Audioscripts IELTS Practice 5 Listening Test 04

Part 1

You will hear a conversation between a student looking for a host family and a placement officer.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5.

(Pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.

Officer: Good morning. How can I assist you today?

Student: Good morning. I was told that this office helps international students find host families to stay with.

Officer: That's correct. Are you looking to move in soon?

Student: Yes, I am.

Officer: Well, please take a seat and I'll just record a few details.

Student: Thank you.

Officer: Right. Now, what's your name?

Student: It's Maria Gonzalez.

Officer: Could you spell your surname for me, please?

Student: Yes. It's G-O-N-Z-A-L-E-Z.

Officer: Right. And what's your present address?

Student: Parkview Hostel, 25 Bridge Road.

Officer: OK. And do you have a contact number there?

Student: Yes, I have it here. It's 4410 982. But I'm only available there after 6 pm.

Officer: So when would be the best time to reach you?

Student: I suppose between 8.00 and, let me think... 8.45 am, just before I head to the university.

Officer: Great. And may I ask your age?

Student: I just turned 22.

Officer: And how long are you planning on staying with a host family?

Student: I'm hoping to stay for a full semester eventually, but for now I can only commit to 3 months. I need to wait for my scholarship funds to be confirmed.

Officer: You're waiting for confirmation? Fine. And what's your field of study while you're here?

Student: I'm doing a course in Graphic Design.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10.

(Pause)

Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.

Officer: And how would you describe your level of English proficiency?

Student: Um, quite good. I'd like to think I'm upper-intermediate. My academic writing isn't as strong as my speaking, though.

Officer: Certainly your speaking skills are very high. Anyway, which part of the city would you prefer to live in?

Student: Um, well, my classes are in the east, but I'd really like to live on the south side.

Officer: That shouldn't be a major problem. We have several excellent families in that area. And do you have any specific dietary requirements?

Student: Well, I'm allergic to dairy products.

Officer: Shall I just note that you prefer a vegan diet? It might make the matching process simpler.

Student: Actually, I occasionally eat eggs, so I'm not strictly vegan. It's really just the dairy that's the issue.

Officer: Understood. Anything specific regarding your room?

Student: I'd prefer to have my own bathroom. A private shower, is that right? And also, if it's possible, a desk for my computer. And I'd also like the house to have a quiet balcony, rather than just a garden. Somewhere I could sit and sketch.

Officer: Is that all?

Student: Well, I'm really focused on my studies, so I'd prefer to be the only student in the house, if that's possible.

Officer: No other students. Yes, it's much quieter that way. Anyway, obviously all this depends on your budget. What did you have in mind?

Student: I was thinking in the range of about 120 to 140 pounds a week, but I'd go up to 160 if the location was perfect.

Officer: Well, I think we can certainly find something suitable within that maximum range. And when would you like the placement to start?

Student: I'd like to move in about two weeks.

Officer: Let me see. It's the 4th of September today, so if we aim for the Monday, that would be the 18th.

Student: Yes, that works.

Officer: Right. Excellent. And if I could ask one final question...

That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 2

You will hear a speech given by a club official at the opening meeting of a local rugby club.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 17.

(Pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 17.

Official: Good evening everyone and thank you for attending tonight's rugby club briefing. It's fantastic to see such a strong turnout of both players and families, and I know everyone is eager to kick off a successful new season.

Now, I'd like to take a moment to update you on some adjustments to the club’s operations for the upcoming months. This year, we'll be hosting all our home fixtures for both the youth and adult divisions at Riverdale Ground, rather than the West Peak fields, which were our base last year.

Regarding our administrative meetings, these will now take place in the community hall at Riverdale, and our first formal session is scheduled for the 15th of August. As per tradition, we plan to launch the season with a welcome barbecue next Sunday at the hall. I encourage you all to attend, as it's always a great social occasion. During the final week of the term, we typically organize a gala dinner and an awards ceremony for the players; further details regarding the venue for this will be shared with you later in the season.

This season, our membership has grown significantly. We are expanding the youth division to eight teams, up from the six we had previously, and their matches will be held on Saturday mornings starting at 9.30 am. Weekly training for the youth players will be held at Riverdale Ground on Thursday afternoons, and they'll be wearing the new green jerseys this year.

