Listening Practice: Office Etiquette

This is a listening exercise based on a current IELTS topic. The topic of modern office layout was reported in writing task 2 this year, 2017.  This lesson will give you listening practice and also useful ideas for the topic.

Modern Office Layout: Listening Exercise

Instructions

Listen once to the recording and write down your answers at the same time. In the real test, you will only be able to listen once. So, use this practice lesson to try focusing and getting the answers in the first listening.

Questions 1-5 

Choose no more than one word from the recording to complete each sentence below. Listen only once and write down your answers.

  1. Many offices favour the …………..  interior design.
  2. There is less ……………. in the modern office design.
  3. The ability to focus on work becomes a problem if there is too much ……………..
  4. Being ………… of other people’s beliefs is important.
  5. If you are ………………., it’s better for everyone if you stay at home.

Recording:

 

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers and the transcript:

 

Transcript

Office etiquette is all about common courtesy to other people in the work place. It is becoming more common for offices to have a modern open-plan design with members of staff all working in one large room without dividers. This type of office design unfortunately does result in a lack of privacy which means staff need to be more mindful and considerate than ever before of each other.

Here are a couple of rules for common office etiquette. Keep your desk tidy. There’s nothing worse than working along side someone who has spread their chaos. Focus on keeping your desk clear and avoid too much mess. Also keep the noise level to a minimum as noise can be distracting to others who need to concentrate on their work. Another rule is to be friendly but, at the same time, respect people’s boundaries and wish for solitude. Working in close proximity to other staff means that you need to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs and also work methods. Lastly, keep your illness to yourself and stay at home. Don’t come to work, if you’re sick. Spreading illness will not help you, your colleagues or the company you work for.

 Answers
  1. open-plan / modern
    1. This answer means that you can have the word “open-plan” as your answer or the word “modern” as your answer. You can’t have both words. Also you can’t have the answer “open”
    2. You can’t write “open plan” as your answer as that is too words. There should be a hyphen between the words.
  2. privacy
  3. noise
    1. In the transcript you will see that the information about “ability to focus on work” is paraphrased as “distracting to others who need to concentrate on their work”. This is about noise levels.
    2. The topic of mess is before this and is not about focusing on work. But it is easy to get confused due to the words “too much…”.
    3. If you got this question wrong, read through the transcript and see how you made the mistake by focusing too much on words and less on meaning.
  4. tolerant
    1. You can’t have the answer “respectful” because that word is not given in the recording. Your answer must come from the recording – you can’t use synonyms as answers.
    2. You can’t have the word “friendly” as the answer. “Being friendly of other people’s beliefs” has not meaning in English and is grammatically incorrect. Your answer must make sense and be grammatically correct.
  5. sick
    1. You can’t have the word “ill” or “unwell” because that word was not used in the recording.
    2. The word “illness” was in the recording but it grammatically incorrect to use in this sentence and is an incorrect answer.

 

I hope you found this lesson useful. 

Liz

 

If you would like more listening exercises, see my main listening page: IELTS Listening Lessons & Tips

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Comments

  1. Jeje Akechi says

    You are great. your lesssons are very explicit.
    Thank you.

  2. Vashisht says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  3. Harpinder Singh says

    Thanks very much

  4. Kasia says

    Thank you Liz 🙂
    I have found this lesson very helpful considering the practice as well as the vocabulary content.
    You are great teacher! Even though I have never met you I have a feeling you are a wonderful person 🙂
    Thanks once again for frequent lessons and keeping us updated with new posts! I definitely need to come here more often!

    • Thanks so much for your comment. I’ll make more lessons each week 🙂

  5. Piusford says

    Thank you Liz for this lecture. I have to also commend you for your advanced writing lessons. I bought them today, and I am ready see IELTS writing inna different light. You have just shown me what I had been doing wrong all this while.

    I still have problem with Map or location in Listening module. Please, what is the best way to approach this tour guild description?

  6. Aziza Rsouli

    Dear Liz,
    Thank you so much for your ielts lesson it is really useful but still i have problem

  7. Sonia simon says

    Thank you very much

  8. Joseph says

    Dear Liz,
    Many thanks for the lesson this week. I realy learnt from you and is helping my preparations
    for the test. please be there for me.
    Joe.

