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Series 3
- Study English S3 Ep1: IELTS Assessment Criteria
- Study English S3 Ep2: Writing Task Response
- Study English S3 Ep3: Coherence and Cohesion in writing
- Study English S3 Ep4: Examining sentence types
- Study English S3 Ep5: Demonstrating vocabulary range
- Study English S3 Ep6: Question Tasks and Topics
- Study English S3 Ep7: The speaking test
- Study English S3 Ep8: Speaking Fluently
- Study English S3 Ep9: How to speak coherently
- Study English S3 Ep10: Vocabulary for Speaking
- Study English S3 Ep11: Grammatical Range
- Study English S3 Ep12: Importance of intonation
- Study English S3 Ep13: Reading Skills and Questions
- Study English S3 Ep14: General Training Reading
- Study English S3 Ep15: Listening for signpost words
- Study English S3 Ep16: Listening for numbers
- Study English S3 Ep17: Festivals and Celebrations
- Study English S3 Ep18: Labelling and Describing
- Study English S3 Ep19: Labelling a Flow Chart
- Study English S3 Ep20: Giving examples in English
- Study English S3 Ep21: Talking about the Family
- Study English S3 Ep22: Holidays and Leisure
- Study English S3 Ep23: Talking about Food
- Study English S3 Ep24: How to form words
- Study English S3 Ep25: Grammar Checklist
- Study English S3 Ep26: What to say when giving advice
Study English S3 Ep19: Labelling a Flow Chart
One of the skills assessed in the IELTS Test is listening or reading for specific information. In this episode we’ll use a story about a process to demonstrate the key questions you need to listen for when you are asked to complete a table or label a flow chart.
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS preparation. I’m Margot Politis.
One of the skills in the listening test is listening for specific information. Here’s a story about a process – making spectacles – or glasses.
People like my frames because they’re individually made for them, they’re uniquely Australian, there’s an air of exclusivity about it, and they’re fun to wear.
My name’s Roger Henley, I’m a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. I’m one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames.
My interest in frame-making started in 1978 when, as an apprentice optical mechanic, I felt I could make spectacle frames.
So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business of making spectacle frames. The frame-making process, in brief, involves over 50 steps. I’ll just go through a few of them.
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point, which is 110 degrees C. And then placed in a mould which then gives it its curvature or meniscus on the frame.
There’s a lot of information there, and sometimes it’s hard to hear the specific thing you’re listening for.
How can you prepare for this? First – listen for the key words in the question. Look at this question:
The key words are ‘who’ and ‘Roger Henley’. So listen for the name Roger Henley in the listening passage:
People like my frames because they’re individually made for them, they’re uniquely Australian, there’s an air of exclusivity about it, and they’re fun to wear. My name’s Roger Henley, I’m a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. I’m one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames.
My name’s Roger Henley, I’m a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. He describes who he is, by saying what he does, immediately after he says his name.
My name’s Roger Henley, I’m a spectacle frame-maker in Adelaide. I’m one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames.
Look at this question:
The key words are ‘when’, ‘begin’ and ‘manufacturing glasses’ and because the question asks ‘when’ – you need to listen for a date.
I’m one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames. My interest in frame-making started in 1978 when, as an apprentice optical mechanic, I felt I could make spectacle frames. So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business of making spectacle frames.
There were two dates – 1978 and 1987. Which one is correct? You need to listen for words that mean the same as the key words in the question – begin, manufacturing, and glasses.
I’m one of three in Australia that produces hand-made spectacle frames. My interest in frame-making started in 1978 when, as an apprentice optical mechanic, I felt I could make spectacle frames. So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business of making spectacle frames.
We know spectacles is another word for glasses. ‘Started’ is another word for ‘began’, and ‘making’ is another word for ‘manufacturing’.
So in 1987 I actually left my job and started a business of making spectacle frames.
So the answer is 1987. Remember when you’re looking at questions and key words – to look especially for ‘wh’ words – who, where, when, which, why – and for information that will answer those questions:
A person or persons
A place
A time or date
A specific example
A reason
And also remember to listen for synonyms for your key words – words which mean the same thing as the key word.
In the test, note how many words your answer can be – it might be two or three. You must not use more than two or three words in your answer.
Here’s another question: How many stages are there in the frame-making process? Use no more than two words in your answer. Listen
The frame-making process, in brief, involves over 50 steps. I’ll just go through a few of them. The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point, which is 110 degrees C. And then placed in a mould which then gives it its curvature or meniscus on the frame.
The question ‘how many’ tells us the answer must be a number. And what word is a synonym for ‘stages’. Listen again.
The frame-making process, in brief, involves over 50 steps. I’ll just go through a few of them.
‘Steps’ is a synonym for ‘stages’, so you could write: 50 steps, or over 50 steps, or over 50.
Which is correct?
The only correct answer is ‘over 50’. It answers the question – how many stages are there in the frame-making process. ’50 steps’ is incorrect because there are more than fifty, and ‘over 50 steps’ is incorrect, because you were asked to use no more than two words.
Another type of question in the listening test involves labelling a diagram, or chart. Listen to Roger Henley describing the first four stages of the frame-making process:
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point, which is 110 degrees C. And then placed in a mould which then gives it its curvature or meniscus on the frame.
Here are those four stages as a flow chart, with words missing.
You need to listen for what words complete these four stages. What kind of word will you listen for? Look at the first one:
In processes, simple present passive voice is often used, as it is here. So probably the word needed is a participle.
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine.
So the word missing is the participle formed of the verb ‘to mill’ – milled.
The second missing word is also a participle to complete a passive sentence.
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front.
The missing word is ‘inserted’. In the third example the gap is before the symbol for ‘degrees centigrade’ – so you should be listening for a number.
The first step is to mill the front out on a CAD milling machine. It then has a heat-sink joint inserted into the frame front. It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point, which is 110 degrees C.
So you should write 110 in the space.
And in the final example, notice that the gap follows the indefinite article ‘a’. So you know the word must be a noun.
It is then heated in an oven to its memory set point, which is 110 degrees C. And then placed in a mould which then gives it its curvature or meniscus on the frame.
It is placed in a mould, which is a form to give shape to something
That’s all for now. Good luck with your studies.
Study English S3 Ep19: Labelling a Flow Chart Study Notes
Study English S3 Ep19: Labelling a Flow Chart Activity Sheet
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