This listening is more difficult than the actual IELTS! – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary

1.in this video I'm going to run through a full model IELTS listening exam with you So please get yourself a blank piece of paper and number it 1 through 40 so that you can try the questions and check your answers against mine as we move through the exam Uh just a quick disclaimer this is an exam that I wrote myself It is in no way connected to the powers behind the actual IELTS I hired voice actors to perform the monologues and dialogues and small conversations you hear in this exam And what I've realized um having used this exam with IELTS students is that it is slightly more difficult than an actual IELTS So don't feel discouraged if you find you are really having um trouble answering the questions Um but it is nevertheless a great exercise that will expose you to several accents And after you listen through this exam once it can be helpful to listen through it again with the answers in hand to try to train yourself to pick out um the answers you you missed the first time around So to try and you know train yourself to listen for the specific language that makes the the answers possible Uh so this will help your oral recognition and will even expose you to some new vocabulary that you might previously been unaware of Um I'll put a link to a blank version of this exam and a full transcript and an MP3 if you'd like uh to try this exam under more exam-like circumstances So I'll put those links in the description section of this video below Okay before we start just a note that there is a small sequencing mistake right at the beginning of the um listening in that the example that you know that comes at the very beginning of any IELTS listening it actually comes after question one So there's a small sequencing error there But aside from this the rest of the questions are in sequence So please leave a like if you find this exercise helpful and good luck with this model exam Okay Now let's go to the mock listening test and I will start the recording IELTS listeningblog.com mock ielts listening test 2 This recording is copyrighted So I'll just turn the volume down here So there's a bit of a preamble as you know and at one point the recording will say that you can look at section one and that's uh during the time during the exam when you can turn your paper over and uh start previewing the questions here There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions and you will have a chance to check your work All of the recordings will be played once only The test is in four sections At the end of the test you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet Now turn to section one Okay we're looking at section one here Section one You will hear a conversation between a buyer and supplier of industrial products First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 7 Now let's look at these questions We're writing three words for each answer We have three different items it appears Uh so they're probably going to be listed in order There's the item name This number five will be an item problem Incorrect product No no idea what that is Drill bits are could be an adjective Incorrect could be an adjective You will see that there's an example that has been done for you Okay let's listen to the example On this occasion only the conversation relating to this will be played first Good morning Goodman custom fabricator Sarah speaking How may I help you good morning My name is Kevin Russo chief designer for MEES Exploration Incorporated We placed an order with you for a number of custom oil and gas sector products Um most of the products are fine However we've had a few issues with three items Okay Can you provide me with your order number and product codes for the items in question yes The order number is [Music] KB2394 and the items are A193 B201 and F091 I'm pulling up the information at the moment Please hold Ah here you are Mr Russo Let's start with the first order the steel load beds What seems to be the problem the buyer indicates there is a problem with item A193 the steel load beds So this has been written under item name in the table Now we shall begin You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7 Good morning Goodman custom fabricator Sarah speaking How may I help you good morning My name is Kevin Russo chief designer for MEES Exploration Incorporated We placed an order with you for a number of custom oil and gas sector products Um most of the products are fine However we've had a few issues with three items Okay Can you provide me with your order number and product codes for the items in question yes The order number is KB2394 and the items are A193 B201 and F091 I'm pulling up the information at the moment Please hold Ah here you are Mr Russo Let's start with the first order the steel load beds What seems to be the problem the steel load beds are supposed to be able to withstand up to three tons of weight However they appear to be bending with loads of only 2 and a half tons Our structural engineer feels the beds sent to us are thinner than they are described on your website We'll need this issue solved by the end of next week to keep our project on track I apologize for the problem you have encountered with the steel load beds Okay As the beds are quite large