Part 3 – following an academic discussion

How to follow two or three speakers in IELTS Listening Part 3, recognise agreement, disagreement and changes of mind, and identify what is finally decided.

Part 3 is a conversation in an educational setting: two students planning a project, or a student talking to a tutor about an assignment. Three things make it harder than Parts 1 and 2. There is more than one speaker to follow, the questions are about opinions and decisions as often as facts, and the speakers negotiate: they suggest, object, compromise and change their minds. This lesson teaches you to follow that negotiation.

Typical situations and vocabulary

The settings repeat from test to test, so the vocabulary is worth learning.

If these words are familiar, you can give your attention to what the speakers think.

Who is who?

In the reading time, look at the instructions for names: ‘two psychology students called Anna and Ben’. In the first few seconds of the recording, attach each name to a voice. The speakers usually use each other’s names early on (‘So, Ben, we need to hand in the plan by Thursday’).

If a question says ‘What does Anna think about…?’, only her opinion counts, even if Ben speaks at length on the same point.

The language of agreement and disagreement

Many Part 3 questions depend on whether an idea is accepted.

Agreeing

Disagreeing (usually polite and indirect)

British speakers in particular often begin a disagreement with ‘Yes’ or ‘Well’:

‘Yes, but then we’d only get psychology students.’

‘Yes, but’ is not agreement. Train your ear to wait for what follows.

Intonation

A flat or falling ‘Mm’ or a drawn-out ‘We-ell…’ usually signals doubt. An energetic ‘Oh, that’s a good idea’ signals real agreement. Although this course gives examples in writing, pay attention to tone when you listen to the practice recordings.

Suggest → respond → decide

Most decisions in Part 3 follow a three-step pattern:

1. Suggestion: ‘We could put a notice on the department website.’
2. Response: ‘We could, but then we’d only get psychology students.’
3. Outcome: ‘I thought we could ask in the library instead.’ – ‘Good thinking.’

The answer to ‘Where will they look for participants?’ is the outcome. Phrases that mark the outcome:

So we’ll…, Let’s go with…, OK, that’s settled, Right, so it’s…, In the end…, I’ll do that then, That’s what decided it, Agreed.

Changes of mind

Speakers often report what they used to think:

‘I’d assumed that hives in the countryside would do much better. But the studies I read showed that city hives often produce more honey.’

‘At first I wanted to do interviews, but then I realised there wouldn’t be time.’

‘I was going to start with a summary, but you’re right, the map should come first.’

Signals: I assumed, I’d expected, I thought… at first, originally, I was going to, I used to think → but, then, actually, in the end, now I think.

The question usually asks for the final position, or for what was surprising, which is the contrast between the two.

Tutors and students

When a tutor gives feedback, the pattern is usually praise, then a problem, then advice.

‘The first one’s attractive. The photograph works well… My only concern is the figure you give… You need to find the original source.’

Question stems that go with this pattern:

• What does the tutor say is a weakness of…? → the problem
• What does the tutor suggest/recommend? → the advice
• What does the tutor like about…? → the praise

And listen for how the student responds: ‘OK, I’ll track it down’ confirms that the advice is accepted.

Worked example

21 Anna thinks their project is worth doing because A few studies have been done on students’ sleep. B earlier studies did not include students like those at their university. C their tutor recommended the topic.

22 What aspect of sleep do they decide to investigate? A the number of hours students sleep B the effect of sleep on exam results C how regular students’ bedtimes are

Ben: I did wonder whether it’s been done to death, though. There must be hundreds of studies on students and sleep. Anna: There are, but almost all of them were done on campuses where everyone lives in halls. Half the students here live at home with their families. Nobody seems to have looked at whether that changes anything, so I think there’s a real gap. Ben: OK, I’m convinced. So what’s our actual research question? I’d assumed we’d look at how many hours people sleep. Anna: That’s what everyone measures. I was reading that the number of hours matters less than you’d think. What seems to affect concentration is whether people go to bed at the same time each night. I’d like us to focus on how regular their sleep is. Ben: Interesting. That would be something new.

Question 21. Option A is contradicted at once: ‘There must be hundreds of studies’ – ‘There are’. Anna’s reason is that earlier studies were done where ‘everyone lives in halls’, whereas half the students here live at home → B. Nothing is said about a tutor recommending it.

Question 22. Ben ‘assumed’ they would look at hours (A) – a signal that this will be rejected. Anna: ‘That’s what everyone measures… I’d like us to focus on how regular their sleep is.’ Ben accepts: ‘Interesting. That would be something new.’ → C. Exam results are not mentioned.

Notice that in both questions the first idea mentioned belongs to Ben and is not the answer.

Common question types in Part 3

• Multiple choice about opinions, reasons and decisions (Lesson 5)
• Choose TWO from five
• Matching – what they decide about each item, or who holds each view (Lesson 7)
• Completion of notes, a flow-chart or a summary of what was agreed, sometimes from a box of options

Practice routine

1. Outcome tracking. Take a Part 3 transcript. For every suggestion, write what was suggested, how the other person responded and what was decided.
2. Agreement phrases. Listen to the recording and tick the table above each time you hear one of the expressions. Add new ones you meet.
3. Shadow the conversation. Play ten seconds, pause, and say in one sentence what each speaker thinks at that point.

Key points

• Learn the vocabulary of assignments, research and feedback.
• Match names to voices in the first seconds.
• ‘Yes, but…’ is disagreement; wait for what follows.
• Decisions follow the pattern suggest → respond → decide; the answer is the outcome.
• Past beliefs (I assumed, I was going to) are usually about to be overturned.
• Tutor feedback: praise first, then the real point.

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