Welcome to My IELTS Classroom, the podcast where two English experts talk all things IELTS.
I'm Shelley Cornick.
And I'm Nick Long.
And today we are completing a listening test from the new Cambridge IELTS 18.
How would Nick and I approach each section of the test?
How well can you do when we complete each section?
And finally, what questions did Nick and I think are tricky.
Hello nick, good evening.
How does it feel to be a married man?
Exactly the same, Does it really.
Well, I guess not.
I guess it feels a little bit different.
In a good way.
How was your wedding day?
It was wonderful.
We had a really great time.
It was exactly even better than we expected, actually.
Well, I think that is the best thing you could uh well, the best thing you can hope for in any situation, isn't it?
If it's better than expected.
I have seen a picture.
I'm looking forward to the official pictures, but I have to say listeners, Nick looks.
Not only does he look very handsome, but he also looked very happy, which is the most important thing.
Congratulations.
Um, How was your trip to Ireland?
Well, it was definitely not better than expected.
The first half was, for an old person like me, it was too much.
It required too much energy.
It was for a 40th birthday.
I'm now almost 47 and I did not have quite enough energy.
And then Nick, I got COVID.
So I spent the first three days partying and the last four days sleeping.
But anyway, Ireland is beautiful.
It was just a typical, you know.
If I said summer holiday in Ireland Nick, what would you imagine for the weather?
Probably quite sunny at least.
Oh, no.
We had seven days of rain, 18 degrees.
So there we go.
But if anyone is trying to migrate to Ireland, I know we have some students.
The people, honestly, I know it's a stereotype.
They are so friendly.
Every single shop.
I went to the chemist three times.
And by the third time, I felt like I'd lived there my whole life because they knew my name.
They were asking how I was feeling.
So, yes.
So what they don't have in weather, they definitely have in kindness and spirit.
Yeah.
So we are back.
And finally, as promised, we are going to complete today Nick, a listening from the new Cambridge IELTS book.
So this is the academic book.
Although, as we know, the listenings are the same for the academic and the general training.
Yeah.
It doesn't matter which test you're taking.
Come and play along with us today.
I have chosen from the book the fourth and final listening test.
For one reason Nick, to be honest, I always do the fourth test is because I'm assuming most students will start if they've got the book from test one.
So I'm hoping that because the book is relatively new, not everybody will have reached test four.
So there will hopefully be some people listening who can do this completely for the first time with us.
So we've got two choices, Nick.
What do you think?
We could either play the whole test, let the students do the test, and we will just not just supply the answers, because obviously with any Cambridge book the answers are at the back.
But we could explain some of the answers.
Mm-hmm.
Or we could go through it section by section.
Have a look at the questions first, do one section, then go through the answers and analyze.
You know one two, three and four.
What do you think?
Let's do it that way, the second way.
Break it down section by section.
I agree.
Okay.
I actually think that is a great way if you're practicing of kind of improving your skills, right?
You don't have to do everything at one go.
I think we should practice mindfully.
From the Cambridge books, right?
So that means really understanding what you're doing when you're practicing.
So well done, Nick.
I'm glad that we agree.
So let's have a look then.
So we have got first up, we have got section one which unsurprisingly, is a note completion activity.
So why don't we just do a little quick reminder?
You know what was some of if you had a student who was doing a part one for the first time, what would be some of the things or some pieces of advice that you might give to them?
Well, they definitely want to check how many words and numbers they can use.
That's the first thing that they should look at.
In section one, it's usually one word and or a number, which is what we've got here.
Have a look at the information you've already got.
You definitely can predict some of the answers based on the title and based on the headings that you've got as well.
Look for articles which are going to help you decide whether it's a plural noun or a singular noun.
Look for any answers that are obviously going to be numbers.
Or times or addresses because they should be fairly easy to get.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think, I mean, I think Nick's covered everything there.
So you know, for this one, the first one, the first question says role, and that's the first heading.
So what would we predict that answer would be?
That's going to be a job type, isn't it?
Yes.
So we're looking for job details from an employment agency.
So don't forget to read the title because that's pretty important.
So we're looking probably for a job.
Now, you said about addresses.
Question two and three look like they could possibly be a spelling question, don't they?
It could be.
Well, number two is going to be the name of the centre Fordham something centre, yeah.
And then number three maybe, is going to be a number and a word yes, because we've got a type of road yeah um, so i would guess they were definitely some sort of spelling.
Then we've got what have we got?
We've got two headings or three more headings, so we've got work involved um, making something and reorganizing them.
So what special clue have we got in that sentence about the answer?
The answer is going to be a plural to number four.
Yes, because we're reorganizing them.
So a student was asking recently, how do I recognize singular and plurals?
And apart from just practicing, one thing you can do is look for clues like them or some, which indicates we've got a plural.
Yeah.
Maintaining the internal something.
Yeah, that's maybe going to be database.
I was going to say so you can.
If you're a high level student, you can definitely use knowledge of collocations, can't you?
Yeah.
Because there's not that many things in English that you maintain.
Mm-hmm.
And that collocate with maintain and internal.
Yeah, I think database is going to be number five.
You've got to guess for a database.
Okay, then we've got some requirements.
So we've got something which is essential.
Do you think we'll hear that word essential?
No, I think we'll hear a synonym of that word.
Yeah, so even in part one, they're still going to be using some synonyms, aren't they?
They might say that it's like a requirement or something like that.
Yes, it was absolutely necessary.
Oh, we've got the word requirement, sorry.
Yeah.
Yeah.
A calm and something manner is...
A calm and friendly, pleasant, it's going to be an adjective.
Yeah.
So some sort of adjective to describe, a positive adjective to describe someone.
And then for other information, what do we got here?
A something job, further opportunities may be available.
That's maybe going to be part time.
That's maybe going to be temporary.
Yes.
Short term.
Short term.
Part time.
That's what I think.
Because if there's going to be further opportunities, it means it's.
I don't think it's going to be full time.
Yeah um, then we've got hours.
Yeah 7, 45 am to something.
Pm, pm.
It's going to be a number, then obviously a time.
Be careful in this part one if it says pm on the paper, don't copy pm onto the answer sheet.
Yes, just the number is necessary, Exactly.
And the last question, something is available on site.
What's your prediction for that?
Nursery, creche.
Nursery.
Very good.
Cafe.
Food.
It could be a cafe.
Something like that.
Yeah, like food it could be.
Refreshments.
No, is available.
So it's singular now.
There we go. singular there we go well done Yeah.
So once we've done a few of these, you should really know what to expect in part one.
You should.
The main thing to remember is you know before you start listening.
Don't just predict noun, plural noun.
Yes, we need to know those things, but really think what the answer could be.
Right.
You know, Nick said it's the name of a job.
It might be database.
It's going to be a positive adjective, like, what did you say, friendly?
Friendly, pleasant, mm-hmm.
Yes, actually make these predictions.
Also remember for each answer you're probably going to hear more than one word that could logically fit the space.
So when you hear role, I bet you we're going to hear more than the name of more than one job.
Yeah, they might say something like we've already filled this role and this role, but we're looking for a.
And there's your answer.
Exactly.
You know, you applied for the job of secretary, but unfortunately that's gone.
However, we are looking for a dishwasher or something, right?
So be aware...
You're going to be offered lots of tempting options.
You want to really listen carefully for the one which is the final answer.
Context.
Yes.
Listen for context and don't write things too early.
Mm-hmm.