I'll arrange for someone in QA to visit you later today to assess the issue If there has indeed been some mixup regarding bed thickness we will of course provide a full replacement at no cost to you I can personally ensure the replacement will get to you well before the deadline That arrangement should work fine Thank you Can you indicate what the issue is with the other items yes we've received several complaints from our manufacturers that the screws we ordered from you are easily stripped by the drill bits we use here at the factory You mean the screw heads are being stripped right not the thread That's right H We've never received a complaint of this nature about B201 screws They're very robust Yes I was also surprised We've ordered them many times before and never had a problem My feeling is that this batch of screws is defective Could it be the drills you're using i thought that at first too We had a project manager look into this issue and he assures me no alterations have been made to any of our drills or drilling techniques Okay To file a claim for a replacement of defective items I'll need you to fill out a D1 form I can email that to you after we finish this call I'll also need you to give several of the defective screws to our QA representative to be brought back and analyzed Okay no problem And what's the issue with F-091 yes we ordered a truss F-091 with custom welding Unfortunately the welds on the product are not the welds we had requested We want the interior of the truss to be welded using double V joints not single bevel joints Ah yes I can see a note in your file indicating the need for custom welding I'm so sorry about this The welder must have overlooked the note section of the order I'll tell you what I'll arrange for a welder to join the QA specialist at your plant today He can redo the welding for you on site Should only take a few hours Oh that would be terrific Thanks What time do you think there will be by i can arrange for any time after 3 Would 3:15 work could we say a quart to 4 to be safe they will need some time to get to your factory That should work fine Okay just punch that into my computer Thank you My pleasure Is there anything else I can do for you today that's it Thanks very much Have a great day Mr Russo Okay So let's stop there and and talk a little bit about uh how we could come up with the answers to this um this listing Uh firstly the item number if I'm not mistaken we heard that uh during the example Um it is B201 They stated it twice in the listening Uh let's see number two here Incorrect product is causing the beds to bend And we were correct This was going to be this is a noun They say it's uh incorrect thickness or thinness I guess either or would be fine And the solution that's proposed employees may be sent uh out same day to check on the item And then that ties into the solution for F091 which we'll get to in a second So the second item B201 the item name it's the screws Uh the problem is that the build the drill bits are now he says stripping the screws So they're they're they're pulling the screw head the groove in the screw head They they're pulling this apart and then and then the screws can't be used So stripping screws would be the answer there And the buyer is to issue a form outlining the complaint A D1 form F09 The item name This is a truss They say the the man says the truss was not welded correctly And what exactly was the problem it's an incorrect weld type He says something about wanting um single bevel joints or double bevel joints So it's an incorrect weld type Uh the work will be completed and it was going to be held by the or done by the same team that's coming out to fix uh A193 So the work will be completed on site Okay so those are the solutions to the first part of the listening Now let's continue That is the end of section one You now have half a minute to check your answers Okay let's assume that we feel confident we'll move on and use this time to bolster our understanding of section two So we're looking at a map It says label the floor plan below Write no more than three words The tour starts here and uh we can see there's a hall There are some doors in a back room which could be mentioned There's a backyard There's another door here that might be mentioned in the recording Um let's see These look like stairs and uh and some small rooms There's the main closet has been outlined So that might be in the listening as well This is the ground floor Now turn to section two Section two You will hear a real estate agent giving a tour to prospective buyers of a housing unit First you have some time to look at questions 8 to 15 Okay And the second part is the first floor So we see the stairs come up More doors We want to listen to that because they they could be mentioned in the listening The master bedroom Okay Some room here some room here They all connect Um something here Living area a dining room Now listen carefully and answer questions 8 to 15 Now comes the fun part where you can begin to envision living in your new house As you enter the foyer I want to draw your attention to the contemporary elephant gray wall coloring You'll notice how this complements the crisp white marble floor tiles These walls are 9 ft in height which makes the entrance feel very open and spacious To your right you have the staircase leading up to the