Sending Your Child To University - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Succeed in IELTS Academic Listening Test 6 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Sending your child to University
• Someone with a higher education earns 31 more than someone without.
• In 1997 maintenance grants abolished and 32 introduced.
• University fees increasing - up to 33 a year.
• Average undergraduate needs 34 for 3 years.
• Almost 80% of students' cost are 35.
PAYING FOR YOUR CHILD'S EDUCATION
• Students' tuition can be paid for, in part, if they join the 36.
• The RAF will sponsor, but students must take up at least 37 service commitment.
• Students good at sport might secure a 38.
• The University of Kent gives a 39 cricket bursary to promising players.
Student Loans:
• Maximum 40 is 5,000 pounds.
• Needn't be paid back until after graduation.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | 50% | on average someone with higher education earns 50% more in a lifetime than someone without | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people who finish higher education usually make 50% more money across their working lives than people who do not go to university. Answer Explanation: The answer "50%" means half as much again in additional earnings. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "50%" because the speaker discusses data from the Department of Skills regarding the financial benefits of going to university. The speaker directly states that an individual with higher education earns 50% more over their lifetime compared to someone who does not have that education. |
| Q32 | tuition fees | Maintenance grants were abolished in 1997 and tuition fees introduced for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that in 1997, free living grants for university students were stopped, and new fees for teaching and classes were started instead. Answer Explanation: The answer "tuition fees" refers to the money students have to pay to attend classes and receive teaching at a college or university. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "tuition fees" because the speaker directly states what changes happened in 1997. The notes ask what was introduced when maintenance grants were stopped (abolished), which matches the speaker's exact words: "Maintenance grants were abolished in 1997 and tuition fees introduced". |
| Q33 | £6 000 / £6,000 | University fees are rising steadily, some of them more than 6,000 pounds a year | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the cost of university courses is continuously going up, and some courses now cost over 6,000 pounds each year. Answer Explanation: The answer means an amount of money equal to 6,000 British pounds. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "£6,000" because the speaker discusses how the price of university is going up, stating that fees can be "more than 6,000 pounds a year". In the notes, "University fees increasing" corresponds directly to the transcript's "University fees are rising steadily". Therefore, the yearly figure to fill in the blank is £6,000. |
| Q34 | £25 000 / £25,000 | The National Union of Students estimates that the average undergraduate needs about £25,000 to finance three years at university | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that a regular university student needs around £25,000 to pay for three years of university education. Answer Explanation: The answer means an amount of money equal to 25,000 British pounds. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "£25,000" because the speaker discusses the costs of studying and states that a typical student requires approximately this amount of money to pay for three years of university. Key phrases in the notes like "Average undergraduate needs" and "for 3 years" match the transcript's "the average undergraduate needs about £25,000 to finance three years". |
| Q35 | living expenses | Almost 80% of the costs students incur are living expenses (rent, food bills, travel, laundry, etc) | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that nearly 80% of all the money a student has to spend goes toward day-to-day living costs like housing, food, and transport. Answer Explanation: The answer means the everyday money spent on daily life, such as paying rent, buying food, traveling, and doing laundry. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "living expenses" because the speaker explicitly states that nearly 80 percent of the total costs students face are for daily survival needs. In the notes, the phrase "Almost 80% of students' cost are" matches the speaker's words: "Almost 80% of the costs students incur are living expenses". |
| Q36 | armed forces | If the young person is interested in joining the armed forces, for example the Royal Air Force, he can get the RAF to sponsor him throughout university | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if a student chooses to enter the military (the armed forces), an organization like the air force will provide money to pay for their university studies. Answer Explanation: The answer means the military, which includes the army, navy, and air force. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "armed forces" because the speaker explains that joining this group allows students to receive sponsorship to help pay for their university education. The phrase "joining the armed forces" directly matches the note "join the [armed forces]". |
| Q37 | 4 years | But this involves a minimum service commitment; for the RAF, it's at least 4 years | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if a student receives sponsorship from the RAF, they are required to serve in the RAF for at least four years. Answer Explanation: The answer means a time period of four years. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's statement about sponsorship from the Royal Air Force (RAF). The speaker notes that receiving financial sponsorship requires a minimum time serving in the military, which is "at least 4 years" for the RAF. |
