IELTS Practice Test Volume 1

Published on: 30 Jul 2018
Tests taken: 629,333

Answer Keys:

Report Mistake

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

1 after use
2 tidy up
3 take turns
4 week
5 after 10 (pm)

6 overnight visitors
7 any
8 must(-)have
9 175
10 March 5th

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

11 very low
12 research
13 teachers
14 main station

15 night bird
16 an/the operator
17 emergency number
18 20 C,E,F

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

21 C
22 C
23 A
24 B
25 B

26 Select
27 Confirm
28 Outline
29 Remind
30 payback

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

31 C
32 B
33 A
34 Using (the)
35 higher purpose

36 important
37 appreciated
38 sincere
39 key decisions
40 clever innovation

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Review & Explanations:

Part 1: Questions 1-10

Questions 1-6

Complete the table.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.

	Rule One	Rule Two
Payment of rent	on the 5^th(Example)	full amount expected
Cooking/Kitchen	must clean 1	must 2
Cleaning Duties	must 3	do once every 4
Other	no noise 5	no 6

1 Answer: after use

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q1 must be “kitchen” and “must clean”
From the question, we can assume that the answer is the rule when using the kitchen
Richard said he liked cooking and proposed a rule that every tenant must clean after use. Tom wrote the rule “clean after use” down. Therefore, the answer for Q1 must be “after use”.

2 Answer: tidy up

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword in Q2 is “not only clean”, which signals to us that there’s one more kitchen rule.
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a infinitive verb.
As Richard said “not only clean, but they have to tidy up” and Tome agreed that “tidy up” is their second cooking rule. Therefore, the answer for Q2 is tidy up.

3 Answer: take turns

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q3 are cleaning duties and a cleaning roster. We can guess that there’ll be the allocation for cleaning task.
From the question, we can assume the answer must be a infinitive verb.
Richard suggested a cleaning roster and they made a list of everything they expected to be done. Then, Tom added that everyone is required to take turns. In other words, everyone must take turns. Therefore, the answer for Q3 is take turns.

4 Answer: week

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q4 are “do every” and “how often”
From the question, we can guess that the answer is a noun such as day/ week/ two days… to express the frequency.
Richard said that once a week is good enough. Tom agreed as long as they do clean regularly and well. Since the phrase “once every” has been given, the answer for Q4 is just week.

Note: When Richard asks Tom “Every day, twice a week, or once a week”, Tom firstly chooses every day but Richard thinks it’s too often.

Then Tom says every three days, but Richard again disagrees and gives opinion that once a week is enough.

5 Answer: after 10 (pm)

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q5 are “no noise” and “other rules”.
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be the time.
As Richard says he wants quiet at night and no noise after 10 pm, that’s consistent with most rental properties. Therefore, the answer for Q5 is 10 pm.

Note: Tom suggests they would say no noise after 11 at night. However, Richard complains he wants earlier than that. Therefor, the answer cannot be after 11 at night.

6 Answer: overnight visitors

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword in Q6 is either. We can understand that it’s the rule two in other rules
From the question, we can assume that the answer might be a noun
Because Richard says “and... no overnight visitors , either!”; therefore, the answer for Q6 is overnight visitors.

Questions 7-10

Complete the form.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.

Tenancy Service

Online Advertising Form

Gender: 7

Job: 8

Rent: $ 9

Move in: 10

7 Answer: any

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q7 is gender
From the question, we can guess that the answer might be male or female
However, when Richard says he prefer a male, Tom suggests that a female might be just what this household needs. Therefore, finally Richard and Tom decide to write any

The answer for Q7 is any

8 Answer: must(-)have
Listen from here Locate Explain Report
The keyword concerned in Q8 is job
Richard explicitly says that to him, as long as they have a job, just type in, ‘must-have’. Therefore, the answer for Q8 is ‘must-have’

9 Answer: 175

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q9 is “rent($)”
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a number.
Tom asks Richard “how much should we ask them to pay?” and types $175 in the form. Therefore, the answer for Q9 is $175.
Note: There are 4 numbers mentioned here: $180, $173.50, $ 1.50 and

$175. Any misunderstanding or inattention may result in incorrect answer.

$180 is given before Richard does the maths
$173.50 is given before they round it up
$ 1.50 just is the extra amount of money that they share
$175 is finally typed in the form.

