Lila and Jake’s Seminar - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 3 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–24 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 25–26 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Questions 27–28 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Questions 29–30 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | C | And we selected the article because, well, it seemed an accessible topic even though we weren't familiar with the technique—you know, using IT to design crosswords for higher education | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Lila explaining their choice. She describes the topic as "accessible," which means it was not too complicated or difficult to grasp. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Lila and Jake picked this research article because the subject matter was easy to understand. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Choice C because Lila explicitly states that they chose the article because it was an "accessible topic." In academic contexts, the word "accessible" is a synonym for "straightforward" or "easy to understand." Even though they weren't used to the specific method (using IT to make crosswords), the general idea was simple enough for them to follow. |
| Q22 | B | It wasn't easy at first, but then we convinced them that by taking part in the research, they were actually benefiting themselves by preparing for an exam which is coming up later this term | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Jake persuaded his classmates by explaining that doing the research would help them get ready for a specific exam. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Lila and Jake encouraged students to join their project by telling them it would help them study for an upcoming test. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Jake explains how they got people to participate. He says they "convinced" the students by showing them that the activity was good practice for an exam that was happening later that term. In English, an 'exam' is a specific type of 'test'. |
| Q23 | C | The original article used a two-page long questionnaire. There were lots of excellent questions on it, but the whole section on difficulties using IT is now obsolete—old-fashioned even—even though it had only been written a couple of years ago | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that a part of the original questionnaire was 'obsolete' and 'old-fashioned.' This matches the phrase 'out-of-date points' used in choice C. Answer Explanation: The answer means Lila and Jake changed the questionnaire because it included information that was no longer relevant or useful. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Jake explains that even though the original questionnaire was good, the section about problems with using computers (IT) was 'obsolete' or 'old-fashioned.' This means it was out-of-date. Because of this, they decided to create their own shorter version of the questionnaire. |
| Q24 | A | I was taken aback by the fact that everybody we talked to thought this was a good return. I mean, the responses were well written, you know, people had taken a lot of care, but I was really disappointed with the low numbers | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Lila was very surprised ('taken aback') when she heard that having 28 replies out of 40 was considered a 'good return' (a normal amount), because she personally felt the number of people who replied was too 'low'. Answer Explanation: The answer means Lila was shocked to learn that getting only a few replies to a survey is actually considered a good result. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Lila uses the phrase 'taken aback,' which means 'surprised.' She explains that she was 'disappointed with the low numbers' of people who answered her survey (only 28 out of 40 students). However, she says that everyone else she spoke to thought this was a 'good return.' This means that while she thought the number was bad, she was surprised to find out that it is actually a normal and positive amount for research questionnaires. |
| Q25 | — | — | |
| Q26 | C / E | The students said that doing the crossword on a computer helped them really focus on the work in hand and not be distracted, which is something that commonly happens with other ways of doing revision Respondents also said that doing the crossword hadn't really increased their general motivation to study, but that it had highlighted the gaps in their memory, so they knew what further work was necessary |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the students liked the way the crossword helped them focus on their work. It also explains that the students found it useful for identifying what information they still needed to practice more. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the students liked how the puzzles helped them pay attention without getting distracted and showed them which facts they still needed to learn. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Jake's summary of the student responses. He mentions two main positive points: first, that the students could 'focus' and not be 'distracted,' which means they could concentrate effectively (Choice C). Second, he notes that it 'highlighted the gaps in their memory,' which means they could see what they had forgotten or what they still needed to study (Choice E). Other options like spelling or having fun were specifically mentioned by the speakers as things that were NOT significant in the responses. |
| Q27 | — | — | |
| Q28 | D / E | We found that more males than females liked the technique, whereas the original study found the reverse Also, our respondents said they wouldn't mind doing a crossword as a final official exam, whereas in the original study, students said they would hate doing it even if it meant having a shorter test |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that in the new study, men liked the crossword more than women, which was the opposite of the first study. It also shows that the new students were okay with using crosswords for real, important exams, while the original students were not. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies two specific differences between Jake and Lila's study and the original research: how men and women felt about the crosswords, and the students' feelings about using crosswords as actual tests. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D and E because the transcript explicitly highlights these as the 'two main differences' between the new research and the original study. For option D, Lila mentions that their study showed more males liked the crossword, while the original study showed more females liked it. For option E, Jake explains that their students were willing to use crosswords for a 'final official exam' (formal assessment), but students in the original study did not want this. Therefore, 'gender differences' and 'formal assessment' are the two areas that did not match the original findings. |
| Q29 | — | — | |
| Q30 | C / E | Jake: Yeah, it really helped having the original study to guide us, as it were. And that helped us to see what a good research instrument is, what a good questionnaire should be like. Lila: Absolutely, we got a lot from that Lila: Actually, that part's been great—finding ways to share and support another person. Jake: That's the real plus from the project—learning ways to do that |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Jake and Lila agree they understood how to make a high-quality questionnaire (a research tool) by following a professional example. It also confirms that they learned how to work as a team by helping and supporting each other throughout the project. Answer Explanation: The answer is that Lila and Jake learned how to create survey tools (questionnaires) and how to work together as a team. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C and E because the students discuss these specific skills at the end of their meeting. For option C, Jake mentions that by looking at the original research, they learned what a 'good research instrument' (a tool like a questionnaire) looks like, and Lila strongly agrees. For option E, Lila mentions that they found ways to 'share and support' each other, which is another way to say collaboration. Jake confirms this was a major benefit of the project for them. |
Transcript
Narrator: Test 4, section 3. You will hear two undergraduate students doing a research methods course, a girl called Lila and a boy called Jake, having a seminar with their tutor. Now you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24. Now listen and answer questions 21 to 24.
