Procedure For Bookshops - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 1 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–30 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or A NUMBER for each answer.
Procedure for Bookshops
- Keep database of course/college details.
- In May, request 21 from lecturers.
- Categorise books as
– essential reading
– 22 reading
– background reading
When ordering, refer to last year's 23 .
- type of course
- students' 24
- own judgement
Procedure for Publishers
- Send 25 to course providers
- Use websites
- Compose personal 26 to academic staff
- Send 27 to bookstores
Students
Main objective is to find books that are good 28 .
Also look for books that are 29 and 30 .
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | course booklists / booklists / course reading lists / reading lists / course reading list / reading list | we contact course convenors in May and ask them to send us their booklists | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that in May, the bookstore staff reaches out to those who organize the courses to request the names of the books they plan to use. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the formal lists provided by teachers that show which books students will need for their classes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Jenny's explanation of how the bookstore prepares for the new school year. She mentions that in May, they get in touch with course leaders to obtain their 'booklists' so the shop knows which books to have in stock. |
| Q22 | recommended | We ask lecturers to indicate whether a book is what we call 'essential' reading you know, the students simply have to get it or whether it's what they would term 'recommended' reading or whether it's just a supplementary text that they tend to refer to as 'background' reading |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the bookstore uses three specific names to group books: 'essential', 'recommended', and 'background'. Since 'essential' and 'background' are already in the notes, 'recommended' is the missing word. Answer Explanation: The answer is one of the three ways bookshops group books by their importance for a student's course. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found by looking at how the bookstore manager, Jenny, describes the ways they group the books. She says they ask teachers to label books as 'essential,' 'recommended,' or 'background' reading. These three categories help the shop understand which books are most important for the students to buy. |
| Q23 | sales figures | That's why in practice, when it comes to ordering, it's a lot safer to go by the previous year's sales figures – if that's possible of course if we've sold the book before |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when the store buys new books, they look at how many they sold in the past year to help them decide how many to buy now. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the record of how many copies of a book were sold in the past year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'sales figures' because the speaker explains that when they need to decide how many books to buy (ordering), it is more reliable to look at the number of books they sold in the previous year. While they get estimates from lecturers, looking at past sales is described as a safer way to get the numbers right. Keywords here include 'previous year's', which is a synonym for 'last year's' used in the notes. |
| Q24 | year group / year | We also build other factors into the equation including the type of course that the books are for, the students' year group and a measure of our own judgement | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript lists the different things the manager considers when planning, and 'the students' year group' is specifically mentioned as an important part of that plan. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the specific level or grade the students are in, such as if they are in their first or second year of university. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer appears when Jenny describes how the bookstore decides which books to order. Since they want to be as accurate as possible, they look at specific information like the class type and the 'year group' the students belong to. |
| Q25 | catalogues | The standard procedure they use is to mail out catalogues to lecturers or colleges and universities, that's been the main form of promotion for years | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the usual way publishers show off their books is by mailing lists to people at schools and universities. Answer Explanation: The answer is catalogues, which are lists or magazines that show many different things people can buy, in this case, books. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is catalogues because when talking about how publishers promote their books, Jenny explains that their normal way of working is to send these booklets to teachers or schools. In the notes, 'course providers' refers to these colleges and universities mentioned in the transcript. |
| Q26 | letters / correspondence | Some even go so far as writing individual letters to the appropriate lecturers in order to let them know what's coming up | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that some book publishers take the extra step of writing personal letters to specific teachers (lecturers) to tell them about new books that will soon be available. Answer Explanation: The answer means that publishers send personal messages, such as letters, directly to the people who teach at colleges and universities. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer explains one way publishers promote their books. In the transcript, Jenny mentions that some publishers write 'individual letters' to 'lecturers.' In the notes, 'individual' is replaced with 'personal,' and 'lecturers' are referred to as 'academic staff.' Therefore, the missing word to complete 'personal ' is 'letters' or 'correspondence.' |