I think sometimes students hear a possible answer and they write it down and then actually they go too quickly.
Mm-hmm.
Funny enough, Nick, I've been watching, if you've seen, there's a new quiz show on TV.
I think it's the replacement for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
It's called The 1% Club.
No, I've not heard of that one.
Okay, so they get 100 people in the audience and the first question they ask them, it's been like pre-tested, 90% of people usually get right.
And then the second question, 80% of people usually get right.
And it goes like 70, 60, 50, and then 45, blah, blah, blah.
So all the questions are multiple choice and you get three options, but you can only choose one option once.
The amount of people on that program who, when they get the answer wrong and they say why did you get the answer wrong?
It's because they didn't read all the options or they didn't.
They saw the first one and they went oh, that looks good.
And then they press it, and then they look later and they go oh no, it's the third one, but it's too late.
So it's human instinct to grab, I think, the first answer we hear.
Fight your instinct.
Listen for context, as Nick said.
Okay, so are we ready?
Should we go for this one?
Let's do it.
You will hear a man who works at an employment agency phoning a woman who is looking for a job.
Now listen carefully and answer questions one to five.
Hello.
Oh, hello.
Is that Julie Davison?
Yes.
This is Greg Preston from the employment agency.
We met last week when you came in to inquire about office work.
Oh, that's right.
Now, we've just had some details come in of a job which might interest you.
OK.
So this is a position for a receptionist.
I believe you've done that sort of work before?
Yes, I have.
I worked in a sports centre for a couple of years before I got married and had the children.
Right.
Well, this job's in Fordham, so not too far away for you.
And it's at the medical centre there.
OK.
So where exactly is that?
It's quite near the station on Chaston's Road.
Sorry?
Chastons Road.
That's C-H-A-S-T-O-N-S.
OK, thanks.
So what would the work involve?
Dealing with inquiries from patients?
Yes, and you'd also be involved in making appointments, whether face-to-face or on the phone, and rescheduling them if necessary.
Fine, that shouldn't be a problem.
And another of your duties would be keeping the centre's database up to date.
Then you might have other general administrative duties as well, but those would be the main ones.
OK.
Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10.
Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.
Now, when the details came in, I immediately thought of you, because one thing they do require is someone with experience.
And you did mention your work at the sports centre when you came in to see us.
Yes, in fact I enjoyed that job.
Is there anything else they're looking for?
Well, they say it's quite a high-pressure environment.
They're always very busy and patients are often under stress, so they want someone who can cope with that and stay calm and, at the same time, be confident when interacting with the public.
Well, after dealing with three children all under five, I reckon I can cope with that.
I'm sure you can.
And then another thing they mention is that they're looking for someone with good IT skills.
Not a problem.
So you'd be interested in following this up?
Sure.
When would it start?
Well, they're looking for someone from the beginning of next month.
But I should tell you that this isn't a permanent job.
It's temporary.
So the contract would be just to the end of September.
But they do say that there could be further opportunities after that.
OK.
And what would the hours be?
Well, they want someone who can start at a quarter to eight in the morning.
Could you manage that?
Yes, my husband would have to get the kids up and off to my mother's.
She's going to be looking after them while I'm at work.
What time would I finish?
1.15.
That should work out all right.
I can pick the kids up on my way home and then I'll have the afternoon with them.
Oh, one thing.
Is there parking available for staff at the centre?
Yes, there is.
And it's also on a bus route.
Right.
Well, I expect I'll have the car, but it's good to know that.
OK, so where do I go from here?
Well, if you're happy for me to do so, I'll forward your CV and references, and then the best thing would probably be for you to phone them so they can arrange for an interview.
Great.
Well, thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Bye now.
Bye.
All right, Nick, first impressions.
Very strange.
Very, very strange.
Why?
Because, compared to other part ones that we have on our course and that I've heard from other IELTS books, the speed of the conversation seemed very slow.
I agree.
I think this was very easy.
Very, very easy.
A lot of the words that are written on the notes are used yeah and stressed extremely strongly, including some of the answers.
There were a couple of tricky ones and, to be honest, i didn't really notice any multiple answers.
Well, that was the other thing I was going to say.
Not only was the speed pretty slow, but there were very, very few alternatives.
So if we go straight for question one, the role, we were told very clearly... Receptionist.
Was a receptionist.
No other job, you know, like you said, like I've been working as something else.
No.
I mean, I just wonder if...
And some students might have written, but you can't because it's one word, sports center.
So that's not.
If she said it at a sports center, the only thing I think was trippy would be spelling receptionist.
That's the thing that I think is really difficult about this one, because a lot of these words are quite long and a couple of them are quite tricky to spell, and receptionist is one of them.
So they're tricky to spell.
They've got some doubles.
I think receptionist is difficult, particularly if you're a Spanish speaker, because of the S and the C, So it's R-E-C-E-P-T-I-O-N-I-S-T.
So it is a long, tricky word.
Mm-hmm.
But yeah, so that was the first one.
The second one, again, no other distractor, was there?
It was just the Fordham... Medical Centre.
Medical Centre.
You can write the M as a capital or not as a capital.
It doesn't matter.
I guess maybe for some students, they might write medicine, maybe.
Maybe, yeah.
But she clearly says medical.
She does.
M-E-D-I-C-A-L.
What about number three, Nick?
Very easy.
The spelling.
He spelled it so slowly.
I know.
Justin's Road.
Justin's Road.
I mean, listening to that as a native speaker, I would have spelt Chaston.
So it was spelt C-H-A-S-T-O-N-S.
I might have spelt it A-N-S.
But it doesn't matter, does it?
Because it was spelt so slowly and there was no number.
No number, yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So number four again.
Appointments.
Making appointments and reorganizing them.
So there's another tricky word to spell, I guess.
Yeah.
We've got the double P. So it's A-double-P-O-I-N-T-M-E-N-T-S.
And it's a plural.
But if it says them...
And good predictions, Nick.
Database.
It was number five.
It was a database.
Yeah.
So I think those first five questions, you know if you're aiming for an eight, as many as our students are, they should be five easy points.
Building confidence at the start.
Strangely, I thought question six might have been the most difficult.
Yeah.
Not because it was a difficult, like, word, but because, well, the answer is experience.
It is.
So experience is essential.
But experience seemed to me too general.
You think?
Well, I was waiting for something like I don't know, like a driver's license or an A-level or some actual qualification.
Ah, I see.
Rather than just the general... Generic experience.
Yeah.
So that sort of made it a bit tricky.
But again, they used the word calm, didn't they?
Or did they use patience?
Yeah.
I started writing patients, but he was talking about hospital patients, not leading patients.
So maybe that's the trick there.
But then he clearly said, didn't he?
Calm and...
Confident.
He really stressed it.
So that was a confident manner.
As predicted, eight, you guessed it, right?
Temporary, yeah.
Temporary.
Again, though, that is a tricky word to spell.
Temporary.
Yes, T-E-M-P-O-R-A-R-Y.
There's two R's in there.
There is.
Now, for number nine, Nick, you might not have noticed this, but...
I thought for a moment, oh my goodness, IELTS has changed the way that they talk times.
That's what I thought as well.
Did you?
Yeah, because he said quarter to eight, didn't he, instead of 7.45.
Exactly.
But that's written, so... Yes.
So usually for times, they don't use the awful quarter tos, quarter pass, half pass...
Or, you know, more difficult, 25 to eight.
No, they usually just say the numbers as you read them.
So for that one, instead of saying quarter to eight, they usually just say 745.