first floor where we have a reverse layout I'll explain what I mean by that in a moment If you notice the flooring on the stairs you will see that other than the foyer and the two bathrooms the entire house is covered in the finest quality walnut hardwood Moving to the end of the foyer this door leads directly to the finished garage As you can see it has more than enough room to fit a car and bikes And you could likely get a barbecue and some seasonal items in there too If we turn down the hallway to the left you have the main closet on our right The first door on your left will lead to the first of two bathrooms This fourpiece bathroom which features both a standalone tub and a state-of-the-art shower This luxurious shower panel doesn't only look great it allows for a variety of washing spray patterns The bathroom has been fixed with the same marble tiling as the foyer and has a glass bowl sink It's a great room and is very guest friendly Across the hall we have the first of three bedrooms The smallest of the three It has sliding glass patio doors leading to the backyard It would be ideal as an office or a spare bedroom Please notice the charming spherical light fixture which can be dimmed from mood setting The door at the end of the hall leads to the backyard Terrific for barbecues I'll take you out there in a moment First take a look at the laundry room Instead of having it crammed in the garage or a basement it's in a finished room on its own with a linen closet wash basin and a brand new washer and dryer set Going back to the front entrance the final door next to the stairs leads to the second bedroom the largest of the three rooms This bedroom's three large windows boast a great view of your front yard There is also a very large walk-in closet This would be a great guest bedroom or nursery Okay let's head upstairs I'll explain what I meant by reverse layout As you can see the stairs lead right up into your living area and dining room Of course these would traditionally be found on the ground floor but this trendy design has taken a new approach Keeping with the modern feel it is a completely open concept and will allow you to really be creative with the decorating There's a massive wraparound balcony that can be seen through all the windows on the first floor Many of the other unit dwellers have set up flower beds and full dining sets outside on that balcony to take advantage of the warm summer nights The kitchen is often a selling point for these units You'll notice the island is solid charcoal granite with a dual sink plenty of space for all your appliances and utensils but also has a built-in carving board right in the counter for easy prep work The fridge and dishwasher are both matching stainless steel appliances And finally to round off the interior of the house I present what is typically used as the master bedroom Big enough for a king-size bed dresser mirror and more The best part is the walk-in closet The walk-in closet leads right into your on suite which features another luxury shower toilet and sink The second door leads out from the bathroom back to the kitchen area for guests So that completes the tour Let's head downstairs and out the back door where we can relax on the patio Okay we'll stop it there Let's go back up to the ground floor So the tour started and often in the IELTS you're helped by the numbers the question numbers because things are are um typically delivered in order of number So we were first introduced to what number eight was and then number nine then number 10 the number 11 and onwards Number eight was the garage and if you wrote uh finished garage that would be fine too That's the way that he described it But it's the garage Uh the person that was delivering the tour is Irish so the pronunciation was a little different He said garage but um so I hope you you're able to to get that Number nine this was a bathroom and the uh mention of the main closet helped to position us a little bit He said "The main closet's on our right To your left is the bathroom." And as we predicted these couple of doors back here um were stated by the person giving the tour He said that they lead out into the uh backyard And number 10 is one of the bedrooms And then he describes the door out to the backyard And then number 11 was the laundry room Okay And then he says "We'll go back to the front door." And he introduces this large bedroom And this large bedroom has a walkin closet I guess that's better punctuated with a dash Walk-in closet Okay And then they go upstairs and he describes the balcony how it's very large and he mentions that there are windows all the way around that you can that allow people on the inside to look out into the balcony There's a living area a dining room Uh he mentions the kitchen but it's not entirely clear It becomes more clear after he takes us through the master bedroom and then through this is the second walk-in closet And uh and then through this is another bathroom but uh this one he refers to it as the on suite bathroom So we'll want to in our IELTS um write the room in the same way that he has has introduced it to us And then he says it leads back into the kitchen area So this number 13 is sort of reinforced the second time that he mentions it Okay so I hope you were able to get a few of those Now let's continue with our listening That is the