| Q38 | sports scholarship / scholarship | If your child is a gifted sportsman, you may be able to secure a sports scholarship | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if a teenager is very talented at sports, parents can try to obtain financial aid specifically for sports. Answer Explanation: The answer means free money given by a school or university to help a talented student athlete pay for their education. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "(sports) scholarship" because the speaker explains what to do if a child is talented at playing sports. In the audio, the phrase "gifted sportsman" matches the note's description "Students good at sport", and the speaker directly mentions that they "may be able to secure a sports scholarship". |
| Q39 | £1 500 / £1,500 | Top of the results page is the University of Kent, which gives a £1,500 cricket bursary to talented players | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the University of Kent awards a 1,500-pound cricket bursary to students who play cricket very well. Answer Explanation: The answer means an amount of money equal to 1,500 pounds. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "£1,500" because the speaker discusses searching online for university funding for sports and mentions that the University of Kent provides a cricket bursary worth £1,500 to talented (promising) players. Keywords in the notes include "University of Kent", "cricket bursary", and "promising players" (which matches "talented players"). |
| Q40 | yearly loan | The maximum yearly loan is about £5,000 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the highest amount of money a student can borrow each year is approximately 5,000 pounds. Answer Explanation: The answer "yearly loan" refers to the money a student can borrow for one single year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "yearly loan" because the speaker discusses borrowing money for university and states that the highest amount available per year is around £5,000. In the notes, the sentence reads "Maximum [yearly loan] is 5,000 pounds." The text directly pairs the word "maximum" with "yearly loan" right before the amount. |
Transcript
Tonight, I'd like to address myself to parents who are planning to send their children to university, but who might be concerned about the cost. There's no doubt that university education is a great asset. Not only will your children learn and grow but, according to the Department of Skills figures, on average someone with higher education earns 50% more in a lifetime than someone without. But in the last decade or so, the cost of getting a degree has more than doubled - and it looks as if things are going to get worse. Maintenance grants were abolished in 1997 and tuition fees introduced for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. University fees are rising steadily, some of them more than 6,000 pounds a year. If you thought funding a university education was beyond your reach, think again. With sound planning, you can provide your children with this opportunity of a lifetime. If you're a new parent, remember that the earlier you start saving, the less you have to pay every month and the greater your return. Money will give you flexibility over where your children study and the course they choose. But how should you invest? There's no simple answer, but there are a number of options.
The National Union of Students estimates that the average undergraduate needs about £25,000 to finance three years at university. Based on these figures, it is projected that when someone is at university in 20 years' time, the cost will be approaching £40,000, but this is assuming the university fees will only increase with the rate of inflation. It could, of course, be more.
Parents can save money by encouraging their children to study locally and live at home. Almost 80% of the costs students incur are living expenses (rent, food bills, travel, laundry, etc). If your child is already 13 years old, and you haven't started to save yet, there's no time to waste.
If the young person is interested in joining the armed forces, for example the Royal Air Force, he can get the RAF to sponsor him throughout university; then he'll fly fighter jets and after that work in the public sector as a commercial pilot. Sponsorship from the armed forces is an option hundreds of students take every year. The RAF, for example, will sponsor students for at least £4,000 a year. But this involves a minimum service commitment; for the RAF, it's at least 4 years.
If your child likes the idea of engineering or law, he could consider a 'sandwich' course. These normally involve a paid, year-long placement in the industry that he's studying, plus the normal time at university. You get experience in your chosen field - plus a year's salary.
When your child is 16, you should start putting aside what you can, but there's no way you'll be able to fund a degree on savings alone. If your child is a gifted sportsman, you may be able to secure a sports scholarship.
Scholarships and bursaries come in all sizes, are awarded for a variety of reasons and may be a one-off or annual payment. You may be eligible to apply simply because of where you come from or for a specific course you are attending. They are seldom advertised and many go unclaimed every year.
The Internet is a great way to start looking. There is a searchable database at www.studentmoney.org and while you're at the computer, go to www.google.co.uk and type in some key words. If you're a keen cricketer, for example, put in 'university bursary sport cricket', for instance. Top of the results page is the University of Kent, which gives a £1,500 cricket bursary to talented players.
If you haven't put any money aside, your teenager will almost certainly need to get a student loan - by far the best way for him or her to borrow. The maximum yearly loan is about £5,000. There are two reasons why the loan is so attractive; firstly, the index-linked interest rate is very low, far lower than you'd get from the bank. Secondly, you don't have to start paying it back until you've left university and you start earning a decent salary. Now, a few more things to look at...