Part 3 multiple choice: planning a work placement
You can follow three speakers, rule out the options they reject, and choose the one they settle on.
Omar and Leah have to find a work placement, and their tutor is helping them plan it. You hear the three of them talk it through.
That is Listening Part 3: a conversation about education or training, with up to four speakers. In its multiple choice questions, the speakers often mention two or even all three options. You are listening for the one they settle on.
Warm-up
Where do they end up?
Read this short exchange between a student and a tutor. It works the way Part 3 does.
Read thisStudent: Shall I bring a printed copy of my report on Monday? Tutor: I'm away on Monday, actually. Could you email it to me? Student: Sure. I'll send it on Friday.
How will the student give the tutor the report?
How it works
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
- 21What kind of organisation do Omar and Leah decide to approach?
- Aa well-known company
- Ba small firm in the area
- Ca charity
- 22Why does the tutor want the students to contact companies soon?
- AStudents from other universities may take the places.
- BThe placement forms must be handed in early.
- CCompanies need time to plan their budgets.
- 23What will the students do first?
- Aphone some companies
- Btalk to students from last year
- Cupdate their CVs
- 24According to the tutor, what should the report mainly be about?
- Ahow the company is organised
- Bwhat the students learned about themselves
- Ca problem the company has and how to solve it
- 25How will the placement be marked?
- Aby the report and an assessment from the employer
- Bby the report alone
- Cby the report and a presentation
- 26What will Omar do before the next meeting?
- Acontact last year's students
- Bwrite a draft letter to companies
- Cmake a list of possible companies
There is a short pause to look over these questions before this part of the recording plays. Read every stem and every option in it.
The method
- 1Read the stem and mark who and what
The stem is the question itself. Mark whose view it asks for, such as the tutor or Omar, and the word that matters, such as first, mainly or decide.
- 2Expect other words
The options are rarely said the way they are printed. A small firm in the area might be heard as somewhere small and local.
- 3Rule options out as you listen
When an option comes up, keep it open. When someone rejects it, rule it out. You can click an answer early and change it if the speakers change their minds.
- 4Wait for the decision
Words such as but, actually, not yet and leave that for now often drop an option. The answer is where the speakers end up.
- 5Keep moving
Question 22 is answered after question 21, and so on. If you lose one, choose a letter and listen for the next stem.
Question 21: the organisation
Have a go at question 21 on your own first. Play the clip once, then read how I worked it out.
Clip 1: choosing a firm
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What kind of organisation do Omar and Leah decide to approach?
Watch me do one
Before the clip I read the stem: What kind of organisation do Omar and Leah decide to approach? The word that matters is decide, so I'm waiting for the end of the discussion.
Omar starts with a big company and a name people recognise. That is option A, a well-known company, in other words. A stays open for now.
Leah answers Maybe, but, and says she'd rather go somewhere small. The tutor backs her: students at smaller firms get proper projects.
Then Omar tries a charity, option C. Leah rules it out, because the local ones take one student at a time. C is out.
Omar ends it: Somewhere small and local, then. That is B, a small firm in the area. Both students have settled on it, so I choose B.
Practice with Elita5 questions
The next five parts of the same conversation. Play each clip once, as in the exam, and choose A, B or C.
Question 22: why start now
The stem asks why, so listen for a reason. Two reasons are ruled out first.
Clip 2: why start now
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Why does the tutor want the students to contact companies soon?
Question 23: the first step
Three steps are mentioned. The stem asks which comes first.
Clip 3: the first step
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What will the students do first?
Question 24: the report
The stem says mainly. Listen for what the tutor puts at the centre of the report.
Clip 4: the report
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
According to the tutor, what should the report mainly be about?
Question 25: the marks
Listen for how the mark is made up now. One part of it has changed.
Clip 5: how it is marked
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
How will the placement be marked?
Question 26: Omar's job
This stem is about Omar only. Listen for what he agrees to do.
Clip 6: before the next meeting
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What will Omar do before the next meeting?
Words to keep
Contact someone. Leah will get in touch with last year's students.
Done without pay. The placement is unpaid, so they will need some savings.
Information that helps explain the main subject. A paragraph on how the company is organised is background.
Stop including it or doing it. The department dropped the presentation last year.
Say what someone should do. The report should recommend a solution to one problem.
A first version of a piece of writing, to be improved later. They will write a draft of the letter next week.
Before you go
Read each stem before the recording, and mark whose view it asks for and the word that matters.
Expect the options in other words, and rule each one out as the speakers reject it.
Choose the option the speakers settle on. The first one mentioned is often dropped.
Keep up with the recording: if you miss a question, choose a letter and move on.
Next: Speaking comes next: a Part 2 talk about a person who helped you at work or in your studies.