# Assignment Problems and Reading Materials: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 4, Test 1, Listening Part 3

Source: Recording, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 4, 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 | A | I had a really big assignment due in for another course, and I've been spending all my time on that |
| 22 | C | extensions are normally given only for medical or compassionate reasons. |
| 23 | E | just look at the part on the research methodology, how they did it. |
| 24 | B | the one by Roberts says very relevant things, although it's not essential. |
| 25 | G | I wouldn't bother with that at this stage, if I were you. ... OK, I won't bother with Morris. |
| 26 | F | just look at the last part where he discusses the research results. |
| 27 | C | It's not bad, and could be of some help, but not that much. |
| 28 | D | Bar 2 is to do with the people living nearby disturbing them, so they chose to move away to somewhere quieter. |
| 29 | A | the owner of the property won't help fix things that go wrong. ... In other words, the owner is not helpful. |
| 30 | B | people moving because they wanted to be in a more attractive neighborhood. |

## Why these answers are right

**21. A.** The question asks why Melanie has not started. She explains that she had a really big assignment due for another course and has spent all her time on it, which matches A. The really big assignment belongs to the other course, so B misreads it.

**22. C.** You need the excuses the lecturer accepts for an extension. Dr Johnson says extensions are normally given only for medical or compassionate reasons, and personal illness or accident is the option that covers medical and personal grounds of this kind.

**23. E.** Dr Johnson says Melanie should also read the article by Jackson, but only the part on the research methodology, meaning how the researchers carried out the study. That matches E, read research methods, rather than reading the whole article.

The why and the trap for questions 24 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/assignment-problems-and-reading-materials/answers).

## Transcript

**Announcer:** Section 3, you'll hear Melanie, a student, talking to one of her lecturers about her studies.

**Announcer:** First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 27.

**Announcer:** Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 27.

**Melanie:** Excuse me. Dr Johnson.

**Melanie:** May I speak to you for a minute?

**Dr Johnson:** Sure, come in.

**Melanie:** I'm Melanie Griffin.

**Melanie:** I'm taking your course in population studies.

**Dr Johnson:** Right, uh well, melanie, how can I help you?

**Melanie:** I'm having a bit of trouble with the second assignment.

**Melanie:** Hmm. And it's due in 12 days.

**Dr Johnson:** What sort of trouble are you having?

**Dr Johnson:** Is the assignment question a problem?

**Melanie:** Well, that's part of the problem.

**Melanie:** I'm also having, I've been having trouble getting hold of the books.

**Melanie:** I've been to the library several times, and all the books are out.

**Dr Johnson:** Sounds like you should have started borrowing books a bit earlier.

**Melanie:** Well, I had a really big assignment due in for another course, and I've been spending all my time on that, and I thought.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. You might get an extension of time to finish your assignment for me.

**Melanie:** If that's possible, but I don't know...

**Dr Johnson:** Well, yes, it is possible, but extensions are normally given only for medical or compassionate reasons.

**Dr Johnson:** Otherwise, it's really a question of organizing your study, and we don't like giving extensions to students who simply didn't plan their work properly.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. What did you get for your first assignment?

**Melanie:** I got 87 percent.

**Dr Johnson:** Hmm, yes, you did very well, indeed.

**Dr Johnson:** So obviously you can produce good work.

**Melanie:** I don't think I'll need too much extra time, as long as I can get hold of some of the important references.

**Dr Johnson:** Well, since you did so well in your first assignment.

**Dr Johnson:** I'm prepared to give you an extra two weeks for this one, so that'll mean you'll need to submit it about a month from now.

**Melanie:** Oh, thank you.

**Dr Johnson:** Now, what about the reading materials?

**Dr Johnson:** Have you checked out the journal articles in the list?

**Melanie:** Um, uh. No, not yet.

**Melanie:** There were about 20 of them, and I wasn't sure which ones would be most useful or or important.

**Dr Johnson:** Well, they're all useful.

**Dr Johnson:** But I don't expect anyone to read them all, because a number of them deal with the same issues.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. Let me give you some suggestions.

**Dr Johnson:** The article by Anderson and Hawker is really worth reading.

**Melanie:** Right, I'll read that one.

**Dr Johnson:** You should also read the article by Jackson.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. But just look at the part on the research methodology, how they did it.

**Melanie:** OK.

**Melanie:** Jackson, got that.

**Dr Johnson:** And if you have time, the one by Roberts says very relevant things, although it's not essential.

**Melanie:** So, OK, if it's useful, I'll try and read that one.

**Dr Johnson:** Now the one by Morris.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. I wouldn't bother with that at this stage, if I were you.

**Melanie:** OK, I won't bother with Morris.

**Melanie:** Oh, now someone told me the article by Cooper is important.

**Dr Johnson:** Well, yes, in a way.

**Dr Johnson:** But just look at the last part where he discusses the research results.

**Dr Johnson:** And lastly there's Forster.

**Dr Johnson:** I can't think why I included that one.

**Dr Johnson:** It's not bad, and could be of some help, but not that much.

**Announcer:** Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 28 to 30.

**Announcer:** Now listen and answer questions 28 to 30.

**Dr Johnson:** Now let's deal with the assignment question.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. What's the problem there?

**Melanie:** It's the graph on page 2.

**Dr Johnson:** What seems to be the problem?

**Dr Johnson:** It's just the bar graph showing reasons why people change where they live.

**Melanie:** Well, I've got a photocopy, but the reasons at the bottom are missing.

**Dr Johnson:** Oh, OK.

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. Look at the first bar on the graph.

**Melanie:** Hmm.

**Dr Johnson:** Now that indicates the number of people who move because they want more space.

**Melanie:** Oh, I see.

**Melanie:** Bar 1, OK.

**Melanie:** Now what about the next bar?

**Dr Johnson:** Bar 2 is to do with the people living nearby disturbing them, so they chose to move away to somewhere quieter.

**Dr Johnson:** Now let's look at bar No. 3.

**Dr Johnson:** Another reason people change their place of living is because they want to be closer to the city.

**Melanie:** OK, proximity to the city is an issue.

**Dr Johnson:** Now bar No. 4 refers to problems when the owner of the property won't help fix things that go wrong.

**Dr Johnson:** In other words, the owner is not helpful.

**Dr Johnson:** And so the tenants move out.

**Melanie:** OK, now what about bar 5?

**Dr Johnson:** Uh. Bar five is about those people who move because they need a bus or train to get them into the city or to go to work.

**Melanie:** OK, and bar six?

**Dr Johnson:** Bar No. 6 is interesting.

**Dr Johnson:** That reason was given quite a lot, people moving because they wanted to be in a more attractive neighborhood.

**Melanie:** Oh, yes.

**Melanie:** Thank you very much.

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

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

[Practice Assignment Problems and Reading Materials](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/assignment-problems-and-reading-materials)