LISTENING SCRIPTS AND SAMPLE RESPONSES WITH RATERS' COMMENTS(Official guide)

The raters who listen to your response will analyze it in three general categories. These categories are Delivery, Language Use, and Topic Development. All three categories have equal importance. Use the sample Independent and Integrated Speaking rubrics on pages 242 to 246 to see how responses are scored.

This section includes important points that should be covered when answering each question. All of these points must be present in a response in order for it to receive the highest score in the Topic Development category. These important points are guides to the kind of information raters expect to hear in a high-level response.
This section also refers to example responses on the accompanying CD. Some responses were scored at the highest level, while others were not. The responses are followed by explanations for their scores.

Question 1

Listening Script
Narrator
Choose a place you go to often that is important to you and explain why it is important. Please include specific details in your explanation.

Preparation time: 15 seconds
Response time: 45 seconds

Important Points
In this question, you are asked to talk about a place you like to go often and explain why it is important to you. People who listen to your response should be able to easily follow the progression of your ideas. Responses scored at the highest level contain ideas supported with details and elaboration that go beyond simple structures. For example, the response, "I like this place because it is nice" does not have enough detail. Why is this place nice? Developing this idea more might look like this: "I like this place because it is quiet and peaceful. Listening to the ocean waves on the beach relaxes me and helps me to relieve stress."

Sample Responses
Play track #30 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 1.

Rater's Comments
The speaker continues speaking throughout the entire 45 seconds. She speaks clearly using a variety of vocabulary and a wide range of grammar. Her reasons are well developed. She uses specific details about why France is an important place for her. Instead of just saying, "I\'m interested in French culture because it is interesting," she elaborates by talking about her friend, her interest in French history and culture from a young age, and the food. There is a logical progression of ideas that make the response easy to understand.

Play track #31 on the CD to hear a mid-level response for Question 1.

Rater's Comments
This response is sustained and the speech is generally understandable. At times, though, the speaker's pronunciation makes it difficult to understand the meaning of her ideas. She really gives only one reason why she likes shopping. This reason is used repetitively without much elaboration. Shopping is something she likes very much and makes her feel better. She could have added complexity to her ideas by saying something like "When I go shopping, I usually go with friends and we have a good time together without thinking about jobs, or schoolwork" She also makes some basic grammatical errors and uses a limited range of vocabulary.

Question 2

Listening Script
Narrator
Some college students choose to take courses in a variety of subject areas in order to get a broad education. Others choose to focus on a single subject area in order to have a deeper understanding of that area. Which approach to course selection do you think is better for students and why?
Preparation time: 15 seconds
Response time: 45 seconds

Important Points
In this question, you are asked to make a choice between two given options. In a complete, well-developed response, you should clearly state your choice/preference. You may choose both options, but you must support both of them with reasons that are detailed. If you think taking a variety of courses is better, make sure you explain in detail what your reasons are for having that opinion. Here is an example: "Taking a variety of courses is better because it gives you an opportunity to learn about subjects outside of your field of study. Because so many fields of study are related, you never know when knowledge from one area will be helpful in another." This kind of response clearly shows which option was chosen and includes a detailed reason why it was chosen.
Sample Responses

Play track #32 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 2.
Rater's Comments

The speaker gives a thoughtful, sustained answer with ideas and reasons that progress logically. He speaks fluently and demonstrates good control of grammar and vocabulary, with only minor errors that do not obscure the meaning of his ideas. The speaker very clearly states his opinion that the answer depends on whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student. He continues by giving a detailed reason that supports each perspective.
Play track #33 on the CD to hear a low-level response for Question 2.

Rater's Comments
Although the speaker\'s pronunciation is clear, his pace is slow and irregular. The clearest parts of his speech are words that he has taken from the prompt of the question. He demonstrates very limited vocabulary. His thoughts are understandable at the sentence level, but there are very few connections between sentences. Such connections would help listeners to understand what is being said or enable them to predict what will likely come next. The opinion is stated in the beginning. However, he frequently uses words from the prompt and repeats the same idea throughout the response.

