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IELTS Practice Listening: Note/Summary Completion Diagram ID: #57446 Hard Glass recycling
Instructions ›
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Complete the flow chart.

You will hear a talk about the process of glass recycling. Now listen carefully and answer the questions. Glass recycling is now a standard process in many towns and cities of the world. Millions of glass items are used every day, with bottles, jars, and light bulbs being among the most common. The process of recycling glass, rather than making it new, saves energy and reduces the amount of waste at landfills. The first step in the process of recycling household glass is to wash the items in warm, soapy water. This is to ensure that there isn't any drink or food left on the glass. Secondly, the jars and bottles are collected by one of two systems, depending on the town or city. In some places, bottles and jars are taken by the general public to bottle banks. Bottle banks are large recycling bins, usually with three holes that enable the glass to be separated by colour: clear, brown or green. In other cities, people put their bottles and jars in a container which they leave outside their house on a set day of the week. A truck then comes past and the glass is collected and sorted into different colours by glass collection companies. Thirdly, the glass is taken to a glass plant, where the actual recycling process takes place. At the glass plant, one of two things can happen. In the first case, the bottles are sterilized and then reused for their original purpose. That is, soft drink bottles are refilled with soft drinks, or jam jars are refilled with jam, and so on. Reusing bottles as they are saves money and saves more energy than the second process. In the second case, the glass is melted down and made into new bottles or other products entirely. First, all of the glass of one color is placed into a big crushing machine and broken into small pieces. It's important to separate the different types and colors of glass because they have different chemical properties. Then, the crushed glass is mixed with amounts of sand, ash and limestone and placed in a furnace to be melted. Finally, most of the melted glass is poured to make new bottles and jars. However, depending on the quality, it could be used to make other products, including floor tiles and fibreglass.
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Diagram
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Question Focus: Synonym match - diagram shows washing stage, transcript explains how the glass is washed

Correct Answer: warm soapy

Why this is correct: At the start of the process, the speaker explains how the glass is cleaned. You hear that the items are washed in warm, soapy water, which matches the diagram stage.

Passage Reference: The first step in the process of recycling household glass is to wash the items in warm, soapy water. This is to ensure that there isn't any drink or food left on the glass.

Common Mistake: Some students write hot water or clean water, but these words are not said by the speaker. You must copy the exact words. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'washed in warm, soapy water' = Diagram: 'washed in ___ water'

Tips: When you see a washing step, listen carefully for adjectives that describe how it is done.

Key Vocabulary:

  • soapy = with soap
  • wash = clean

Question Focus: Synonym match - diagram shows public collection method

Correct Answer: bottle banks

Passage Reference: In some places, bottles and jars are taken by the general public to bottle banks. Bottle banks are large recycling bins, usually with three holes that enable the glass to be separated by colour: clear, brown or green.

Why this is correct: The speaker explains that in some towns people take bottles and jars to bottle banks. This matches the diagram showing the first collection system.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes write recycling bins, but that is not the exact phrase used. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'taken by the general public to bottle banks' = Diagram: 'taken to ___'

Tips: For place names, copy the exact noun phrase you hear.

Key Vocabulary:

  • bank = collection point
  • separated = sorted

Question Focus: Partial phrase match - diagram refers to companies collecting glass

Correct Answer: glass collection

Passage Reference: A truck then comes past and the glass is collected and sorted into different colours by glass collection companies.

Why this is correct: In the second system, the speaker says the glass is sorted by glass collection companies. The diagram shortens this to glass collection.

Common Mistake: Some students write collection truck, but the truck is only the vehicle, not the company. This is a partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'sorted into different colours by glass collection companies' = Diagram: 'sorted by ___'

Tips: If the diagram shortens a phrase, copy the key words, not extra ones.

Key Vocabulary:

  • collection = gathering
  • company = business

Question Focus: Synonym match - diagram shows location of recycling process

Correct Answer: glass plant

Passage Reference: Thirdly, the glass is taken to a glass plant, where the actual recycling process takes place.

Why this is correct: The speaker clearly says the glass is taken to a glass plant. This is where the recycling process happens, matching the diagram.

Common Mistake: Writing factory is wrong because that word is not used. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'taken to a glass plant' = Diagram: 'taken to ___'

Tips: Do not change words even if you know a synonym. Copy what you hear.