  9. sharif says

    Really very effective lesson

  10. KISHU BANNA says

    I got last 3 right.

  11. 1.Modern
    2.Privacy
    3.Noise
    4.Tolerance
    4.Sick

  12. reetika says

    1 modern
    2 privacy
    3 noise
    4 tolerant
    5 sick

  13. Fetie says

    HI miss Elizabeth(hope you don’t mind I am calling you like this)
    Here are my answers:
    1-modern
    2-privacy
    3-noise
    4-tolerant
    5-ill

  14. Dear Liz,
    Thank You for keeping very much intresting topics for IELTS.It is helping me a lot for my preparation.I hope I can get 8.0
    Keep sharing topics like this
    Your website is so helpful for me
    Please keep writing and speaking topics also like this and after every comment can you give their score how much they have scored for letting to know how to improve

  15. Jons m says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Mess
    4. Respectful
    5. Ill

  16. Jyothi Mathew says

    1) MODERN
    2) PRIVACY
    3) MESS
    4) TOLERANT
    5) SICK

  17. Preet says

    Answer:-
    Modren
    privacy
    Mess
    Notice
    Sick

  18. Salma Nawaz says

    1. Moderne
    2. Privat
    3. Mouse
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  19. mukesh says

    Open
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  20. miabe says

    1. common
    2. privacy
    3. mess
    4. respectful
    5. sick

  21. 1. Able
    2.privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  22. Cherryl says

    1.modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Tolerant
    5.sick

  23. Sravika says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Illness

  24. Tofaiel says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3.mess
    4. tolerant
    5.ill

  25. Modern
    Privacy
    Noise
    Respect
    Sick

  26. Ranjana says

    1.) Modern
    2.) Privacy
    3.) Noise
    4.) Tolerant
    5.) Sick

  27. PATTA says

    1. WORPLACE
    2. PRIVACY
    3. MATH
    4. FRIENDLY
    5. SICK

    Thank you

  28. salam says

    1-modern/open
    2- privacy
    3-noise
    4-tolerant
    5-sick

  29. Latif says

    Open
    Privacy
    Mess
    Tolerant
    Sick

  30. Dipali Patel says

    1. open
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. friendly
    5. ill

  31. Ashu says

    1. open
    2. Privacy
    3. Mess
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  32. kalaivanan pullaiannan says

    1-open
    2-privacy
    3-Mess
    4-tolerant
    5-Ill

  33. huan le says

    1/open
    2/privacy
    3/noise
    4/tolerant
    5/sick

  34. Vaani says

    1 modern
    2 privacy
    3 mess
    4 tolerant
    5 sick

  35. Belle says

    1. Modern
    2. Dividers
    3. Noise
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  36. NURUL HIDAYAH says

    Answer :

    1. modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Respect
    5. Ilnes

  37. 1. MODERN
    2. PRIVACY
    3. NOISE
    4. TOLERANT
    5. ILL

    • Thank you so much for your lessons Ma. You are a blessing. May God continue to bless you and protect you.

  38. yala says

    1- Open plan
    2- Privacy
    3- Noise
    4- Tolerate
    5- ill/Sick

  39. Mohammad Abdus Salam says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. ill

  40. Mogaji Sunday says

    1.Open
    2.privacy
    3.Noise
    4.Tolerant
    5.sick

  41. kadona says

    1. open 2.privacy.3mess 4.tolerant 5.sick

  42. Geeta says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3.Mess
    4.Tolerant
    5. Ill

  43. safa says

    modern open
    privacy.
    mess.
    friendly
    sick

  44. suhaila says

    modern
    privacy
    noise
    respectful
    unwell

  45. Naveed Durrani says

    1. Open
    2. Privacy
    3. Mess
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  46. Luai says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. chaos
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  47. Chris destiny says

    Public
    Private
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  48. IMHANGBE G. says

    1 OPEN
    2 PRIVACY
    3 NOISE
    4 INTOLERANT
    5 SICK

  49. 1 plan .
    2 privacy
    3 mess
    4 tolerant
    5 sick

  50. Karshigul says

    Open
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  51. Rose says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  52. behrooz says

    open
    mess
    noise
    tolerant
    ill

  53. Gian Luca says

    Answers:
    1) open
    2 )privacy
    3) noise
    4) tollerano
    5) sick

  54. Navjot Singh says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  55. Tukul Bhattacharya says

    1. modern
    2. Privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  56. Shweta Agarwal says

