A Conversation Between Dr. Richardson and a Student Discussing the Requirements of a Course - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section comprises four sections with a total of 40 questions. The candidates need to properly listen to the IELTS Listening audio then proceed with the 10 questions. These audio recordings will be in the form of monologues or conversations between two or more people. This topic is section Three of IELTS listening and contains the following question types:

• Complete the notes
• Choose the correct answer
• Complete the table
• Short answer question

Audio Transcript

R = Dr Richardson; D = David Simons

[doorbell rings]

R: Enter, please.

D: Good afternoon, Dr Richardson.

R: Good afternoon. You’re David Simons, is that right? .

D: Yes. I’ve an appointment to talk about the course requirements with you.

R: Fine. Now why don’t you take a seat over there and I’ll just get some details from you. First, can I have your home address and your student number?

D: That’s 15 Market Avenue, Hornsby and my student number is C97H85.

R: OK. Now I see here that you’ve already completed 18 credit points , but that you haven’t done the Screen Studies course which is normally a prerequisite for this course. Why is that, David?

D: Oh, the course coordinator gave me an exemption because I’ve worked for a couple of years in the movie and television business and they considered my practical experience fulfilled the same requirements.

R: Fine. Shall we go over the course requirements first, and then you can bring up any queries or problems you might have. It might be most useful to start with a few dates. The final examination will be in the last week of June, that’s the week of the 23rd . But the final date hasn’t been set. It should be the 25th or the 20th. But you don’t have to worry about that yet. Before that, as you can see in your study guide, there are three essay assignments and some set exercises. I’ll deal with these first. These set exercises are concerned with defining concepts and key terms. They do have fixed answers not in the wording but in the content. To that extent they are quite mechanical, and provide an opportunity for you to do very well as long as your answers are very specific and clear.

D: Yes, I see there are about twenty terms here. How long should the answers be?

R: You shouldn’t exceed 250 words for each term.

D: Right, that looks easy enough. And the third assignment seems fairly straightforward too. lust a journalistic type review of a recent development in television. It’s not so different from what I’ve done in my work.

R: Yes, it should be fairly easy for you, but don’t exceed 1,000 words on that one. Essays 1 and 2 are the long ones. The first essay should be about 2,000 words and the second 2,500 to 3,000, and the approach for both should be analytical. In the first one, your focus should be on TV and the audience, and you should primarily consider the theoretical issues, particularly in relation to trying to understand audience studies. In the second, I’ll want you to focus on analysing television programmes.

D: Should I concentrate on one particular type of programme for that?

R: Not necessarily. But you must be careful not to overextend yourself here. A comparison between two programmes or even between two channels is fine, or a focus on one type of programme, such as a particular series, works well here.

S: So if I wanted to look at television news programmes, that would be OK? ‘

R: Yes, there would be no problem with that. In fact it’s quite a popular choice, and most students handle it very well.

S: Good. I’ll probably do that, because it’s the area I want to work in later.

Later during the course, Dr Richardson gives David some advice and warnings about his essay.

[doorbell rings]

R: Ah, come in and sit down, David. You wanted to talk to me about your second essay, is that right?

D: Yes, Dr Richardson. I just want your comments on what I’m planning to do. I’m doing the essay on the differences between TV news programs at different hours of the day.

R: How many time slots are you planning to consider?

D: Well, I think I’d look at all of them. That’d be five slots. The breakfast news, the mid-morning news and the midday news, that’s three. Then there’s the six o'clock news, then ten o’clock and midnight programmes, so that's six, not five.

R: Mm, that’s rather a lot. And you’d have a lot of different audiences to consider. Why don’t you just do two. Say the mid-morning and then six o’clock? That should give you two fairly contrasting approaches with two main audience compositions .

D: Oh, just two then?

R: Yes, I think that’d be much better. Now how many actual programmes do you plan to work with?

D: I suppose you think analysing a whole week of news programmes would be too many.

R: Well, that depends on how much of each programme, if you concentrate on one particular type of news item, say the sports news or local items, it might be alright.

D: Yes, I can see that would be a good idea. I won’t make a decision now, before I collect a sample of programmes over a whole week. I’ll look at them and see what items appear throughout the week.

R: Yes, that’s a sound approach. Now we’re getting close to the deadline. Can you finish it in time?

D: Yes, I think so. I’ve completed the reading and I know what my basic approaches, so it’s really just a matter of pulling it all together now.

R: Fine, David. I’ll look forward to reading it.

Questions 21-22

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Student Record Card

Question 21.

Answer: C97H85

Explanation: When discussing the course requirement with the professor, David is asked about his address and student number. He answers that his student number is C97H85. Thus, C97H85 is the answer

Also, check:

Question 22.

Answer: has / got an exemption /(has) practical experience

Explanation: David mentioned that “the course coordinator gave me an exemption because I’ve worked for a couple of years in the movie and television business and they considered my practical experience fulfilled the same requirements.” Therefore the answer could be either ‘has / got an exemption’ or ‘(has) practical experience’.

Question 23

Complete the notes below.

Write TWO DATES for the answer.

23. The final date of the examination should be ______________ or __________________

Answer: June 20th, June 25th

Explanation: Dr. Richardson mentioned “ the final date hasn’t been set. It should be the 25th or the 20th.” Hence June 20th, June 25th is the answer.

Questions 24-25

Choose the correct letters, A-D. Write answers next to 24-25 on your answer sheet.

24. Dr. Richardson explains that the set exercises.

1. require reference to a wide range of resources.
2. should be at least 250 words in length.
3. focus on key terms and concepts in media studies.
4. do not have answers.

Answer: C

Explanation: As stated by Dr. Richardson, “These set exercises are concerned with defining concepts and key terms.” Hence, C is the answer.

25. Dr. Richardson explains that essays 1 and 2.

1. are to be the same length.
2. should both be analytical.
3. both emphasize studies of audiences.
4. should be especially easy for David.

Answer: B

Explanation: The professor explains that the length of both assignments are different i,e. 2000 and 2500-3000, so they both should follow analytical writing style. Hence, B is the answer

Questions 26-28

Complete the table by writing ONE or TWO appropriate letters (M, T, A, or J) as explained below.

Mechanical - M
Theoretical - T
Analytical - A
Journalistic - J

How does Dr. Richardson describes each of the assignments?

Question 26.

Answer: M

Explanation: As explained by Dr. Richardson “These set exercises are concerned with defining concepts and key terms…..To that extent they are quite mechanical….” Therefore the answer is M.

Question 27.

Answer: A

Explanation: The professor explained about the first assignment. He said “The first essay should be about 2,000 words…… the approach for both should be analytical.” So the answer must be A.

Question 28.

Answer: J

Explanation: David mentions “the third assignment seems fairly straightforward too. lust a journalistic type review of a recent development in television”. Well it is clear that the answer is J.

Question 29

Choose the correct answer.

29. Which two-time slots does Dr. Richardson suggest David use for his essay?

1. The six o’clock and the midmorning.
2. The breakfast and the six o’clock.
3. The midmorning and midnight.
4. The midday and the ten o’clock.

Answer: A

Explanation: Dr. Richardson suggests the mid-morning and then six o’clock. Hence the answer is A.

Question 30.

Answer the question below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for the answer.

30. What will David do before he decides which part of the programmes to use?____________

Answer: collect a sample / collect sample programmes

Explanation: As stated by David “I won’t make a decision now, before I collect a sample of programmes over a whole week” therefore the answer is easy to spot.