A Monologue on How Music and Art are Used in the Healing Process - IELTS Listening Sample Answer
The IELTS Listening section examines a candidate’s ability to properly listen to audio and answer the questions. IELTS Listening contains four sections and a total of 40 questions. This topic - A presentation by a student on how music and art are used in the healing process is Section Four of IELTS Listening. Candidates will find different types of questions in IELTS Listening practice papers. This section contains many question types:
- Complete the sentence
- Complete the table
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Audio Transcript
P: Hello everyone. Before we continue with our lectures on the history of music and art, we’ll be listening to Michael’s presentation on how music and art are being used to help with the healing process in the 21st century. Michael, are you ready to begin?
M: Yes, I think so … Thanks professor. Right. Good morning all. As Professor McKinley just stated, I’ve been doing some research into the healing powers of art and music, and I’d like to present my findings to you today. I intend to demonstrate the positive effects of music and art on patients’ emotional, social as well as physical well-being.
Let’s begin by going back in time to the most famous of nurses, Florence Nightingale. Way back in 1860, Florence Nightingale wrote in her Notes on Nursing that brightly colored flowers and art helped her patients to recover more quickly. Although her comments were viewed with skepticism at the time, she was – we believe – the first of many health professionals to state this. Over the following years, there were many other studies that tried to prove that a link between art, music and health exists, but very few of them were strictly controlled. So the results were variable, and therefore unreliable. However, one American study was different. In the 1980s, some research took place into the effects of architecture on the recovery time of 46 patients who were in hospital for a gallbladder operation. Half of the patients were kept in hospital wards with windows overlooking some trees. The other half were left in rooms that faced onto a brick wall. It was found that the ones with a nice view left hospital a day earlier and needed fewer painkillers. This study was groundbreaking as it was the first that used controlled conditions that could be measured statistically and without bias.
M: Now I’d like to bring you up-to-date and take a closer comparative look at three research projects on three very different types of patients. The first monitored the health of unborn babies. In the study, which took place at a hospital in London, babies were played live music and their heart rates were monitored. A healthy baby’s heart would beat around 110 to 160 times a minute, but researchers found that their heart rate increased by up to 15 beats a minute on average without the mother’s pulse changing. This is a good sign that the baby is healthy. In addition, the mothers that took part in the survey also said they felt more relaxed.
Another study looked at cancer patients who were visiting as day patients to receive their chemotherapy treatments. They were treated in a room that had artistic pictures hanging on the wall. The pictures were changed each week so that the patients would not have to look at the same ones week after week. When questioned afterwards, patients said that they felt less pain because the images helped take their mind off the treatment they were receiving. They also noted general improvements in their well-being.
Finally, the last study analyzed the treatment of a group of elderly patients who were in hospital to have a hip replacement operation, and so they needed to stay for around 10 to 14 days. The researchers played them 30 minute tracks of soothing classical music, but not every day, and then monitored their progress using a questionnaire. When asked to rate how they felt both with and without music, the patients consistently stated that they felt less anxious on the days when they had the music playing. There was a second unexpected, but completely understandable result from the research. The staff liked the music so much that they said they too felt happier and that they would be less likely to leave the hospital for a job elsewhere if it were to continue. Now that has to be a good thing, which will also have a positive effect on the quality of the treatment patients receive.In conclusion I'd like to bring...
Questions 31-35
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF ART AND MUSIC
- According to the speaker, art and music can benefit patient’s emotional, _________________ and physical well-being.
- Florence Nightingale first noted the improvements in the year _____________________.
- The results of many studies did not prove a link between health and art as they were rarely ____________________.
- The American study looked at the effects of architecture on patients’ ____________________.
- The patients who were in a ward with a ____________________ were not in hospital for as long and needed less medication.
Question 31.
Answer: social
Explanation: As stated by the speaker, “the positive effects of music and art on patients’ emotional, social as well as physical well-being”. Therefore the answer is ‘social.
Also check:
Question 32.
Answer: 1860
Explanation: It is mentioned in the presentation that “Way back in 1860, Florence Nightingale wrote in her Notes on Nursing” so the answer must be ‘1860’
Question 33.
Answer: strictly controlled
Explanation: As stated in the report, ‘a link between art, music, and health exists, but very few of them were strictly controlled’. Rarely and very few have the same meaning so the answer must be strictly controlled.
Question 34.
Answer: recovery time
Explanation: The answer is easy to spot as it is directly mentioned by the speaker "the effects of architecture on the recovery time of 46 patients". So the answer is recovery time.
Question 35.
Answer: nice view
Explanation: The speaker said, “It was found that the ones with a nice view left the hospital a day earlier and needed fewer painkillers”. Therefore the answer is ‘nice view’.
Questions 36-40
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Recent Research Projects
| Type of patient | Type of art/music | Effect on patients | Other improvements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unborn babies | 36_____________ | heart rate increased | mother felt relaxed |
| Cancer patient | 37_____________ | 38____________ | improvements in well-being |
| Hip replacement (elderly) | 39_____________ | eased anxiety | staff 40____________ |
Question 36.
Answer: live music
Explanation: The student talks about a study in London he said ‘In the study, which took place at a hospital in London, babies were played live music and their heart rates were monitored’. Thus the answer must be ‘live music’.
Question 37.
Answer: artistic pictures
Explanation: It is mentioned in the presentation that the cancer patients ‘were treated in a room that had artistic pictures hanging on the wall’. Therefore the answer is artistic pictures.
Question 38.
Answer: (felt) less pain
Explanation: While talking about the effects of pain the patients stated that “patients said that they felt less pain because the images helped take their mind off the treatment”. Thus the answer is (felt) less pain.
Question 39.
Answer: (soothing) classical (music)
Explanation: As mentioned in the presentation ‘The researchers played them 30-minute tracks of soothing classical music,’ so the answer must be (soothing) classical (music).
Question 40.
Answer: (felt) happier
Explanation: ‘The staff liked the music so much that they said they too felt happier’ as per this statement we can easily spot the answer. The answer must be (felt) happier.
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