    Answers÷
    1.open
    2.privacy
    3.mess
    4.tolerant
    5.ill

  57. Yemi says

    1 One
    2 Divider
    3Mess
    4Tolerance
    5 Sick

  58. open
    privacy
    noise
    tolerant
    sick

  59. Fernanda says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. seek

  60. Rosmol says

    modern
    privacy
    noise
    tolerant
    sick

  61. Lionel says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    sick

  62. Rakshit says

    1. open
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. ill

  63. Autumnspitler says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  64. 1 =modern
    2 = privacy
    3 = noise
    4 = tolerant
    5 = sick

  65. 1open
    2=privacy
    3=noise
    4=tolerant
    5=sick

  66. Elizabeth says

    modern
    privacy
    noise
    friendly
    sick

  67. Sandeep Bhusal says

    1.modern
    2.privacy
    3.noisy
    4.tolerant
    5.sick

  68. Reet says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. solitary

  69. Heena says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3.noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  70. Sharanjeet kaur says

    Modern privacy mess respectful ill

  71. ruwan says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. mess
    4. tolerant
    5. illness

  72. FARSHAD says

    1:Modern ,2:Privacy, 3:noise. 4:tolerant ,5:sick

  73. Acacio Neto says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  74. Arti says

    Hi Liz, I’m working girl I have not enough time to attend the classes in the class room. I’m from Punjab I really want to do ielts but my English is very week I really feel help less please suggest me what I have to do and How To do..
    Thank you
    Your faith fully
    Arti.

    • There are over 300 pages of free lessons and tips on my website. Start learning 🙂

  75. poly says

    1.open
    2.privacy
    3.noise
    4.tolerant
    5.sick

  76. Tünde Lagler says

    1. open
    2. privacy
    3. chaos
    4. respectful
    5. illness

  77. Chintu Aggarwal says

    modern
    privacy
    mess
    tolerant
    sick

  78. samrah junaid says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3.furniture
    4.tolerant
    5.ill

  79. Yomi Aro says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. respectful
    5. sick

  80. Radwan says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. mess
    4. tolerant
    5. illness

  81. Priya says

    Listening-Modern Office Layout

    1. MODERN
    2. PRIVACY
    3. NOISE
    4. TOLERANT
    5. SICK

  82. Angel says

    open
    privacy
    noise
    tolerant
    sick

  83. Sharif says

    1- modern(open-plan)
    2-privecy
    3-mess
    4-tolerant
    5-sick

  84. gift says

    1= OPEN, 2= PRIVACY 3= MESS 4= FRIENDLY,5= SICK

  85. sara says

    1) modern
    2)privacy
    3) mess
    4) sick

  86. Neethu Noby says

    1. modern
    2.privacy
    3.mess
    4.tolerant
    5.sick

  87. Modern
    Privacy
    Mess
    Tolerated
    Ill/ illness

  88. Nancy says

    1) modern
    2) privacy
    3)mess
    4) tolerant
    5) sick

  89. Mamta paul says

    1.modern
    2.privacy
    3.noise
    4.friendly
    5.sick

  90. 1 modern
    2 privacy
    3 mess
    4 tolerant
    5 ill

  91. Ana Linares says

    open
    privacy
    chaos
    tolerant
    sick

  92. aashish says

    modern
    privacy
    mess
    tolerent
    ill

  93. 1.modern
    2.privacy
    3.mess
    4.tolerant
    5.ill

  94. sheebajoseph says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Mess
    Tolerant
    Suck

  95. Jaya says

    Modern
    privacy
    noise
    tolerant
    ill

  96. Mojisola Nwankpa says

    1common
    2Privacy
    3tolerant
    4sick

  97. Rchlpz says

    1. Open
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

  98. SHUBHAM says

    1.MODERN
    2. PRIVACY
    3. NOISE
    4. RESPECT
    5. SICK

  99. Jan Rose says

    answers:
    1. open-plan
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  100. Keep trying says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Nosie
    Tolerant
    Sick

  101. joselle says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Mess
    4. Respectful
    5. Ill