end of section two You now have half a minute to check your answers Okay And we're going to go ahead to section three Okay Uh no more than three words for each answer Uh it says let's see aim of the survey So we know we're going to be listening to a survey Um because it's section three we also know that it'll be academic and that there will be more than one speaker Rising something probably a noun Bill 82 okay something to do with legal vocabulary is expected to cause this will be a noun a or an rise in tuition fees if passed in this is probably a date Charter students is now turn to section three Section three you will hear a university student interview another university student about rising tuition First you will have some time to look at questions 16 to 25 Okay Uh charter students is a group that seeks to to protect student probably a noun The interviewe supplemented tuition she received from her parents with Okay so supplemented You would need to know what that word means The interviewe currently lives This is probably a place if Billy 182 is Bill 82 is passed the Now listen carefully and I'll answer questions 16 to 25 Excuse me Hi Do you have a quick minute uh well I'm on my way to class The lecture starts in 15 minutes What can I do for you if you don't mind lending me 5 minutes of your time I am conducting research on the opinions of rising tuition fees among students and professors alike Given the recent proposal of Bill 82 which would see a 12% increase in tuition fees effective September if passed I have a brief questionnaire very basic questions that could lend to the survey Uh well I am in a bit of a rush but only a few minutes right yes I assure you All right how do I start thank you so much I should probably introduce myself first I'm David Morgan I'm a third-year sociology major and the founder of Charter Students which is essentially a nonpartisan group that serves as a voice of advocacy for students rights and equality The survey can be completed anonymously but I will have to ask you some demographic questions to bracket you First what program and year are you in currently and are you studying full-time or part-time this is my third year of criminal psychology studying full-time Okay perfect And how many years do you have left two down two to go All right great Seeing as how you've already paid two years tuition what was your source of funding was it scholarship in bursceries work slash employment income funds from family personal savings or other sources it was a combination between my personal savings and funding from my parents Okay While attending university are you working full-time working part-time or unemployed with my school workload I can only manage to work part-time and I'm even finding that heavy Okay So in order to maintain your living and education costs have you taken any measures such as living at home cutting back on non-essentials finding summer employment or anything else i live on campus which is very expensive option but I feel it has helped me focus on my studies I took up the part-time job to help cover some of the costs of the textbooks and other living expenses such as groceries and gas for my car I work a full-time job in the summer months and put this money towards fall tuition Okay If tuition costs were increased by 10% while you're still attending university what would be your course of action it's hard to say for sure but I would definitely need to find an additional source of income With only 15 hours a week I'm just covering my car and groceries I'd probably need to take out a line of credit and get a second job I've invested too much to quit now Okay So I'll note here that you would stay the course but need to find funding You would be surprised how many students responded that they would likely need to drop out Okay Just another couple of questions No problem Your opinion of current tuition fees Are they too high appropriate levels or too low still too high in my opinion I've seen reports that Canada is ranked among some of the highest tuition fees in the world It's facts like this that have made me consider doing my degree abroad Actually this is why I'm conducting this research We are spearheading a petition based on the final results of this survey Part of our argument is that increasing prices are pushing talented students away Okay The final question is where do you most want to see your tuition fees spent curriculum improvements student financial assistance reducing class size research safety on campus transportation or other Oh that's a long list Uh let me take a quick look at it Can I choose more than one answer yes you may choose as many as you like Well curriculum improvement for sure and h this may not be the typical response but I would say transportation Given the fact that the campus is quite expensive and the public transportation or shuttle service between various areas is virtually non-existent it makes it difficult for students like me to make it from one class to another with any time to spare Listen I don't mean to be rude but I should hurry off Absolutely Thank you very much for stopping I really appreciate all the candid answers No problem Good luck with the survey Okay so let's go over the answers here Uh so the aim of the survey to gather the opinions uh concerning rising amongst students at the university and you