Conversation: The Group Project Problem
B2 Core Assignments
Instructions: skim the question stems, then press play and listen once, taking notes. Answer all 4 questions, check your score and error analysis — and only then open the study pack (transcript, vocabulary, paraphrases, model notes).
📦 Show transcript & study pack — only after you have answered
Full transcript
Student: Hi, Professor Lane? I'm in your Tuesday marketing class. I had a question about the group project.
Professor: Sure, come on in. What's up?
Student: Well, our group was supposed to present next week, but one of our members just dropped the course. So now we're down to three people, and honestly, his part was the market research, which is kind of the biggest chunk.
Professor: Hmm, yeah, that's a real problem, because the research section is what the rest of the presentation builds on.
Student: Right. So we were wondering — could we get a few extra days? Or, um, could we cut the research part down?
Professor: I can't really cut it — the research is the point of the assignment. But here's what I can do. If your group splits the research three ways and sends me a revised outline by Friday showing who's covering what, I'll move your presentation to the following week. That gives you the weekend plus a few class days.
Student: That would help a lot. Do we need the outline in any special format?
Professor: Just a one-page document: the three sections, a name next to each one, and your new timeline. And one more thing — don't let one person do all the slides this time. Last semester I had a group where one student carried everything, and it showed.
Student: Got it. So: revised outline by Friday, presentation the week after. Thanks, Professor.
Difficult vocabulary
| drop a course | to officially withdraw from a class before it ends |
| chunk | a large part or section of something |
| build on | to use something as the base for what comes next |
| split something three ways | to divide work equally among three people |
| carry everything | to do all the work for a group by yourself |
Important phrases
- "What's up?" — an informal way to ask what someone needs
- "We're down to three people" — our group has only three members left
- "That gives you the weekend" — that provides you extra days (the weekend) to work
Paraphrases — what you heard vs what it means
| You heard | It means |
|---|---|
| His part was the market research, which is kind of the biggest chunk. | The member who left was responsible for the largest section of the project. |
| The research is what the rest of the presentation builds on. | All the other parts depend on the research, so it cannot be skipped. |
| One student carried everything, and it showed. | One student did all the work, and the unequal effort was obvious in the result. |
Note-taking analysis — model notes
Compare with your own notes: did you catch the main claim, the arrows (cause/effect), the contrasts and the compressed examples?