Expertise In Creative Writing - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 3 Academic Listening Test 3 · 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 studied 31
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Had initial idea for research – inspired by a book (the 32 of a famous novelist).
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Posed initial question – why do some people become experts whilst others don't?
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Read expertise research in different fields.
Avoided studies conducted in a 33 because too controlled.
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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Using 'think aloud' techniques, gathered 36 data from inexperienced writer. (During session – assistant made 37 recordings).
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Gathered similar data from experienced writers.
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Compared two data sets 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, and as you can imagine, this meant I spent a great deal of time thinking about the notion of creativity and what makes people develop into successful writers | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the student went to school to learn about English books and writing before she started her new psychology classes. Answer Explanation: The answer 'English literature' is the name of the subject the student learned at a university before she changed to psychology. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the information the speaker shares about her past. In the beginning, she gives 'background information' about herself. She says that before she started her psychology class, she 'studied English literature.' This previous study is why she wanted to research writers. The keyword 'studied' identifies the subject found in the answer. |
| Q32 | autobiography | I became fascinated with the idea of what makes an expert creative writer when I read a well-known 20th-century writer’s autobiography | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the student explaining how she started her project. She says she read a famous writer's own life story, which is called an autobiography, and that gave her the idea. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to a specific type of book where a person writes about their own life experiences. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'autobiography' because the student explains that her research idea came from a 'very specific source'. She states that she became interested in the topic of expert writers after reading a book written by a famous 20th-century writer about their own life. This matches the flow chart's description of being 'inspired by a book'. |
| Q33 | laboratory / lab | I began to see a pattern: that those studies which involved research in a lab were too controlled for my purposes, and I decided to avoid reading them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the student noticed that research done in a laboratory (lab) was not flexible enough for her project, so she decided not to include those types of studies in her work. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies a place for scientific experiments that the student chose to ignore because the studies done there were too restricted. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'lab' (or 'laboratory'). In the transcript, the student explains her process of reading research from different fields. Use of synonyms is key here; she says she 'avoided' reading studies that were 'too controlled,' and she specifically identifies these as the 'studies which involved research in a lab.' This aligns directly with the flowchart's requirement to identify the setting of the studies she did not want to include. |
| 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, such as hairdressing or waiting tables | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the most helpful information for the student's research came from looking at studies about everyday jobs, which she calls "practical skills." Answer Explanation: The answer "practical skills" refers to jobs or tasks where people do something physical or use their hands, like serving food in a restaurant or cutting hair. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "practical skills" because the student explicitly mentions that the best advice or help for her research project came from looking at studies about these types of activities. She uses the example of "waiting tables" (serving food in a restaurant) to describe what she means by this term. |
| Q35 | novices / beginners | I looked for four people whom I regarded as real novices in this field, which proved easy, perhaps unsurprisingly | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the researcher found four people who had almost no experience in writing and called them 'novices' for her study. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to people who are just starting out or have very little experience in a specific activity, in this case, creative writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'novices' because the speaker mentions looking for four people who were 'real novices' to compare with experienced writers. This word describes the group that was 'easy to find' because they did not have much experience yet. The flow chart asks for a term to describe the four participants who were the opposite of those with 'extensive experience'. |
| Q36 | experimental | This was in order to get experimental data | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the student used the 'think aloud' method specifically to collect information (data) for her experiment. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to evidence or information collected through a scientific test or trial. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'experimental' because the student explains that the purpose of using the 'think aloud' technique (where participants speak into a recorder while writing) was to collect a specific type of data for her research. In the talk, she explicitly calls this 'experimental data'. This matches the flowchart's requirement for the type of data gathered using those techniques. |
