USA Research Projects Into Class Sizes - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 2 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–32 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters A-F.
Which two of the following problems are causing concern to educational authorities in the USA?
Questions 33–34 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters A-F.
According to the speaker, what are two advantages of reducing class sizes?
Questions 35–40 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
USA RESEARCH PROJECTS INTO CLASS SIZES
| State | Schools involved | Number of students participating | Key findings | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | about 70 schools | in total
35 |
significant benefit especially for
36 pupils |
• lack of agreement on implications of data |
| California | 37
schools |
1.8 million | very little benefit | • shortage of
38 , especially in poorer areas • no proper method for 39 of project |
| Wisconsin | 14 schools (with pupils from
40 families) |
similar results to Tennessee project |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | — | — | |
| Q32 | A / D | In the last couple of decades or so, there has been considerable concern in the United States over educational standards here, following revelations that the country's secondary school students perform poorly relative to many Asian and European students. In addition, statistics have shown that students in the nation's lower-income schools in the urban areas have achievement levels far below those of middle-class and upper-middle-class schools | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that there is worry in the US because students' performance is low compared to other countries like those in Asia and Europe. It also mentions that students from poor areas have much lower scores than students from richer areas. Answer Explanation: The answer A and D means that the leaders of schools in the US are worried because students from poor families are not doing as well as students from rich families, and because US students have lower scores than students from other countries. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the transcript mentions two main things that people are worried about regarding education in the US. First, it notes 'considerable concern' because US secondary students do worse than students in Asia and Europe. This matches option D. Second, it says that students in 'lower-income' (poor) schools have grades much lower than those in 'upper-middle-class' (rich) schools. This matches option A. |
| Q33 | — | — | |
| Q34 | B / E | Better education would mean that workers did their jobs more efficiently, saving the country millions of dollars. It would also mean that people were better informed about their health, bringing savings in things like medical costs and days off sick | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if students receive a better education in small classes, they will later become better workers and have better health, which saves the country money. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies two benefits of smaller classes: a more educated workforce that works better and a healthier public which saves money on medical needs. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from the speaker's discussion on the potential economic benefits of reducing class sizes. The speaker mentions that a better level of education results in workers who perform more 'efficiently'. This connects to the workforce advantage. Additionally, the speaker notes that better-educated people become better 'informed about their health', leading to an 'improvement in general health' and lower medical costs. |
| Q35 | 12,000 / 12000 | In its first year about 6,400 students were involved, and by the end of the study, four years later, the total number involved had grown to 12,000 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when the study started, there were 6,400 students, but by the end, that total number grew to 12,000. Answer Explanation: The answer 12,000 is the final count of students who took part in the Tennessee research project by the time it was finished. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 12,000 because the transcript explicitly states that after four years, the total number of students involved in the Tennessee study had increased to that amount. The text uses the phrase 'total number involved' to indicate the final count for the whole project. |
| Q36 | minority | Researchers agree that there was significant benefit for students in attending smaller classes, and it also appears that the beneficial effect was stronger for minority students | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that researchers found a clear advantage for all students in small classes, but this positive change was especially powerful for minority students. Answer Explanation: The answer "minority" refers to students from smaller ethnic or racial groups within a population who often have fewer resources or different backgrounds than the majority. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the transcript discussing the Tennessee research project. The speaker notes that while smaller classes helped all students, the positive results were even more noticeable or "stronger" for those from minority backgrounds. This matches the table's requirement to identify which specific group of pupils saw a "significant benefit." |
| Q37 | all | The second project was much larger and took place in California. Like the Tennessee study, it focused on students from kindergarten through to grade 3, but in this case, all schools throughout the state were involved | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that for the second project in California, researchers did not just choose a few schools; they included every school in the whole state. Answer Explanation: The answer "all" means that every single school in the state of California participated in the research study. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the section of the lecture discussing the California research project. The speaker contrasts this project with the Tennessee study, which only involved about 70 schools. In California, rather than picking a small group of schools, the study included every school across the entire state. The word 'throughout' used in the text emphasizes that the study covered the whole geographical area. |
