Finding Sources for an Essay
Research librarian (speaking English) and University student (speaking Nepali) talk through “Finding Sources for an Essay”. You interpret both ways — English into Nepali, and Nepali into English — one segment at a time, exactly as in the CCL test.
Practise this dialogue with AI marking →Read it first if you like, then practise it cold: the recording plays one segment, you interpret, the next segment plays. Marking shows, segment by segment, what you kept, left out or changed.
Full transcript with model answers
Under each segment: a model interpretation, the information points an examiner checks, and the easiest thing to miss. Try the segment yourself first, then open it. The model is one good way to say it; other wordings that keep every point score just as well.
Hello, take a seat. I'm Daniel, the research librarian. You booked a thirty-minute consultation, Ms Basnet. What's your essay topic, and when is it due?
Model answer and marking points
नमस्ते, बस्नुहोस्। म डेनियल, अनुसन्धान पुस्तकालयाध्यक्ष हुँ। बस्नेतजी, तपाईंले तीस मिनेटको परामर्शका लागि समय लिनुभएको छ। तपाईंको निबन्धको विषय के हो, अनि कहिलेसम्म बुझाउनुपर्छ?
What an examiner checks here:
- Greeting and invitation to sit
- Speaker is Daniel, the research librarian
- Student addressed as Ms Basnet
- Thirty-minute consultation booked
- question: essay topic
- question: submission deadline
Easy to miss: Keep the consultation length as thirty minutes and convey both questions.
नमस्ते डेनियल सर। मेरो निबन्ध अस्ट्रेलियामा आएका नेपाली महिलाहरूको रोजगारीबारे हो। यो दुई हजार पाँच सय शब्दको छ, मे महिनाको पाँच तारिखसम्म बुझाउनुपर्छ, र कम्तीमा आठवटा शैक्षिक स्रोत चाहिन्छ। तर कहाँबाट सुरु गर्ने, मलाई थाहा छैन।
Model answer and marking points
Hello, Daniel, sir. My essay is about the employment of Nepali women who have migrated to Australia. It is 2,500 words, it is due by 5 May, and I need at least eight academic sources. But I don't know where to start.
What an examiner checks here:
- Greeting addressed to Daniel
- Essay about employment of Nepali women who migrated to Australia
- Essay length: 2,500 words
- Due by 5 May
- At least eight academic sources required
- Does not know where to start
Easy to miss: Preserve both the 2,500-word length and the minimum of eight academic sources.
Your turn — don't read the rest yet. Hear this dialogue at native speed and interpret each segment aloud; AI marks what you kept, left out or changed, segment by segment. Your first full dialogue is marked free.
Interpret it aloud now →Good topic. Since you need at least eight academic sources, start with our library search, then try Google Scholar. Use keywords like migrant women and employment, not a whole sentence.
Model answer and marking points
राम्रो विषय छ। तपाईंलाई कम्तीमा आठवटा शैक्षिक स्रोत चाहिने भएकाले, पहिले हाम्रो पुस्तकालयको खोजी प्रणालीबाट सुरु गर्नुहोस्, त्यसपछि गुगल स्कलरमा खोज्नुहोस्। पूरै वाक्यको सट्टा ‘आप्रवासी महिला’ र ‘रोजगारी’ जस्ता मुख्य शब्दहरू प्रयोग गर्नुहोस्।
What an examiner checks here:
- Positive assessment of topic
- At least eight academic sources needed
- Start with the library search
- Then try Google Scholar
- Use keywords such as migrant women and employment
- Do not use a whole sentence
Easy to miss: Keep the search order and the instruction to use keywords instead of a whole sentence.
हुन्छ सर। तर इन्टरनेटमा त धेरै कुरा भेटिन्छ। कुन स्रोत भरपर्दो हो र कुन होइन भनेर मैले कसरी चिन्ने?
Model answer and marking points
All right, sir. But there is so much information on the internet. How can I tell which sources are reliable and which aren't?
What an examiner checks here:
- Acknowledges the advice
- Much information available online
- question: how to distinguish reliable sources from unreliable ones
Easy to miss: The student asks how to judge reliability, not where to find more sources.
Choose peer-reviewed articles. Check the author, date and journal. If a website has no author or references, don't rely on it.
Model answer and marking points
सम्बन्धित विषयका विज्ञहरूले समीक्षा गरेका लेखहरू छान्नुहोस्। लेखक, मिति र जर्नल जाँच्नुहोस्। कुनै वेबसाइटमा लेखक वा सन्दर्भहरू छैनन् भने त्यसमा भर नपर्नुहोस्।
What an examiner checks here:
- Choose peer-reviewed articles
- Check the author
- Check the date
- Check the journal
- Do not rely on a website if it lacks an author or references
Easy to miss: Peer-reviewed means reviewed by experts in the field, and either missing authorship or missing references is a warning.
