TEST 1

TRAVEL AGENT:   Good morning. World Tours. My name is Jamie. How can I help you?

ANDREA:    Good morning. I want some information on self-drive tours in the USA. Could you send me a brochure?

 

TRAVEL AGENT:   Of course. Could you I have your name please?

 

ANDREA:    Andrea Brown. (Example)

TRAVEL AGENT:   Thank you. And your address?

ANDREA:    24, Ardleigh Road. (Q1)

TRAVEL AGENT:   Can you spell that?

ANDREA:    A-R-D-L-E-I-G-H Road.

TRAVEL AGENT:   Postcode?

ANDREA:    BH5 2OP

TRAVEL AGENT:   Thanks. And can I have your phone number?

 

ANDREA:    Is a mobile alright?

TRAVEL AGENT:   Fine.

ANDREA:    It’s 07786643091.

TRAVEL AGENT:   Thank you. And can I ask you where you heard about World Tours? From a friend? Or did you see an advert somewhere?

 

ANDREA:    No, I read about you in the newspaper. (Q2)

TRAVEL AGENT:   OK, I’ll get the brochures in the post to you but can I give you some information over the phone. What kinds of things do you want to do on your holiday?

ANDREA:    I’m interested in going to California with my family. I’ve got two children and we want to hire a car.

TRAVEL AGENT:   OK. We have a couple of self-drive tours there visiting different places of interest in California. The first one begins in Los Angeles and there’s plenty of time to visit some of the theme (Q3) parks there.

ANDREA:    That’s something on my children’s list so I’d want to include that.

TRAVEL AGENT:   Good. Then you drive to San Francisco. From San Francisco you can drive to Yosemite Park where you spend a couple of nights. You can choose to stay in a lodge or on the campsite.

ANDREA:    I don’t like the idea of staying in a tent (Q4). It’d be too hot.

 

TRAVEL AGENT:   Right. And the tour ends in Las Vegas.

 

ANDREA:    OK.

TRAVEL AGENT:   The other trip we can arrange is slightly different. It starts in San Francisco. Then you drive south to Cambria.

 

ANDREA:    Someone told me there’s a really nice castle (Q5) near Cambria. Will we go near that?

TRAVEL AGENT:   Hearst Castle is on that road so you could stop there.

 

ANDREA:    Good. I’d like to do that. Does this trip also go into the desert?

 

TRAVEL AGENT:   No, it continues to Santa Monica where most people like to stop and do some shopping.

ANDREA:    We have enough of that at home so that doesn’t interest us.

 

TRAVEL AGENT:   OK. Well you could go straight on to San Diego.

 

ANDREA:    That’s good for beaches isn’t it? (Q6)

TRAVEL AGENT:   That’s right, that’s a good place to relax and your children might like to visit the zoo before flying home.

ANDREA:    I don’t think so. We want some time for sunbathing and swimming.

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ANDREA:    So how many days are the trips and how much do they cost?

 

TRAVEL AGENT:   The first one I told you about is a self-drive tour through California which lasts twelve days and covers 2,020 (Q7) kilometres. The shortest journey is 206 km and the longest is 632 kilometres. The cost is £525 per person. That includes accommodation, car rental and a flight (Q8) but no meals.

ANDREA:    OK. And the other trip?

TRAVEL AGENT:   That lasts nine days but you spend only three days on the road. You cover about 980 kilometres altogether.

ANDREA:    So is that cheaper then?

TRAVEL AGENT:   Yes, it’s almost a hundred pounds cheaper. It’s £429 (Q9) per person, which is a good deal.

ANDREA:    So that covers accommodation and car hire. What about flights?

TRAVEL AGENT:   They aren’t included. But these hotels offer dinner (Q10) in the price.

ANDREA:    OK. Well, thank you very much. I’ll be in touch when I’ve had a chance to look at the brochure.

TRAVEL AGENT:   I’m pleased to help. Goodbye.

ANDREA:    Goodbye.

TEST 2

INTERVIEWER:   Excuse me.

LUISA: Yes?

INTERVIEWER:   I wonder if you could spare a few minutes to do a survey on transport. It won’t take long.

 

LUISA: No, that’s fine.

INTERVIEWER:   Lovely. The survey is on behalf of the local council. They’d like to know about what transport you use any suggestions for improvement. Can I start by asking you how you travelled to town today?

LUISA: Sure. I came on the bus. (Example)

INTERVIEWER:   Great. Now can I get a few details about yourself?

 

LUISA: OK.

INTERVIEWER:   What’s your name?