But he did say quarter to eight.
But then for the answer, what was the answer?
115.
So he didn't say quarter past one, did he?
So they're just playing with us a little bit there.
But 1.15, I suppose we've got a 15 and a 50.
But you don't usually start or end a job at 10 to an hour, do you?
So pretty easy.
And I have to say, Nick, I thought your prediction was a much better answer.
So it's not a creche or childcare.
It's IELTS favourite.
Parking.
Parking, they use that answer.
I reckon for question number 10.
If you looked at all of the part ones, I reckon it's got to be an answer for at least five or six.
So parking.
So for me, Nick, I mean...
You know, what was our thing we said for the essays recently?
If one is sort of like clapping because it's so easy and 10 is crying, this is pretty much a clapping.
I'm going to give this a two just because there's a couple of I mean, I think, receptionist appointments experience and temporary could cause spelling problems.
Yeah.
But I think that's a bit tricky because it's supposed to be a listening test, not a spelling test.
That's true.
I think to have that many in there.
Now the only thing I would say is, if this was my real exam, I would have that ominous feeling when you get a feeling like something's not right.
What's coming?
The rest is going to be super difficult.
Yeah.
So let's have a look then at part two.
So at first glance, everything looks pretty normal.
It does.
We've got four multiple choice questions, which that's classic for part two.
And then we've got six box matching questions.
Yeah again, this is what i would expect in part two.
If there's not a map, yeah.
So in terms of the questions, we've got these multiple choice in part two.
Okay, I'll tell you what I'll give the advice for the multiple choice and you do the box matching right.
So I would say for part two, multiple choice.
You are almost definitely going to hear all three options discussed.
Mm-hmm.
So what you really want to make sure you do before the recording starts is know exactly what you are listening for.
Mm-hmm.
If you're listening for what it was originally, that means the very first thing the building was used for right.
So we've got and I'm not joking, this is the same three answers I know for at least two other questions in an answer book.
A factory, a private home, or a hall of residence.
I guarantee you will hear all of those.
Yeah.
Probably one that it is now, one that it might be in the future, but what we're listening for is what it was originally.
So always know exactly what you're listening for, okay?
Same for number two.
The university uses parts of the museum building, So we've got this museum building.
What is the university using probably a room in the building for?
Is it for teaching, for research or for admin?
Question 30.
What does the guide say? about the entrance fee.
So now these answers are a little bit longer, so I might read these if I've got time.
Visitors decide whether or not they wish to pay.
For multiple choice, remember, we're not listening for words always, which are in the options.
We're listening for meaning.
Most of the time, that means there's going to be a paraphrase.
As soon as I read that, if visitors are going to decide whether or not they wish to pay or not, what word might you expect to hear if that's the answer?
Optional.
Optional, voluntary, something like that, or donation maybe.
Only children and students receive a discount.
So maybe no discount for old people or families.
And the museum charges extra for special exhibitions.
That is something which happens a lot in England.
Mm-hmm.
But who knows?
So we've got sort of three different things there, though, haven't we?
Very different, yeah.
So, you know, I would just listen.
What do they definitely tell us about the entrance fee?
They'll probably talk about visitors, students and special exhibition.
So, you know, just know which one they're discussing.
Do they tell us exactly that thing?
If not, look for the last one.
And last, what are visitors advised to leave in the cloakroom?
So not what must they leave, but what are they advised to leave?
So I would focus on that first.
So my advice for the multiple choice is know that you're going to hear all of the options.
Really focus on what does it tell us to listen for.
Originally the entrance free advice.
All right, Nick, what do you say then?
Then once my multiple choice are finished, your box matching, what are we listening for?
Areas of the museum.
Yeah.
So I mean you can have a quick glance at the questions, but you don't really need to pay that much attention to them, because we're going to hear those very clearly.
We've got what is it?
Six different areas of the museum and he will say explicitly four seasons, the farmhouse kitchen, and you basically just need to listen to the piece of information that he gives about each of these places.
So to do that, you need to look at the box.
Like with the previous question, the keywords are not going to help you this time.
You need to listen for something that means the same as one of the options.
And we've got eight options.
There's a lot of options there, aren't there?
Yeah, which means two of them are not going to be used.
Another good thing that you can figure out about this one is usually, if one of the words from the options appears, that's not going to be the correct answer.
That's going to be a distractor.
Yeah, let's see what it does.
I mean, what I would say about these options is that they are quite...
Varied, aren't they?
Yes.
You know, the first one is about, you know, parents supervising children.
Then we've got there are new things.
Then we've got it's closed.
So I would say read that information really carefully.
But I bet you, as you're listening, don't forget, like, don't switch off your brain.
Mm-hmm.
And just focus on the options.
Just think, what have they actually told me?
You know when they say the four seasons.
What do you know about the four seasons at the end of that little piece?
And then go in and try and find something that matches that.
Yeah.
This could be one where you might.
If you're not sure of an answer, you could note down what you think the information was and then go back and try and match it later.
Yeah, that's true in an emergency.
Yeah um, another thing i would say is look for any options which are similar.
Yeah,
Because, I mean, there aren't really any here.
D does talk about school groups and then F talks about students.
Yes.
So that could be...
Also maybe things like it's closed today and there's a one-way system or something like it might be a door is closed or something like that.
That's true.
But yeah, I agree.
Definitely, you know, the more time you can spend reading those options... And thinking.
...the...
Yeah, it's going to be easier for you to connect what the speaker says to one of them when it starts.
But we've only got 30 seconds, so it's not a huge amount of time.
But let's have a go then.
We'll do the whole section and then we'll check the answers together.
You will hear a guide at a farming museum talking to a group of visitors.
First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.
Good morning everyone and welcome to the Museum of Farming Life.
I understand it's your first visit here, so I'd like to give you some background information about the museum and then explain a little about what you can see during your visit.
So where we're standing at the moment is the entrance to a large building that was constructed in 1880 as the home of a local businessman, Alfred Palmer, of the Palmer biscuit factory.
It was later sold and became a hall of residence for students in 1911 and a museum in 1951.
In 2005, a modern extension was built to accommodate the museum's collections.
The museum's owned by the university and, apart from two rooms that are our offices, the university uses the main part of the building.
You may see students going into the building for lessons, but it's not open to museum visitors, I'm afraid.
It's a shame, because the interior architectural features are outstanding, especially the room that used to be the library.
Luckily, we've managed to keep entry to the museum free.
This includes access to all the galleries, outdoor areas and the rooms for special exhibitions.
We run activities for children and students, such as the museum club, for which there is no charge.
We do have a donation box just over there, so feel free to give whatever amount you consider appropriate.
We do have a cloakroom. if you'd like to leave your coats and bag somewhere.
Unlike other museums, photography is allowed here, so you might like to keep your cameras with you.
You might be more comfortable not carrying around heavy rucksacks, though keep your coats and jackets on, as it's quite cold in the museum garden today.
Before you hear the rest of the talk you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.
Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.
I'd like to tell you about the different areas of the museum.
Just inside and outside the main gallery we have an area called Four Seasons.
Here, you can watch a four-minute animation of a woodland scene.
It was designed especially for the museum by a group of young people on a film studies course, and it's beautiful.
Children absolutely love it, but then so do adults.
The main gallery is called Town and Country.
It includes a photographic collection of prize-winning sheep and shepherds.
Leaving Town and Country, you enter Farmhouse Kitchen, which is, well, self-explanatory.