Question 3

Listening Script
Narrator
The University is planning to eliminate its bus service. Read the article from the university newspaper about the plan. You will have 45 seconds to read the article. Begin reading now.
Reading time: 45 seconds
Bus Service Elimination Planned
The university has decided to discontinue its free bus service for students. The reason given for this decision is that few students ride the buses and the buses are expensive to operate.

Currently, the buses run from the center of campus past university buildings and through
some of the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. The money saved by eliminating the
bus service will be used to expand the overcrowded student parking lots.

Narrator
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
Man
I don't like the university's plan.
Woman
Really? I've ridden those buses, and sometimes there were only a few people on the bus. It did seem like kind of a waste.

Man
I see your point. But I think the problem is the route's out-of-date. It only goes through the neighborhoods that've gotten too expensive for students to live in. It's ridiculous that they haven't already changed the route—you know, so it goes where most off-campus students live now. I bet if they did that, they'd get plenty of students riding those buses.

Woman
Well, at least they\'re adding more parking. It's gotten really tough to find a space.
Man
That's the other part I don't like, actually. Cutting back the bus service and adding parking's just gonna encourage more students to drive on campus. And that'll just add to the noise around campus and create more traffic ... and that'll increase the need for more parking spaces ...

Woman
Yeah, I guess I can see your point. Maybe it would be better if more students used the buses instead of driving.

Man
Right. And the university should make it easier to do that, not harder.

Narrator
The man expresses his opinion of the university's plan to eliminate the bus service. State his opinion and explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.

Preparation time: 30 seconds
Response time: 60 seconds
Important Points

The university plans to eliminate the bus service because it is too expensive to run and too few students use it. The man disagrees with the university plan. He believes the reason few students take the bus is that the route goes to neighborhoods where students do not live. If the routes were changed, many more students would ride the bus. The man disagrees with the way the university plans to use the money it saves on the bus service. Building more parking lots on campus will encourage more students to drive on campus. This would increase noise and traffic on campus.

Sample Responses

Play track #34 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 3.

Rater's Comments
The speaker gives a clear and coherent response that is detailed and accurate. He speaks quickly, but this does not prevent him from being understood. He very clearly states the man's opinion and summarizes the man's reasons for having that opinion. He uses complex grammatical structures and a wide variety of appropriate vocabulary. As a result, his speech seems to flow automatically.

Play track #35 on the CD to hear a mid-level response for Question 3.

Rater's Comments
The speaker's first language moderately influences her pronunciation, intonation, and pacing. This creates some listener effort. She provides content that is relevant to the task, but her limitations in language use hinder her ability to accurately convey relevant details. She fills the entire time with understandable speech. However, she incorrectly repeats throughout the response time that students cannot afford to ride the bus. She also says that few students will drive cars and overcrowd the parking lots. This creates confusion for the listener. The speaker never mentions the man's concern about increased noise and traffic on campus.

Question 4

Listening Script
Narrator
Now read the passage about the nature of social interaction. You will have 45 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.

Reading Time: 45 seconds
Social Interaction
People deal with each other every day. This interaction is at the heart of social life. The
study of social interaction is concerned with the influence people have over one another's
behavior. People take each other into account in their daily behavior and in fact, the very
presence of others can affect behavior. For example, one principle of social interaction,
audience effects, suggests that individuals\' work is affected by their knowledge that they
are visible to others, that the presence of others tends to alter the way people behave or
perform an activity.

Narrator
Now listen to part of a talk in a sociology class. The professor is discussing audience effects.

Professor
OK, so we said that the way we interact with others has an impact on our behavior...

In fact, there's some interesting research to suggest that in one type of interaction—when we're being observed specifically, when we know we're being watched as we perform some activity— we tend to increase the speed at which we perform that activity.

In one study, college students were asked to each put on a pair of shoes—shoes with laces they would have to tie. Now one group of students was told that they would be observed. The second group, however, didn't know they were being observed. The students who were aware that they were being watched actually tied their shoes much faster than the students who thought they were alone.