| Q37 | video | Whilst they were doing this, a research assistant recorded them using video | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that while the writers were busy with their tasks, a helper made movie-style recordings of them using a video camera. Answer Explanation: The answer 'video' refers to the type of recordings made by the researcher's helper while the writers were working. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'video' because the student explains that while the writers performed their task, an assistant recorded them on video to help with the writing of the notes later. The student uses the phrase 'recorded them using video' to describe this specific activity performed by the research assistant. |
| Q38 | framework | After this, I made a comparison between the two sets of data and this helped me to produce a framework for analysis | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the student compared two groups of information to create a structured way (a framework) to look at her research results. Answer Explanation: The answer "framework" refers to a basic structure or a set of rules used to organize and understand complex information. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "framework" because the student describes the step where she looked at the data from both new writers and experienced writers. By comparing these two groups, she was able to build a system to study the writing process. In the text, she explicitly states that comparing the data sets helped her to "produce a framework for analysis." |
| Q39 | editor | So I asked an editor, an expert in reviewing creative writing, to decide which were the best pieces of writing | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the student contacted an editor to judge the writing work and determine which pieces were better than the others. Answer Explanation: The answer 'editor' refers to a professional person who reads, checks, and judges the quality of writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'editor' because the student explains she needed a professional expert to look at the eight pieces of writing and rank them according to their quality. She specifically mentions choosing an editor, who is an expert at looking at creative writing, to do this task. |
| Q40 | sequence / order | This person put the eight pieces of work in order of quality, in rank order, and using his evaluations, I was then able to work out which sequence of the five stages seemed to lead to the best quality writing | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that an expert editor ranked the writings. Then, the researcher looked at those rankings to see which specific order—or sequence—of the five writing stages produced the most successful results. Answer Explanation: The answer is about the specific order of the steps an author takes while writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the researcher's goal to link writing quality to the writing process. After getting the stories ranked by an editor, she looked at the five stages each writer used. She wanted to see if the 'sequence' (the order in which the stages happen) made a difference in how good the final story was. In the transcript, she uses the word 'sequence' to describe this order of stages leading to the 'best quality' or 'most effective' writing. |
Transcript
Narrator: Test 3, section 4. You will hear a psychology undergraduate describing the research she is currently doing on expertise in creative writing. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen and answer questions 31 to 40.
Student: For my short presentation today, I’m going to summarize the work I’ve done so far on my research project to explore expertise in creative writing. Essentially, I’ll share with you the process I underwent to gather my interim findings.
Student: First of all, I should give a little relevant background information about myself. Before I started my current degree course in cognitive psychology, I studied English literature, and as you can imagine, this meant I spent a great deal of time thinking about the notion of creativity and what makes people develop into successful writers.
Student: However, the idea for this research project came from a very specific source. I became fascinated with the idea of what makes an expert creative writer when I read a well-known 20th-century writer’s autobiography. I won’t say which one at this stage, because I think that might prejudice your interpretation.
Student: Anyway, this got me thinking about the different routes to expertise. Specifically, I wondered why some people become experts at things whilst others fail 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.
Student: I began to see a pattern: that those studies which involved research in a lab were too controlled for my purposes, 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, such as hairdressing or waiting tables. Most of these studies tended to use a similar set of procedures, which I eventually adopted for my own project.
Student: I’ll now explain what these procedures were. I decided to compare what inexperienced writers do with what experienced writers do. In order to investigate this, I looked for four people whom I regarded as real novices in this field, which proved easy, perhaps unsurprisingly. It proved much harder to locate people with suitably extensive experience who were willing to take part in my study.
Student: I asked the first four to do a set 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 using video. I thought it might be helpful for me in my transcriptions later on.
Student: I then asked four experienced writers to do exactly the same task. After this, I made a comparison between the two sets of data and this helped me to produce a framework for analysis. In particular, I identified five major stages which all creative writers seem to go through when generating this genre of text. I think it was fairly effective, but still needs some work, so I intend to tighten this up later for use with subsequent data sets.
Student: I then wanted to see whether experienced 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 writing. This person put the eight pieces of work in order of quality, in rank order, and using his evaluations, I was then able to work out which sequence of the five stages seemed to lead to the best quality writing.
Student: 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 and go…
Narrator: That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers. That is the end of the listening test. You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the separate answer sheet.