Stanton University’s Halls of Residence - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations

Accommodation Officer: Good afternoon and welcome to Stanton University. I'm here to tell you about the various halls of residence we have available should you choose to come here. We aim to offer accommodation in Halls to all first year students and you'll find there's a good variety to choose from.

First of all, there's Brown Hall, which, as you'll see, is not the most modern of buildings but it is very popular with some students. It's got a good sense of community, some nice refurbished kitchens and, unlike the other halls, it has recently had a gym built in its basement. Another option is Blake Residence, which is built like a large house and so everybody cooks and eats together. It has its own sectioned-off bit of private garden and is even more peaceful because this is an all girls residence, although of course boys are allowed to visit the Hall and, I understand, frequently take part in cooking dinner! The largest Hall we have is Queens Building and this has been upgraded recently. The original parking area has been built on so that the hall now has a large common room and each bedroom now has its own shower room, which many students regard as a real bonus. A further option is the Parkway Flats, which won an award for design in its day and this building now has a preservation order on it. This has meant that only a limited amount could be done to upgrade it and the surrounding area is important so parking is not permitted around the Flats. However, the Flats do have many extra facilities such as a special computer room, a small library and a self-service restaurant. The cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner is covered in the fees for this hall so it does look a bit more expensive. The last residence we can offer you is Temple Rise, which again is slightly more expensive than other Halls as the rooms are larger. This has got very lovely views across to the coast and this more than compensates for the fact that bathrooms here are shared between six students. However, the Hall has domestic staff who clean the rooms once a week so this is perhaps an attractive option for the messier amongst you.

Now if I can just show on this wall map here where they all are, you might like to go and have a look round. If you come into the main university entrance, at the first junction you'll find that Brown Hall is on the corner opposite the theatre. So you're nice and near the station here - though I think it can get a bit noisy with traffic. The same applies to Blake Residence, which is directly facing the junction to the university entrance. These Halls are often used by medical students and such like as they're out all day so don't notice the noise. Anyway, if you then walk along Campus Road towards the main Circle, you'll see the library on the corner and Queens Building is just past that as you head north. You will find that it is quieter here and you may get fewer visitors! By the way the Circle is quite a feature of the campus as it's set into the hills and has a brand new sports centre in the middle - it's worth going to look around it.

Now, the Parkway Flats are on the opposite corner to the library, facing the Circle, as you head towards the main buildings. The main buildings are only about a five-minute walk from here and places in these Halls go quickly so my advice is to reserve your place as soon as possible. Then Temple Rise is inside the Circle, next to the sports centre, but further from the main University buildings. Now, if you'd like to go off and ... (fade) ...