Tracking Conversations

Introduction

Part 3 is the third part of Section I: Listening. It contains 39 questions, about 20 % of the 200 questions on the test, and it is the longest listening part by question count. You hear 13 short conversations, each followed by three questions. Each question has four options (A)-(D) printed in the test book. The conversations involve two or three speakers and last roughly 30 to 40 seconds. You hear each conversation only once.

Part 3 is where listening stops being about single sentences and becomes about following a workplace exchange: who wants what, what problem exists, what will happen next. The questions are printed in your test book, so you can read them before the audio starts, a key advantage that we exploit throughout this lesson. Some questions are attached to a graphic (a chart, schedule, map, price list or coupon); you must combine what you hear with what you see. Some questions also ask about the speaker's intention by quoting one line ("What does the man imply when he says, 'I'll have to check the schedule'?").

After this lesson you will be able to:

• preview questions to predict the topic and the information to catch;
• recognise the three standard question families (gist, detail, inference/next action);
• track speaker roles, problems and solutions in two- and three-person conversations;
• combine audio with a graphic;
• interpret a quoted line from context rather than literally;
• avoid the main distractor patterns of Part 3.

Learning objectives

1. Describe the format and timing of Part 3.
2. Use the preview routine on the three questions before the audio.
3. Classify each question: main idea, detail, relationship, problem, request/suggestion, next action, implied meaning, graphic.
4. Follow the order of information: the three questions normally follow the conversation in order.
5. Handle paraphrase between audio and options.
6. Apply a note-free "keywords in the head" technique when you cannot write on the test book.

1. The task and the timing

Each conversation is read once, at natural speed with accents from the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia (the handbook states that a variety of English accents is used). After the conversation, the audio pauses a few seconds per question before the next conversation or the next question number is announced. In practice you have about 8 seconds per question to answer and then to preview the next questions. You must therefore preview while the previous set is finishing.

There are no directions to wait for after the first set: skip the Part 3 directions and read the first three questions as soon as they are printed.

2. The preview routine

The single most effective Part 3 technique is to read the questions and the stems of the options before the conversation starts. A good preview takes about 5 seconds and gives you four pieces of information:

1. The topic. Question 1 is often "What are the speakers discussing?" or "Why is the man calling?"
2. The speakers. "Who is the woman?" tells you to listen for jobs and places.
3. The details to catch. Questions with when, how much, where or which tell you what number, time or place to expect.
4. The order. The questions follow the order of the conversation: Q1 is answered in the first lines, Q2 in the middle, Q3 near the end.

You do not need to read all four options in full. Read the question and glance at the options for their type (names of places? times? actions?).

Exam tip. Previewing is not optional. Candidates who listen first and read later lose the answer to Q1 while they are still reading it. Use any spare second in Part 2 and Part 4 to look ahead.

3. The three question families

3.1 Gist (main idea, purpose, topic)

• "What are the speakers mainly discussing?"
• "Why is the woman calling?"
• "What problem is being described?"

The gist is usually stated in the first one or two turns. Do not wait until the end.

3.2 Detail

• "When will the delivery arrive?"
• "What does the man ask the woman to send?"
• "How much will the customer pay?"

Details are stated explicitly but often paraphrased in the options. The audio says "by Thursday evening"; the option says "later this week".

3.3 Inference and next action

• "What will the man probably do next?"
• "What is suggested about the project?"
• "What does the woman mean when she says, 'That's the third time this month'?"

The next action is usually in the final turn: an offer ("I'll call them now"), a request ("Please send me the file") or a plan ("Let's meet at three").

4. Who is speaking? Roles and relationships

Part 3 conversations take place in typical workplace and daily-life settings: a manager and an assistant, a customer and a clerk, two colleagues planning an event, a traveler and an airline agent, a job applicant and an interviewer.

Clues to roles:

Roles are almost never stated directly ("I am a receptionist"). Infer them from what each person does and asks for.

Three-speaker conversations

Some conversations have three people (for example, two women and one man). The question stems say "the speakers" and then refer to "the man", "the woman" or to a specific speaker ("the second woman"). Track:

1. who speaks first;
2. how each person differs by voice;
3. what each wants.

With three speakers it is common for two to agree and one to object. Questions ask about the minority: "What concern does the man raise?"

5. Problem, cause, solution

Many Part 3 conversations follow a pattern:

1. Situation (a project, an order, an appointment).
2. Problem (a delay, an error, a conflict, a missing item).
3. Solution or request (rescheduling, replacing, sending, approving).
4. Next action (who does what).

Knowing this pattern lets you assign each question to a part of the conversation, even if you missed one sentence.

Typical vocabulary for each stage:

6. Paraphrase: the central skill

Part 3 options almost never reuse the exact words of the conversation. The test measures whether you understand meaning, not whether you recognise sounds.