probably caught this rising tuition or tuition fees among students at the university ability uh 82 is expected to cause a or an and we guessed correctly this um would be a number or or noun and I guess 12% rise in tuition fees if passed in and this was a time as we also predicted correctly September charter students is a group that seeks to protect student rights and equality The interviewee supplemented tuition she received from her parents with and this was a little confusing because I believe she delivered this information um in the opposite order So she mentioned that she had personal savings and uh funds from that from funds that she received from her parents The interviewe currently lives and she is currently on campus If bill 82 is passed the interviewe would likely borrow money or find and this is a second job According to charter students increasing tuition too much could cause Canada to lose And this is talented students And you probably could just put talent and that would also be considered correct The interviewe feels improving course curriculums and would be a healthy use of her and she mentions uh something about uh her uh wanting better transportation because she's having trouble getting from one side of campus to the other healthy use of her um her student uh tuition fees Okay now let's continue our listening That is the end of section three You now have half a minute to check your answers Okay again assuming that we feel confident let's keep going Section four This is the most difficult listening It's an academic listening Uh one to three words or a number for each answer So we see the American cowboy part one where the image came from part two What today and then okay part one So I guess this will this is matching from up here Part one where the image came from We have dates This is chronological 1500 1500 to 1700 1750 1790 Okay Vakir Now turn to section four looked after livestock brought from probably a place You will hear a lecturer's introduction to a geography module First you have some time to look at questions 26 to 33 to 33 Okay The word cowboy is first used to refer to young males of this could be maybe a type of family or a place Hispanic and Anglo settlers exchanged goods and so what else did they exchange uh Mexican-American war starts in this could be a date Uh cultural exchange slows Okay Anglo population spread through south and something USA So maybe south and maybe north I don't know Or south and east or could be something else Uh cowboy is more commonly used to refer to cattle rancher No idea American cowboy becomes distinctly different from the Mexican cowboy Okay So we're going to listen for in particular the difference to questions 26 to 33 For many the cowboy has come to embody the values of altruism and individualism and is today seen as quintessentially American But how accurate is this view and why do so many people hold it well in today's lecture I'm going to examine the iconic American cowboy where the image came from and what the image means today But let's start with a bit of background The story of the cowboy stems as far back as the early 1500s And these origins weren't even within what we today call the USA In territory of what is now present day Mexico the vakeros or horsemounted livestock herders where early Spanish settlers had looked after horses and cattle brought to the new world from Spain Now as Spanish colonies expanded over the next 200 years these ranching practices spread with them into areas that are now Texas Arizona New Mexico and California And from 1750 to 1790 the use of the term cowboy began and mainly made reference to the young males of cattle hering families By the 1800s Hispanic and Anglo settlers were communicating and exchanging goods regularly and this led to further cultural exchange Livestock production and cattle ranching were in full swing throughout southwestern America by the start of the Mexicanamean War in 1848 In the hundred years to follow the adopted roping skills horsemanship and sandal design of the Vakeros would be evolved by the Anglo populations which are now spreading quickly across South and Midwestern areas of modern USA A new breed of horsemen took form and titles such as cow herd cow puncher and cow folk became common place In fact the word cowboy was still in use at this time but had evolved to refer to an adult male cattle rancher instead of a boy Much of the modern American cowboys attire was adopted between 1800 and 1900 The leather leg coverings commonly referred to as chaps the leather cowboy boots and the cowboy hat we know today they were all evolved from their Spanish originals And by the turn of the 20th century the American cowboy had a distinctly different look from the Mexican cowboy Before you hear the rest of the conversation okay uh so let's go over um what we heard in here Now what you've probably noticed is that there were several key words here that matched exactly with what the lecturer was saying particularly um words referring to for example young males that popped out at me Uh Mexican-American war of course was very clear when he started saying cow herd cow puncher cowpoke it was clear that we were leading writing to the answer for 32 So many of these um these answers were pretty straightforward Okay So part one where the image came from Part two what the image uh means and then