Foundation For Essay Writing - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 6 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–25 Flow Chart Completion
Complete the flowchart.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Foundation for Essay Writing
Decide on 21 you like.
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Focus on 22 area of interest.
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Write 23 statement.
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Create 24
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Ensure this 25 clearly.
Questions 26–30 Summary Completion
Complete the summary.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer.
There are several 26 involved In producing a good essay. The writer must think independently and give 27 examples as support, each one with a reference (which is a 28). The formatting must follow the 29 issued by the university, as well as the word count decided by the lecturer, although it can vary by 30
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | Topic | Start with a topic, but not one that I necessarily suggest, but one that you want to explore | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the teacher telling the student to begin by selecting a subject (topic) that they are interested in researching. Answer Explanation: The answer 'Topic' means the subject or theme that Eric needs to choose before he starts writing his essay. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'Topic' because Ms Harris tells Eric that the first step to writing a good essay is to pick a subject he is personally interested in. She uses the word 'topic' to describe this starting point. Following her advice to select something he likes matches the flowchart's requirement to 'Decide on topic you like'. |
| Q22 | Current | However, that alone is far too broad. Break it into various current areas of discussion and relevance, then look more carefully at one of them — say, management and cultural differences, or management and motivation, or other aspects, such as the role of salary, group cohesion, or leadership | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the teacher explaining that a general topic is too big. She tells the student to separate the big topic into smaller "current" parts that are important right now, and then pick one of those to focus on. Answer Explanation: The answer "Current" refers to things that are happening right now or are modern and relevant today. In this context, it means choosing a contemporary or popular part of a big subject to write about. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Current" because the lecturer, Ms Harris, explains that a general subject (like management theory) is too large for an essay. She advises Eric to divide the broad topic into "current areas of discussion"—meaning modern topics that people are talking about now—to make his work more specific and manageable. This step helps the student narrow down their focus to a specific part of a larger interest. |
| Q23 | Thesis | You’ll have to think of a thesis, and this statement could be of several types | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Ms Harris explaining that after choosing a topic, Eric needs to create a thesis statement to clarify his goals for the essay. Answer Explanation: The answer "Thesis" refers to a special sentence in an essay that explains the main goal or idea of the writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Thesis" because Ms Harris explains the steps Eric must follow to write a good essay. After narrowing down a topic to a specific area of interest, she tells him that he must think of a "thesis" and refers to it as a "statement." In academic writing, a thesis statement is used to define exactly what the writer intends to achieve in their work. |
| Q24 | Outline | Wrong! [Uh?] If your essay is going to be clear, it needs to be logical and organised, and this means you’ll need an outline | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the lecturer explaining that to make a clear and well-ordered essay, the student must prepare a plan, which she calls an "outline." Answer Explanation: The answer "Outline" refers to a written plan for the essay that shows the main ideas and how they are organized before the final writing begins. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Outline" because, in the sequence of writing an essay discussed by the lecturer, she states that after choosing a thesis, an essay must be logical and organized. To achieve this organization, she tells Eric that he will need an "outline," which acts as a guide to show the progress of the argument. |
| Q25 | Progress | whatever shape the outline takes, there must be a sense of progress, in, more or less, a straight line, towards a goal | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that no matter how the student draws their plan, it must show the ideas moving forward in a clear direction to reach the end. Answer Explanation: The answer means to move forward in a logical and organized way toward a finish line or goal. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from Ms. Harris's instructions on how to structure an essay outline. She explains that after choosing a topic and writing a thesis, the student must create an outline. The most important quality of this outline is that it must move forward in a 'straight line' and show a 'sense of progress.' This means the ideas should flow logically toward the final goal of the essay rather than jumping around or being unplanned. |
| Q26 | Aspects | Oh, there are many aspects to consider, but one of the most important is certainly, original thinking | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Ms Harris explaining that there are many different points (aspects) to keep in mind when writing, starting with the importance of coming up with your own ideas. Answer Explanation: The answer "Aspects" refers to the different parts or features that work together to make a good essay. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Aspects" because the lecturer, Ms Harris, uses this word when she begins to list the many things a student needs to think about to write a great essay. In the summary, the word "several" replaces the word "many" from the transcript, but the meaning remains the same: there are multiple points to consider. |
| Q27 | Real-life | For that, you need examples, from real-life, to illustrate your points or sub-points | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the teacher tells the student he needs to use examples from actual experience (real-life) to make his points clear and show they are useful in the real world. Answer Explanation: The answer is "Real-life," which refers to situations or events that actually happen in the real world rather than staying only in theoretical ideas. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found when Ms Harris discusses how to make an essay better. She mentions that even if an argument is logical, it must also work in practice. To show this, she advises Eric to use examples from "real-life" to support and explain his points. The summary sentence specifically asks for the type of examples needed to provide support, making "Real-life" the correct fit. |