An option that repeats a distinctive word from the audio is often a distractor: it uses a word you heard but changes the fact. If the audio says "I'll call the supplier tomorrow" and Q3 asks "What will the man do next?", an option "Order new supplies" repeats the topic but is not the stated action.

7. Graphic questions

At least two of the 39 questions in Part 3 are attached to a graphic. The question text contains "Look at the graphic." The graphic can be a table, floor plan, order form, timetable or chart. The question asks something like "Which room will the meeting be held in?" and the answer requires:

1. hearing a criterion or constraint in the conversation (for example, "we need a room for twelve people with a projector");
2. reading the graphic to find the option that satisfies it.

The audio does not say the answer word directly; it gives a rule and you apply the rule. Preview the graphic during the previous question set: note the columns and the labels so you can scan quickly.

Common graphic traps

• The speakers first mention a rejected option, then choose another. Choose the final one.
• The graphic includes two similar items (Room 201 / Room 210). Read carefully.
• A change is announced ("The meeting moved to 2:30"); the graphic shows the old time. Use the updated time.

8. Speaker intention questions

Since the 2016 update, Part 3 includes questions that quote a line: "What does the woman imply when she says, 'I thought you had the keys'?" The literal meaning is rarely the answer. Use the context before and after the quoted line.

Method:

1. Find the line in the conversation.
2. Ask why the person said it at that moment: to complain, to refuse, to suggest, to show surprise, to offer help?
3. Choose the option that expresses the function, not the words.

Examples of functions:

9. Worked example 1: gist, detail, next action

Questions (previewed).

1. Why is the woman calling?
2. What problem does the man mention?
3. What will the man do next?

Audio (script). Woman: Hello, this is Julia Chen from Bright Print. I'm calling about the brochures you ordered for the trade show. Man: Oh, good. I was about to call you. We were supposed to receive them on Monday, but the box that arrived contains only half of the order. Woman: I'm sorry about that. Our warehouse shipped part of the order separately. The rest will reach you Thursday morning. Man: Thursday is too late. The show starts Wednesday. Could you send a courier? Woman: I can arrange that at no cost. I'll need your booth number. Man: It's B-14. I'll e-mail you the exact address of the convention hall right away.

Reasoning.

1. The woman introduces herself and says she calls about the brochures ordered for the trade show. Gist: to discuss an order (to update about a delivery).
2. The man says only half the order arrived. Problem: part of the order is missing.
3. The last line: "I'll e-mail you the exact address". Next action: send an address by e-mail.

Why other options fail. A typical distractor for Q3 is "Visit the printer's warehouse" (the warehouse is mentioned, but not as the man's action). Another is "Give his booth number by phone"; the booth number is given in the audio but the e-mail is the next action.

10. Worked example 2: graphic

Question. Look at the graphic. Which meeting room will the speakers most likely use?

Audio (script). Man: We have the client presentation Thursday. How many people are coming? Woman: Eleven from our side, and three from the client. Man: So fourteen. We'll need to show slides. Woman: Right. Delta is free, but it's far too big and has a lot of echo. Man: Then let's book the smaller one with a projector.

Reasoning.

1. Constraint 1: 14 people. Atlas (8) is too small.
2. Constraint 2: slides, so a projector. Cascade has no projector.
3. Constraint 3: not the largest room. Delta is rejected.
4. Remaining: Borealis.

Answer: Borealis. Note the trap: Delta is the room the woman names, but she rejects it.

11. Worked example 3: speaker intention

Question. What does the woman imply when she says, "The deadline is Friday, not Monday"?

Audio (script). Man: I'll finish the analysis after the weekend. Monday morning should be fine. Woman: The deadline is Friday, not Monday. Man: Oh. I understood that the client moved it. Woman: They did not. I can ask Mr. Brown to help with the charts.

Reasoning. The woman corrects a mistaken assumption, so the function is to correct a misunderstanding and indicate that the man must work faster. The literal sentence compares two days; the real meaning is "you are late". The correct option is therefore similar to "The man's schedule is too slow."

Why the others are weaker. "The client has changed the deadline" is what the man believes and the woman denies. "The woman wants to take a day off" has no support in the conversation.

12. Common distractor patterns

1. Mentioned-but-not-chosen. The conversation names three options and rejects two. The distractors are the rejected ones.
2. Changed information. An initial plan is changed; the final plan is correct.
3. Wrong speaker. A fact is true but belongs to the other speaker. Always check who did or said it.
4. Past versus future. "We used to use Vendor X" is not the next action.
5. Number confusion. "Fifteen" and "fifty", "thirteen" and "thirty". Listen to stress: THIRteen, thirTY.
6. Over-interpretation. The correct option is usually the simplest one supported by the audio. Do not add information.

