IELTS Listening 實戰 16 兩位學生討論考試策略（Part 3 風格）

Sophie: Aaron, have you started revising for the linguistics finals yet?

Aaron: A bit. I've been re-reading the lecture slides, mostly. You?

Sophie: Same — but honestly, I'm not sure that's the right approach. Last term I revised purely from slides and got a 2:2. The exam questions barely touched the slide content.

Aaron: Hmm. So what — past papers instead?

Sophie: I think past papers are essential, yes. But I wouldn't ditch the slides completely — I'd say maybe spend a third of the time on slides and two-thirds on past papers and the recommended readings.

Aaron: I was thinking of going harder on past papers — like, eighty percent. Slides have always felt too summary-level for me. The exam wants depth.

Sophie: Eighty's a lot. You'd risk seeing the same question style on every paper and missing what the actual lecturer wanted you to cover. The slides do tell you the lecturer's emphasis.

Aaron: Fair. Maybe seventy then.

Sophie: Let's say seventy past papers, twenty slides, ten readings — does that work?

Aaron: Yeah, I can live with that. What about study group versus solo?

Sophie: I'm a solo person. I get distracted in groups.

Aaron: Really? I find groups force me to articulate ideas I thought I understood but actually didn't. The teaching-it-back effect.

Sophie: I see the point in theory, but in practice, the group I joined last term spent more time chatting than studying. Half the sessions were essentially socials.

Aaron: That's a group selection problem, not a method problem. If you pick three serious people, it works.

Sophie: Maybe. I'd compromise — solo most of the week, then one group session a week to test understanding. Could you do that?

Aaron: I'd rather two groups a week, but one is fine if it's productive.

Sophie: Now — the harder question. Memorisation. Aaron, last finals you criticised me for memorising definitions verbatim.

Aaron: I still think that's risky. The exam markers can tell, and if you're slightly off, you get nothing.

Sophie: But there are about thirty key terms — Saussure's signifier-signified, Chomsky's deep structure, all of those — where you really do need the precise wording.

Aaron: For technical terms, fine, memorise the definition. But for the discussion sections, write your own version, even if it's less polished.

Sophie: That's reasonable. So memorise the thirty technical definitions, paraphrase everything else?

Aaron: Exactly. Now — sleep. You're notorious for pulling all-nighters.

Sophie: I am, and I know it's stupid. This time I'm aiming for seven hours minimum, every night, two weeks before the exam.

Aaron: Good. I'll hold you to that. And we should probably book a study room — the library fills up by week ten.

Sophie: Already done — I booked a slot for Tuesday and Friday afternoons next week.

Aaron: Brilliant. Right, I'd better go to my next tutorial.

Questions 1-5 — Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.

1. Sophie thinks slide-only revision led to her A. failing the module last term. B. getting a 2:2 last term. C. running out of time.

2. They eventually agree to spend on past papers A. 80% of revision time. B. 70% of revision time. C. 50% of revision time.

3. Aaron prefers study groups because they help him A. socialise after lectures. B. articulate his thinking out loud. C. cover more material per hour.

4. Sophie's compromise on group sessions is A. one productive group session per week. B. two group sessions per week. C. no group sessions at all.

5. They agree memorising verbatim is appropriate for A. all exam content. B. discussion-section answers. C. technical definitions only.

Questions 6-10 — Match each task (6-10) with who is responsible (A. Sophie · B. Aaron · C. Both).

| # | Task | Who? | |---|--------------------------------------------|---------| | 6 | Will memorise about 30 technical terms | ___ | | 7 | Will paraphrase discussion answers | ___ | | 8 | Aiming for 7 hours sleep nightly | ___ | | 9 | Has booked the study room | ___ | | 10| Plans to do solo study most of the week | ___ |