Here we have the oldest collection of equipment for making butter and cheese in the country.
And this morning, a specialist cheese maker will be giving demonstrations of how it's produced.
You may even get to try some.
After that, you can go in two directions.
To the right is a staircase that takes you up to a landing, from where you can look down on the galleries.
To the left is a room called A Year on the Farm.
There is lots of seating here, as sometimes we use the room for school visits, so it's a good place to stop for a rest.
If you're feeling competitive, you can take our memory test in which you answer questions about things you've seen in the museum.
The next area is called Wagon Walk.
This contains farm carts from nearly every part of the country.
It's surprising how much regional variation there was.
Beside the carts are display boards with information about each one.
The carts are old and fragile, so we ask you to keep your children close to you and ensure they don't climb on the carts.
From Wagon Walk you can either make your way back to reception or go out into the garden, or even go back to take another look in the galleries.
In the far corner of the garden is Bees Are Magic, but we're redeveloping this area so you can't visit that at the moment.
You can still buy our honey in the shop though.
Finally, there's the pond, which contains all kinds of interesting wildlife.
There are baby ducks that are only a few days old as well as tiny frogs.
The pond isn't deep and there is a fence around it so it's perfectly safe for children.
I quite fancy going to that museum Nick.
Well, if I go there, I want to go with this woman, Stephen Merchant's wife, it sounds like.
Or a Dorset accent.
It makes me feel... It sounds like how the people where I grew up speak.
So it feels nice and relaxing.
So I think, to be honest, if I had a new group of IELTS students and I wanted to give them a quick introduction to part two and how the questions work,
I mean, this is a great... It is a good example, isn't it?
Example, isn't it?
So...
What I would say is we haven't spoken about it so far.
Is you know?
Obviously, when you're doing these tests on your own at home and you don't have Nick and I explaining everything to you, your best friend is the tape script which is at the back of the Cambridge books.
You might not need to for part one because it's relatively simple.
But whenever you've got a multiple choice question.
Yeah or a box matching.
I would not just be listening for the answers, I would be listening for how they were trying to trick us, right?
And you know, rather than just immediately going and checking your answers at the end of the test, which you're gonna do, that's natural.
Don't forget to have a look at the tape script and read through it to see What are these kinds of tricks.
So we know for multiple choice, they're going to discuss all of the options.
So for number 11, Nick, what was the building originally?
Originally, it was a private home.
It was a private home, wasn't it?
What did it say?
Was constructed as the home of a local businessman.
It's quite clear the answer, isn't it?
Yeah.
Right.
But then it says it was later sold and became a hall of residence.
So we hear hall of residence and a museum.
So they don't use the word factory anywhere else.
They didn't, but they look.
They didn't use the word private home, just home.
And they did use hall of residence, exactly as it's right.
Yeah, actually he was alfred palmer of the palmer biscuit factory, so they used the word factory, but it was his home, yeah.
So um, now number 12, i thought, required the students to use, i guess, a little bit of inference, a bit like sherlock holmes.
So if you see, for example, on the floor a paw print of a dog, you don't see the dog, but you know a dog has been there because there's a paw print, right?
So for number 12, how are they you?
How is the university using part of the museum?
Do you know what?
I didn't get this one.
Oh Nick, are we back to 39?
We're back to 39 already.
What would you guess it might be?
I would probably guess that it's A.
It is A. Good.
But they don't say they use them as teaching rooms.
What they say is the museum's owned and apart from two rooms that are our offices.
So the offices are the museum's offices.
Yes, not administration offices.
It doesn't say for teaching.
It says you may see students going into the building for lessons.
Yeah, that was the one.
It's quite tricky that, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
So again, if you've got students who are just matching words...
They're out of luck, unfortunately.
They're out of luck because there's no teaching and there's no rooms.
It's just students for lessons.
Yeah.
Okay.
For number 13, what does the guide say about the entrance fee?
There's a donation box.
So it's A. That's correct.
They can decide whether or not they wish to pay.
So again, it's pure paraphrasing, right?
Some students may get confused because it said only students and children receive a discount.
It said, I think, as we were listening, it says we run activities for children and students for which there is no charge.
So if something is free, is that the same as a discount?
No.
No, it's not, is it?
Yeah, so that might confuse a few students.
And the special exhibitions, it says, are included.
It includes access to those.
Question 14, also tricky.
A little bit, yeah.
What were they advised to leave in the cloakroom?
Well...
The answer was B. Sorry, the answer was C. It was bags.
Yes.
She said that you might need your coats because it's chilly or cold.
Right.
And cameras are allowed.
She said that a lot of museums don't let you take cameras in, but we do or something like that.
Yeah.
So it's kind of tricky because at the beginning she said we've got a cloakroom if you want to leave your coats and bags.
Mm-hmm.
So then it's like, well, wait a minute, I can leave both.
But at the end, she said, the weather's not very good.
It's a bit cold.
Yeah.
So keep your jacket on, but leave your bag.
Leave your rucksacks.
She said oh, is that what?
She said heavy rucksacks, yeah.
So he had a bit of a synonym.
So again in an exam environment that might confuse some students because it's like well, is it?
She said cameras and coats got to keep listening, all right, what about then our um areas?
This was a little bit easier, i think.
This one I agree, yeah.
So the four seasons, what did we find there?
That one was F features something created by students.
I think she said young people instead of students.
She did.
What did she say?
Designed especially for the museum by a group of young people on a film studies course.
So no word there of university or school or students.
So again, you had to listen, didn't you?
Then she talked about something else.
There was an extra thing added.
She added something called Farm and Country.
Now that's something which I've noticed in part three that they did in a couple of books ago.
So, although Nick said and he's completely right You don't need to focus too much in the one minute preparation time or the 30 seconds on the names of the places,
I would just, as you're listening, make sure you clearly hear because they always use them.
Mm-hmm.
Four seasons and then the farmhouse kitchen because she added an extra one in between them.
But the farmhouse kitchen sounds lovely.
What was the answer for that one?
This one was an expert is here today making cheese.
A specialist cheese maker.
Mm-hmm.
Lovely.
Yeah.
So what did they say?
Leaving town and country.
Right.
Yeah.
So yeah, town and country.
So they, she talked about, that was a photography exhibition about sheep and shepherds.
Luckily there's not anything there.
No, but that was a bit confusing.
Okay.
The year on the farm, I also thought was confusing until the very end.
And then she gave a clear answer.
This one was, there's a quiz for visitors.
I think she said memory test or something like that.
It was a memory test.
But before she'd said that, you'd got like two directions, right is the staircase.
Maybe people might think it's a one-way system.
Also, there's a lot of seating as it's sometimes used for school visits.
Mm-hmm.
So you might want to say it's only for school groups, but it's not only.
It's just sometimes used for them.
There was no word only there, was there?
No.
And there's nothing about having a rest or something.
So it's just the memory test.
Yes.
Okay.
Bees are magic.
Aren't bees great?
What was that answer?
Be brilliant.
Yes.
It's closed today.
Ah, no.
Yeah, it's closed today.
Sorry.
I'm gutted.
Yeah.
I was desperate to see the Bizarre Magic, but it's shut.
Oh, no.
Wait a second.
Have I missed one?
I've missed the Wagon Walk.
You've missed the wagon walk.
Yes, i've missed the wagon walk, sorry everybody.
So before bees are magic we had the wagon.
The wagon walk was a it was.
Parents must supervise their children because the stuff there is old and fragile.
Keep your children close to you and ensure they don't climb on the carts.
