How to use this sample dialogue
Education is a common CCL domain. This is an original dialogue in the published format: two speakers, about 300 words, and segments of 35 words or less. It is not a recalled exam question.
- Have someone read each source segment to you, or record them and wait a day before interpreting.
- Interpret each segment once, with notes, and record yourself.
- Afterwards, compare with the model answers and the "watch for" column.
Scenario: A Year 8 teacher has asked an Indonesian-speaking parent to come in to discuss changes in their son's behaviour.
The dialogue: segments 1–10
The teacher speaks English and the parent speaks Indonesian. Interpret in the first person.
| # | Source | Model interpretation | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teacher: Thanks for coming in, Mrs Wijaya. I asked to meet because I've noticed some changes in Aditya over the past month. He's been quieter in class and hasn't handed in his last two assignments. | Terima kasih sudah datang, Bu Wijaya. Saya minta bertemu karena saya melihat beberapa perubahan pada Aditya selama sebulan terakhir. Dia lebih pendiam di kelas dan belum mengumpulkan dua tugas terakhirnya. | "Past month" = sebulan terakhir. "Last two assignments" is two separate tasks, not one. |
| 2 | Parent: Terima kasih sudah memberi tahu saya, Pak. Di rumah juga begitu. Dia sering mengurung diri di kamar dan susah tidur. Saya kira itu karena dia capek main game. | Thank you for letting me know. It's the same at home. He often shuts himself in his room and has trouble sleeping. I thought it was because he was tired from playing games. | The teacher already said "he", so "he" is correct for dia here. Saya kira = I thought (an earlier assumption). |
| 3 | Teacher: That's helpful to know. Some students find the move to Year 8 difficult. Has anything changed at home recently, or has he mentioned any problems with friends at school? | Itu informasi yang membantu. Sebagian siswa merasa perpindahan ke kelas 8 itu sulit. Apakah ada yang berubah di rumah akhir-akhir ini, atau apakah dia pernah menyebut ada masalah dengan teman di sekolah? | Year 8 = kelas 8; don't convert to an Indonesian level. Two questions joined by "or". |
| 4 | Parent: Ayahnya kerja di tambang di Australia Barat sejak bulan Juli, jadi pulangnya cuma dua minggu sekali. Mungkin Aditya kangen. Soal teman, dia tidak pernah cerita apa-apa. | His father has been working at a mine in Western Australia since July, so he only comes home once every two weeks. Maybe Aditya misses him. As for friends, he has never mentioned anything. | "Comes home" refers to the father, not Aditya. Keep "since July" and "once every two weeks". Mungkin = maybe. |
| 5 | Teacher: That's a big change for the family. I'd like to refer Aditya to our school counsellor, Ms Nguyen. It's free and confidential, but we need your written consent before she can see him. | Itu perubahan besar bagi keluarga. Saya ingin merujuk Aditya ke konselor sekolah kami, Ibu Nguyen. Layanannya gratis dan rahasia, tetapi kami perlu persetujuan tertulis dari Ibu sebelum Ibu Nguyen bisa menemui Aditya. | Free and confidential. "Written consent" (persetujuan tertulis). Use names to avoid an ambiguous dia. |
| 6 | Parent: Konselor? Apakah itu berarti anak saya punya masalah kejiwaan? Saya takut ini dicatat di rapornya dan memengaruhi dia waktu mau masuk SMA nanti. | A counsellor? Does that mean my son has a mental health problem? I'm worried this will be recorded on his school report and affect him later when he wants to get into senior high school. | Masalah kejiwaan = mental health problem; avoid harsher words. Rapor = school report. Takut here is "worried", not "scared". |
| 7 | Teacher: No, not at all. Seeing the counsellor isn't a diagnosis, and it doesn't appear on school reports. Many students see her for things like stress, friendship issues or family changes. | Tidak, sama sekali tidak. Bertemu konselor bukan berarti didiagnosis, dan itu tidak dicantumkan di rapor. Banyak siswa menemui Ibu Nguyen untuk hal-hal seperti stres, masalah pertemanan, atau perubahan dalam keluarga. | Two reassurances plus a list of three examples. Lists of three are often cut to two under pressure. |