10 Answer: March 5th

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q10 are “move in” and “when can we let the new tenant move in?”
From the question we can assume that the answer would be the date that the new tenant move in.
Tom answers Richard that he’ll type immediately but Richard disagrees. Tom then suggests March 1st. however, Richard wants later, on March 5th. Tom agrees and type that in the form.Therefore, the answer for Q10 is March 5th.
Note: There are 3 dates given here. Any misunderstanding or inattention may result in incorrect answer.
March 1st: Tom asked Richard if March 1st was okay but Richard wanted later => March 1st cannot be the answer
March 8th is the day that after that Tom will be busy => March 8th cannot be the answer

Part 1

Part 2: Questions 11-20

Questions 11-17

Complete the sentences.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

The crime rate in the speaker’s city is 11

Students will receive much benefit if they do some 12

Advice can be obtained from friends, homestay parents, and 13

A 24-hour police station is called a 14

For late-night travel, use a 15

Dialling 000 will put you through to 16

To save time, students should have the nearest station’s 17

11 Answer: very low

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q11 is crime rate
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be an adjective
As the police officer says the crime rate in other cities is high but in ours (the speaker’s city) is very low, the answer must be very low.

Note: “high crime rate” is given just in order to compare to the rate of their city

12 Answer: research

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q12 are receive much benefits and help you a great deal
From the question, we can assume the answer must be a noun
It is clearly said that A little research will obviously help you a great deal; therefore, the answer for Q12 is research

13 Answer: teachers

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q13 is advices can be obtained from and you should talk to people you know
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun
The police officer advices that students should talk to people you know, to your homestay parents, and teachers. Therefore, the answer for Q13 must be teachers

14 Answer: main station

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q14 is 24-hour police station
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun
The police officer informs that there are local police stations in every suburb, but not all of these are open 24 hours a day. Therefore, we have to continue listening. Then, he says you need a ‘main station’

The answer for Q14 is main station

15 Answer: night bird

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords are concerned in Q15 is late-night travel and late-night buses
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun
As the policeman says in the case that you go out at night, you can avail yourself (similar meaning to “use”) of the special late-night buses, known as ‘Night Birds”. This question require a singular noun, so “Night Bird” is the correct answer. It is mentioned in the next sentence: “collect one of the brochures on the table here for the “Night Bird” timetables”

16 Answer: an/the operator

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q16 is dial triple zero (=dialling 000)
From the question, we can guess the answer would be a noun
Depend on what the policeman says, this number does not put you through a police station, but put you through an operator.

Therefore, the answer for Q16 is an operator.

17 Answer: emergency number

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q17 are take up valuable time and to save time
As the policeman advises, in order to avoid taking up time (or to save time), students should find the emergency number of the nearest main station to where they live.

The answer for Q17 is emergency number

Questions 18-20

Choose THREE answers, A-G, from the list.

Which THREE pieces of advice does the police officer give?

List of Advice

A Avoid dangerous areas
B Advoid Strangers
C Carry a personal siren
D Don't stay out late
E Stay in well-lit areas
F Use common sense
G Carry pepper spray

18-20 Answer: C,E,F

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q18 is advisable for you to take some precautions
The policeman lists some stuff that women are advices to carry such as ‘mace’ or ‘pepper spray’. However, the policeman says all those thing are illegal and people must not carry them => Option G is incorrect
One thing you can carry is a personal siren => the answer for Q18 is C
The keyword concerned in Q19 is moving on
The next advice of the police officer is you confine yourself to areas that have sufficient, street lighting or illumination, under clearly lit areas. => The chosen answer is E
The keyword concerned in Q20 is Above all, the greatest ride, a signal of the last advice
The police officer suggests that the greatest ride is simply to exercise discretion and intelligence, which implies that use common sense => The chosen answer is F.

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Part 2

Part 3: Questions 21-30

Questions 21-25

Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.

Nicole interviewed:

A over 50 students.
B 50 students.
C less than 50 students.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q21 is “50 people”
From the passage, we can see that Nicole intended to talk to over 50. But in fact, she could only talk to 46 in the end => Option A is incorrect, the answer for Q21 must be Option C.