| Q38 | teachers | It meant an increased demand for teachers in almost all California districts, so the better-paying districts got a lot of the best teachers — including a fair number that moved over from the poorer districts | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the project needed many more workers to teach in the classrooms, but the rich areas took all the good ones away from the poor areas. Answer Explanation: The answer "teachers" refers to the people who work in schools to help students learn. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "teachers" because the transcript mentions that there was an "increased demand" for them during the California study. This caused a problem where wealthy school districts hired the best educators, leaving the poorer school districts with a shortage. |
| Q39 | the evaluation / evaluation | And, there were a lot of other problems with the project - for example, there weren't any effective procedures for evaluation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says there were many problems in the California project, including not having a good way to test if the project was actually helping students. Answer Explanation: The answer means the process of judging or checking how well the study worked. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is evaluation because the speaker mentions that the California study had many issues. Specifically, they say there were no 'effective procedures' to check and measure the project's success. This matches the table's description of a missing 'proper method' for assessment. The term 'procedures' serves as a synonym for 'method' in this context. |
| Q40 | poor | The Wisconsin project was small - class sizes were reduced in just 14 schools - but it was noteworthy because it targeted schools at which a significant proportion of the students were from poor families, compared with California's one-size-fits-all approach | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript describes the Wisconsin study as being small and focusing on 14 schools that served families with low incomes. Answer Explanation: The answer "poor" refers to a lack of money or wealth for families. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "poor" because the transcript specifies that the Wisconsin research project was unique or noteworthy because it focused on schools where a large number of the students came from families with low incomes (poor families). |
Transcript
All over the world, there are passionate arguments going on about how educational systems can be improved. And of all the ideas for improving education, few are as simple or attractive as reducing the number of pupils per teacher. It seems like common sense - but do these ideas have any theoretical basis? Today, I want to look at the situation in the USA, and at some of the research that has been done here in America on the effects of reducing class sizes.
In the last couple of decades or so, there has been considerable concern in the United States over educational standards here, following revelations that the country's secondary school students perform poorly relative to many Asian and European students. In addition, statistics have shown that students in the nation's lower-income schools in the urban areas have achievement levels far below those of middle-class and upper-middle-class schools.
So would reducing class sizes solve these problems? Well, we have to remember that it does have one obvious drawback: it's expensive. It requires more teachers and possibly more classrooms, equipment, and so on. On the other hand, if smaller classes really do work, the eventual economic benefits could be huge. Better education would mean that workers did their jobs more efficiently, saving the country millions of dollars. It would also mean that people were better informed about their health, bringing savings in things like medical costs and days off sick.
So what reliable information do we have about the effects of reducing class sizes? There's plenty of anecdotal evidence about the effect on students' behaviour. But what reliable evidence do we have for this?
Let's have a look at three research projects that have been carried out in the USA in the last couple of decades or so. The first study I'm going to look at took place in the state of Tennessee in the late 1980s. It involved some 70 schools. In its first year about 6,400 students were involved, and by the end of the study, four years later, the total number involved had grown to 12,000. What happened was that students entering kindergarten were randomly assigned to either small classes of 13 to 17 students or regular-size classes of 22 to 26. The students remained in whatever category they had been assigned to through the third grade, and then after that they joined a regular classroom.
After the study ended in 1989, researchers conducted dozens of analyses of the data. Researchers agree that there was significant benefit for students in attending smaller classes, and it also appears that the beneficial effect was stronger for minority students. However, there's no agreement on the implications of this - we still don't know the answer to questions like how long students have to be in smaller classes to get a benefit and how big that benefit is, for example.
The second project was much larger and took place in California. Like the Tennessee study, it focused on students from kindergarten through to grade 3, but in this case, all schools throughout the state were involved. The experiment is still continuing, but results have been very inconclusive, with very little improvement noted. And the project has in fact also had several negative aspects. It meant an increased demand for teachers in almost all California districts, so the better-paying districts got a lot of the best teachers - including a fair number that moved over from the poorer districts. And, there were a lot of other problems with the project - for example, there weren't any effective procedures for evaluation. All in all, this project stands as a model of what not to do in a major research project.
A third initiative took place in the state of Wisconsin at around the same time as the California project began, and it's interesting to compare the two. The Wisconsin project was small - class sizes were reduced in just 14 schools - but it was noteworthy because it targeted schools at which a significant proportion of the students were from poor families, compared with California's one-size-fits-all approach. Analysts have found that the results are very similar to the Tennessee project, with students making gains that are statistically significant - and that are considerably larger than those calculated for the California initiative.
Now, I'd like to apply some of these ideas to...