When I heard that Nick, I was reminded.
I went in Russia.
I went to the Kremlin.
And they've got an exhibition of all of the original carriages that the Tsars used to be dragged in.
And my uncle could not stop touching them.
I'm not joking.
There was this alarm system everywhere.
And every two minutes it would go like, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop.
And one of the old women would run over.
And every time it was my uncle with his bloody hand out there.
I was like Uncle David, look with your eyes, not with your hands, what are you doing?
Felt like I needed to put him on those reins, to like pull him back.
Um yeah, so that was the one for the children.
And then the bees are magic.
That's closed, isn't it?
Yep, that's why I was gutted.
They didn't use the word closed.
What did they say?
We are redeveloping this area, so you can't visit it at the moment.
Yeah, so it's closed.
But you can still buy the honey.
So we're still making money from the magic bees.
And finally, a bit like the multiple choice, where we had to understand if you see students going into classes, it's being used as a teaching room.
Mm-hmm.
This was a little bit more inference here, wasn't it?
It was.
I think the thing that makes this maybe a little bit easier is that there aren't very many options left.
Yes.
The answer is B.
There are new things to see yeah, but there was nothing about school groups and nothing about a one-way system, so it could only be b really, it could only be, and i guess what's confusing is the thing to me feels like an object.
Yeah, But the thing here were the baby ducks and the tiny frogs.
Baby ducks and tiny frogs, yeah.
Yeah.
And I think you've just said a really good thing there.
You know if you've got when it gives you half a minute to check your answers at the end of this I'll be honest with multiple choice and box matching.
If you don't hear it at the time, Mm-hmm is gone.
It's almost impossible to remember because they're using so many of the other options as fake answers.
But you could have a quick look and just check.
You know what's left we've got only for school groups.
Nothing was spoken about that and a one-way system is just crazy.
So you could be quite confident that they are the wrong answers.
But But I would say 99 of the time students who change answers usually change a correct answer to a wrong answer, because it's hard to remember.
Okay, so that was section two.
Again, Nick, on a difficulty level, where would you place that compared to a usual test?
Okay.
I think it's definitely lower than a five.
It is on the easier side overall.
Yeah.
I think if you've trained... There's a couple of tricky questions, actually.
So maybe I would give it a five, slap bang in the middle.
I think it's in the middle.
I don't think it's very easy, but I don't think there's anything unexpected or really difficult.
I think there are a lot of options in that box.
And there's a couple of questions which you've got to sort of use your logic for.
But, you know, IELTS are doing what IELTS do.
It's standard IELTS questions.
If we move though, to part three, I immediately feel that there's something different about this part three, or something that is not standard.
Can you guess what that might be?
It's the lots of different types of questions, I guess.
Yeah.
So what's unusual for me is not the type of questions they're using, because they often use.
We've got a multiple multiple choice, another box matching another normal multiple choice.
What's weird though is to have three of them in there.
Yeah.
Normally you have like two multiple multiple choice questions and six multiple choice or six box matching.
So, based on that Nick, if you turn the page in the exam and saw three sets of questions in part three, what might you be wary or be a bit careful of?
Well, I think that means that there's probably going to be one set of questions which is done very very, very quickly.
Yes, that's what i think um, and i think it's probably going to be the box matching, because they'll need a bit of time to go through all the options in 21 and 22 yep, and then probably yeah, we've got these comments and children, and i think it's just going to be one after the other very very, very quickly.
I think it's true.
I mean, I guess they've got to divide this into two somehow, haven't they?
Yeah.
I think it would be almost impossible for them to have just two questions and then all the rest.
So they've probably got to have the multiple, multiple choice in the box matching.
Which is seven, which is quite a lot, isn't it?
In part two, it's almost always they discuss each option, you know, like they do with the multiple choice.
They like go through each one.
It might also be that they actually don't discuss each option here and they just tell us.
The two answers with very difficult paraphrasing.
Yeah.
So what have we got here?
So the question says so again, for multiple, multiple choice.
It's always know what you're listening for.
So which two educational skills were shown in the video?
Of children doing origami.
Origami.
So I guess... Probably here, were shown is going to be definitely a key word.
Yeah.
So not what skills might be used for origami, but what were actually shown.
Or maybe they'll talk about what the video doesn't show as well.
Hmm.
And maybe, I mean, it says video of children doing origami.
Maybe they'll talk about two videos.
One will be about children doing origami and one will be about something else.
Yeah, right.
So there might be a second video, which is not what we're listening for.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So we've got these different skills again.
If you've got time to read these, you can.
I think for really high-level listeners, you're going to be able to identify.
There are two steps to answering multiple, multiple-choice questions.
The first is... is as they're talking, is identifying which of the five options is being discussed.
So we've got solving problems, following instructions, working cooperatively, learning through play, developing hand-eye coordination.
We'll probably hear synonyms of those, right?
So you know, following instructions might be, You know, going step by step through a handout or something.
So are they talking, which one are they talking about?
And secondly, was it definitely shown in the video?
That's the second step, isn't it?
Then we've got, what have we got?
For the box matching.
Which comment do the students make about each of the following children in the video?
So we've got five kids and the speakers are going to make different comments.
So we've got...
They demonstrated independence.
Asked teacher for support.
A competitive attitude.
Found the activity calming.
I mean, it's very similar to the box matching we've just done, isn't it?
Pleased with the results, confused, seemed to find the activity easy.
These might be, I would say, a little bit different from the previous one because...
I don't think this is about listening for synonyms.
I think this is about listening for behavior which demonstrates some of these um adjective.
So if someone is demonstrating independence, what would that mean?
They worked very well without any help from the teacher?
Yes, or something like that, exactly exactly.
If it says developed a competitive attitude, what might show us that someone's got a competitive attitude?
Maybe they'll say like they tried to complete the task faster than everybody else or better than everybody else.
Yes.
They were more interested in finishing first than doing it correctly or something.
So I think this is going to be The tricky bit about this is going to be connecting the behaviour that's described with the comments In the box.
In the box, yeah.
Then for the multiple choice...
I mean very briefly Nick, because we could talk forever about multiple choice in part three, but how does it differ, I guess, from the ones we've just done?
We might be listening this time for agreement or opinion or emotion.
Yeah.
We have 29's an agreed question.
Yeah.
The students agree that some teachers might be unwilling to use origami in class because.
So there are three reasons why teachers might be unwilling.
We need to find the one that they both agree is a reason.
I'm guessing there'll be a boy and a girl, right?
The boy might think A, the girl might think B, but they both agree that it's C.
I mean, maybe in 30 there might be a little bit of agreement here.
It says, why do the students decide to use origami in their maths teaching practice?
And that word decide is often connected with agreement in part three.
Exactly.
And so one student might suggest something which is rejected by the other.
He makes the second suggestion and the first student agrees to it.
Exactly.
So we could use it to do this.
No, I think it's better to use it to do this.
Yeah, definitely here.
I think the difference between part two and part three is in part two...
We're usually just analyzing information, facts which are true.
Now we need to understand sort of what is the consequence, I guess, of the student's discussion.
So it's sort of understanding what they finally decide.
Again, I will put this up on the website or, you know, definitely have.
You can't possibly answer this without you know do this part of the test without seeing it in front of you.
But again, if you're a really strong listener.
I would try to avoid reading all of the options for multiple choice in the 30 seconds.
I would focus more on what are we listening for, right?
So in question 28, before starting an origami activity in class, The students think it's important for the teacher to do something.
