Shadowing Practice: IELTS listening actual test Part 3: 22/02 - VietNam ( answer+ transcript) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Section 3.
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You will hear two primary school trainee teachers called Stefan and Magda discussing their placements for science teaching.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26 on page 6.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.
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Hi Magda, how was your placement?
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It went really well.
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The kids really enjoyed the science I did with them.
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So did mine.
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I think they found it very motivating.
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Yes, the programme we had to teach was much better than the old-style science experiments we did at school.
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Yes, though I don't understand why the children should have to build a model of a steam engine.
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I tried it with the kids, but I couldn't get it to work.
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Me neither, and it really shows it's hard to get any real results results.
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Yes, and it's usually the children's parents, rather than the kids themselves, who favour that type of experiment.
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So what experiments did you do?
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Well, one day a discussion started in class about breakfast cereals, about which one was best.
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One child then said that we should test them in class.
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That's a nice idea.
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Yes, and it wasn't expensive.
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We brought four different brands of cereal and had everyone evaluate them for taste, appearance and sogginess in milk.
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And are you going to tell me which one won?
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No, I'll let you do it yourself.
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It obviously isn't difficult to set up.
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Another experiment we did, the sports teacher's idea actually, was to spend a morning seeing how high various balls bounced.
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For example, do new tennis balls bounce higher than old ones,
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and do basketballs that are fully inflated bounce better than flatter ones?
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And I guess you got some interesting data.
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We did, and they had to make a chart to plot the results.
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It really improved their grasp of charts and graphs and calculation.
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Apparently they'd had problems understanding the point of in the past.
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Did all your experiments work out okay?
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Well, we had one lesson on making paper from grass.
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The children made a terrible mess in the classroom.
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Whatever they did didn't work, and it wasn't because it was difficult.
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I think it was because it didn't engage them at all.
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It didn't seem to motivate them.
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My tie-dying experiment went well.
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They had to get a piece of material and twist it into a rope and then dye it.
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The children did end up with blue and green hands for a few days though.
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But don't you need to spend more than one lesson on that?
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Yes, we did it over three classes.
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The children really loved it though and one suggested we make scarves from the result.
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I declined as my sewing skills aren't up to much.
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I guess the one experiment that everyone loved in my class was making glue from milk.
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I thought it would be a complete failure, but in fact it worked brilliantly.
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One reason, I suspect, is that they got feedback straight away.
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Some children get really restless if they have to wait for anything interesting to happen.
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Yes, I think that's always a good idea.
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Really helps to make it a success.
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Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30 on page 7.
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Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.
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I see you've got a diagram there for one of your experiments.
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Yes, it was an idea I got from the internet.
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It was very easy and straightforward to set up.
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The idea is to make a condenser to extract essences from plants.
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The large container's made of metal.
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Right, and that holds the hot water?
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That's right, and it has a strainer which sits inside it.
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This is where you put the plant matter.
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We use plants like rosemary, as the essence you can extract is quite strong.
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So what's the container right at the top?
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It's made of glass.
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It's where we put the ice.
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The glass container has a drip tip at the bottom.
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What's that for?
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It's where the essence collects.
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Where does the essence go then?
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Into the dish at the bottom.
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It's made of pottery.
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Sounds good.
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I might try it with my class.
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That is the end of section 3.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, learners will focus on listening comprehension through an engaging discussion between two trainee teachers, Stefan and Magda, who share their experiences with science teaching placements. The content is designed to improve your English speaking practice and enhance IELTS speaking practice skills by understanding different teaching methods and how to engage students during experiments. This lesson offers opportunities to practice not only your listening skills but also to build confidence in speaking by discussing your own experiences.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Placement: A temporary position or job, often for practical training.
  • Experimental: Relating to tests or trials to discover something new.
  • Engage: To involve someone’s interest or attention.
  • Sogginess: The quality of being wet or soaked, often used in context with food.
  • Chart: A visual representation of data organized in graph form.
  • Motivating: Something that stimulates enthusiasm or interest.
  • Tie-dying: A method of dyeing fabric decorated by tying sections of it to create patterns.
  • Feedback: Information given to someone about how they are doing or how to improve.

Practice Tips

To make the most out of this lesson, consider practicing shadow speech by listening and repeating the dialogue in the video. The natural pace of the conversation is similar to real-life discussions, making it an excellent resource for improving English pronunciation. Here are some tailored tips for effective shadowing:

  • Listen Actively: Focus on the emotions and intonations used by the speakers. This will help you with your own pronunciation and delivery.
  • Repeat in Real-Time: Try to mimic the speakers as closely as possible, matching their speed and tone. This will improve your fluency in spoken English.
  • Pause and Practice: If the speed is too fast, pause the video after each sentence. Repeat what you hear until you feel comfortable to continue.
  • Record Yourself: After practicing, record your own voice as you replicate the conversation. Listening back helps identify areas for improvement.

Remember, engaging with the content not only helps in English speaking practice but also in understanding how to create interactive experiences for others. Use this opportunity to enhance your linguistic skills and prepare for tests like IELTS.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.