In the adult division, we will have six teams competing, which is an increase from last year. And their matches are scheduled for Saturday afternoons beginning at 3.00 pm. Oh, wait, I should correct that—the kick-off will actually be at 2.30 pm. Specialized training sessions for the senior players are currently set for Monday evenings.

Before you hear the rest of the speech, you have some time to look at questions 18 to 20.

(Pause)

Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20.

Official: Now, I'd like to introduce you to the members of our executive committee for this season.

Firstly, please join me in welcoming Alan Fletcher, our new president. While he won't be involved in managing the first team directly, he will be overseeing our club meetings for the next two-year term. Alan’s two sons have been active members of this club for over six years, and we are very grateful to Alan for stepping into this leadership role.

Next, I’d like to introduce Mary Thompson. She's our treasurer and will be responsible for collecting the seasonal fees. We ask that you settle your accounts with Mary as early as possible. As a club, we obviously need to purchase new equipment, such as safety mats and goal posts, but please note that the purchasing decisions will be handled by the committee as a whole, rather than Mary herself.

Then we have Chris Evans, who has kindly volunteered to act as the club secretary. There was some talk about having Chris organize the gala dinner this year, but we've actually hired an external event planner for that. So one of his primary responsibilities will instead be sending out the monthly electronic bulletins to all members. If you have any news or local updates that would be of interest to the club, please pass them on to Chris.

Finally, I'd like to present Mike Henderson, who is our head coach...

That is the end of Part 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 3

You will hear a tutor and two students discussing a business case study.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.

(Pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.

Tutor: Right, Maya and Lewis. As part of your assessment, I asked you to read the case study on Northgate Foods. It’s useful because the company is dealing with a cluster of difficulties, and I want you to follow how they respond. Maya, can you summarise the problems the firm had to confront?

Maya: Yes… well, the first issue that came to light was that, even after launching a fresh promotional campaign, their sales kept slipping. And that wasn’t down to one single factor. At the same time, over the last eighteen months, they’d pushed ahead with a massive store expansion, and then suddenly found themselves up against much tougher competition. Before they could really adjust to that, they were hit by a dispute with staff that disrupted deliveries for a week. And all of this happened just as they were considering a major investment in new packaging equipment at the main plant. So it became a pretty serious situation.

Tutor: That’s a clear summary. Lewis, you spoke to someone at the company, didn’t you? What reasons did they give for these difficulties?

Lewis: I did, yes. The finance director said it’s tempting to claim they expanded too quickly, but at the time the figures looked encouraging. What really undermined them, he said, was the sudden rise in borrowing costs, so their repayments jumped. And when it came to their longer-term loss of market share, he put it down to weaknesses in staff training. Having looked at the customer complaints data they sent me, I can see why he thinks that.

Tutor: So, thinking about the broader picture, Maya—what do you expect the company will do next?

Maya: Well, they could accept the very attractive offer that a larger retailer, Henton Group, has put forward to take them over. That would mean merging into a new organisation. Or they could go for something more daring and issue additional shares to raise funds. But I don’t think they’re that bold. I imagine they’ll start by approaching private investors—individuals who might be willing to provide some of the capital they need.

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.

(Pause)

Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

Tutor: You shouldn’t assume that big problems always need dramatic remedies. Sometimes a straightforward step—like replacing the person in charge—can make an enormous difference. If they really are cautious, they may decide to close a number of underperforming outlets. But a more ambitious strategy, and one I suspect would be more effective, wouldn't simply be expanding into new regions or pouring money into increased advertising budgets. Instead, it would be to fundamentally change how the business is managed—reduce layers, simplify procedures, and make decision-making quicker. In your report, try to weigh up all the options. Lewis?

Lewis: Yes, I actually found it a very helpful case to study. The issues aren’t unique to food retailing—they crop up across industries. And the company’s fortunate it’s large; a small or even mid-sized firm might have tried to survive by drastically cutting costs, or perhaps they would have been taken over quickly by a rival, but realistically, they simply wouldn't have survived this long.