So we're listening for the thing the students think is important.
You should be able to recognize what's being discussed.
What you want to be focusing on is what they think is important, or what they agree, what they decide to do.
Okay, Nick, are you ready?
I'm ready.
Following instructions from their tutor.
You will hear two trainee teachers discussing the use of origami, a paper-folding activity, in the classroom.
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 27.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 27.
So now I want you to discuss the lesson we've just been watching on the video and think about the ways in which origami can be a useful educational tool.
Can you all work with the person sitting next to you?
I had no idea that such a simple thing like folding squares of paper to make the shape of something like a bird could be such an amazing tool.
It's made me see origami in a whole new light.
I know.
It was interesting to see the educational skills the children were developing by doing origami.
On the video you could see them really listening hard to make sure they did all the steps in the right order to make the bird
That's right.
In this lesson they were working individually, but it would also be interesting to see if the children could work out how to make something simple without being given any direction.
That would help with building teamwork as well.
Yes, but much more of a challenge.
One thing that really stood out for me was that the children were all having fun while being taught something new.
Which is a key aim of any lesson with this age group.
And although these kids had no problems with folding the paper, with younger children you could do origami to help practise fine motor skills.
Absolutely.
Shall we talk about the individual children we saw on the video?
I wrote all their names down and took some notes.
Yes, I did too.
OK, good.
Let's start with Sid.
He was interesting because before they started doing the origami, he was being quite disruptive.
Yes, he really benefited from having to use his hands.
It helped him to settle down and start concentrating.
Yes, I noticed that too.
What about Jack?
I noticed he seemed to want to work things out for himself.
You could see him trying out different things rather than asking the teacher for help.
What did you make of Naomi?
She seemed to be losing interest at one point, but then she decided she wanted her mouse to be the best, and that motivated her to try harder.
She didn't seem satisfied with hers in the end, though.
No.
Anya was such a star.
She listened so carefully and then produced the perfect bird with very little effort.
I think the teacher could have increased the level of difficulty for her.
Maybe.
I think it was the first time Zara had come across origami.
She looked as if she didn't really get what was going on.
She seemed unsure about what she was supposed to do.
But in the end, hers didn't turn out too badly.
Yeah, I'm sure it was a positive learning experience for her.
Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 28
Now listen and answer questions 28 to 30.
I think one reason why the origami activity worked so well in this class was that the teacher was well prepared.
Right.
I think it would have taken me ages to prepare examples showing each of the steps involved in making the bird, but that was a really good idea.
The children could see what they were aiming for.
And much better for them to be able to hold something rather than just looking at pictures.
Those physical examples supported her verbal explanations really well.
It's strange that origami isn't used more widely.
Why do you think that is?
Well, teachers may just feel it's not that appealing to children who are used to doing everything on computers, especially boys, even if they're aware of the benefits.
Oh, I don't know.
It's no different to any other craft activity.
I bet it's because so many teachers are clumsy like me.
That's true.
Too much effort required if you're not good with your hands.
Well, anyway, I think we should try it out in our maths teaching practice with Year 3.
I can see using origami as a really engaging way of reinforcing children's knowledge of geometric shapes, like they were doing in the video.
But I think it would also work really well for presenting fractions, which is coming up soon.
Good idea.
That's something most of the kids in that class might struggle with.
Origami would also be good practice for using symmetry, but I think they did that last term.
OK.
Well, let's try and get some ideas together and plan the lesson next week.
OK.
If you could also...
Right then, Nick.
Were our predictions correct?
Was this tricky?
I didn't think it was too bad, actually.
No?
No.
We'll see.
I might have loads of answers wrong.
We'll see.
I don't know.
I've done this test actually with one set of our students and a lot of them struggle with the box matching.
Right.
Because it came thick and fast.
But before the box matching, let's start them with this multiple, multiple choice.
So...
This one was quite horrible, actually.
I think it is hard.
We heard four of the answers.
Yeah.
But two of them were suggestions about How did you linguistically, based on the language, how did you know the difference between what they actually saw in the video and how origami?
Well, they used could, didn't they?
Yeah, I was trying not to use it.
They used could and they used would for the option.
So if you really paid attention to that language, which two did, what were the two answers?
B and D. Yeah.
Following instructions and learning through play.
Yeah.
So the following instructions was about, and it says on the video you could see them really listening.
Now, I guess that's a bit tricky because they've used could there.
You could see them really listening.
But that could is because they watched the video in the past, isn't it?
So you can see them listening to make sure they did all the steps in the right order.
But it definitely says on the video.
So that is definitely listening hard, doing the steps.
That's following instructions, isn't it?
How did you understand the answer was D, learning through play?
What did they say there?
Well, Leah said, didn't she?
She said one thing that really stood out for me was that children the children were all having fun while being taught something new.
So having fun means they're playing and they're learning something new at the same time.
Right.
Tricky.
That was tricky.
If they teach something new, they are learning through play.
That's what's happening there.
As for the other answers that were wrong, I think Seb said in this lesson they were working individually.
But it would also be interesting to see if they could work out how to make something simple without being given any direction.
Second condition.
That would help with building teamwork.
So some students might be tempted... To choose C there.
To choose C or even A, solving problems.
Because children could work out and it would help.
But those coulds and woulds are hypothetical, aren't they?
They are.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, tricky, tricky, tricky.
And what about that?
There was another one, actually.
Yeah, hand-eye coordination was the last thing that Seb said.
Although these kids had no problems with folding the paper, with younger children you could do origami to help practice fine motor skills.
So you could.
So we didn't see it in this video.
Hypothetical again.
Now I just wanted to mention I thought it was kind of interesting at the beginning because when I saw this question I thought oh, although origami is kind of famous in England and we all know what it is, I did think that is a Japanese word.
It is.
And I wonder what would happen if some students taking the test didn't know what origami is.
So what have IELTS done to help those students they've explained at the beginning, right?
So when Seb, you know this little bit that Seb says before the answers begin.
I had no idea that a simple thing like folding squares of paper to make the shape of something like a bird Could be an amazing tool.
That is there to explain to people what origami is.
Because otherwise you'd be like, what are they talking about?
Paper and birds.
It would be confusing.
So I think that was quite tricky.
If you don't understand the difference between the would and the could and everything.
In terms of the children, again, some of them were not too bad.
So for example, Sid, what was the answer for him?
He seemed to find the activity calming.
It did.
And we know that because what did we say?
He was being bad at the beginning.
He was being disruptive.
And then he really benefited from having to use his hands.
It helped him to settle down and start concentrating.
So I guess there, that is just a pure test of vocabulary, isn't it?
If you know disruptive is bad, settle down means become calm.
You've got the answer.
Then we went straight on to Jack.
This one demonstrated independence.
That one wasn't too tricky, I think.
Yeah.
Because it said, yeah, he tried things rather than asking the question.
So he didn't want to ask the question.
That should tell us it's independence.
But that is not a synonym question.
The first one's all about synonyms.
That one is about understanding not asking the teacher is being independent.
And Naomi...
Naomi was, she developed a competitive attitude.
Oh, she did, Naomi.
She wanted her mouse to be the best or something, didn't she?
She lost interest, but then she decided she wanted her mouse to be the best.
So I guess that word best is the biggest option there.
Anya, poor Anya.
She seemed to find the activity easy.
Oh, yeah, not poor Annie.
Who was the one who didn't know what it was?
Maybe it was Naomi.