LUISA: It’s Luisa …

INTERVIEWER:   Yes.

LUISA: Hardie. (Q1)

INTERVIEWER:   Can you spell that, please?

LUISA: Yes, it’s H-A-R-D-I-E.

INTERVIEWER:   Great. Thanks. And can I have your address?

 

LUISA: It’s 19 (Q2), White Stone Road.

INTERVIEWER:   Oh, right. I know that area. It’s Bradfield, isn’t it?

 

LUISA: That’s right.

INTERVIEWER:   Is the postcode GT7?

LUISA: It’s actually G-T-8, 2-L-C. (Q3)

INTERVIEWER:   Great. And could I ask what your job is? Are you a student?

LUISA: I’ve actually just finished my training. I’m a hairdresser. (Q4)

 

INTERVIEWER:   Oh, right. And one more question in this section. What is the reason for you coming into town today?

LUISA: Actually it’s not for shopping today, which would be my normal reason, but to see the dentist. (Q5)

INTERVIEWER:   Right. Thanks.

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INTERVIEWER:   Now in this last section I’d like you to give us some ideas about the facilities and arrangements in the city for getting to and from work, er, any suggestions you have for improvements.

LUISA: Well, something I’ve thought about for some time is that when I do walk and I’m doing a later shift, I think the lighting should be better. (Q6)

INTERVIEWER:   Yes, good point.

LUISA: And of course, I think it’s a real shame they’ve been cutting down on the number of footpaths. They should have more of those. Then people would walk more.

INTERVIEWER:   Yes, right.

LUISA: And, I don’t think there are enough trains. That’s why I don’t use them – you have to wait so long. (Q7)

INTERVIEWER:   Thanks. And finally I’d like to ask your opinion on cycling. As you may know, there’s a drive in the city to get more people to cycle to work.

LUISA: Right.

INTERVIEWER:   But we realise that there are things which the council, but also employers, might do to help encourage workers to cycle to work.

LUISA: Yep. Well, I have thought about it and where I work there are no safe places to leave your bikes. (Q8)

INTERVIEWER:   OK.

LUISA: And also, I’d have to cycle uphill and on a hot day I’d arrive at work pretty sweaty so I think I’d need a shower somewhere at work. (Q9)

INTERVIEWER:   Right.

LUISA: And I suppose the last thing is that I wouldn’t be all that confident about cycling on such busy roads. I think I’d like to see you offering training for that (Q10), you know. I’d feel a lot better about starting if that was the case.

INTERVIEWER:   Well, that’s very helpful. Thank you very much for your time.

LUISA: No problem. Bye.

TEST 3

DIRECTOR: Good morning. Welcome to the Early Learning Childcare Centre. How may I help you?

CAROL:  Hi. I spoke to you last week about enrolling my daughter to next year.

DIRECTOR: Oh, yes. I’ll just get some details from you. So, you’re her mother?

CAROL:  That’s right.

DIRECTOR: And, can I have your name?

CAROL:  It’s Carol, Carol Smith. (Example)

DIRECTOR: And your daughter’s name?

CAROL:  It’s Kate.

DIRECTOR: Now, we have several groups at the centre and we cater for children from three to five years old. How old is your daughter?

 

CAROL:  She’s three now but she turns four next month.

 

DIRECTOR: I’ll put four down because that’s how old she’ll be when she starts. (Q1)

CAROL:  Fine, she’s so excited about her birthday and coming to the centre.

DIRECTOR: That’s good to hear. And what’s your address?

CAROL:  It’s 46 Wombat (Q2) Road, that’s W-O-M-B-A-T. Woodside 4032.

DIRECTOR: And what’s the phone number?

CAROL:  Oh … it’s … 3345 9865.

DIRECTOR: So, have you decided on the days you’d like to bring your daughter here?

CAROL:  I’d prefer Monday and Wednesday if possible.

DIRECTOR: Mmm. I’ll check, Monday’s fine, but I think the centre is already full for Wednesday. Erm. Yes. Sorry. It seems to be a very popular day. We can offer you a Thursday or a Friday as well.

 

CAROL:  Oh dear. I suppose Thursday would be all right (Q3) because she has swimming on Friday.

DIRECTOR: OK, got that. Because a lot of parents work, we do offer flexible start and finish times. We are open from 7:30 in the morning until 6 o’clock at night. What time would you like your daughter to start?

CAROL:  I need to get to work in the city by 9:00 so I’ll drop her off at 8:30 (Q4). You’re pretty close to the city here so that should give me plenty of time to get there.

