A Conversation Between a Tutor and a Student Talking About a Case Study - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section consists of four sections with two conversations and two monologues. There are a total of forty questions in IELTS Listening. This sample is section Three of IELTS Listening which is a conversation between a tutor and a student talking about a case study. There are similar topics found in IELTS Listening practice papers. This section contains the following question type:

• Multiple choice
• Choose the correct answer

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Audio Transcript

(J – Jack; T – tutor)

J: Hi! Am I bothering you? Is it OK to see you now?

Hi Jack! No bother. Please come in. As your tutor this year, it’s my responsibility to oversee your assignments. Now, where are my notes? Oh yes, here they are. OK. I see that we were going to look at your case study on the challenges of urban planning in the 21st centuryand how to make it as ‘green’ as possible. How’s it all going?

J: Actually, I’m pretty happy with it. Can I talk you through it to make sure I’m on the right track?

T: Of course, please do. I’ll stop you if I have any questions.

J: OK, well I started by giving an overview of what ‘green’ urban planning has been up until now. Firstly, there’s the idea of a green belt. This is the one that everyone’s heard of, but I found that while it was successful for a short time and in limited cases, it grossly over oversimplified things.

T: Well that’s a good and practical start. What else did you look at? I hope that you also considered the idea of decentralization ?

J: Yes, that was really interesting, as although there were no objections to it and it looked good on paper, it just, didn’t work in practice.

T: Yes, a conundrum indeed. However, I think you’ll find that there are many fads that come and go in this area. It isn’t the first and it won’t be the last to simply disappear off the face of the planet. Well this is all very good so far. What did you look at next?

J: I then researched the 1960s fad of building new towns on new sites, but I found that although there are isolated cases of success, they tended to cost too much time and money to build.

T: Keeping to that theme, have you considered the idea of brown field sites? That is sites that previously had another use, being converted into residential areas?

J: Like the idea of buildings that were once banks being turned into restaurants? That kind of thing?

T: Yeah, that’s right.

J: No, I hadn’t thought of that.

T: Well. I’d say it’s a pretty important option in most urban areas today. Even though there have been issues with safety, if the land were contaminated in any way, at least it tends to attract no objections from local residents.

J: OK, thanks. I’ll make sure I put that in.

T: Anything else?

J: Well, I’m not sure about this last one, but 1 thought the idea of pedestrianizing central areas was an interesting concept. Do you think it’s valid here?

T: Oh, it’s certainly not a bad idea. The only thing is that it would probably intensify the problem of congestion in inner city areas and would disrupt local residents’ sleep, if the construction work were to happen during the night. The use of loud excavators to re-pave the area would be inevitable.

J: Yes, I take your point, but in some older cities, I think it’s one of the few viable options .

T: Well as long as you state that, then it can definitely be included.

J: OK, so that’s my introduction to urban planning sorted , but now I come to the main part, which is the case study. It was really difficult to choose as there are so many good examples, but in the end I settled on Curitiba, which is the capital of the south Brazilian state of Parana.

T: Ah, yes. Nice choice. How’s the research coming along?

J: Well, to be honest, I’m finding the amount of material a bit too much. There’s such a diverse range of statistics that it makes it almost impossible to be selective .

T: Well, tell me a bit more about what you’ve discovered, and then we’ll see if we can come up with a plan to tackle the problem.

J: Well, it’s fascinating. Local authorities managed to achieve so much since the 1960s , principally because rather than waiting for central government initiatives they chose a cohesive strategy where residents were consulted. Then they took their ideas and implemented them into local government planning to come up with a plan everybody was happy with.

T: A ha! A bottom-up approach . Do go on …

J: Well, the transport system is a real example of the town’s eco-friendly image. Even though they have one of the highest number of cars per person in the country, they also have the highest number of people using public transport . This is because poor and elderly residents are able to benefit from a social fair that allows them to use the system for less. This has led to low levels of pollution which also encourages citizens to use bicycles more.

T: Well, that’s really impressive Jack. Well done. But I do have some suggestions to help you with finalizing your case study.

J: Please…

T: If you are going to prove Curitiba’s success, you need to refer to specifics . You mentioned pedestrian only areas in your introduction, how about that?

J: Yes, OK.

T: And what about the amount of parking for all of those cars?

J: I didn’t come across that in my research, but I can look it up.

Yeah, I think it’s important.

J: And what about considering where people live in relation to their place of work? If they live in the suburbs , how about mentioning how far they need to travel in order to get to work?

T: And don’t forget about their recycling strategy, including how easy it is and how much they recycle, making sure you include statistics to back it up.

J: OK, got it.

T All in all Jack, you’ve really done your homework and I very much look forward to receiving your final draft.

J: Thanks professor. You’ve been a great help.

Questions 21-25.

Choose FIVE descriptions from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to questions 21-25.

How do the speakers describe green urban planning options?

Descriptions

1. dangerous
2. too expensive
3. too many objections
4. disruptive
5. unpractical
6. unsuccessful

21. green belt
22. decentralization
23. new towns
24. brownfield sites
25. pedestrianized zones

Question 21.

Answer: F

Explanation: Jack said “I found that while it was successful for a short time and in limited cases,” so the answer should be F.

Also, check:

Question 22.

Answer: E

Explanation: The tutor asked Jack “I hope that you also considered the idea of decentralization?” Jack responds that “it just didn't work in practice.” Hence the answer is E.

Question 23.

Answer: B

Explanation: Jack said “they tended to cost too much time and money to build” so here the answer must be option B.

Question 24.

Answer: A

Explanation: As mentioned by the tutor, “there have been issues with safety,” so we can determine that the answer is A.

Question 25.

Answer: D

Explanation: Following the conversation, we can know that “pedestrianizing central areas which would probably intensify the problem of congestion in inner-city areas and would disrupt local residents’ sleep”. So the answer should be D.

Questions 26-28

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C. Write answers next to 26-28 on your answer sheet.

26. Which area is Jack having the most problems with?

1. Understanding the statistics.
2. The lack of material.
3. The selection of statistics.

Answer: C

Explanation: The lecturer explicitly states that “There’s such a diverse range of statistics that it makes it almost impossible to be selective.” So the answer must be C.

27. What has been central to Curitiba’s success?

1. Central government intervention.
2. Working together with residents.
3. Giving responsibility to strategists.

Answer: B

Explanation: Jack stated, “a cohesive strategy where residents were consulted”. It has a very close meaning with the question “Working together with residents”. Hence the answer is B.

28. Why does the transport system work so well?

1. There are cheap fares for the poor and elderly.
2. Bicycles can use the bus lanes.
3. There is low car ownership.

Answer: A

Explanation: As stated by Jack, “This is because poor and elderly residents are able to benefit from a social fair that allows them to use the system for less”. Thus, the answer must be A.

Questions 29 and 30.

Choose TWO letters, A-E, and write answers next to 29-30 on your answer sheet.

Which does the tutor suggest are the TWO areas Jack needs to focus on?

1. the amount of parkland
2. the employment strategy
3. the pedestrianized zones
4. the recycling scheme
5. the suburban areas

Question 29.

Answer: C

Explanation: The first area suggested by the tutor on which Jack needs to focus on is the pedestrianized zones. We can hear the tutor saying “You mentioned pedestrian-only areas in your introduction” Hence, option C is the correct one.

Question 30.

Answer: D

Explanation: Another area that Jack needs to focus on is the recycling scheme. The tutor states that ‘don’t forget about their recycling strategy’ so the answer is D.