Note: Frank asks whether Nicole interview the required 50 people, but she just only talked to 46 in the end. Therefore, the answer cannot be option B

The proportion of students NOT satisfied with the staff is:

A one quarter.
B one tenth.
C two thirds.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q22 are “not satisfied with the staff” and “What proportion”
From the passage, we can see that one quarter of students said the staff were okay => the answer cannot be option A
From the passage, it is said that ten percent of students said the staff were good => the answer cannot be option B

Option C is the only choice left

Note: There are one quarter of students saying the staff were okay, ten percent of students said the staff were good, which means the rest of the people be interviewed account for two thirds => Option C is correct.

Overseas students were mostly concerned about:

A homestay issues.
B the attitude of the teachers.
C the facilities.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q23 are “the main cause of complaint” and “overseas students”
From the passage, Nicole explicitly says that a lot of the foreign students complained about the homestay accommodation, and the attitude of the homestay officers when dealing with these issues.
=> The correct answer for Q23 is Option A

Note:

The bulk of the mainstream students had concerns with the attitude of the teachers, not just overseas students => Option B is False
And facilities weren’t that important => Option C is False

The proportion of teachers Nicole thinks needs improving is:

A 10%
B one third.
C 90%

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q24 are “the proportion” and “need to improve in their commitment to helping students”
From the passage, we can see that Frank thinks only about 10%. However, Nicole immediately disagree. She says at least one third

The answer for Q24 is B

Note: There are 3 numbers of proportion mentioned here. Any misunderstanding or inattention may result in incorrect answer.

Because Frank’s number (10%) is not true as Nicole says => Option A is incorrect
“90% of the teachers here are fine” is just Frank’s thought, and it doesn’t mention the proportion of teachers who need to improve => Option C is incorrect

The speakers agree to show their findings to the:

A assistant dean.
B course convener.
C CEO.

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q25 is “Who should we inform about these findings?”
From the passage, Nicole thinks they should show the course convener. However, Frank says they should talk to the assistant dean, at least. Nicole disagrees with that idea and in the end, Frank agrees that they inform the course convener

Option A is incorrect. The answer for Q25 is Option B

Note: CEO is mentioned here by Nicole just as an example of not following the chain of command of Frank’s opinion => Option C is incorrect

Questions 26-30

Complete the flow chart.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Nicole’s Interviewing Technique

26 the right place to conduct the interview.

27 the interviewee has sufficient time.

28 the purpose of the interview.

Guarantee complete confidentiality.

29 the interviewee of beneficial outcomes.

Give them a 30 (e.q. lottery ticket).

26 Answer: Select

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q26 are the position, or the location and the right place
From the passage, we can clearly see that Nicole says the most important point is to select the position, or the location where you’re going to do the interviewing. Therefore, the answer for Q26 is select

27 Answer: Confirm

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q27 are sufficient time and they can spare some moments to answer
As Nicole emphasises that everyone’s busy (in a hurry) these days, so you’ve got to immediately confirm that they can spare some moments to answer your questions. Therefore, the answer for Q27 is confirm

28 Answer: Outline

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q28 is the purpose of the interview
As Nicole says you need to outline why you want to talk to them, we can understand that she advises to outline the purpose of the interview

The answer for Q28 is outline

29 Answer: Remind

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q29 are improve life for all students or beneficial outcomes
As sometimes people are not ready to give you the time, you remind them about how their information can actually improve life for all students

The answer for Q29 is remind

30 Answer: payback

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q30 is ‘scratchy’ lottery ticket
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun
As Nicole says, in her last step, she offer them (= give them) a payback - usually a ‘scratchy’ lottery ticket => the answer for Q30 is payback

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Part 3

Part 4: Questions 31-40

Questions 31-33

Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.

‘Hard’ HRM is:

A bad.
B best for organisations.
C necessary.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q31 is hard FIRM
From the passage, it is inferred that those “hard” things is with all its paper-based systems, in order to carry out company tasks. This means that hard HRM is necessary in companies.

Therefore, the answer for Q31 is option C

Option A and Option B are incorrect, as it is nowhere to be found throughout the passage.

‘Soft’ HRM:

A was quickly realised.
B considers human needs.
C regards workers as tools.

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q32 is ‘soft’ element of FIRM
From the passage, it is inferred that it took a long while before the importance of this ‘soft’ element was realised => Option A cannot be the correct answer.
As the original example in Henry Ford’s car-making factories, the attitude that workers were regarded as unthinking tools leads the Ford motor company to face challenges and it eventually became clear that the original ethos about workers was wrong => Option C cannot be the correct answer.

