Conversation Between 2 People Discussing the Difficulties faced During Seminar Discussions - IELTS Listening Sample

In the IELTS Listening test, candidates will listen to 4 different recordings and answer 40 questions. Section 3 of the IELTS Listening test, is a conversation between 2 people discussing the difficulties faced during seminar discussions. This particular sample answer contains the following question types:

1. Summary completion
2. Choose the correct answers
3. Sentence completion

Candidates can refer to IELTS listening practice papers for more such topics.

Section 3

Audio Transcript:

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 30.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 30.

Professor: So you told me that you have been having difficulties with taking part in seminar

discussions. I have invited you here to see if we can come up with some suggestions and solutions sometimes talking about these things can be helpful. Mika. You said that you think speaking and listening abilities are related.

Mika: Yes. It was really difficult because basically, I wasn’t good at listening during discussions, you know, you need to understand what is going on. So, if you miss some things that people say, it’s very difficult to catch up with the topic. Also, when the tutor asks me a question, sometimes I couldn’t understand the question and I were answering by making a guess about what he was asking. Usually, the result was that he said something like I think you didn’t understand my question which was quite embarrassing for me.

Professor: Martina. Have you personally had many difficulties taking part in discussions?

Martina: Oh, yes, definitely, especially at the very beginning of the course in terms of speaking. I think I feel that the students when talking in class, there is no end to the conversation. They sometimes talk continuously regardless of whether you raise a hand. However, they will usually stop and let you speak if you just interrupt someone. In the beginning, I think I was trying to adapt to this kind of environment or classroom chemistry. It was difficult because of my language ability and the beginning students especially native speakers’ students. Well, their English is well, I don’t need to comment about their English but the speed and the fluency of their English made interactional intervention. I mean Interruption very difficult for students like me like us non-native speakers. One thing I learned to try and do is to think and try to anticipate where the discussion might go so that when for example, they talk about something, you know, like when they talk about for example, how children think, I can get some ideas in my mind and then I can join in. Before by the time I had collected all my thoughts and was ready to join in the discussion has moved on. So basically, I think it requires you to think quickly and think ahead if you want to join in.

Professor: Macau have you done anything to try and improve and to participate in such discussions?

Macau: I think I have. For example, now, I have more discussions with my classmates outside the classroom and talk about them with some of the questions raised in the Sona Manoj. If you ask tutors about your concerns, they listen to your very carefully and I pay attention to the issue in the future. Do they also try to how do you say it in English? Catch your eye and see if you are ready to make a comment. If you are getting crap the native speakers and watch the other idiom give you the floor. That’s it. Tutors are very good at accommodating all the people in the room, but you have to let them know that you want to speak. Eye contact and body language can be useful.

Professor: Martina, with regards to speaking in discussions, what advice would you give to another student coming to study in England?

Martina: Be polite when you discuss something or argue something. Don’t be aggressive, just be polite and argue in a polite way. And if you say something wrong just admit it. English students don’t mind if you make a mistake and you should admit it and then continue the argument or discussion if you have a really good idea or previous knowledge about the subject under discussion. My view is respected. But if I don’t have anything to say about the topic, that’s not good. So, I advise the students from overseas to be prepared and to be polite. It’s a good chance for you to talk and share take it

Professor: Mika. What advice would you give to international students about how to prepare for

discussion activities?

Mika: If you want to improve your English abilities, it takes some time. You must be realistic. You cannot make a quick improvement easily. But what you can do immediately is to have enough knowledge on that subject. If you have enough knowledge, for example, if you know technical terms you can there is a much higher probability that you will understand the content of the seminar. You can also help yourself by using your English outside the seminar. If you make some friends from your seminar groups, you will also find that they like to discuss - discuss topics with you in the seminars. So that’s the advice I would give. I agree with Martina about being prepared before the discussion. I find these English students are very interested in how things are done or tackled in other countries. However, they can be impatient if you take too long to express yourself, well, thank you very much. I hope that’s given you a few ideas.

Now, there is something else I can suggest.

Questions 21-23

Complete the notes on what Mika says at the beginning of the discussion.

Mika says that if you miss what other people in a seminar say, it makes it hard to 21________________ the discussion. She might have a 22_______________ if she didn’t understand what, a tutor was asking her, but if she was wrong it was 23_______________.

Question 21.

Answer: catch up with

Explanation: Mika explains the importance of listening mindfully to understand the discussions. Because if you get distracted and do not listen it gets quite difficult to understand the whole point of the discussion.

Question 22.

Answer: guess

Explanation: To save herself from situations like this, she sometimes tries to guess about what the discussion but doing this does not help in any way.

Question 23.

Answer: (quite) embarrassing

Explanation: It gets quite embarrassing when you answer something which is totally different from what the tutor has asked. The guessing game does not always result in something good.

Questions 24-27

Complete the sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.

24. Martina says that native speaker students often continue talking even if non-native speaker students like her,______________.
25. However, she points out that native speaker students will usually stop talking if you_____________.
26. She says that non-native speaker students need to anticipate and_________________in order to get involved in seminar discussions.
27. Macau l points out that non-native speaker students can use_______________and body language to indicate when they are ready to add to a discussion.

Question 24.

Answer: raise a hand

Explanation: Martin has faced such situations where the native speaker students don’t let the non-native students speak until they raise their hands.

Question 25.

Answer: (just) interrupt (someone)

Explanation: Students keep talking in class, there is no end to their conversation. An there was only one way to stop them from talking is by interrupting them.

Question 26.

Answer: think quickly

Explanation: Martina believes that it gets really difficult for non-native students to get involved in a discussion. Because by the time non-native collect their thoughts and wants to join in the discussion had already moved on.

Question 27.

Answer: eye contact

Explanation: Macau points out that tutors understand the body language of the students. So when you want to answer something or say something in between the discussion eye contact and body language can be useful

Questions 28-30

Choose the correct answer A-D to complete each sentence.

28. Martina thinks that non-native speaker students can improve the situation by being

1. aggressive.
2. argumentative.
3. well-prepared.
4. polite.

Answer: C & D

Explanation: Martina thinks that being well-prepared for the discussion can always give you an edge over others. Also, she feels that being aggressive in an argument is not right, you can be polite ad still argue. And accept your mistakes when you are wrong.

29. Mika thinks that non-native speakers can improve

1. both their English and their subject knowledge quickly.
2. their English knowledge quickly, but not their subject knowledge.
3. their subject knowledge quickly, but not their English.
4. neither their English nor their subject knowledge quickly.

Answer: C

Explanation: Mika gives advice to the international students to have enough knowledge on the discussion subject. Be realistic and be prepared before the discussion.

30. Mika says that

1. English students know a lot of technical terminologies.
2. English students like making friends with her outside seminars.
3. English students are interested in learning about situations in foreign countries.
4. non-native speaker students shouldn’t take much time to state their views.

Answer: C & D

Explanation: Mika states that English students are very keen on happenings in other countries. Do not take much time for answering as they will start answering before you collect your thoughts,