today what the image means today And we can assume that that this is going to be the the topic we'll hear in the second half of the listening Okay So part one was about this and then part two was perhaps more about the modern image of the cowboy talks about uh in the 1500s the the early cowboys in North America uh the vocaros herders looked after livestock brought from Spain Um okay Spanish colonies expanded in the Americas and thus ranching practices did too The word cowboy is first used to refer to young males of this cattle ranching families Hispanic and Anglo settlers exchange goods and uh and this is a little confusing because you might think it's goods and communication because he talks about that about the same time as well but it's goods and and culture MexicanAmerican war starts in 1848 Very straightforward answer Just had to listen you know to what he was saying precisely Nothing was cryptic there at all Anglo populations start evolving the ranching practices of the vakeros Anglo populations spread through south and we uh correctly assume that this would be another direction So midwestern USA titles cow herd cow puncher and cowpoke come into use Cowboys more commonly used to refer to adult male cattle ranchers Adult male American cowboy becomes distinctly different from the Mexican cowboy I think this was the one answer that wasn't 100% straightforward This one we had to to uh to listen and perhaps even deduce the answer the it is referring to attire or or clothing I suppose you could write to clothing because he was talking about the chaps that cowboys wear He was talking about um the hats a few other pieces of uh of clothing that made them diff different American cowboys different from Mexican cowboys Okay let's continue the listening You will have some time to look at questions 34 to 40 Okay Choose four letters at age Which four words reflect what the American cowboy came to represent in the 20th century America let's underline came to represent and 20th century America Okay We'll have to listen to those Uh which three words reflect what the American cowboy represents today so we have one what did it represent in the 20th century and what does it represents today in the new millennium now listen carefully These are probably going to be synonyms to 40 So let's move on to look at the evolution of the American cowboy as an icon Around the year 1900 the American cowboy was seen as a symbol of the culture developing in the new world and was thus closely associated with opportunity and the individualism and liberty afforded by hard labor The stress on individualism was amplified by the middle of the 20th century when the cowboy came to represent a departure from traditional societal restrictions and conformity In fact the cowboy was seen as outside the mold of traditional American societal structure And this encouraged elements of the image like bell bottom pants and cowboy hats to be incorporated into the hippie movements of the 60s a massive American movement based upon rebelling against societal expectations When we look at the cowboy today that sense of individualism still holds true but it's coupled with strong sentiments of heroism and altruism predominantly stimulated by Hollywood movies and other elements of modern pop culture So that's the American cowboy in a nutshell a 500y old icon that continues to evolve Okay Uh so that was a little more challenging Many of these words are mentioned However several of them um were not representations of or were not what the cowboy came to represent in the 20th century So he mentions societal restrictions He's talking about the cowboy as being a um a liberating sort of image against societal restrictions So it could not be letter A individualism He mentions this This is one of the answers Conformity Uh again as with societal restrictions he's saying that the cowboy is not this The cowboy represents um being somewhat of a rebel or going against the mold I think is what he says or outside the mold So it would not be this rebellion That is one of the answers So B D the hippie movement Now he mentions that several of the pieces of clothing that the cowboy um that became part of the iconic cowboys attire were incorporated into the hippie movements within the US But these are not what the cowboy represents So that could not be the answer Liberty Yes he mentions that opportunity Yes So the four answers and again the traditional societal structure thing that was something that the the cowboy um was sort of an image against Okay it was B I'll just type all four right here Uh B rebellion D Um liberty F and opportunity G Which three words reflect what the American cowboy represents today so we have generosity individualism heroism altruism the pursuit of happiness and ambition Uh generosity there wasn't any mention of that in what he was saying So that that is not one of the answers Individualism yes So that would be one heroism Yes And he ties this to Hollywood movies and the image of the cowboy um always doing the right thing which also links us to altruism So BCD would be the correct answers The pursuit of happiness not so much and ambition no So the correct answers here would be B C and D I hope that exam wasn't too painful Please let me know what you think in the comments and leave a like and I'll see you in the next IELTS video [Music] [Music] [Music]