Option B is the only choice left

Note: After it comes out that the original ethos about workers was wrong, the passage explicitly points out it needed to take their human needs more into account. Therefore, the correct answer for Q32 is Option B

Human resources:

A must also be ‘softly’ managed.
B are more important than a company’s assets.
C mostly apply to factories and shops.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q33 is human resources
From the passage, human resources is considered one of the most important assets a company may have, not more important than assets => Option B is incorrect
The factories, shops here are given as examples of tangible assets of a company, are not related to human resources

Option C is incorrect
Option A is the only choice left.

Note: As the speaker says, something (replaces for human resources) needs to be managed in a ‘soft’ way, the correct answer is A

Questions 34-40

Complete the table.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Three Elements of 'Soft" HRM
Motivation	Raise awareness that job serves a 35	All products and services are 36
Retention	Make workers feel 37	e.g. say thank you in a 38 way
34 staff well	Involve staff in 39	Anyone can display intelligence, know-how, and 40

34 Answer: Using (the)

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q34 is the third element
From the question, we can assume the answer must be a verb
As the speaker says, the third element is using the staff in the best way

The answer for Q34 is using

35 Answer: higher purpose

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q35 are raise awareness (= let people know) and job serves
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun
From the passage, it is clearly said that the company should emphasis the higher purpose their job serves => the answer for Q35 is higher purpose

36 Answer: important
Listen from here Locate Explain Report
The keyword concerned in Q36 is all products and services (= everything)
From the passage, it is explicitly said that everything is important
The answer for Q36 is important

37 Answer: appreciated

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q37 is make workers feel
From the question, we can assume that this answer might be an adjective
As the speaker says they (the staff) don’t feel appreciated. So, you need to make sure that they have this feeling. This feeling here means appreciated

The answer for Q37 is appreciated

38 Answer: sincere

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q38 is say ‘thank you’
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be an adjective
From the passage, it is inferred that say ‘thank you’ but more importantly, mean it, sincerely. Therefore, the answer for Q38 is sincere

39 Answer: key decisions

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keyword concerned in Q39 is involve staff in (= getting them to participate)
From the passage, in using staff optimally (=using staff well) it is explicitly said that this is often done by getting them to participate more in the key decisions. Therefore, the answer for Q39 is key decisions

40 Answer: clever innovation

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q40 are intelligence (= insight), know-how (= knowledge), anyone
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun
As the speaker says, insight, knowledge, and clever innovation can come from anyone in the company => therefore, the answer for Q40 is clever innovation

Part 4

Change Audio Sources

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SECTION 1

You will hear two flatmates, Tom: and Richard, discussing the rules of their shared house.

Tom: Richard, as we discussed before, with this extra bedroom in the house, we should advertise for another tenant, but I think we’ve got to establish rules this time.

Richard: We already have two rules, about the rent money. Remember? We pay on the 5th and expect full payment, with no excuses.

Tom: Sure, but I mean additional rules, apart from those two.

Richard: Okay. There’s certainly no harm in that.

Tom: Remember the problems we’ve had with people in the past. I think we should learn from those bad experiences.

Richard: You may have a point there. For example, you know that I like cooking, so I can propose a kitchen rale straightaway: every tenant must clean after use. We shouldn’t allow what happened last time.

Tom: You mean that guy who left all his dirty dishes piling up, and food on the floor? Clean after use! We should write that down. I’m happy with that.

Richard: And not only clean, but they also have to tidy up. We can’t have them cluttering up our very small kitchen counter.

Tom: I’m with you there. That will make life far more manageable. So, ‘tidy up’ is our second ‘cooking’ rule, let’s say. And now, can I tell you what really annoys me?

Richard: Sure.

Tom: Dirty tenants. Those who just allow dirt and dust to build up around the house, and don’t care less. We’ve got to have a strict rale prohibiting that.

Richard: What about a cleaning roster? We can make a list of everything that we expect to be done: carpets vacuumed, furniture dusted, toilet cleaned, and so on.

Tom: And everyone is required to take turns. First my turn, then your turn, then the third tenant’s turn. This spreads the load, so we can keep the apartment very clean.

Richard: I’m happy with that. Otherwise one person will be working harder than the others. But how often do we do it? Every day, twice a week, or once a week, or what?

Tom: Every day What do you think?

Richard: Too often, I would say.

Tom: Well, every three days, then.