But yeah, now, how did you know she found it easy?
She listened carefully and then produced the perfect bird with very little effort.
So there was that very little effort.
And then Seb said, I think the teacher could have increased the level of difficulty.
So I guess that difficulty word there is also.
It's our opposite trick that they love so much, isn't it?
Could have increased the difficulty, but they didn't.
And then finally, Zara...
She was the one who had no idea what was happening.
She was confused, wasn't she?
Yeah, she seemed unsure about what she was supposed to do.
Yeah, so that is a pure description of what it feels like to be confused.
Which is how I felt when I had COVID and I just was on holiday and I realized all I had to do was sleep.
I was like, is that it?
So, yeah, I think you're right.
Maybe I just think sort of, I think actually really.
Then maybe the multiple, multiple choice is more difficult there than the box matching.
I think so, yeah.
Yeah, it's trickier.
What did you think about the multiple choice questions, the last three?
Again, not too tricky, this one, I think.
Well, I say that.
I don't know if I've got all the answers correct.
I think you probably have.
I would say that the funny thing again was for the first one.
It was really, I think, testing if you understood what the speakers were saying.
It could take the main idea out of it.
Yeah.
Because the first one is A, isn't it?
It's important to make the models that demonstrate the different stages.
They didn't really kind of sort of say, I think it was important.
They just said I think it was like it would have taken ages to prepare those examples, but they were really good because it helped the students.
Blah blah, blah.
It would have taken me ages as well, which means it didn't take the teacher ages.
Yeah, to prepare the right.
I'm guessing.
Yeah um Yeah, I don't know.
I just don't think any of the other options were really... Mentioned at all, were they?
The terminology, find it difficult.
No, it was just all about those models.
What have we got for 29?
The student degree.
Some teachers might be unwilling to use origami because They may not have the necessary skills.
Yes.
Please.
Now there was a whole discussion before the answer, wasn't it?
About, I guess about A, they might not think crafts are important, but that's what she said.
And Seb rejected that, didn't he?
He said, oh, I don't know.
Yeah.
It's the same as all crafts.
Yeah.
I bet it's because so many teachers are clumsy like me.
And she says the magic word for agreement.
That's true.
Yes.
So they definitely decide on that.
And then for question 30, there was a bit of discussion here.
But finally, what did they decide?
Was it to correct a misunderstanding, to set a challenge or to introduce a new concept?
It was to introduce a new concept.
It's going to be with fractions.
Yes.
And I think they use the word, we can use it really well for presenting fractions.
So anytime you talk about something for the first time.
You present it.
You present it.
Exactly.
Okay, cool.
Tricky, actually, I'm going to say overall.
A couple of very difficult questions, I guess.
There's a couple of really tricky ones in there.
It's kind of interesting actually, because if you do need an eight, you probably want an exam which is more or less okay, with a couple of really difficult ones in it, which is what I think this test is.
Yeah.
Rather than...
Seven or eight, which are semi-tricky.
Now I have to say actually Nick, the other reason that I've chosen, I chose this particular exam to do here and in my class, is because the final part four, the lecture, is about Victor Hugo.
Mm-hmm.
Now I don't know if you know what Victor Hugo wrote Nick, but he wrote the incredible Les Miserables, which was my mum's favourite musical and which I've seen three times live and I have the soundtrack.
And if you ever came to my house on a Saturday night, when I've been out with my friends and I come back feeling quite merry, you will hear me singing this
The soundtrack of Les Miserables, particularly the song One Day More at the top of my voice.
If you've never heard One Day More, go and find Les Miserables' 10-year anniversary concert.
One Day More.
It's the best version ever.
It will give you goosebumps.
It's incredible.
We get done for copyright if we put it at the end of the podcast, but it would be brilliant if we could finish the podcast with that.
But anyway, we have got, it looks to me, Nick, like a bog standard classic note completion.
What advice would we give students before tackling this?
Yeah.
Well, I mean there is, I mean there's quite a lot of information here, so you might not have time to read everything and predict.
You are going to get a minute, so a little bit more time, but still, I think there is just maybe a little bit too much information here.
So my advice would be to focus on the headings and the bullet points and just sort of kind of get an understanding of the structure of the lecture.
Maybe underline some key words that you know will definitely be used.
I can see, for example, in the first... Under the first heading, we've got theatre and cinema.
So, you're probably going to hear those words.
In the second one, romantic movement, Paris, social issues, education, Napoleon...
These are going to help you understand where you are.
As you hear those words said by the lecturer, you're going to be ready.
Okay, there's an answer coming up soon.
Yeah, very good.
I mean, I think you're totally right.
You know, definitely know what the headings are.
We've got, you know, early career exile from France.
Some students might not know what exile means.
It's when you're thrown out of a country, usually for political reasons.
I'd also note there's five of these questions are about the description of his house on Guernsey.
So you know, once you move to the house, you've got five points there and I definitely agree with you.
I would say definitely, look at how the I think it's really good advice how everything's structured.
And then, if you've got a bit of extra time, like in the time you've got left, try and read as many of the lines with the missing words as you can.
So you know what you're listening for, right?
So we know more about its overall something than it's author.
What's the?
It's there nick?
Uh, the novel.
I guess that's his novel, because that's the heading, isn't it?
Yeah, so like, if you've got a list like this, you know he spoke publicly about social issues, such as something and education.
So listen for the thing with education, With education, what?
And you know it's going to be a social problem, isn't it?
So, you know, really look at, get through as many as you can.
As you say though, you might not be able to get through every sentence.
So it's more important that you preview and you know generally what's happening.
And then once you start listening, follow those notes.
You will hear all of the information on those notes.
And those notes are really your guide for when you've moved to the next section.
You're going to hear lots of extra information.
So once you've heard one line of notes, look at the next.
Don't, I mean, it's dangerous, but you've got to, don't think you've missed something.
Just know what you're listening for, for the next note, because it will come.
But if you're still looking at Les Miserables and it's talking about the romantic movement.
Yeah, you've moved on. or Paris, you've missed it.
So you've got to do two things.
You've got to not go forward, but you've got to know what comes next.
In case you've missed an answer.
So that is a skill which does take practice.
All right, Nick, let's finish this then.
Let's get this done.
We're on for a 40.
Let's make it a good one.
Fingers crossed.
Part 4.
You will hear a literature student giving a talk about Victor Hugo, a famous 19th century French writer.
First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
The person I've chosen to talk about is the French writer Victor Hugo.
Many people have heard of him because his novel Les Miserables, which he wrote in 1862, is famous around the world.
It became a stage musical in the 1980s and a film version was also released in 2012.
So some of us, I'm sure, have a pretty general idea of the plot, but we know much less about the author.
Today I'm going to provide a little more insight into this talented man and I'm going to talk particularly about the home he had on the island of Guernsey in the British Channel Islands.
But first, his early career.
As I've said, he was a writer.
He was at the height of his career in Paris and he was very highly regarded by his colleagues.
As far as literature was concerned, he was the leading figure of the Romantic movement.
However, as well as being a literary genius, he also gave many speeches about issues like the level of poverty in his society.
He felt very strongly about this and about other areas where change was needed, like education.
This kind of outspoken criticism was not well liked by the rulers of France, and eventually the emperor Napoleon III told Victor Hugo to leave Paris and not return.
In other words, he sent him into exile.
So Victor Hugo was forced to reside in other parts of Europe.
Guernsey was actually his third place of exile and he landed there in 1855.
He produced a lot while on Guernsey, including Les Miserables.