बुझें सर। अनि रेफरेन्सिङ चाहिँ कसरी गर्ने? पहिले अर्को कलेजमा पढ्दा मैले अर्कै तरिका प्रयोग गरेकी थिएँ, त्यसैले अलि अलमल लागेको छ।
Model answer and marking points
I understand, sir. And how should I do the referencing? When I studied at another college before, I used a different method, so I'm a little confused.
What an examiner checks here:
- Understands the advice
- question: how to do referencing
- Previously studied at another college
- Used a different referencing method there
- A little confused as a result
Easy to miss: The confusion concerns a different referencing method used at a previous college.
If your lecturer requires APA style, put the author and year in brackets in your text, with a full reference list at the end. I'll show you a guide.
Model answer and marking points
यदि तपाईंका लेक्चररले एपीए शैली अनिवार्य गर्नुभएको छ भने, आफ्नो लेखाइमा लेखक र वर्ष कोष्ठकभित्र राख्नुहोस्, अनि अन्त्यमा सन्दर्भहरूको पूर्ण सूची दिनुहोस्। म तपाईंलाई एउटा निर्देशिका देखाउँछु।
What an examiner checks here:
- Conditional on lecturer requiring APA style
- Include author and year
- Put them in brackets within the text
- Full reference list at the end
- Librarian will show a guide
Easy to miss: APA is conditional on the lecturer's requirement, rather than automatically required.
हुन्छ सर, देखाइदिनुहोस्। अनि कुनै लेख भेटिएन भने, वा पूरा पढ्न पैसा तिर्नुपर्ने रहेछ भने के गर्ने?
Model answer and marking points
All right, sir, please show me. And what should I do if I can't find an article, or if I have to pay to read the whole thing?
What an examiner checks here:
- Requests to see the guide
- question: what to do if an article cannot be found
- question: what to do if payment is required to read the full article
Easy to miss: Preserve both problems: being unable to find an article and having to pay for full access.
Don't pay. If the full text isn't available, request it through our interlibrary loan service. Or ask me and I'll check other databases for you.
Model answer and marking points
पैसा नतिर्नुहोस्। पूरा लेख उपलब्ध छैन भने, हाम्रो अन्तरपुस्तकालय सापटी सेवामार्फत त्यो मगाउनुहोस्। अथवा मलाई भन्नुहोस्, म तपाईंका लागि अरू डाटाबेसहरूमा खोजिदिन्छु।
What an examiner checks here:
- Do not pay
- If full text is unavailable, request it
- Use the library's interlibrary loan service
- Alternatively ask the librarian
- Librarian will check other databases for the student
Easy to miss: Interlibrary loan obtains material through other libraries; it is not a financial loan.
ए, राम्रो भयो सर। म हप्तामा तीन दिन काम गर्छु, त्यसैले समय कम हुन्छ। मैले कहिलेदेखि सुरु गर्नुपर्ला?
Model answer and marking points
Oh, that's good, sir. I work three days a week, so I don't have much time. When should I start?
What an examiner checks here:
- Positive response to the advice
- Works three days a week
- Has limited time because of work
- question: when to start
Easy to miss: Three days refers to the weekly work schedule, not the time available for research.
Start early. Find your eight sources over two weeks, then plan your outline. If you finish a draft, book another consultation and we'll check your references.
Model answer and marking points
चाँडै सुरु गर्नुहोस्। दुई हप्तामा आफ्ना आठवटा स्रोत खोज्नुहोस्, त्यसपछि निबन्धको रूपरेखा बनाउनुहोस्। मस्यौदा तयार गर्नुभयो भने, फेरि परामर्शको समय लिनुहोस्, अनि हामी तपाईंका सन्दर्भहरू जाँच्नेछौँ।
What an examiner checks here:
- Start early
- Find eight sources
- Find them over two weeks
- Then plan the essay outline
- If a draft is finished, book another consultation
- References will be checked together
Easy to miss: The two weeks are for finding the eight sources, and the next consultation follows completion of a draft.
धेरै धन्यवाद सर। म आजैदेखि खोजी सुरु गर्छु, र पहिलो मस्यौदा तयार भएपछि फेरि तपाईंकहाँ आउँछु।
Model answer and marking points
Thank you very much, sir. I'll start searching today, and I'll come back to see you once my first draft is ready.
What an examiner checks here:
- Thanks the librarian
- Will start searching today
- Will return to the librarian
- Return after the first draft is ready
Easy to miss: The student will start today and return after the first draft is ready.
Practise it
Reading a transcript is not interpreting. The practice room on this site plays each segment at native speed, records you, and marks the information you transferred against the same categories examiners use — omissions, distortions, insertions — so you know where the marks went. Your first full dialogue is marked free.
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Continue with the NAATI CCL Nepali practice test and mock tests.
Practice dialogue written to the CCL specification (two speakers, segments of 35 words or fewer, about 300 words). It is a practice text, not a NAATI test paper, and the AI score is this site's estimate, not a NAATI result. All Nepali dialogues · All languages