Richard: I don’t know. We’re all busy, with part-time jobs and study. I’d say that once a week is good enough. It’s probably what most households do, anyway.

Tom: Alright, alright. Let’s run with that, then. As long as we do clean regularly and well. Okay, are there any other rales? What about music, loud TV, that sort of thing?

Richard: I want absolute quiet at night because I go to bed early, in order to get up early for my job.

Tom: So, why don’t we say no noise after... say... 11 at night?

Richard: Earlier than that! 10 pm! That’s consistent with most rental properties, and... no overnight visitors , either!

Tom: You’re right. That caused a lot of problems when the last tenant brought his drinking buddies in for the night. So, we prohibit late-night noise, and overnight visitors as well.

Richard: That sounds good to me.

Tom: Okay Richard, if we want to advertise for an extra tenant for the third bedroom, there’s a website, with an online form here that we can fill out. That will speed things up.

Richard: Good idea - in fact, let’s do it now, and get it over and done with.

Tom: Sure. The first category here is ‘gender’. I guess that means we write male or female.

Richard: I think I’d prefer a male. He’d fit in with us - one of the boys, something like that.

Tom: Sure, but that might limit things, and I’d say a female might be just what this household needs.

Richard: Why don’t we say ‘any’, and let fate decide. See who turns up, and judge them as they come.

Tom: Okay, I’ll type ‘any’ , so now we move on to ‘job’. What sort of job do you want them to have?

Richard: To me, it doesn’t matter - doctor, lawyer, cleaner - as long as they have a job, of course. Unemployed tenants can be a problem. Just type in, ‘must-have’.

Tom: You mean a job?

Richard: Yes.

Tom: Must... Okay, that’s done. Now, how much should we ask them to pay? $180 would be about one third of the total rent.

Richard: I’m doing the maths now with a calculator. The figure would be closer to $173.50.

Tom: Well, let’s round that up to the nearest $5. I’ll type in $175 , and we can share the extra $ 1.50.

Richard: Done! Now, finally, when can we let the new tenant move in?

Tom: Immediately, I’d say. The sooner the better. Type in ‘immediately’.

Richard: But I’m busy this week, with my job, so I’m not in the mood to interview tenants right now, and anyway, we’ve had just you and me for so long, what does another couple of weeks matter?

Tom: So, when would you like the tenant to move in, then? One week from now? Beginning of the month, March 1^st?

Richard: Later. Give it another four days at least. March 5th is better for me.

Tom: Okay, I’ll type that in. It should be fine. Any later than March 8^th and I’ll be too busy with my exams. And that’s about it.

SECTION 2

You will hear a police officer giving a lecture to some overseas students about ways to minimise risk in public.

Hello everyone. As new students, having just arrived, it is important that you are conversant with some of' the aspects of living safely here. Let me immediately say that, in contrast to the high crime rate in other cities, ours is very low. Nevertheless, there is some advice that would be considered prudent in even the safest of places.

It is therefore in your interest to look at this map of the city, and familiarise yourself with its areas, some of which may not be as safe as others, particularly at night. A little research now, in this respect, will obviously help you a great deal. For this reason, we have provided a variety of brochures and information leaflets, which we encourage you to take and read. In addition, you should talk to people you know, to your homestay parents, and teachers, and get a feel for the situation both in the neighbourhood where you live, and the city at large.

Now, you should know about the police presence in this city. There are local police stations in every suburb, but not all of these are open 24 hours a day. For that, you need a ‘main station’ , of which there are many, and you should familiarise yourself as to the location of the one nearest to you.

Moving on, many of you might like to go out at night, so, you should also familiarise yourself with the public transport system. It could put you at risk if you are wandering around lost in the late hours of the night, particularly if you are a woman. Our city has a fairly good public transportation system, but not all of it operates necessarily to late hours. For this reason, you can avail yourself of the special late-night buses, known as ‘Night Birds ’, which operate along most major routes. Again, collect one of the brochures on the table here for the ‘Night Bird’ timetables.

Finally, if you do feel there is an emergency, you can dial triple zero; however, this does not take you through to a police station, but rather an operator. This operator will question you as to the nature of the problem, and then send your call through to the relevant department: police, fire, or ambulance, as the situation demands. This may take up valuable time, and for this reason, we suggest that you find the emergency number of the nearest main station to where you live. This will speed up the process should you need police services in the event of a serious problem. Having said all this, let me remind you once again that this is a very safe city, and we don’t expect any problems to occur. Yet it always pays to be prepared.