Other studies confirm the same is true even when we're learning new activities. Let's say someone is learning a new task—for example, learning how to type. When they're conscious of being observed, they'll likely begin typing at a much faster rate than they would if they were alone.
But, and this is interesting, the study also showed that certain common behavior—things people typically do, like ... making mistakes when you're learning something new that behavior pattern will also increase. So in other words, when we're learning to type, and we know we\'re being watched, we'll type faster but we'll also make more mistakes.
Narrator
Explain how the examples of tying shoes and learning to type demonstrate the principle of audience effects.

Preparation time: 30 seconds
Response time: 60 seconds

Important Points
The principle of audience effects suggests that when people are aware of being observed, their behavior changes. Specifically, in the two studies described, people worked faster when they were aware of being observed. In one study, two groups were told to put on shoes that tied. One group was told it would be observed and the other was not. The group that knew it was being observed tied shoes much faster than the other group. In learning to type, those being observed type faster, but they also make more mistakes than those not aware of being observed.

Sample Responses

Play track #36 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 4.
Rater's Comments
The speaker speaks clearly. She identifies the concept of audience effects and the two examples from the listening. She organizes her response in a logical way that leads the listener from one sentence to the next. She supports her response with accurate details and demonstrates a sophisticated level of both grammatical structures and vocabulary. This is evident in the way she smoothly transitions from one idea to the next and the efficient use of language to accurately summarize the examples from the listening. There are only very minor errors in language use, but they do not prevent her response from being understood.

Play track #37 on the CD to hear a mid-level response for Question 4.
Rater's Comments
The speaker sustains his response throughout. His pronunciation and intonation is affected by the speaker's first language. These pronunciation errors make it hard to know what he means. The speaker identifies the concept and the two examples, but with inaccuracies. Instead of summarizing each experiment, he combines the summary of both experiments. This causes him to incorrectly conclude that you make more mistakes when you are being watched while tying your shoes. Additionally, the speaker sometimes stumbles when trying to form basic words (slowlier), which shows a moderate control of grammar and vocabulary.

Question 5

Listening Script

Narrator
Listen to a conversation between a student and her geology professor.

Man
Mary, I'm so glad I ran into you.

Woman
Oh hello, Professor Jensen.

Man
Listen, I know it's short notice . . . and maybe you've already made plans for spring break . . . but... one of my students just dropped out of the field trip to the Smithson River Caves. You're next on the waiting list, so now there's room for you to come along.

Woman
You're kidding! [disappointed I didn't think there was a chance ... and ... well, it's a three-day trip, right? I agreed to spend next week helping Professor Clark set up the new museum exhibition. I think she's really counting on me.

Man
Yeah, three days. But you know... if you'd rather come on the field trip, why not speak with her and see if she has anyone to replace you?

Woman
Yeah, I'd hate to miss out on the caves. I'll definitely ask Professor Clark if there\'s someone else who could help her.

Man
You know... we don't leave until Wednesday. If you still have to help out, any chance you could get the museum setup done before then?

Woman
Oh yeah.. not until Wednesday... so then yeah ... maybe that's possible too.

Narrator
The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the woman's problem. Describe the problem and the two solutions. Then explain what you think the woman should do and why.
Preparation time: 20 seconds
Response time: 60 seconds

Important Points
The problem the student faces is a conflict between an earlier commitment to help with a museum exhibition setup and a more recent opportunity to go on a field trip led by one of her professors. She could talk to Dr. Clark about finding a replacement to help with setting up the museum exhibition. As an alternative, since the field trip doesn't start until later in the week, the student could try to finish setting up the exhibit before the field trip.
After summarizing the problem and solutions, you should choose the solution you think is best and give a detailed reason. For example, you could say that you think the student should stay to set up the museum exhibit because she should honor the commitment she made to Dr. Clark.
Sample Responses

Play track #38 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 5.
Rater's Comments
There are minor pronunciation and intonation errors, but they do not prevent the speaker's response from being understood. She uses connecting words to mark the progression of ideas. Her control of grammar and vocabulary are evident in the way she efficiently summarizes the situation from the listening. The speaker clearly identifies the problem and both solutions. She organizes her response, so it is easy to follow her ideas from one to the next. She indicates her opinion of what the student should do. Although she runs out of time before she can explain why she holds that opinion, it is clear that she understands the task.