Tutor: Exactly. What I want you to do, once we finish today, is write a short report. Suggest ways they could overcome their problems.

Maya: Yes, that’s fine. I’m quite optimistic, actually. Their product range is creative, and their branding is strong. If they stay innovative, they’ll recover. Don’t you think so, Lewis?

Lewis: I’m not sure it’s guaranteed. It's not just about lowering staff wages or increasing discounts to clear stock. They could recover, but only if they secure the right level of financial backing. They need a real boost, and they’ll have to attract more skilled staff if the turnaround is going to last. When I spoke to their marketing manager, he insisted the management team is excellent—but of course he would say that.

Maya: Personally, I think financial markets have played a part. Expectations were set too high, and then it looked terrible when they didn’t deliver. It had nothing to do with weak product innovation or the recent spike in global fuel costs. Investors should have been more realistic. And I don’t agree with you about the promotion, Lewis. That’s exactly where they need more creativity if they want to restart sales growth.

Tutor: Anyway, we’ll see what you come up with in your reports…

That is the end of Part 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Part 4

You will hear an IT coordinator giving a welcome talk to new students about the university's digital services.

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

(Pause)

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

Coordinator: Good morning, everyone. Are you all comfortable? To start with, I’d like to welcome you to Bristol University. My role today is to explain the various digital resources we provide to support your studies.

Now, as you begin your journey here, you'll likely require some assistance to navigate our network effectively for your assignments and research. A few of you have asked for a printed guide. While that might seem helpful at first, experience shows that written instructions quickly become outdated and often just confuse new arrivals, given the rapid pace of software updates. Therefore, during this orientation week, we host a series of live briefings which target different components of our digital infrastructure. You'll also discover that to maximize your productivity, it is vital to be proficient in the specific software we use. Consequently, throughout this term, we run small training sessions to improve your ability to search the encrypted databases.

Alright, let me provide a summary of the tools at your disposal. You'll notice that cloud storage is increasingly becoming the primary research hub. Most students now sync all their files to our central server, which is accessible 24 hours a day. Once you have located the data you need, it’s quite straightforward to download the materials, not just to your main laptop, but directly to a portable tablet so you can read them offline. You might assume that the hub is the most efficient way to gather evidence, but you must remain critical. While you can access a vast amount of material there, a significant portion of the information is actually unreliable, simply due to the fact that it originates from unverified open-source websites.

You'll also find that the hub has integrated several digital archives from professional agencies, such as the IEEE. This allows us to broaden our catalogue at very little additional expense. These digital collections contain identical content to the hard copies, primarily because both formats are revised simultaneously by the publishers.

Now, moving on to academic journals. The majority of you will need to consult these for your papers, and you'll find you can view them via the portal, which we strongly advise you to do. Naturally, some of you might find the paper editions more user-friendly. Currently, they are kept down in the library basement, but I must warn you that our long-term strategy is to remove them permanently to save space. However, you will still be permitted to save a PDF of the article, which is much more efficient than trying to photocopy the physical pages anyway.

Of course, we do still maintain the complete collection of standard printed textbooks, in addition to the e-books. There is a limited borrowing period on these physical items so that they remain available for everyone. If you encounter a problem while searching the library system, you should consult the nearest helpdesk assistant. As your orientation coordinator, I only manage your initial training and won't be available after this first week.

Finally, some of you might be keen to know about advanced seminars on submitting a thesis. Naturally, these are not applicable to those of you on undergraduate programmes; the sessions are exclusively designed for postgraduates. Your specific faculty will address the research methodology—that is, the topic you choose—while our IT team will concentrate entirely on the formatting of your final document.

I am aware most of you can manage basic folders, but we can demonstrate the various ways to utilize analysis programs. Your supervisors will inform you at the start how to arrange your main chapters, but you will need to check with them regarding the best way to list the citations at the end, because this style differs significantly across departments. When you have produced a draft, the advisor here will check it for you to ensure it meets our technical standards.

If you need support with your academic writing style, then that is available from the Language Hub located next to the Business School.

That is the end of Part 4. You now have one minute to check your answers.