Planning a Social Science Assignment - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 04 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–24 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
DETAILS OF ASSIGNMENT
Part 1 Essay
Title: 'Assess the two main methods of 21 in social science research'
Number of words: 22
Part 2 Small-scale study
Choose one method.
Gather data from at least 23 subjects.
Part 3 Report on study
Number of words: 3,000 to 24
Questions 25–26 Two Choices
Choose TWO letters A-E.
Questions 27–30 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer.
| AUTHOR | TITLE | PUBLISHER | YEAR OF PUBLICATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 'Sample Surveys in Social Science Research' | ||
| Bell | 28 | 29 | |
| Wilson | 'Interviews That Work' | Oxford University Press | 30 |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | collecting data / gathering data / data collection | 'Assess the two main methods of collecting data in social science research' | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mick reading the exact title of the first part of their assignment, which identifies what the essay is about. Answer Explanation: The answer is the process of finding and recording information used for a research study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found when Mick reads the specific title of the essay from his notes. He states that the goal is to look at two ways of getting information for research. The phrase used in the title is "collecting data," which refers to gathering facts or statistics for analysis. |
| Q22 | 1 500 / 1,500 / 1500 | MICK: Fifteen hundred words. That's for the essay | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mick telling Rosa that the length of the essay is fifteen hundred words. Answer Explanation: The answer is 1,500, which is the total count of words needed for the first part of the homework assignment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found when Rosa asks how long the paper should be. Mick replies that the essay must be fifteen hundred words. The word 'fifteen hundred' is the same as the number 1,500. Key terms to notice are 'words' and 'essay'. |
| Q23 | 5 / five | carry out a small-scale study, making appropriate use of the method chosen to gather data from at least five subjects | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the students must perform a small research project and collect information from a minimum of five individuals. Answer Explanation: The answer "5" is the minimum number of people, or subjects, that the students must include in their study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "5" because Mick reads the instructions for the second part of the assignment. He says they need to do a small study and get information from at least five subjects. In research, a "subject" is a person who participates in a study or provides data. |
| Q24 | 4 000 / 4,000 / 4000 | ROSA: And then we have to write a report on the study?PETE: That's right, of three to four thousand words | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Rosa asking if a report is required for their study, and Pete answers that it is, noting that the length must be between three thousand and four thousand words. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the report for the study must have between 3,000 and 4,000 words. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 3,000-4,000 because, in the conversation, Pete confirms that the word count for the report is 'three to four thousand'. In social science assignments, these numbers show the required length of the work. The phrase 'three to four thousand' translates to the numerical range 3,000-4,000. |
| Q25 | — | — | |
| Q26 | B / C | ROSA: No, I'm sure it talked about drawbacks as well, didn't it? Something about the response rate and the problems you get if it's too low.MICK: Yeah, but we only need data from five subjects anyway.ROSA: I suppose so. Another drawback I remember it mentioned was that questionnaire data tends not to reveal anything unexpected, because it is limited to the questions fixed in advance by the researcher | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the students discussing two problems with questionnaires. Rosa mentions that it is a problem if the number of people answering (response rate) is too low and that questionnaires don't show surprising things (anything unexpected) because the researcher chooses the questions before starting. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies two negative points about questionnaires: first, that not enough people might fill them out and return them, and second, that they usually do not show new or surprising information. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B and C because Rosa points out two specific "drawbacks" (another word for disadvantages) mentioned in an article about questionnaires. She mentions that there can be "problems" if the "response rate" is "too low," which means not enough people participate (Choice B). She also mentions that the data usually doesn't show "anything unexpected" because the questions are already decided before the research starts (Choice C). |
