Expertise In Creative Writing - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 5 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–40 Flow Chart Completion
Complete the flow chart below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Expertise in creative writing
Background—researcher had previously studies 31
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had initial idea for research-inspired by a book (the 32 of a well-known novelist).
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Posed initial question—why do some people become experts while others don't?
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read expertise research in different fields, avoided studies carried out in a 33 because they're too controlled.
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most helpful studies—research into 34 e.g. waiting tables.
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found participants: four true 35 in creative writing (easy to find) and four with extensive experience
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adopting 'think aloud' techniques to collect 36 data from inexperience writer. (during session-assistant made 37 recordings).
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gathered similar data from experienced writers
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compared two sets of data and generated a 38 for analysis (identified five major stages in writing-will be refined later).
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got an expert 39 to evaluate the quality of the different products
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identified the most effective 40 of stages in producing text.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | English literature | Before I started my current degree course in cognitive psychology, I studied English literature | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker's past education (what they did before their current degree) was focused on English literature. Answer Explanation: The answer is the subject English literature, which is a university course where students read and analyze books, poems, and plays. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is English literature because the researcher mentions this was the subject they learned before starting their current psychology degree. In the flow chart, the word 'previously' refers to something done in the past, and 'studied' relates to what they spent time learning at a school or university. |
| Q32 | autobiography | When I read a well-known twentieth century writer's autobiography | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the researcher's interest in the topic began when they read a life story written by a famous writer. Answer Explanation: The answer 'autobiography' refers to a book a person writes about their own life. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'autobiography' because the researcher explains that their project started from a specific source. They mention being inspired by reading a book about a famous writer's life journey. This book was a 'well-known twentieth century writer's autobiography.' This experience led them to question how some writers become experts while others do not. |
| Q33 | lab / laboratory | I began to see a pattern, that those studies which involves researching a lab was too controlled for my purpose, and I decided to avoid reading them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the speaker noticed a specific style of research (studies in a lab) and decided not to read them because they were too controlled for their own project. Answer Explanation: The answer is lab or laboratory, which is a special room or building where scientists do tests and research. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the speaker says they looked at research in many different areas but chose not to use studies done in a lab. The speaker avoided these studies because they were "too controlled," meaning they were too strict or artificial for what the speaker wanted to learn. Keywords like 'controlled' and 'avoid' in the transcript match the flow chart's description. |
| Q34 | practical skills | I was quite surprised to find that the clearest guidance for my topic came from investigations into what I call practical skills, as such as hairdresser or waiting tables | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker found the most helpful information for their own research by looking at studies focused on common, hands-on jobs like hairdressing or serving food at tables. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to jobs or tasks that involve doing something physical or useful, rather than just academic study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found by looking at where the speaker discusses other fields of research. They explain that while they avoided laboratory studies, they found the best help (or "clearest guidance") in research about what they name "practical skills." They use the job of "waiting tables" as a specific example, which matches the example given in the flow chart. |
| Q35 | novelists | I looked for 4 people whom I regarded as real novelists in this field, which proved easy, perhaps unsurprisingly | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the researcher found four people to study who were novelists. It also points out that finding these people was easy to do. Answer Explanation: The answer novelists means people who write long stories in books. In this study, they represent the first group of writers that the researcher chose to test. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the section of the talk where the researcher explains how they chose participants. The researcher wanted to compare two groups. The first group consisted of four people the researcher called "real novelists." The researcher mentions that finding these four people was "easy," which matches the information given in the flow chart. The flow chart also mentions these individuals are compared to a second group with "extensive experience." |
| Q36 | experimental | I asked the first four to do a SAT writing task and as they wrote to talk into a tape recorder, a technique known as 'think aloud'. This was in order to get experimental data | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the researcher asked people to talk while they were writing. This technique is called 'think aloud', and its purpose was to get "experimental" data. Answer Explanation: The answer "experimental" describes the type of information or facts gathered during a test. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found because the speaker discusses a method called 'think aloud' where writers talk as they work. The speaker explains that this method was used to collect "experimental" data. Learners should look for the connection between the 'think aloud' technique and the word "experimental" used to describe the data. |