13. Taking in numbers, times and names

Numbers and times are frequent targets. Prepare to hear:

• prices ("nineteen ninety-five" = 19.95);
• dates ("the fifteenth", "the thirteenth");
• times ("a quarter past four", "half past nine", "4:45");
• quantities ("a dozen", "a couple of", "two hundred");
• reference codes (letters spelled out: "B as in boy").

Since you cannot write in the answer sheet, keep a short mental label and match it to the options immediately. If the question is "How much will the customer save?" listen for a difference (before and after prices), not the price itself.

14. Vocabulary by situation

• Workplace logistics: agenda, forecast, budget, supplier, approval, merger, reimbursement, headquarters, inventory, delegate.
• Customer service: warranty, return policy, refund, complaint, replacement, subscription, membership, receipt.
• Human resources: applicant, interview, benefits, position, promotion, orientation, resign, transfer.
• Travel and events: itinerary, boarding gate, registration desk, keynote, conference, catering, venue, shuttle.
• Technology: install, upgrade, password, network, server, outage, software update, backup.

Learning these in clusters helps you recognise paraphrases: refund / reimbursement, hire / recruit, postpone / delay, venue / location.

15. A study routine for Part 3

1. Preview drill. Read only the three questions of ten sets and write the likely topic and what to listen for. Check your predictions with the audio.
2. Chunk listening. Play 30-second conversations twice: first for gist (what is the problem?), then for details.
3. Paraphrase journal. For each practice item, write the sentence from the script and the option that paraphrases it.
4. Intention drill. Collect quoted lines and label their function.
5. Shadowing. Repeat conversations with a half-second delay to improve speed of processing.

Pitfalls and exam tips

• Pitfall: reading options too slowly. Skim; the audio will not wait.
• Pitfall: answering Q1 late. If you realise you missed Q1, guess at once and focus on Q2.
• Pitfall: relying on one keyword. A matching word without matching meaning is the standard trap.
• Exam tip: In graphic questions, underline mentally the criteria ("cheapest", "closest", "open on Sunday") before the audio.
• Exam tip: The final question is often next action; listen to the last two turns carefully.
• Exam tip: If two options seem plausible, choose the one that matches the speaker named in the question.

Mini case study with solution

Situation. Lena takes a practice test and scores 24 out of 39 in Part 3. Her error log shows:

1. She chose an option mentioning "the supplier" for "What will the man do next?" when the man had said, "The supplier already knows; I'll write to the client."
2. In a graphic question about a bus timetable, she chose the 9:10 departure that the woman mentioned and then rejected ("That's too early for me").
3. For "What does the man mean when he says, 'I'm sure Ms. Vega is thrilled'?", she chose "Ms. Vega is happy", though the man spoke ironically after listing complaints.
4. She often reads the options while the conversation is already running.

Tasks. Diagnose each error and propose a fix.

Solution.

1. Wrong referent / mentioned-not-chosen. The supplier was mentioned but is not the next action. Fix: listen to the last speaker's offer and ask "who will do what?".
2. Rejected option. The 9:10 train is a rejected choice. Fix: write down criteria in the preview and apply the final decision, not the first mention.
3. Intention misread. The line is ironic: the man implies Ms. Vega is not pleased. Fix: use the context before and after, and ask about function.
4. Late preview. Fix: look ahead during the pause after each set, and read question stems only.

Plan. For two weeks Lena performs 5 sets per day (15 questions) and labels each error as gist, detail, inference, graphic or intention. She aims to reduce the number of "rejected option" errors to zero by crossing out options as soon as the speakers reject them. After two weeks, her score rises to 31/39.

Key terms

• Gist: the main idea or purpose of the conversation.
• Paraphrase: expressing the same meaning with different words.
• Distractor: an attractive wrong answer.
• Speaker intention: the function of a quoted line (complaint, refusal, offer, surprise).
• Graphic: a table, map, chart or schedule that must be combined with the audio.
• Next action: what a speaker will do after the conversation ends.
• Preview: reading the questions before the audio.

Summary checklist

• Part 3 has 13 conversations and 39 questions, with three questions per conversation.
• I read the three questions before the audio starts.
• I know that questions follow the order of the conversation.
• I listen for the problem, the solution and the next action.
• I expect paraphrase and distrust repeated words.
• I apply the criteria to the graphic and use the final decision.
• I interpret quoted lines by function, using context.
• I guess and move on when I miss an item.

Official sources

• ETS, About the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test: https://www.ets.org/toeic/about/listening-reading.html (opens in a new tab)
• ETS, TOEIC Listening and Reading Examinee Handbook: https://www.ets.org/pdfs/toeic/toeic-listening-reading-test-examinee-handbook.pdf (opens in a new tab)
• ETS, test taker information: https://www.ets.org/toeic/test-takers/listening-reading/about.html (opens in a new tab)