| 8 | Parent: Oh, begitu. Kalau begitu saya setuju. Tapi bisakah sesinya diadakan waktu jam istirahat? Saya tidak mau dia ketinggalan pelajaran matematika, karena nilainya sudah turun. | Oh, I see. In that case I agree. But could the sessions be held during break time? I don't want him to miss maths lessons, because his marks have already dropped. | Consent ("I agree") comes before the condition. Sudah turun = have already dropped. |
| 9 | Teacher: We can usually arrange that. I'll email you the consent form today. Could you sign it and return it by Friday? Then Ms Nguyen can see him early next week. | Biasanya kami bisa mengaturnya. Saya akan mengirim formulir persetujuan lewat email hari ini. Bisakah Ibu menandatangani dan mengembalikannya paling lambat hari Jumat? Setelah itu Ibu Nguyen bisa menemui Aditya awal minggu depan. | "Usually" is a hedge: keep biasanya. "By Friday" = paling lambat hari Jumat, not "on Friday". |
| 10 | Parent: Baik, Pak. Tolong kirim langsung ke email saya saja, jangan lewat Aditya, karena kadang dia lupa memberikan surat dari sekolah. Terima kasih banyak atas perhatiannya. | Okay. Please send it directly to my email, not through Aditya, because sometimes he forgets to give me letters from school. Thank you very much for your concern. | The negative instruction (jangan lewat Aditya) is the key detail. Atas perhatiannya = for your concern/care. |
The five traps in this dialogue
Who is doing what
In segment 4, the father comes home every two weeks. Attaching that to Aditya changes the facts. When a segment has two people, note the subject of each verb.
School system terms
Year 8, school report, counsellor, consent form and senior high school. Keep Australian terms in English and don't convert year levels into the Indonesian system.
Deadlines
"By Friday", "early next week" and "today" each carry a different time commitment. "By" is a deadline; "on" is a single day.
Sensitive language
Mental health topics need neutral, accurate words in both directions. Don't make the parent's question harsher, and don't soften the teacher's reassurance into "probably not".
Negative instructions
"Not through Aditya" in segment 10 is easy to lose because it comes mid-sentence. Mark negatives with a quick symbol such as ✗ in your notes.
Check your attempt
NAATI marks by deducting for errors such as omissions, distortions, unnatural language and delivery problems. This checklist is a practice tool, not a predicted score.
| Check | Segments |
|---|---|
| Time details correct (past month, since July, every two weeks, by Friday, early next week) | 1, 4, 9 |
| Every item in lists and two-part questions | 3, 5, 7 |
| Hedges kept (maybe, usually) and negatives kept | 4, 9, 10 |
| Neutral wording on mental health | 6, 7 |
| First person throughout | All |
Next, try the Centrelink dialogue or the car accident dialogue, and see which topics come up in the CCL.
Practise unseen education dialogues
Real-format Indonesian–English dialogues with per-segment feedback. Your first dialogue is free.
Start practisingFrequently asked questions
Is this a real NAATI CCL exam dialogue?
No. It is an original practice dialogue written to match the published CCL format. NAATI does not release live test dialogues.
How do I translate Australian school years into Indonesian?
Keep the year as said: Year 8 becomes kelas 8. Don't convert it to an Indonesian school level such as SMP, because that adds information the speaker did not give.
How should I translate rapor?
Rapor is the school report. Use school report in Australian English rather than report card, which is more common in American English.
When can I use he or she for dia?
Only when the context makes the gender clear. In this dialogue the teacher has already said he, so he is correct. Without that context, use a neutral rendering.
Sources and update
Updated . Independent study material by Indonesian NAATI. Not affiliated with NAATI. Rules may change; check the official sources before booking.