| Q37 | video | Whilst they were doing this, a research assistant recorded them with video | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that while the writers were working, a helper used a camera to record them on video. Answer Explanation: The answer is the type of recording (using a camera) that the research assistant made during the study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'video' because the speaker explains that while the writers were doing their task and talking out loud, a helper (research assistant) used a camera to take movie recordings. This was done to help the researcher write down what happened later. Using a camera to record someone is called making a video recording. |
| Q38 | framework | After this, I made a comparison between the two sets of data and this helps me to produce a framework for analysis | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that after the researcher looked at the information from both types of writers, they created a structured system (a framework) to help understand and study the steps people take when they write. Answer Explanation: The answer is the word "framework," which means a basic structure or a set of rules used to organize and analyze information. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "framework" because the transcript describes a step in the research process where the speaker compares two groups: inexperienced writers and experienced writers. After analyzing the information (data) from both groups, the speaker developed a structured method or "framework" to help study the creative writing process. Keywords to note are "made a comparison" and "produce," which lead to the creation of this framework. |
| Q39 | editor | So I asked an editor, an expert in reviewing creative writing, to decide which were the best pieces of evaluations | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says the researcher chose a professional editor to look at the stories and decide which ones were written the best. Answer Explanation: The answer "editor" refers to a professional person who checks books and stories to judge the quality of the writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "editor" because the researcher wanted to find out which writers produced higher quality work. To do this, they needed a specialist to evaluate (review or judge) the writing. According to the transcript, the researcher chose an editor specifically because they are experts at reviewing creative writing and could determine which results were the best. |
| Q40 | sequence | I was then able to work out which sequence of the five stages seem to lead to the best writing | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explicitly states that the researcher figured out the specific order (sequence) of the five steps (stages) that resulted in (lead to) the highest quality (best) writing. Answer Explanation: The answer 'sequence' refers to the specific order or arrangement of the five stages of writing identified by the researcher. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'sequence' because the researcher wanted to determine which specific order of the various writing steps produced the highest quality work. By comparing the five stages against the quality evaluations from an editor, the researcher could see which arrangement (sequence) was most successful for a writer. Synonyms to note are 'sequence' for 'order' and 'lead to the best' for 'most effective'. |
Transcript
Good morning, everyone! I would like to present the summary of work I've done by now on my research project to look into expertise in creative writing. More importantly, I'm going to share with you the procedure I underwent to collect my interim findings.
At first, I think certain relevant background information about myself should be known to you all. Before I started my current degree course in cognitive psychology, I studied English literature. And as you can imagine, this meant I spent great deal of time thinking about the notion of creativity, and what makes people develop into successful writers.
However, the idea for this research project resulted from a very specific source. I became fascinated with the idea of what makes an expert creative writer. When I read a well-known twentieth century writer's autobiography. I won't say which one at this stage, because I think that might prejudice your interpretation... anyway, this got me thinking about the different routes to expertise. Specifically, I wondered why some people become experts at things whilst others failed to do so, in spite of the fact that they may be equally gifted and work equally hard. I started to read about how other researchers had explored similar questions in other fields. I began to see a pattern, that those studies which involves researching a lab was too controlled for my purpose, and I decided to avoid reading them. I was quite surprised to find that the clearest guidance for my topic came from investigations into what I call practical skills, as such as hairdresser or waiting tables. Most of these studies tended to use a similar set of procedures which I eventually adopted for my own project.
I'll now explain what these procedures were. I decided to compare what inexperience writers do with what experience writers do. In order to investigate this, I looked for 4 people whom I regarded as real novelists in this field, which proved easy, perhaps unsurprisingly. It proved much harder to locate people with suitably extensive experience, who are willing to take part in my study. I asked the first four to do a SAT writing task and as they wrote to talk into a tape recorder, a technique known as 'think aloud'. This was in order to get experimental data. Whilst they were doing this, a research assistant recorded them with video. I thought it might be helpful for me and my transcriptions later on. I then asked four experienced writers to do it exactly the same task. After this, I made a comparison between the two sets of data and this helps me to produce a framework for analysis. In particular, I identify 5 major stages which all creative writing seemed to go through when generating this genre text. I think it was fairly effective but still needed some work, so I intended to tighten this up later for use with subsequent data sets. And then I wanted to see whether experience writers were actually producing the better pieces of writing. So I asked an editor, an expert in reviewing creative writing, to decide which were the best pieces of evaluations. I was then able to work out which sequence of the five stages seem to lead to the best writing.
Now my findings are by no means conclusive at this point. I still have a long way to go, but if any of you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them.