| Q27 | inspection / free copies | The publishers send us – the book sellers – 'inspection copies'. Lecturers can then get a free copy | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that publishers give bookstores/book sellers 'inspection copies' and that teachers (lecturers) can receive a 'free copy' of these books to look at. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the types of books that publishers provide to bookstores for teachers to review. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on how publishers promote their books to academic staff. Jenny explains that publishers send 'inspection copies' to booksellers (the bookstores) so that lecturers can look at a 'free copy' to decide if they want to use it for their classes. |
| Q28 | value for money / value | Often the critical issue is what represents value for money for students. This is more important than price per se | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that for students, the most important thing is whether a book gives them good value for the money they spend. This is more important than just if the price is low or high. Answer Explanation: The answer "value (for money)" means that students want to make sure the books they buy are worth the price they pay. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because the book store manager explains that for students, the most important factor—or 'critical issue'—is 'value for money.' This means they want to feel that the quality or usefulness of the book is high compared to its cost. She notes that this is more significant than just the price alone. |
| Q29 | clear / easy to use | They tend to go for books that are clear and easy to use | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explicitly states that students prefer books that are simple and not difficult to work with. Answer Explanation: The answer means that students prefer books that are easy to read and simple to navigate. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the final section of the conversation where Jenny talks about what students want. She explains that students choose books that are simple for them to follow, using the words 'clear and easy to use.' These two qualities are what students look for in a good book. |
| Q30 | easy to use / clear | They tend to go for books that are clear and easy to use | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that students usually choose books that are simple to understand and have a helpful layout. Answer Explanation: The answer means students prefer books that are simple to understand and simple to work with or read. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found near the end of the interview. Jenny explains how students choose their own books rather than just buying what a teacher says. She mentions that students like books that are 'clear' and 'easy to use' because they are more helpful for learning than difficult 'academic' texts. |
Transcript
Announcer: The start of a new academic year is a challenge for booksellers. Lee Rogers talks to one major book store manager.
Lee: Jenny Farrow, you're the manager of Dalton Books – and you sell an awful lot of books to students, don't you?
Jenny: Yes! We do.
Lee: How do you manage to make sure that you're going to have the books students need when all the new courses begin?
Jenny: Basically, we make preparations long before they arrive. Like all other major book retailers, we have a database of information, and using that, we contact course convenors in May and ask them to send us their booklists.
Lee: How many books are we talking about?
Jenny: For one course?
Lee: Yes, as an example.
Jenny: An average course requires about 30 books. We ask lecturers to indicate whether a book is what we call 'essential' reading ... you know, the students simply have to get it ... or whether it's what they would term 'recommended' reading or whether it's just a supplementary text that they tend to refer to as 'background' reading.
Lee: What about predicted buyers?
Jenny: It's not a perfect system unfortunately. If a lecturer tells us that he expects us to sell 100 copies of a book, we know that we could actually sell anything from 50 to 150. That's why in practice, when it comes to ordering, it's a lot safer to go by the previous year's sales figures – if that's possible of course ... if we've sold the book before. We also build other factors into the equation including the type of course that the books are for, the students' year group and a measure of our own judgement.
Lee: And these criteria make a fairly accurate guide?
Jenny: As accurate as we can be, yes.
Lee: What about the publishers? Do they take an active role in promoting new books?
Jenny: Certainly. The academic and professional publishing market is worth about £700 million a year, so publishers go to some lengths to make sure their books are known. The standard procedure they use is to mail out catalogues to lecturers or colleges and universities, that's been the main form of promotion for years. Now, of course, they can also post details of new or revised works on websites. Some even go so far as writing individual letters to the appropriate lecturers in order to let them know what's coming up.
Lee: The lecturers then contact you if they're interested ...
Jenny: That's right. The publishers send us – the book sellers – 'inspection copies'. Lecturers can then get a free copy and decide whether it's going to be suitable for their course.
Lee: And how does it work with the students? What are they looking for and who helps them most?
Jenny: I think lecturers are best placed to understand the students' needs. Often the critical issue is what represents value for money for students. This is more important than price per se.
Lee: Do students actually buy books before they start the course?
Jenny: Apparently a large proportion of students wait to see what they need. Students have a firm idea of what constitutes a good book so they tend to give themselves time to look at all the options before making a choice. They tend to go for books that are clear and easy to use. Often the texts that their lecturers recommend turn out to be too academic and remain here on our shelves.
Lee: Well that was Jenny ...