A Conversation Between a University Counsellor and Two Overseas Students - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section comprises two conversations and two monologues. Candidates need to answer 40 IELTS listening questions. This topic - A conversation between a university counselor and two overseas students is IELTS Listening section One. Candidates need to answer the following question types:

• Complete the notes

Audio Transcript

In this section, you will hear two overseas students Kate and Luki being interviewed by a university counsellor. First, look at questions 1 to 5.

You will see that there is an example which has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to the example will be played first.

Counsellor: Hi there, Kate, come on in. How are you today?

Kate: Fine,Thanks.

Counsellor: Hi. Luki, how are things?

Luki: Okay

Counsellor: Well, as I explained on the phone, I'm a counsellor here at the student services section of the university and I’m interviewing overseas students to help me draw up a guide for new students. So I'd be grateful, if you could tell me a little about the time, since you've been here in Cambridge.

Kate: Right

Luki: Good idea

Counsellor: Now, Kate, let’s start with you. Ok. mmm...This is your second semester. Isn't it? Could you tell us something about your first impressions of the town when you arrived?

Kate: Yeah. Well, first of all, I was struck by how quiet it is here, in the evening.

Kate’s first impression of the town is that it is quite in the evening. So “quiet” is the answer. Now, we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Now, listen to the first interview with Kate and complete the notes by filling in the numbered spaces 1 to 5.

Counsellor: Hi there, Kate, come on in. How are you today?

Kate: Fine,Thanks.

Counsellor: Hi Luki, how are things?

Luki: Okay

Counsellor: Well, as I explained on the phone, I'm a counsellor here at the student services section of the university and I’m interviewing overseas students to help me draw up a guide for new students. So I'd be grateful, if you could tell me a little about the time, since you've been here in Cambridge.

Kate: Right

Luki: Good idea

Counsellor: Now, Kate, let’s start with you. Ok. mmm...This is your second semester. Isn't it? Could you tell us something about your first impressions of the town when you arrived?

Kate: Yeah. Well, first of all, I was struck by how quiet it is here, in the evening.

Counsellor: Yeah, I suppose Cambridge is a quiet place. mmm...Where did you live when you first arrived?

Kate: Well, I went straight into student accommodation. It was a kind of student hostel.

Counsellor: All right, so you didn't have to worry about doing your own cooking or anything like that?

Kate: No, but sometimes I wished I had! The food at the hostel was awful.

Counsellor: Oh Dear! But how were the other students?

Kate: To be honest, I haven't managed to make many friends, even though the place is full. People seem to keep to themselves. They're not really very friendly.

Counsellor: Oh! I'm sorry to hear that. mm...Well, what about the actual course? You’re studying...?

Kate: I’m doing a masters by coursework in Environmental Studies.

Counsellor: All right, and how are you finding that?

Kate: Yeah, well, it's been pretty good really! I’ve enjoyed the course, but I feel there hasn't been enough contact with the lecturers. They all seem to be incredibly busy. The only chance I’ve really had to talk to them was on the field trip.

Counsellor: Well, that's not good. mmm...Could anything be done to improve the course in your opinion?

Kate: Well, I think it would be helpful to have meetings with lecturers on the course. Say, once a

fortnight. Something like that..

Counsellor: Regular meetings. Yes, that would certainly help. Now, Kate, will come back to you in a minute, but I would just like to ask Luki some questions.

Before they continue the interview, look at questions 6 to 10.

AS you listen to the rest of the interview and complete the notes.

Counsellor: Luki, where are you from?

Luki: I'm from Indonesia.

Counsellor: And how did you find Cambridge when you first arrived?

Luki: Well, I like it here. I think the city is very beautiful.

Counsellor: What about your accommodation? Was that okay?

Luki: Yes. Okay. At first, I stayed with a family for three months. They were very kind to me, but they had three young children and I found it difficult to study.

Counsellor: Right, I see.

Luki: So after three months, I moved out and now I live with two other students in a student house. It's much cheaper and we like it there.

Counsellor: Good. And then, what about your studies? What are you studying?

Luki: I'm doing a bachelor of computing.

Counsellor: Computing, I see, and apart from the language difficulties, if you can separate them, how have you found the course?

Luki: Course, okay, but ..

Counsellor: Yes, go on..

Luki: Well, the main difficulty for me is getting time on the computers in a computer room. It's always busy and this makes it very hard to do my practical work.

Counsellor: Yes. I'm sure it would. Can you reserve time in the computer room?

Luki: No, you can't. But it will certainly help if we could reserve computer time.

Counsellor: Yes. I’ll look into that and see if something can be done to improve things over there. Now, let's go back to Kate….

That is the end of Section 1.

Questions 1-10.

Complete the notes. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Question 1.

Answer: student accommodation/hostel

Explanation: Kate mentioned ‘ i went straight into student accommodation’. Therefore the answer is ‘student accommodation’.

Also, check:

Question 2.

Answer: awful food

Explanation: According to Kate ‘The food at the hostel was awful’. So we need to write ‘awful food’ in the given blank.

Question 3.

Answer: not friendly//kept to themselves (do not accept “lonely”)

Explanation: Kate mentioned that ‘People seem to keep to themselves. They're not really very friendly’. According to this statement, the answer will be ‘not friendly’.

Question 4.

Answer: lecturers (too) busy

Explanation: Kate stated ‘ I feel there hasn't been enough contact with the lecturers. They all seem to be incredibly busy’. Therefore the answer is lecturers (too) busy.

Question 5.

Answer: regular meetings//meetings with lecturers//fortnightly meetings

Explanation: The counsellor agrees to Kate’s suggestion of having regular meetings with lecturers. Hence the answer is regular meetings.

Question 6.

Answer: family//homestay

Explanation: Luki mentioned that ‘ At first, I stayed with a family for three months’. So the answer would be family//homestay.

Question 7.

Answer: a lot of noise//children made noise//difficult to study

Explanation: Luki mentioned that in the first accommodation he found it difficult to study. He stated that ‘they had three young children and I found it difficult to study’. So the answer should be difficult to study.

Question 8.

Answer: student house

Explanation: Luki told the counsellor that ‘I moved out and now I live with two other students in a student house’. Therefore the answer is student house.

Question 9.

Answer: (Bachelor of) Computing

Explanation: Luki mentioned ‘I'm doing a bachelor of computing’. So the answer is (Bachelor of) Computing.

Question 10.

Answer: reserve computer time

Explanation: Luki’s suggestion for improving the course is to reserve computer time. Luki stated that ‘it will certainly help if we could reserve computer time’. So the answer is to reserve computer time.