And to do this, he had to spend a great deal of time in the home that he had there.
This was a property that he bought using the money he'd made in France from the publication of a collection of his poetry.
It was the only property he ever owned and he was very proud of it.
The property Victor Hugo bought on Guernsey was a large five-storey house in the capital town of St.
Peterport, and he lived there for 15 years, returning to France in 1870 when Napoleon's empire collapsed.
He decorated and furnished each level or floor of the house in unique and wonderful ways.
And many people consider the inside of the house to be a work of art.
Today it's a museum that attracts 200,000 visitors a year.
He lived in the house with his family, and portraits of its members still hang in rooms on the ground floor, along with drawings that he did during his travels that he felt were important to him.
In other ground floor rooms there are huge tapestries that he would have designed and loved.
The walls are covered in dark wood panelling that Victor Hugo created himself using wooden furniture that he bought in the market.
The items were relatively inexpensive and he used them to create intricate carvings.
They gave an atmosphere on the lower level that was shadowy and rather solemn.
On the next level of the house there are two impressive lounges where he entertained his guests.
One lounge has entirely red furnishings, such as sofas and wall coverings, and the other blue.
There's a strong Chinese influence in these areas, in things like the wallpaper pattern and the lamps, which he would have made himself by copying original versions.
His library, where he left many of his favourite books, forms the hallway to the third floor and was a comfortable area where he could relax and enjoy his afternoons.
And then, at the very top of the house, there's a room called the lookout.
Called that because it looks out over the harbour.
In contrast to the rather dark lower levels, it's full of light and was like a glass office where he would write until lunchtime, often at his desk.
So, Victor Hugo was a man of many talents, but he was also true to his values.
While living in his house on Guernsey, he entertained many other famous writers, but he also invited a large group of local children from the deprived areas of the island to dinner once a week.
What's more, he served them their food, which was an extraordinary gesture for the time period.
In 1927 the house was owned by his relatives and they decided to donate it to the city of Paris.
It has since been restored using photographs from the period and, as I mentioned earlier, is now a museum that is open to the public.
Right Nick, what do we think about Victor Hugo?
I think that generally was pretty easy to be honest overall.
I don't think there was too many problems with that one.
I don't think there's any problems either.
The only thing I would say was that there was.
It felt like even for a lecture.
There was a lot of information.
Yeah, she really, especially that final section about Guernsey, she went into a lot of detail.
And I actually have to admit around question 37, I did switch off a little bit.
I think 36 and 37, I think some of the key words in the note are quite separated from the answer.
And again, it is a bit boring.
It is.
I'm telling you, don't judge Victor Hugo's music.
By the Welsh woman's lecture.
Yeah, because the Welsh woman's lecture is pretty boring.
So let's go through them then.
So interestingly, I thought that the spelling of these answers was easier than in part one even.
So for his novel, we know more about its overall...
Plot.
Plot.
And about its author.
And that was a direct, I mean, almost word for word paraphrase, isn't it, I think?
Yeah, it was pretty easy.
I have a pretty general idea of the plot, but we know much less about the author.
It's the same.
The social issues is a very common word for IELTS Listening Part 4.
It was poverty.
Poverty.
Which you could probably guess, couldn't you?
You probably could guess that actually, yeah.
Yeah.
And we got the answer poverty before education, so it followed the order of the text.
So it was kind of easy there.
33 I thought was a bit tricky because it felt a bit too simple again.
Mm-hmm.
A bit like the experience in part one.
He said Victor had to live elsewhere in... Europe.
Just Europe, yeah.
He was forced to reside in other parts of Europe.
So reside, live, had to, forced to...
It's a very clear synonym, I think.
And then question 34.
He used his income from the sale of some... Some poetry.
Yeah, poetry he had written.
So we know that we were looking for something that you could write.
So i guess that does kind of narrow down.
It does yeah, maybe it would be books or something.
I mean it does say a collection of his poetry.
So if you put collection, that's not correct because it's not Plural.
We can't say some collection, can we?
No.
It's a collection of poetry.
But I do think those first four were not too bad.
It was when it got onto his house.
So the ground floor contains portraits.
Yep.
Drawings.
Drawings.
And tapestries.
And tapestries.
But again, it was, you know, portraits of its members still hang on the room, along with drawings.
Along with drawings, mm-hmm.
So you know now 36 was quite tricky, because the answer to this so what did he?
What thing did he buy that was cheap and made of wood, which he turned into these wall carvings, furniture.
It is furniture.
That's what I thought.
Yeah.
But we got the information about the walls first.
We did.
The walls are covered in dark panelling using the wooden furniture that he'd bought in the market.
Wooden made of wood, yeah, I guess.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um, then there was a.
Then it got a bit confusing cause there was this red room and a lot of stuff about China.
Um, so there were furnished areas with wallpaper and.
Well, I wasn't sure, cause I thought at first it was sofas, but then I changed mine and I was like no, it's lamps.
Right.
And did you change your mind?
I did because I switched off.
I just completely switched off.
Yeah, I did as well.
But I think the lamps was emphasised so strongly.
Yeah, exactly.
And that was closer to Chinese as well.
Yes.
Yeah.
I also thought it was sofas as well.
Yeah.
Okay.
Then 30, I think the last three got a bit easier.
So at the top of the house, you had a view of the... Harbour. harbour could be tricky spelling yes you can spell that the british way h-a-r-b-o-u-r or the american way they give you the american way as well yes h-a-r-b-o-r with no u um But so far, you know, we've got a couple of plurals, drawings and lamps, but I think much easier words to spell here than in part one.
Definitely.
He entertained other writers as well as poor... Poor children, yes, who he served himself.
Good.
And finally, Victor Hugo's... Relatives.
Relatives.
Relatives.
There was no, you know, no distraction for that.
I thought it might be estate or something like that.
Right.
I thought it was interesting that it's like Victor Hugo was exiled from France and then his family gave his house to the city of Paris.
He must be down there or up there in heaven.
Um good, so i think again.
I mean, i i think that this, apart from the fact that there's no map yeah, if you are a like a teacher who's just you know, he's got a group of students who wants to introduce them, this would be a great exam you could do from start to finish, you know, in a lesson or a couple of lessons.
That would just really, with no twists or turns or strange things, really demonstrate what the student should be doing.
I think.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So did you get 40?
I did.
I didn't make any mistakes.
Thank God.
Credibility remains intact.
His credibility is there.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this lesson.
Obviously, it's quite long when we do these listenings, but you don't have to listen in one go.
The key thing is that you know.
Like anything, practice mindfully, you know, but I hope that us explaining what we're looking at, giving you the answers you know, will help your score to improve.
Go forward now, keep practicing, but do it like this, right?
Use that tape script at the back.
Really think about why an answer is correct or not correct.
All right, Nick, you doing anything good this week?
No, I'm just working, unfortunately.
I think resting is what we're both doing after our big work.
All right.
So I hope that you all have a lovely week and we'll be back next week with a new lesson.
Until then, take care.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
My IELTS Classroom podcast is a production of My IELTS Classroom Limited.
Nick and I do not represent IELTS, and everything you heard in this episode is our own personal opinion.
Speaking Lessons and Marking Service you can find that at www.myiotsclassroom.com.
If you have a question or query or just want to chat, you can email Nick and I at hello at myiotsclassroomcom.
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Have a great week.
Study hard.
And remember, this is my IELTS classroom.
Thanks for listening.
We'll see you next week.
