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Listening · B2 · section 3 · hard

Tutorial: Planning a Research Project

Play the recording once — 7 questions follow.

The Recording

Exercise — 0 of 7 answered

  1. Q.1What is the main problem with the students' project at the start of the tutorial?

  2. Q.2Why does the tutor advise focusing on the health question?

  3. Q.3The tutor thinks the students can fully cover both the health and the social angles.

  4. Q.4The tutor recommends they __________ the questionnaire on about ten people before the main round.

  5. Q.5For an undergraduate project, the tutor suggests aiming for around __________ survey responses.

  6. Q.6What does the tutor say students usually underestimate?

  7. Q.7The students must send the tutor their final question and survey draft by the end of __________ week.
Show transcript
TUTOR: So, Daniel, Priya — you've come to talk through your research project on urban green spaces. Where have you got to? PRIYA: Well, we've agreed on the topic, but we're not sure how to narrow it down. At the moment it feels far too broad. TUTOR: That's a very common problem. A project this size really needs a single, focused question. What aspect interests you most? DANIEL: I'm keen on the health side — whether access to parks affects how much people exercise. PRIYA: And I'm more interested in the social angle, how green spaces bring communities together. TUTOR: Both are valid, but you can't do justice to both in eight weeks. My advice would be to choose one and treat the other as background. Which feels more manageable? DANIEL: Probably the health question. There's a lot of existing data we could use. TUTOR: Good instinct. Building on existing data will save you a great deal of time. Now, how were you planning to gather your own evidence? PRIYA: We thought about a questionnaire for local residents. TUTOR: A survey can work well, but be careful — designing good questions is harder than it looks. Vague questions give you vague answers. I'd suggest you pilot it first, on perhaps ten people, and refine it before the main round. DANIEL: That makes sense. How many responses should we aim for overall? TUTOR: For an undergraduate project, around a hundred is realistic and still meaningful. Don't chase a huge number you can't analyse properly. Quality of analysis matters far more than quantity of data at this level. PRIYA: And what about the deadline? We're worried about fitting everything in. TUTOR: Work backwards from the submission date. Leave at least two weeks at the end for writing up — students always underestimate that stage. I'd want to see your final question and survey draft by the end of next week. DANIEL: We can manage that. TUTOR: Excellent. Send them to me by email and I'll give you feedback before you go any further.