| Q27 | Mehta | MICK: 'Sample Surveys in Social Science Research', I think. By Mehta.ROSA: M-E-H-T-A ?MICK: Yeah | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mick naming the article title and then stating the author's name. Rosa clarifies the spelling of the name to be sure it is correct. Answer Explanation: The answer is the name of the person who wrote the research article called 'Sample Surveys in Social Science Research'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Mehta because, during the conversation, the students discuss sources for their project. Mick gives the specific title of an article, 'Sample Surveys in Social Science Research', and says it was written by an author named Mehta. Rosa then confirms the spelling of this name (M-E-H-T-A), which identifies him as the writer. |
| Q28 | Survey Research | And he also recommended a more recent book, called 'Survey Research', by Bell, I think | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mick mentioning a book title called 'Survey Research' and saying the author is Bell. Answer Explanation: The answer 'Survey Research' is the name of the book written by the author named Bell. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'Survey Research' because in the conversation, Mick says that a book with this title was written by an author named Bell. In a table asking for the title next to the author's name, this book name is the missing information. |
| Q29 | London University / London University Press | MICK: Yeah. And he also recommended a more recent book, called 'Survey Research', by Bell, I think. It's in that series published by London University | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Mick mentioning the book 'Survey Research' by Bell and explicitly stating it is published by London University. Answer Explanation: The answer is the name of the organization that printed and sold the book. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer identifies the publisher of the book 'Survey Research' written by Bell. In the discussion, Mick refers to a book with this title and author and mentions that it belongs to a series published by London University. |
| Q30 | 1988 | And if we tried to use interviews instead, I saw a book in the departmental library that'll be helpful: it's called 'Interviews That Work', by Wilson, published in Oxford in nineteen eighty-eight | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Pete mentioning the book title, its author, and the specific year it was printed and made available. Answer Explanation: The answer 1988 is the year when the book by Wilson was published. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 1988 because Pete says he found a book called 'Interviews That Work' by an author named Wilson. He tells the others it was published in Oxford in 'nineteen eighty-eight'. In English, these words for numbers are used to express the year 1988. |
Transcript
ROSA: Oh, there you are, good. Sorry I'm a bit late - there was a long queue. So, have you worked out how to deal with this assignment then?
MICK: Not yet, we've only been here a couple of minutes ourselves.
ROSA: Can you just remind me what the task is exactly?
PETE: Well, there are two, no, three, parts to it: first, we've got to write an essay about ways of collecting data. Then ...
ROSA: What's the title of the essay exactly?
MICK: I've got it here: 'Assess the two main methods of collecting data in social science research'.
ROSA: And how much do we need to write?
MICK: Fifteen hundred words. That's for the essay. Then, for the second part of the assignment, we have to choose one method of data collection, and 'carry out a small-scale study, making appropriate use of the method chosen to gather data from at least five subjects'.
ROSA: And then we have to write a report on the study?
PETE: That's right, of three to four thousand words.
ROSA: Did you get as far as discussing which form of data collection we should go for - questionnaire or interview, isn't it?
MICK: Yeah, I think we should use a questionnaire. It'll be so much less time-consuming than organising interviews, I reckon. Once we've agreed on the wording of it, we only have to send it out and wait for the responses.
ROSA: Yes, I think it probably would be quicker. But what did that article he gave us last week say about the quality of data from questionnaires?
MICK: I'm pretty sure it recommended questionnaires as a source of 'highly reliable data'. As long as you design the questionnaire properly in the first place, the data will be fine.
ROSA: No, I'm sure it talked about drawbacks as well, didn't it? Something about the response rate and the problems you get if it's too low.
MICK: Yeah, but we only need data from five subjects anyway.
ROSA: I suppose so. Another drawback I remember it mentioned was that questionnaire data tends not to reveal anything unexpected, because it is limited to the questions fixed in advance by the researcher.
MICK: Come on, Rosa. This is only a practice. It's not meant to be real research, is it?
ROSA: Well, I'm not sure about that.
ROSA: Maybe I'd better go through the article again, just to be sure. Can you remember what it was called?
MICK: 'Sample Surveys in Social Science Research', I think. By Mehta.
ROSA: M-E-H-T-A ?
MICK: Yeah. And he also recommended a more recent book, called 'Survey Research', by Bell, I think. It's in that series published by London University.
PETE: And if we tried to use interviews instead, I saw a book in the departmental library that'll be helpful: it's called 'Interviews That Work', by Wilson, published in Oxford in nineteen eighty-eight.
ROSA: Right. I've got a tutorial now. Can we meet up again later this week? What about Friday morning?
PETE: Suits me. Eleven o'clock?
ROSA: Fine.
MICK: Before Friday, I think we should all look through the reading list.