# Andrew's Discussion with Monica about Management Diploma Courses: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 5, Test 1, Listening Part 3

Source: Recording, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 5, Test 1, Listening Part 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 21 | B | I've been working in the administration section of the local hospital for the last 3 years. |
| 22 | A | my office have agreed to pay the cost of the course itself |
| 23 | C | That would be over two years, and you wouldn't have to take any time off work |
| 24 | B, D | You'd be expected to write an essay each month |
| 25 | B, D | you need to hand in a short report every four weeks |
| 26 | full-time | that's where you get the opportunity to study full-time for short periods. |
| 27 | a term | And each module lasts for one term, say about 12 weeks at a time. |
| 28 | intensive | you can study in a much more intensive way |
| 29 | two modules | The current program is two modules |
| 30 | a topic | and then you have to choose a topic to work in more depth |

## Why these answers are right

**21. B.** The question asks how long Andrew has worked at the hospital. He says he has been in its administration section for the last 3 years. The two years were at a computer engineering company before that, and five years is his total experience, so B is correct.

**22. A.** You need what Andrew's employers will pay for. He says his office have agreed to pay the cost of the course itself, which means his fees. He adds that full-time study would mean unpaid leave, so they will not cover his salary or living costs, and option A fits.

**23. C.** The question is about the length of the part-time course. Monica says the part-time course would be over two years, with no time off work. The 18 months she mentions next belongs to the modular course, so C is correct and B describes a different option.

The why and the trap for questions 24 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/andrews-discussion-with-monica-about-management-diploma-courses/answers).

## Transcript

**Announcer:** Section 3, you will hear a conversation between a student Andrew and a student advisor Monica about a diploma course.

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

**Announcer:** Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.

**Andrew:** Excuse me, I was told to come here for advice about management diploma courses.

**Monica:** You've certainly come to the right place.

**Monica:** Hi, my name is Monica.

**Andrew:** Hmm. Nice to meet you.

**Andrew:** My name is Andrew, Andrew Harris.

**Monica:** So, Andrew, have you seen our diploma course prospectus yet?

**Andrew:** Yes, I've already looked at it.

**Andrew:** In fact, I thought the information on course content was really useful.

**Andrew:** But I'm afraid I'm a bit confused by all the different ways you can do the course: full-time intensive, part-time, and so on.

**Monica:** Well, let's see if I can help.

**Monica:** I think each course type has its advantages and disadvantages, so it really depends on you, your own study habits, and your financial circumstances of course.

**Monica:** Are you working at the moment?

**Andrew:** Yes, I've been working in the administration section of the local hospital for the last 3 years.

**Andrew:** And before that, I worked in the office of a computer engineering company for two years.

**Andrew:** So I've got about 5 years of relevant work experience, and what I'm hoping to focus on is personnel management.

**Monica:** I see.

**Monica:** And are you planning to leave your current job to study, or are you thinking about just taking a year off?

**Andrew:** I want to know what my options are really.

**Andrew:** I don't want to quit my job or anything, and my employers are keen for me to get some more qualifications, but obviously, it would be better if I could do a course without taking too much time away from work.

**Monica:** Right.

**Monica:** So you don't really want to do the full-time course then?

**Andrew:** No, not really.

**Andrew:** It's also a question of finances, you see, my office have agreed to pay the cost of the course itself, but I would have to take unpaid leave if I want to study full-time, and, well, I don't think I could afford to support myself with no salary for a whole year.

**Monica:** Hmm, OK.

**Monica:** Well, you have two other possibilities.

**Monica:** You could either do the part-time course.

**Monica:** That would be over two years, and you wouldn't have to take any time off work, or you could do what we call a modular course.

**Monica:** You could do that in 18 months if you wanted, or longer.

**Monica:** It's quite flexible, and it would be up to you.

**Andrew:** Hmm, uh, so what does the part-time course involve?

**Monica:** For that, you would join an evening class and have a lecture twice a week.

**Monica:** Then you'd have to attend a seminar or discussion workshop one weekend a month.

**Andrew:** W- what kind of coursework would I have to do?

**Monica:** Well it's a mixture.

**Monica:** You'd be expected to write an essay each month, which counts towards your final assessment.

**Monica:** You have a case study to do by the end of the course, which might involve doing a survey or something like that, and also you need to hand in a short report every four weeks.

**Andrew:** So that's quite a lot of work then, on top of working every day.

**Andrew:** It sounds like a lot of studying, and really tiring.

**Monica:** Yep, you certainly wouldn't have much free time.

**Announcer:** Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.

**Announcer:** Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

**Andrew:** Uh. What about the modular course?

**Andrew:** What would I have to do for that?

**Monica:** Well, that's where you get the opportunity to study full-time for short periods.

**Monica:** That way you can cover a lot of coursework, and attend lectures and seminars during the day.

**Monica:** And each module lasts for one term, say about 12 weeks at a time.

**Monica:** There are obvious advantages in this, the main one being that you can study in a much more intensive way, which suits some people much better.

**Andrew:** And how many of these 'modules' would I have to do to get the diploma?

**Monica:** The current program is two modules - and then you have to choose a topic to work in more depth - but you can base that on your job, and so you don't need to be away from the office, and how long it takes is up to you.

**Monica:** The important thing is that you don't have to study and work. You can focus on one thing at a time.

**Andrew:** Yes, I can see that.

**Andrew:** Uh. It certainly sounds attractive, it would be more expensive though.

**Andrew:** I mean I'd have to support myself without pay for each module.

**Monica:** Hmm. That's true, so that might be a problem for you.

**Monica:** Look, why don't you talk this over with your employers and...

**Announcer:** That is the end of section 3.

**Announcer:** You now have half a minute to check your answers.

[Practice Andrew's Discussion with Monica about Management Diploma Courses](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/andrews-discussion-with-monica-about-management-diploma-courses)