On the same subject as being prepared for problems, it is a fact that the police cannot cover every part of the city at all times of the day. Thus, it is advisable for you to take some precautions, and be prepared for any problems which may occur. There are less safe areas which you may inadvertently find yourself in, and through no fault of your own, be faced with difficulties. In this respect, some people advise that women in particular carry ‘mace’ or ‘pepper spray’, which can be sprayed into the eyes of an assailant; however, please be informed that these are illegal, and consequently cannot be purchased, constituting as they do, an attack weapon.

On that same theme, any knives or small arms, while perhaps being legal in your country, are illegal here, and must not be carried on your person. One thing you can carry, however, is a personal siren. In the advent of a problem, you just push a button, and the siren will sound, loudly, drawing such attention that any assailant almost invariably flees immediately from the scene.

Moving on, you may wish to stay out late, to have fun or sec the sights of this city at night, and we do not necessarily discourage that; however, we do advise that you confine yourself to areas that have sufficient, street lighting or illumination. In the course of your activities, you may well meet strangers, but if this happens under clearly lit areas, visible to everyone in the vicinity, statistics prove that in almost all cases, nothing will go wrong, particularly if you carry your siren. Above all, the greatest ride is simply to exercise discretion and intelligence when you go about your business. All the rules that I have given are simply based on this, and by following them all, your stay here will be both enjoyable and safe.

SECTION 3

You will hear two students, Frank: and Nicole, discussing their survey results.

Frank: Okay Nicole, did you interview the required 50 people?

Nicole: Yes, I have them all here. I had intended to talk to over 50 actually, but I could only talk to 46 in the end, all students front the university, It should be fine for our purposes, and it was interesting, actually, to hear what they said.

Frank: I was hoping for 50 to make a round number. Better for statistical purposes, but 46 should be okay, Nicole: I think so. What was interesting was that many of them were not happy with the staff here.

Frank: Really? What proportion?

Nicole: Well, one quarter of them said the staff were okay, and another ten percent said they were good, which together makes about a third, so basically, the rest of the people I interviewed weren’t happy in this respect.

Frank: So, what was the main cause of complaint?

Nicole: Well, it’s rather mixed. A lot of the foreign students complained about the homestay accommodation, and the attitude of the homestay officers when dealing with these issues. Most of the foreign students said this, actually, but the bulk of the mainstream students had concerns with the attitude of the teachers. It seems they feel the teachers don’t care enough. And facilities weren’t that important, relatively speaking.

Frank: I think the teachers here are okay. Don’t you think so, Nicole?

Nicole: Personally, I’d say most of them are fine, but, obviously there are a few I’d say need to improve in their commitment to helping students.

Frank: Oh, not many, though. Only about 10%, maybe.

Nicole: More, I’d say. At least one third.

Frank: Wow Nicole, that’s a bit harsh! That many! I’d say 90% of the teachers here are fine.

Nicole: I think I definitely disagree there.

Frank: Well, whatever the case, the university seems to have some problems. Who should we inform about these findings?

Nicole: The course convener. He runs our program.

Frank: Yeah, just a small program. These problems are serious and university-wide. I think we should talk to the assistant dean, at least.

Nicole: Come on! We’re just a couple of students. We can’t go that high. It’s like some cleaners wanting to talk to the CEO! We’ve got to follow the chain of command, and start at the bottom.

Frank. Okay, the course convener it is.

Frank: So Nicole, can you explain the technique you used for interviewing people? Every time I try interviewing, I seem to encounter problems, and yet you managed to interview so many people so quickly. What’s the secret?

Nicole: It’s really quite simple. Let me explain it all. The first step, and this is probably the most important point, is to select the position, or the location where you’re going to do the interviewing. It’s got to be a good one. For me it was the university cafeteria at lunch time, where people would be relaxed, have time, be sitting down, and be more willing to speak.

Frank: Ah, clever!

Nicole: But that leads to the next point. Everyone’s in a hurry these days, so you’ve got to immediately confirm that they can, in fact, spare some moments to answer your questions. There’s no point starting and then having them rash off in the middle of the interview. It just ruins everything.

Frank: Yeah. That’s happened to me a few times, actually.