Key Vocabulary:

  • plant = factory
  • process = series of steps

Question Focus: Sequence trap - first outcome at the glass plant

Correct Answer: sterilised

Passage Reference: In the first case, the bottles are sterilized and then reused for their original purpose.

Why this is correct: In the first option at the glass plant, the speaker says the bottles are sterilized and reused. The diagram shows this first result.

Common Mistake: Some students jump ahead and write melted, but that is the second case. This is a sequence trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'the bottles are sterilized' = Diagram: 'bottles are ___'

Tips: Always follow the order of the recording. Do not skip ahead.

Key Vocabulary:

  • sterilised = cleaned completely
  • reused = used again

Question Focus: Synonym match - crushing stage

Correct Answer: broken

Passage Reference: First, all of the glass of one color is placed into a big crushing machine and broken into small pieces.

Why this is correct: The speaker explains that the glass is put into a crushing machine and broken into small pieces. This matches the diagram step.

Common Mistake: Writing crushed seems logical, but the speaker actually says broken. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'broken into small pieces' = Diagram: 'glass is ___'

Tips: Listen for the exact verb used, not the machine name.

Key Vocabulary:

  • broken = smashed
  • crushing = breaking

Question Focus: Detail listening - materials mixed with glass

Correct Answer: sand ash

Passage Reference: Then, the crushed glass is mixed with amounts of sand, ash and limestone and placed in a furnace to be melted.

Why this is correct: The speaker lists the materials mixed with the glass, including sand and ash. The diagram only has space for two of them.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes add limestone, but that makes three words and breaks the limit. This is a number trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'mixed with amounts of sand, ash and limestone' = Diagram: 'mixed with ___'

Tips: If there are many items, choose only what fits the word limit.

Key Vocabulary:

  • ash = burnt material
  • mixed = combined

Question Focus: Specific noun - heating stage

Correct Answer: furnace

Passage Reference: and placed in a furnace to be melted.

Why this is correct: After mixing, the speaker says the glass is placed in a furnace to melt. This matches the diagram exactly.

Common Mistake: Writing oven is incorrect because it is not the word used. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'placed in a furnace' = Diagram: 'heated in a ___'

Tips: Technical process words are often tested. Copy them carefully.

Key Vocabulary:

  • furnace = very hot oven
  • melted = turned to liquid

Question Focus: Synonym match - final main products

Correct Answer: bottles jars

Passage Reference: Finally, most of the melted glass is poured to make new bottles and jars.

Why this is correct: The speaker says most melted glass is poured to make new bottles and jars. The diagram summarises this as bottles jars.

Common Mistake: Some students write only bottles, but the speaker clearly mentions two products. This is a partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'make new bottles and jars' = Diagram: 'made into ___'

Tips: If the speaker uses 'and', be careful not to miss the second item.

Key Vocabulary:

  • poured = put into shape
  • product = thing made

Question Focus: Diagram reading - reused items branch

Correct Answer: jars

Passage Reference: That is, soft drink bottles are refilled with soft drinks, or jam jars are refilled with jam, and so on.

Why this is correct: When explaining reuse, the speaker gives examples like jam jars being refilled. The diagram highlights one reused item.

Common Mistake: Choosing the wrong branch of the diagram and writing fibreglass is incorrect. This is a context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'jam jars are refilled' = Diagram: 'reused as ___'

Tips: Always check which branch of the flow chart you are completing.

Key Vocabulary:

  • refilled = filled again
  • reuse = use again

Question Focus: Detail listening - alternative products

Correct Answer: fibreglass

Passage Reference: including floor tiles and fibreglass

Why this is correct: At the end, the speaker says some glass can be used to make other products, including fibreglass. This matches the final box in the diagram.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes write floor tiles, but that refers to a different box. This is a context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'including floor tiles and fibreglass' = Diagram: 'other products such as ___'

Tips: Listen carefully to examples introduced by words like 'including'.

Key Vocabulary:

  • including = such as
  • fibreglass = strong material

General Tips:

  • Follow the order of the recording. Each box in the diagram matches what you hear next.
  • Always check the word limit. More than two words is automatically wrong.
  • Copy the exact words you hear. Do not replace them with your own synonyms.
  • Use the diagram structure to predict what type of word is coming next.
  • Listen for signpost words like 'first', 'second', 'finally' to track the process.

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