A Conversation among a University Tutor and 2 students talking about a Presentation on Botany Seminar- IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section comprises four sections. There are four recordings based on academic and general contexts. This IELTS listening sample is A Conversation among a university tutor and 2 students talking about a presentation they have made in a recent botany seminar in Section 3. IELTS listening practice papers contain numerous types of questions that candidates can practice from. The question type includes:

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Topic: A Conversation among a university tutor and 2 students talking about a presentation they have made in a recent botany seminar.

Audio Transcript

Section 3

You will hear a university tutor talking to two students about a presentation they have made in a recent botany seminar. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.

Pause the recording for 30 seconds.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.

Tutor: Well, Anita and Lee, that was an interesting presentation you made about John Chapman.

Anita: Thanks.

Lee: Thanks.

Tutor: There are a few points, I'd like to run through before you write it up. One thing, which you didn't explain was why you decided to do a presentation on this man who spread apple varieties across the US.

Anita: Well ages ago, we were chatting about stuff, we'd read as children and I told Lee “The Johnny Appleseed” story.

Tutor: mmmmm…..

Anita: I had these American story books when I was small. Then, when we were looking into the area of domesticated species of plants for our presentation, we realized that the introduction of the apple with the settlers in the US would be a good case study.

Lee: And I remembered Chapman. So we looked up the real guy behind the legend.

Tutor: Right. I think that would have made a good intro.

Anita: I thought it was too personal.

Tutor: Just a couple of minutes would have drawn your listeners in. Anyway, now a more serious point. You didn't mention the sources of some of your information.

Lee: We used some books and journal articles and did an internet search and found some good sites.

Anita: We've put them on the back of the handout, we gave everyone at the end.

Tutor: No! See. “Johnny Appleseed Man and Myth 1967”. The thing is you really have to make this explicit when you talk and anything you show, data you project from your laptop etcetera, you must have the source on it.

Anita: Right. Okay.

Lee: mmm...

Tutor: At least you have got it all documented. I was a bit concerned about that.

Anita: Sorry.

Tutor: Anyway, now the content of your talk. What your listeners wanted to understand was whether there were apples in the US before the Europeans started to live there. You told us the early settlers had brought young apple trees, but that few of them had thrived because the climate was harsh. But what about native species? I don't think you are very clear about species already there.

Lee: According to what I've read, there were some crab apples, but that was all. Everything that people now think of as traditional American apples was species that the Europeans either introduced or bred by chance.

Anita: Because they tended to seeds rather than use grafting.

Tutor: Yes right, but what to me was fascinating and I saw most members of your audience start to take notes was, when you discussed how the actual genes spread via the silk route into Europe from the wild apple wood's of Kazakhstan.

Lee: Yes. Well, I'd like to have said more about the development of grafting. In ancient China as a way of producing predictable varieties. It was so early in history.

Tutor: But it's a natural development of the original wild apple into new species that people wanted more about, which says a lot for your presentation. You enthused your audience.

Anita: aah!

Lee: aah!

Tutor: So now we need to discuss the form, your follow-up work will take. Are you going to produce a paper or are you thinking of putting it all up on the department website?

Anita: I felt we could do both and we could do a poster of some data but Lee wasn't sure.

Lee: No, I think it would be enough to use the website. We can offer a link to our email for queries. That would save time and trees.

Tutor: I think Lee is right. A poster would be nice, but it would take too much time.

Anita: Okay.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.

Pause the recording for 30 seconds.

Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

Tutor: Now, I just want to give you a few pointers about the techniques of your presentation. Mostly it was good. But there are a few things you need to bear in mind, next time, you do one. You both used the hardware, I mean the projector and things very well indeed, which is always a great help.

Anita: ah! Thanks.

Tutor: You'd obviously checked it out carefully.

Lee: Yes, but unfortunately we hadn't finished our maps when we did the practice on my computer at home. That's why there was some, the wrong way up.

Anita: We didn't realize the software on the laptop was a bit different from the one I have.

Tutor: But you sorted out the problem very quickly and didn't let it fluster you, so it wasn't a big problem. We could all read the map when we needed to.

Anita: So it was okay, but we could have done better, we realize.

Tutor: mmm….There was a bit of the end where I felt something didn't go as you planned. Am I right?

Lee: We had a few maps which we ended up leaving out because we needed to get onto our conclusions.

Anita: Yes, it took longer to explain the technical aspects of grafting than we'd expected.

Lee: So sticking to the time limit for each part of our presentation is something we didn't manage at all, which means we've definitely got to improve before we do another one.

Anita: Yes.

Tutor: Apart from that, well the heading was perfectly adequate for a seminar like this. It gave all the key information and, of course, now, I realized the sources are listed at the back. But you need to do those references in the correct format, as footnotes, in future.

Anita: Okay.

Lee: Yes. Sorry we will.

Tutor: And finally, other students will be presenting projects later in the course. I shall be reminding them, how well you both spoke, and that no one had any problem hearing or understanding either of you. In that respect, your talk was a model, that the others can follow.

Lee: Thank you.

Anita: Yes. Thanks very much. This feedback has been very helpful.

Tutor: Well done. Both of you. See you in a fortnight.

Lee: Thanks.

Question 21 – 30

Q. 21-25

Choose the correct answers A-C and write them next to 21-25 on your answer sheet.

21. Why did Anita and Lee choose to talk about John Chapman?

1. He was Lee’s childhood hero.
2. They wanted to talk about the USA.
3. He was relevant to the topic of their studies.

Answer: 21 C

Explanation: Anita and Lee choose to talk about John Chapman because he was relevant to the topic of their studies.

22. Where did the students record their sources of information?

1. on their laptops
2. on a handout
3. on a database

Also check:

Answer: 22 B

Explanation: The students record their sources of information on a handout.

23. The tutor claims she does not understand whether ________

1. apples grew in America before Europeans arrived.
2. the Native Americans had always eaten apples.
3. American apples were first bred in Europe.

Answer: 23 A

Explanation: The tutor claims she does not understand whether apples grew in America before Europeans arrived.

24. The tutor says the audience was particularly interested to hear about ________

1. grafting techniques in ancient China.
2. the cultivation of apples in Kazakhstan.
3. the spread of apples along the Silk Route.

Answer: 24 C

Explanation: The tutor talks to the audience, who were particularly interested to hear about the spread of apples along the Silk Route.

25. How will Anita and Lee present their follow-up work?

1. on the department website
2. as a paper
3. as a poster

Answer: 25 A

Explanation: Anita and Lee present their follow-up work on the department website.

Q. 26-30

Choose the correct answers A-C and write them next to 26-30 on your answer sheet.

What do Lee and Anita agree about their presentation skills with their tutor?

1. excellent
2. acceptable
3. poor

Presentation skills

26. use of equipment
27. handling software
28. timing of sections
29. design of handout
30. clarity of speech

Answer: 26 A

Explanation: The tutor gave all a few pointers about the techniques of your presentation. Mostly it was good.

Answer: 27 B

Explanation: The software on the laptop was a bit different and it sorted out the problem very quickly and didn't let it fluster you, so it wasn't a big problem. We could all read the map when we needed to.

Answer: 28 C

Explanation: sticking to the time limit for each part of our presentation is something we didn't manage at all

Answer: 29 B

Explanation: The students record their sources of information on a handout

Answer: 30 A

Explanation: The tutor told that other students will be presenting projects later in the course and he shall be reminding them, how well you both spoke, and that no one had any problem hearing or understanding either of you.