A Monologue on Conserving Energy - 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 Four of IELTS Listening which is a lecture on conserving energy. There are similar topics found in IELTS Listening practice papers. This section contains the following question type:

• Complete the notes

Audio Transcript

You will hear part of a lecture about conserving energy.

Tutor: I'd like you to give a warm welcome to our guest speaker today, Dr. Sophia Martin from the Faculty of Science. Dr. Martin is an expert in energy conservation and she's going to talk to us about ways we can conserve energy in the home. This is a very important subject as the world we live in is facing dramatic and potentially destructive climate change as a result of our excessive wastefulness and aggressive exploitation of natural resources.

Dr. Martin: Thank you for the kind words Alice. You are quite right, we face an unprecedented climate crisis and it is up to each and every one of us to do our bit to help stop global warming. Believe it or not, if we all took some simple steps, we could dramatically reduce our carbon footprint and help protect the environment. It Is not a cliche, it is not silly nonsense talk, one person really can make a difference and I hope that after my speech today, you will understand how.

But first, what exactly is your carbon footprint? Basically, it's how much you pollute the environment as an individual, or rather what volume of greenhouse gas is emitted into the atmosphere because of your day-to-day activities. The key to stopping global warming is for each of us to reduce our carbon footprint, and if we conserve energy in the home, we can achieve some truly dramatic results.

Our homes are actually very inefficient from an energy conservation perspective. Indeed, more than 65% of all homes aren't insulated enough. This means that they lose heat and that homeowners waste a lot of energy, not to mention money, on heating during winter. So the first step is to fit adequate insulation in the attic and outer walls of your home. This can reduce your heating bills by as much as 25%. What's more, the government offers grants to people who want to have their homes reinsulated, so it isn't a very expensive process, and you will probably recoup your investment within a couple of years. I would encourage everyone to consider this course of action; both your wallet and the environment will thank you.

Believe it or not, there are even simpler things we can do. For a start, never paint your interior walls in dark colours. Dark colours absorb heat; therefore, you will waste more energy trying to keep your home warm. Always use light colours on Interior walls.

Did you know, a dishwasher that is 50% full uses almost the same energy as one that is 90% full? The moral of the story is to wait until your dishwasher is packed before switching it on; It'll save you and the environment. The same is true of most household appliances, so try to use them only when necessary. Another startling fact is that replacing just one normal light bulb with an energy-efficient light bulb will save you £25 over the lifetime of the bulb. Now just imagine the savings if you replaced all the bulbs in your house,

Having large windows seems to be in fashion right now, yet it makes no sense whatsoever from an energy saving perspective. Windows are one of the biggest causes of heat loss. If you have large windows at home, my advice would be to close the curtains and blinds as often as possible. This will help your rooms retain heat. Another simple way to retain heat is to close all inside doors, especially ones which lead into cooler parts of the house. Carpets and rugs are great floor insulators. It's a good idea to have these fitted in rooms where heat retention is an issue.

I would strongly advise people to consider erecting solar panels on their roofs. You don't need to live in a constantly sunny place to reap the benefits of these; even our English weather will suffice. Solar panels can generate enough energy to heat your entire hot water supply, which is fantastic when you think how much you pay for this service at the moment. And, of course, I would encourage people to continue recycling and composting waste. The next generation will thank us if we act now and rightfully condemn us for failing to.

Well, I can only hope you have found this speech informative and that I have highlighted the Importance of the individual to the cause of environmental protection. Thank you for your attention, I'll hand you back to Alice now..

That is the end of Part four.

Question 31-40

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Conserving Energy at Home

Carbon footprint is the 31______________of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere by an individual as a result of his day-to-day activities.

More than 32______________ of all homes are not insulated.

Reasons to better insulate your home:

Fitting adequate insulation in the 33________________ and outer walls of your home can reduce heating costs by as much as 25%.

The government offers 34______________ to people who want to reinsulate their homes.

You will recoup your investment over a short period of time.

Painting 35__________________walls in dark colours is a bad idea because dark colours 36____________heat.

Replacing a normal light bulb with an energy-saving one could save you 37____________ over the lifetime of the bulb.

If you have large windows in your home, you should close the 38_____________________

Erect 39___________to heat your water supply.

People should continue recycling and composting their 40_______________ to help protect the environment.

Question 31.

Answer: amount/volume

Explanation: The speaker stated, “Basically, it's how much you pollute the environment as an individual, or rather what volume of greenhouse gas….”. The answer is volume.

Also,check:

Question 32.

Answer: 65%

Explanation: As stated by the speaker in the lecture, “Our homes are actually very inefficient from an energy conservation perspective. Indeed, more than 65% of all homes aren't insulated enough”. The answer is 65%.

Question 33.

Answer: attic

Explanation: The speaker mentions that the first step is to fit adequate insulation in the attic and outer walls of home. Therefore the answer is ‘attic’.

Question 34.

Answer: grants/financial aid

Explanation: The speaker informs by his lecture that the government offers grants to people who want to have their homes reinsulated. So it is inexpensive to get your home reinsulated. Therefore the answer here should be grants/financial aid.

Question 35.

Answer: (the/your) interior

Explanation: We can hear in the lecture speaker mentioning, “For a start, never paint your interior walls in dark colours”,

Question 36.

Answer: absorb

Explanation: Dr. Martin states “Dark colors absorb heat”. Accordingly the answer is absorb.

Question 37.

Answer: 25

Explanation: The speaker stated “Another startling fact is that replacing just one normal light bulb with an energy-efficient light bulb will save you £25 over the lifetime of the bulb.” We can save £25 by replacing normal bulbs with energy efficient ones therefore £25 is the answer.

Question 38.

Answer: curtains/blinds

Explanation: We can hear the speaker advising to close the curtains and blinds as often as possible because windows are one of the biggest causes of heat loss. Hence the answer is ‘curtains/blinds’

Question 39.

Answer: solar panels

Explanation: Following the monologue we can hear the speaker saying, “I would strongly advise people to consider erecting solar panels on their roofs……… Solar panels can generate enough energy to heat your entire hot water supply” Therefore it is clear that solar panels is the answer for this question.

Question 40.

Answer: waste

Explanation: As stated by Dr. Martin, “I would encourage people to continue recycling and composting waste”. Thus the answer is waste.