  102. Kaye says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Friendly
    5. Sick

  103. Rajesh says


    answers

    privacy
    noise
    tolerant
    illness

  104. Sazan says

    1- modern
    2-privacy
    3.mess
    4.tolerant
    5.sick

  105. Raman says

    Modern
    Privacy
    Mess
    Friendly
    Ill

  106. Rinzin says

    Modern
    2.privacy
    3. Noise
    4.tolerant
    5.ill

  107. Hi Liz,
    Thank you!

    1. open-plan
    2. dividers
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  108. 1.Modern.
    2.Privacy.
    3.Mass
    4.Friendly.
    5.Sick.

  109. Anubha joshi Sharma says

    Open
    Privacy
    Chaos
    Careful
    Ill

  110. Catalina Sirbu says

    Answers:
    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  111. Ambreen says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Mess
    4. Tolerance
    5. Ill

  112. Simran Kaur says

    1 modern
    2 privacy
    3 mess
    4 friendly
    5 ill

  113. yeemon says

    modern
    privacy
    chaos
    tolerent
    sick

  114. ambika says

    1.OPEN
    2.PRIVACY
    3.MESS
    4.FRIENDLY
    5.ILLNESS

  115. Shadab Ahamed says

    Open-plan
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  116. RICHARD says

    1.modern
    2.privacy
    3.chaos
    4.friendly
    5.sick

  117. lovette daniel says

    1 Open plan
    2 Privacy
    3 Noise
    4 Respectful
    5 Sick

  118. Charles says

    1=open
    2=space
    3=mess
    4=tolerant
    5=ill

  119. Reena Chaudhary says

    Hiiii…..open, privacy, noise, tolerant, sick

  120. 1. open 2. privacy 3. noise 4. ill

  121. Nicholas Akagha says

    The answer to the questions 1. Open plan, 2. Privacy 3. Mess 4. Tolerate 5 sick

  122. HARMAN says

    1.MODERN
    2.PRIVACY
    3.MATH
    4.RESPECT
    5 SICK

  123. Marwa says

    1 modern
    2 privacy
    3 mess
    4 tolerant
    5 sick

  124. Tetyana says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Noise
    4. Friendly
    5. Ill

  125. B.swaran raj says

    my answers are
    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. friendly
    5. sick

  126. kaitlyn says

    1: large
    2:
    3:noise
    4:respect
    5: sick

  127. Rakib says

    1, modern
    2, privacy
    3, noise
    4, respect
    5, sick

  128. MEHEDI ALAM says

    I NEED MORE LISTENING PRACTICES LIKE THIS ONE….

  129. Jolly says

    1. modern
    2. privacy
    3. noise
    4. tolerant
    5. sick

  130. dhanalakshmi says

    modern
    stuff needs
    noisy

    illness

  131. MEHEDI ALAM says

    1: common
    2:unfortunately
    3:math
    4:tollarent
    5:sick

  132. Akash Soni says

    1) modern
    2) privacy
    3) noise
    4) tolerant
    5) sick

  133. 1.modern
    2.privacy
    3.noise
    4.tolerant
    5. ill

  134. Open
    Privacy
    Noise
    Tolerant
    Sick

  135. Priya says

    1: openplan
    2:deviders
    3:mess
    4:tolerant
    5:ill

  136. Raghu says

    1.tidy
    2.mess
    3.noice
    4.friendly
    5.sick

  137. rodica says

    1-open plan,2-noises,3-mess,4-tolerant,5-sick

  138. Aliya Siddique says

    1. Modern
    2. Privacy
    3. Mess
    4. Tolerant
    5. Sick

    • Aliya Siddique says

      Thank you so much dearest Liz.
      I got the reason of one wrong answer.

      • That is the key to success. If you know the mistake, you will learn and develop 🙂

  139. Nishaat says

    answers-
    open
    privacy
    mess
    tolerant
    sick

  140. Kartini says

    Dear Liz,

    Thank you very much for your IELTS lesson. It helps me much, and finally I got 6,5 score without having a preparation course.
    Keep sharing Liz 🙂
    You are such a great teacher 🙂

    • Yay!! Band score 8.5 is amazing!! Well done to you. I hope you celebrated 🙂 Thanks for letting me know 🙂

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