Play track #39 on the CD to hear a mid-level response for Question 5.
Rater's Comments
The response is generally understandable. The speaker sustains speech throughout the response time. However, the sense of hesitation in the way the response is delivered requires some listener effort. The choppy delivery sometimes makes it difficult to know when one sentence or idea ends and when others begin. The speaker makes a number of errors with simple grammatical structures (very like to, let her to take, make somebody to replace her). Overall meaning, though, is not greatly affected by these errors. The speaker identifies the problem and describes the two solutions. A higher-level vocabulary would have been helpful to more efficiently summarize the situation. The problems and two solutions are summarized with too much detail, which prevents the speaker from having time to state her preferred solution and give a reason for it,

Question 6

Listening Script
Narrator
Now listen to a part of a talk in an economics class.
Professor
So, let's talk about money. What is money? Well, typically people think of coins and paper "bills" as money... but that's using a somewhat narrow definition of the term. A broad definition is this: [slowly] money is anything that people can use to make purchases with. Since many things can be used to make purchases, money can have many different forms. Certainly, coins and bills are one form of money. People exchange goods and services for coins or paper bills, and they use this money … these bills... to obtain other goods and services. For example, you might give a taxi driver five dollars to purchase a ride in his taxi. And he in turn gives the five dollars to a farmer to buy some vegetables ...

But, as I said, coins and bills aren't the only form of money under this broad definition. Some societies make use of a barter system. Basically, in a barter system people exchange goods and services directly for other goods and services. The taxi driver, for example, might give a ride to a farmer in exchange for some vegetables. Since the vegetables are used to pay for a service, by our broad definition the vegetables are used in barter as a form of money.

Now, as I mentioned, there's also a second... a narrower definition of money. In the United States only coins and bills are legal tender—meaning that by law, a seller must accept them as payment. The taxi driver must accept coins or bills as payment for a taxi ride. OK? But in the U.S. the taxi driver is not required to accept vegetables in exchange for a ride. So a narrower definition of money might be whatever is legal tender in a society, whatever has to be accepted as payment.

Narrator
Using points and examples from the talk, explain the two definitions of money presented by the professor.

Preparation time: 20 seconds
Response Time: 60 seconds

Important Points
Under the broad definition, money is anything that can be used as payment (as a medium of exchange), e.g., coins/bills and barter. If you take a taxi ride, you could use vegetables as payment for the cab ride. Under a narrower definition, money is anything that must be accepted as payment (legal tender). In the United States, coins and bills are legal tender. A taxi driver must accept coins and bills as payment for the taxi ride. Vegetables and credit cards are not legal tender in the United States, so the taxi driver does not have to accept these as payment.

Sample Responses
Play track # 40 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 6.
Rater's Comments
The speaker's pronunciation and intonation are highly intelligible. She speaks a little too quickly at times, but the overall meaning is not lost. Her words and ideas flow easily from one idea to the next. She uses complex grammatical structures and a wide range of vocabulary. The speaker fluently summarizes the stimulus accurately recounting the broad and narrow definition. Her response is detailed and sustained. She spends too much time summarizing the first definition and example, so she does not fully explain the second definition and example. However, it is obvious from the apparent ease in which she speaks that she understands the concept and is able to talk about it.

Play track #41 on the CD to hear a mid-level response for Question 6.
Rater's Comments
The speaker's pronunciation is generally clear. She sustains speech and continues to try to elaborate her ideas. The hesitance and choppiness indicates a lack of control of vocabulary and grammar. This significantly affects the overall intelligibility of the response. She conveys some relevant details including an almost accurate summary of both definitions of money. However, her response is clearly incomplete. The speaker's struggle to find the right words to convey her ideas prevents her from efficiently using her time. Neither of the examples is included in the response. Most of her ideas are underdeveloped.