What Part C looks like
Part C has two recordings, each about five minutes long, with six questions each and three options. Each one is a talk or presentation by a health professional, or an interview, for example from a radio programme or podcast. Topics are of general interest to health professionals and do not need specialist knowledge.
The questions follow the order of the recording. Many are about the speaker's opinions and experience. Some ask about what other people think: a researcher, a colleague, a patient. Talks often begin with a case or a personal story before the main point.
Questions in order: keep your place
Because the questions follow the recording, you can use them as a map. In the reading time, read each stem and underline its topic. During the recording, move to the next question when the speaker moves to its topic.
1. What first made Dr Osei interested in shift work? [topic: her start] 2. What surprised her in the early research? [topic: early findings] 3. What does she say about short naps? [topic: naps] 4. How did her colleagues react to the rota change? [topic: colleagues] 5. What is her view of sleep-tracking apps? [topic: apps] 6. What does she want hospitals to do next? [topic: the future]
The options paraphrase the speech
Correct options rarely use the speaker's exact words. They say the same idea in different words. Your job is to match meaning, not vocabulary.
Speaker: 'Honestly, most of the people on my unit were sceptical at first. It took a couple of months before they stopped grumbling about the new rota.'
Colleagues refused to work the new rota for two months.
Colleagues were initially doubtful but came to accept the change.
Why: The weak option borrows 'couple of months' and turns grumbling into refusing, which nobody said. The better option matches the whole idea in new words: doubt at first, acceptance later.
| Speaker says | Option might say |
|---|---|
| It didn't make a blind bit of difference. | It had no effect. |
| We were all a bit taken aback. | It surprised the team. |
| I'd be wary of reading too much into it. | The findings should be treated with caution. |
| It's not something you can do overnight. | The change will take time. |
Trap: says one thing, then qualifies or rejects it
This is the most common Part C trap. The speaker mentions an idea that matches one option, and then changes it, limits it or rejects it. If you choose at the first match, you choose the distractor.
So, short naps on night shift: are they the answer?
When we started, I really thought they would be. And for some staff they do help. But what we actually found was that a nap only works if people can get somewhere quiet and dark. On a busy ward, a nap in the corner of the staff room just leaves people groggy. So the nap itself isn't the solution. The space is.
| Option | Why |
|---|---|
| A. Naps are the best answer to night-shift fatigue. | Wrong. This was her early belief, which she then rejects. |
| B. Naps help only when staff have a suitable place to rest. | Correct. This is her final view, in different words. |
| C. Naps leave most staff feeling groggy. | Wrong. She says this happens in a busy, unsuitable space, not to most staff. |
Signals that the first idea is about to change
I really thought... but...
An earlier belief, then the real view.That's true up to a point.
A limit is coming.What we actually found was...
Evidence replacing an assumption.It's not so much X as Y.
Y is the real point.People often assume... In fact...
A common view, then a correction.
Wait for the speaker to finish the idea
Hold your decision until the speaker finishes the point. A useful habit: when you hear something that matches an option, make a light mark, then keep listening for a 'but', 'although' or 'actually'. Only confirm when the speaker moves to the next topic.
Whose opinion is it?
Speakers in Part C often report what other people think: a study, a professor, a colleague, a patient. A question may ask about the speaker's view, or about the other person's view. Read the stem carefully.
Speaker: 'A colleague of mine in Melbourne is convinced the apps will replace sleep diaries. I'm less sure. Most of the data I've seen is pretty patchy.' Question: What is the speaker's view of sleep-tracking apps?
They are likely to replace sleep diaries.
The evidence for them is not yet strong.
Why: The first idea belongs to the colleague. The speaker's own view comes after 'I'm less sure'.
Check yourself
4 quick questions. Tap an answer to see why.
1 Speaker: 'I used to tell patients to cut out salt completely. These days I think that's unrealistic; small, steady reductions work better.' What is the speaker's current advice?
2 Why do wrong options in Part C often feel correct?
3 The stem asks: 'What does the researcher the speaker mentions believe?' What should you listen for?
4 You hear a phrase that matches option A exactly. What is the best next step?