Nicole: And then it’s equally important to carefully outline why you want to talk to them in the first place. Some people might think you’re a salesman, or a busybody, or some nutcase from a religious cult. They have to know the purpose, and trust you. Now, part of that trust involves guaranteeing that the information will be kept in total confidence, and for that reason, I show how we don’t take down names or any personal data. After that, you’re ready to begin, but sometimes they’re not won over, or not ready to give you the time, in which case you remind them about how their information can actually improve life for all students, and that they are actually serving the purposes of everyone by cooperating.

Frank: Right. Make it seem like a noble cause.

Nicole: It is, in a way, but the last step is not so noble at all. I just offer them a payback - usually a ‘scratchy’ lottery ticket - if they promise to answer all the questions. Everyone dreams of scratching one of those tickets and winning a million dollars, so that makes them do everything you want.

Frank: Ah-ha! Very clever.

SECTION 4

You will hear a lecturer discussing human resource management.

Obviously, the people who work in companies need to be managed. Pay must be added up, hours . clocked, and leave tallied. This is known as ‘hard’ human resource management, or hard FIRM. This is because it is based on ‘hard’ numbers, facts, and rules - that is, an impersonal calculative aspect - and, again, there must be such an outlook , with all its paper-based systems, in order to carry out company tasks. But, if there’s a hard, there must be a soft, and it is this ‘soft’ element of FIRM that I’d like to consider now.

Historically, it took a long while before the importance of this ‘soft’ element was realised. Originally -for example, in Henry Ford’s car-making factories - workers were regarded as unthinking tools who would mindlessly repeat the same task for eight hours a day. This attitude worked for a while. However, the Ford motor company faced the growing challenges of huge turnover, lack of motivation, declining quality of their product, and labour disputes. It eventually became clear that the original ethos about workers was wrong. It needed to take their human needs more into account.

That leads us to the modern soft FIRM model, where the staff - or human resources- are now considered one of the most important assets a company may have - an asset just as tangible as the factories, shops, and money in the bank, and something that needs to be managed in a ‘soft’ way, as well as ‘hard’.

So, what is soft FIRM? It basically involves three elements. One is motivating your staff; the second is making sure they stay with your company - that is, reducing turnover, and remember, turnover costs money, diverts resources, disturbs the system, and you may be losing a lot of experience there in just one staff member. The third element is using the staff in the best way , in a way that gets the most out of them. All of these elements are closely related, and sometimes overlap, but are still distinct enough to be considered separately.

Now, let’s talk about motivation first. Obviously people will work harder if they feel good about being where they are. This means the company should let people know that they are significant, and you do that by emphasising the higher purpose their job serves in society as a whole. And this sense of higher purpose will drive people onwards. So, for example, if the company makes paper, have a ‘motivation session’, letting them all understand the importance of paper to modern society, and it is important. Basically, everything is important, when you think about it, so make this (act clear to all.

As for keeping staff, well, that also comes from motivation, but do you know the number one reason why people leave jobs? The answer? Because they don’t feel appreciated. So, you need to make sure that they have this feeling. How? At its simplest, the boss can say ‘thank you’ to the staff. You can remember their birthdays, bring out a cake, celebrate milestones, take them to a restaurant once in a while, and say thank you again, but more importantly, mean it, sincerely, if this is going to work, sincerity is very important here.

Well, we’ve motivated the staff, and retained them with the company, so now we’ve got to use them optimally. This is often done by getting them to participate more in the key decisions. This has two advantages: one, the employees feel more in control of their destinies, helping again with motivation and retention, and two: the company tends to make better decisions. Remember, often it is (he people closest to the customer who can really tell you the very best things about what works, and what doesn’t. The modern organisation realises that insight, knowledge, and clever innovation can come from anyone in the company, no matter how close, or far, from the decision-making process they may be.

NEW

IELTS Practice Test Volume 1

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

Questions 1-6

Questions 7-10

Questions 11-17

Questions 18-20

List of Advice

Questions 21-25

Questions 26-30

Nicole’s Interviewing Technique

Questions 31-33

Questions 34-40

Three Elements of 'Soft" HRM

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

Comments:

About us

Our mission

IELTS Practice Test Volume 1

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

Share your score

Questions 1-6

Questions 7-10

Questions 11-17

Questions 18-20

List of Advice

Questions 21-25

Questions 26-30

Nicole’s Interviewing Technique

Questions 31-33

Questions 34-40

Three Elements of 'Soft" HRM

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

Comments:

About us

Our mission