and then extrapolate that to get a number for the whole
country.

Tutor: Good, and don't forget the price of power conversion

stations - this will have a significant impact on overall
expenditure. And there's one more factor you haven't taken into
account yet, regarding the consumers.

Jackie: Urn ... whether they would change from traditional to

renewable energy?

Tutor: No, but think about what might make them change?

Jackie: Oh, yes. How much they would be willing to pay.

Tutor: Exactly. Well done.

Exercise 3:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. general Tutor: Hi, James. How's your alternative energy research project
2. specific going?
3. make notes
James: To be honest, I'm a bit confused about how to do the
4. (kind of)
research for all the different energy types.
system
5. relevance Tutor: Well, the first thing to do is to make sure you focus your
question, otherwise you'll have too much to read and you won't
be able to select the key arguments.

UNIT 7/ Listening
IELTS PREPARATION

James: So how do I do that?

Tutor: Start with the general topic of alternative energy and then
keep asking questions until you've narrowed the topic down to
one particular area. Then, when you have your question, make a
list of the reading you will need. (1) This list should be general
to give you some background, but remember you'll need to
focus on the issues related to the question, so (2) the reading
list should also be specific to the actual energy source you’ve
chosen, whether it's wind or solar or wave power.

James: And then start reading?

Tutor: Absolutely. (3) You need to start straight away, but

don't forget to make notes as you read, otherwise you won't be
able to keep track of ideas for future reference purposes.

James: Yes, that makes sense. I think that’s my main problem- I

don’t recall where I’ve read different ideas so I can’t find them
again later. (4) And my friends have warned me that not
recording ideas in a system can really hinder your progress.

Tutor: Your friends are right- it’s a common problem amongst

students. You need a system. Anyway, once you’ve done the
reading and made all your notes, you need to organise them so
that you can analyse and think about what you’ve read.

James: But I prefer to just start writing and then go back and
look at my notes later.

Tutor: Hmm… I wouldn’t recommend it. (5) I think you need to

give yourself more time to digest the material and arrange it
into some kind of system ready for analysis in terms of
relevance to your research questions.

James: Well, that’s a great help. Thank you, Professor Jenkins.

Tutor: You’re welcome. Come and see me again if you have any

UNIT 7/ Listening
 IELTS PREPARATION

more problems.

Exercise 4:

KEYS EXPLANATION

1. evenings, Receptionist: OK, follow me. Let’s go up the stairs to the main
Sundays equipment room. …. As you can see we have all the readmills,
bikes and rowing machines in here. And the weights are in the
2. (the)
corner.
television/ TV
Brad: Great. And is that the pool over there? Can I use that with
advert my membership?
3. (reach)
Receptionists: Yes, at any time. Just go through the glass doors
optimum
fitness on the left. As you can see, the pool is dominated by the diving
board at the gar end. It’s impressively tall, and on the right hand
side of the pool you can see we have two lanes. The first one is a
slow lane for those who are trying to improve their fitness. It gets
really busy! The lane on the far right is what we call the club lane.
Because we reserve this for people who have membership, it is
slightly less busy and the members can get a really good workout
in it.

Brad: That sounds great!

Receptionist: Yes, it is good. And then near us you can see a

smaller area sectioned off nearly halfway across the pool. This
area is where we put the school groups which come in the late
afternoons during the week. Usually from about four. We keep
them confined to that space so that the other end can be used for
free swimming.

Brad: And what is the little round pool for?

Receptionist: We call that the toddlers pool. It’s not very deep,
and the mothers often bring their children in to teach them to
swim in it.

Brad: Great. Well, I am glad I can use the pool. It will be good to
vary my exercise.

Receptionist: Definitely. When do you think you’ll be coming?

UNIT 7/ Listening
IELTS PREPARATION

Brad: (1) Most likely in the evening. I’d like to come on

Saturdays, but I often work then, so I think I’ll have to miss
that day and then come on Sundays.

Receptionist: Oh, so you’ll be a regular visitor? That’s great

news! Can I ask why you chose Smiths Gym?

Brad:(2) Well, actually the television advert prompted me to

join. It makes exercising look so much fun! I always thought
going to the gym would be monotonous.

Receptionist: No, not at all. It can be a lot of fun.

Brad: (3) My aim is to reach my optimum fitness. At the

moment I think I’m a bit unhealthy, so I’d like to change that.

Receptionist: Well, give it some time and I’m sure you will. Now,
shall we go back and complete the payment.

UNIT 7/ Listening