Tutor: So, the task I gave you both was to choose an article about a small-scale research project.
Lila: Yes.
Tutor: You were then required to try to reproduce the research procedures in your own context, i.e., try it out for yourself.
Jake: Yeah, and that's what we've done.
Tutor: Great. So, I'd like you to tell me a bit about the article and why you chose it.
Lila: Well, the article's written by two university lecturers who had started using crosswords to help their students revise terminology, for example.
Jake: And the crosswords were designed and set on computers.
Lila: And we selected the article because, well, it seemed an accessible topic even though we weren't familiar with the technique—you know, using IT to design crosswords for higher education.
Tutor: That's a good reason. So, these lecturers wanted to see how well this innovation was received by their students.
Lila: Yes.
Tutor: So, how did you go about reproducing the research?
Lila: Well, we drew up a list of terms from one of our own modules and designed a crossword for revising these terms.
Jake: Then we asked our classmates to try out the crossword and give us feedback, you know, their opinions on how they felt about using the technique.
Tutor: Was it easy to find participants?
Jake: It wasn't easy at first, but then we convinced them that by taking part in the research, they were actually benefiting themselves by preparing for an exam which is coming up later this term.
Lila: And it worked. Good.
Tutor: So, how did you find out what the students thought about doing the crossword?
Jake: A questionnaire. The original article used a two-page long questionnaire. There were lots of excellent questions on it, but the whole section on difficulties using IT is now obsolete—old-fashioned even—even though it had only been written a couple of years ago.
Tutor: So, you designed a shorter version.
Lila: Yeah, then we sent it to the 40 students by email and got 28 replies. I was taken aback by the fact that everybody we talked to thought this was a good return. I mean, the responses were well written, you know, people had taken a lot of care, but I was really disappointed with the low numbers.
Tutor: Yes, an important lesson to learn for an apprentice researcher.
Jake: Yeah.
Narrator: Now you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
Tutor: So, what results did you get?
Jake: Well, basically, the responses were extremely positive. The students said that doing the crossword on a computer helped them really focus on the work in hand and not be distracted, which is something that commonly happens with other ways of doing revision.
Lila: Yeah, that was really clear. But something that struck me was that having fun hardly featured in their responses, nor did anything to do with spelling of hard words, which I thought would be an obvious benefit.
Tutor: No? Okay.
Jake: Respondents also said that doing the crossword hadn't really increased their general motivation to study, but that it had highlighted the gaps in their memory, so they knew what further work was necessary.
Tutor: Right. So, how did your findings tally with those of the original researchers?
Jake: There were lots of similarities, but...
Lila: There were probably two main differences. We found that more males than females liked the technique, whereas the original study found the reverse.
Jake: Also, our respondents said they wouldn't mind doing a crossword as a final official exam, whereas in the original study, students said they would hate doing it even if it meant having a shorter test.
Lila: But of course, both sets of respondents said they'd be interested in doing more crosswords for informal purposes—revision and so forth.
Tutor: Right. So, let's have a think about the whole project and what you've learned from doing it.
Jake: Well, it was very time-consuming.
Lila: Yeah, and I don't think we managed that aspect very well.
Jake: It could have been worse. I mean, we didn't have a lot of data, so we didn't have to spend ages processing it. And of course, we'd already done a course on numerical data processing, so there wasn't much new there.
Lila: Yeah, that's true. Anyway, I think we designed our questions well so that they gave us manageable data.
Jake: Yeah, it really helped having the original study to guide us, as it were. And that helped us to see what a good research instrument is, what a good questionnaire should be like.
Lila: Absolutely, we got a lot from that. But when we were writing up the project, I'm not sure whether we'll know how to acknowledge the work of the original study—you know, our referencing.
Jake: No, that's something we'll both have to work on in the future.
Lila: Actually, that part's been great—finding ways to share and support another person.
Jake: That's the real plus from the project—learning ways to do that.
Tutor: Well, it's obviously been very successful.
Narrator: That is the end of section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now turn to section 4.