| Q28 | Necessity | But remember, whenever you use an example, or facts or figures that are not commonly known, you must give a reference. That’s an academic necessity, without which your writing will automatically fail | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Ms Harris telling Eric that he must provide a source (reference) for the information he uses. She uses the phrase 'academic necessity' to show that this is a strict rule that all students must follow to pass. Answer Explanation: The answer "Necessity" means that something is a requirement or something that you must have or do. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Ms Harris's explanation about using sources in an essay. She states that providing a reference for facts or examples is an 'academic necessity.' This implies that it is not optional; if a student does not include references, their work will fail. Therefore, a reference is described as a necessity in academic writing. |
| Q29 | Style guide | I mean the practical considerations, as written in the university style guide, such as leaving appropriate margins, using double spacing, Arial font, and so on | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Ms Harris explaining that there are specific rules for how a paper should look. She says these rules, like the size of the page edges and the type of letters used, are found in a document called the university style guide. Answer Explanation: The answer is a set of rules or a manual that tells students exactly how to format their academic work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'style guide' because Ms Harris explains that the way an essay looks (its formatting) is very important. She states that the specific instructions for things like margins and font choice are written in the university's official 'style guide.' Following these rules is described as a 'practical consideration' for writing a good essay. |
| Q30 | 10% | Your individual lecturers will give you a word-count figure, so follow what they say, making your essay neither too long, nor too short—perhaps 10% either way should be acceptable | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that while students should try to match the chosen word count, having 10% more or 10% fewer words is still considered okay. Answer Explanation: The answer 10% refers to the amount that a word count is allowed to change or vary from the target number provided by a lecturer. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 10% because Ms Harris explicitly mentions it as the acceptable range for a word count. She advises Eric to follow the word-count figure given by lecturers but notes that being 10% above or below that figure is generally okay. She compares this to higher percentages like 15% or 20%, which she describes as outdated or too much variation. |
Transcript
You will hear a student, Eric, talking to his lecturer, Ms Harris, about essay writing.
Eric: Hi, Ms Harris. Here we are, talking once again.
Ms Harris: Well, I’m always willing to help out wherever possible. Is anything troubling you?
Eric: Well, your advice last week about writing summaries was very useful, and I’m using these summaries a lot in order to prepare my final master’s thesis.
Ms Harris: But you’re having problems, right?
Eric: Yes, I have a few issues to discuss. Obviously I want a good essay, and I want to achieve high marks. But I’m not sure on the best way to start.
Ms Harris: That’s an easy question. Start with a topic, but not one that I necessarily suggest, but one that you want to explore. You will always write better when doing so on a topic you are interested in, not one imposed upon you by others.
Eric: Well, I’m interested in management theory.
Ms Harris: Then pursue that. However, that alone is far too broad. Break it into various current areas of discussion and relevance, then look more carefully at one of them — say, management and cultural differences, or management and motivation, or other aspects, such as the role of salary, group cohesion, or leadership.
Eric: I would say I’m interested in group cohesion—that is, how people interact in the workplace.
Ms Harris: Well, that’s a start, but you can’t then just write planlessly, without defining exactly what you intend to do within the area you’ve chosen. You’ll have to think of a thesis, and this statement could be of several types.
Eric: Such as what?
Ms Harris: Oh, you could argue a point, something that you believe in; or discuss an issue, looking at its various perspectives; or critique the opinions of others, pointing out the pitfalls and flaws. The thesis statement will make that very clear because it will say, in simple terms, what you intend to achieve in your essay.
Eric: I see. And then I can just begin writing, right?
Ms Harris: Wrong! [Uh?] If your essay is going to be clear, it needs to be logical and organised, and this means you’ll need an outline. This could be written as a flowchart, or spider graph — that is, a series of connected lines, but whatever shape the outline takes, there must be a sense of progress, in, more or less, a straight line, towards a goal.
Eric: And then my essay will be good?
Ms Harris: With such progression, definitely—as long as you do achieve everything that you set out to do, as specified in the beginning, okay?
Eric: Well, Ms Harris, your advice about essay writing all sounds very useful: solid, and step by step, so I’ll certainly follow that. But can you tell me in more general terms, what constitutes the best essay?
Ms Harris: Oh, there are many aspects to consider, but one of the most important is certainly, original thinking. The best essays are written by people who think for themselves, and not just copy or imitate established views.
Eric: I think I can do that.
Ms Harris: But remember, you can’t just give a list of unsupported assertions. There needs to be support as well — a chain of logic linking each step in your argument. [Right] Yet that alone is not enough. Your argument may be logically sound, but is it practically so? For that, you need examples, from real-life, to illustrate your points or sub-points.
Eric: I’ve got lots of examples from my course readings. I suppose I could use them.
Ms Harris: But remember, whenever you use an example, or facts or figures that are not commonly known, you must give a reference. That’s an academic necessity, without which your writing will automatically fail.
Eric: So, it’s necessary to give these. Right.
Ms Harris: Absolutely—and with that, your essay will be fine, but always ensure that you format it clearly.
Eric: What do you mean?
Ms Harris: I mean the practical considerations, as written in the university style guide, such as leaving appropriate margins, using double spacing, Arial font, and so on. You see, your writing must look good, as well as be good.
Eric: I can certainly do that.
Ms Harris: And, finally, related to the previous point, you need to respect the number of words required. Your individual lecturers will give you a word-count figure, so follow what they say, making your essay neither too long, nor too short—perhaps 10% either way should be acceptable. 15% was common when I was younger, but it’s a lot stricter now, and 20% would be pushing the boundaries just a little too far.
Eric: I guess I can do all that. Thanks for your advice.