COUNSELLOR: Now, what are your main problems?

JOHN: Well, what most concerns me is I'm still not doing very well in my assignments.

COUNSELLOR: Well, I know that you plan your writing carefully, but this can come to nothing if the assignment doesn't answer the question. That really is the key. You must read the question carefully and give it a great deal of thought before you even start planning or writing your first draft. It’s also vital to check your work for errors. Everybody makes them, and they can influence the person marking the work. So, always take time at the end to check what you have written.

JOHN: As far as listening is concerned, I find it hard to keep up in lectures, especially two-hour ones. I sometimes just seem to go off into a dream.