DIRECTOR: That’s fine. Now, we also need to decide which group she’ll be in. we have two different groups and they’re divided up according to age. There’s the green group. Which is for three- to four-year-olds. And then there’s the red group which is for four- to five-year-olds.

CAROL:  She’s quite mature for her age and she can already write her name and read a little.

DIRECTOR: Well, I’ll put her in the red group (Q5) and we can always change her to the green one if there are any problems.

 

CAROL:  That sounds fine.

DIRECTOR: OK. Let’s move on to meals. We can provide breakfast, lunch and dinner. As she’s finishing pretty early, she won’t need dinner, will you give her breakfast before she comes?

 

CAROL:  Yes, she’ll only need lunch. (Q6)

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DIRECTOR: Now, does she have any medical conditions we need to know about? Does she have asthma or any hearing problems for example?

CAROL:  No. But she does need to wear glasses. (Q7)

DIRECTOR: Oh, I’ll make a note of that.

CAROL:  Yes, she’s pretty good about wearing them, she can’t see much without them.

DIRECTOR: Right. OK. Now, I also need emergency contact details.

 

CAROL:  So what sort of information do you need?

DIRECTOR: Just the name and number of a friend or family member we can contact in case we can’t get hold of you at any time.

 

CAROL:  OK. That’d better be my sister … Jenny Ball (Q8). That’s B-A-double L. Her phone number is 3346 7523.

DIRECTOR: Great. So she is the child’s aunt? (Q9)

CAROL:  Yes, that’s right.

DIRECTOR: I’ll make a note of that as well. Now, is there anything you’d like to ask?

CAROL:  What about payment? How much are the fees each term?

DIRECTOR: Well, for two days and the hours you’ve chosen, that will be $450 altogether.

CAROL:  OK, and do I have to pay that now?

DIRECTOR: No, we send out invoices once the children start at the centre. You can choose to pay at the end of each term or we do offer a slightly discounted rate if you pay every month.

CAROL:  Oh, I’ll do that then (Q10). I find it easier to budget that way and I’m not used to the term dates just yet.

 

DIRECTOR: Good, it makes it a lot simpler for us as well. Well, that’s everything. Would you like me to show you around …?

TEST 4

MR THORNDYKE:    Thorndyke’s

EDITH: Good morning. Is that Mr Thorndyke?

MR THORNDYKE:    Speaking. How can I help?

EDITH: I’ve got quite a few things which need painting and fixing in the flat and I wonder whether you’d be able to do the work.

MR THORNDYKE:    I’m sure I’d be able to help but let me take down a few details.

EDITH: Yes, of course.

MR THORNDYKE:    Well, firstly, how did you hear about us?

EDITH: It was my friend May Hampton (Example) … you did some excellent work for her a couple of years ago. Do you remember?

MR THORNDYKE:    Oh, yes, that was in West Park Flats, lovely lady.

 

EDITH: Yes, she is.

MR THORNDYKE:    And what’s your name, please?

EDITH: It’s Edith Pargetter. (Q1)

MR THORNDYKE:    Edith … can you spell your surname, please?

 

EDITH: It’s P-A-R-G-E-double T-E-R.

MR THORNDYKE:    Double T, right. And do you live in West Park Flats as well?

EDITH: No, actually it’s East (Q2) Park, Flat 4.

MR THORNDYKE:    Oh, right, that’s over the road, I seem to remember – quite difficult to get to.

EDITH: Yes, it’s at the back of the library. (Q3)

MR THORNDYKE:    Right, I know. And what’s your phone number?

EDITH: 875934 but I’m out a great deal in the afternoons and evenings.

MR THORNDYKE:    So would the best time to ring you be in the morning? (Q4)

EDITH: Yes.

MR THORNDYKE:    Fine. I’ve made a note of that. Can I just ask, I’ll be in a van and I know parking’s rather difficult round your flats. Where would you recommend?

EDITH:  Well, I always tell people in larger vehicles to park by the postbox on the other side of the road from the entrance. (Q5)

MR THORNDYKE:    Good, thanks.

EDITH: And will you be able to give me a full itemised quote?

 

MR THORNDYKE:    Oh, yes, I’ll list all the jobs separately with individual prices. (Q6)

EDITH: That’d be a great help.

MR THORNDYKE:    No problem.

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MR THORNDYKE:    Now, what would you like me to do?

EDITH: Firstly and most urgently is in the kitchen. With all the weather damage, the glass in the door has cracked and I’d need that fixing …

MR THORNDYKE:    I presume you mean replacing? (Q7)

EDITH: Oh, yes. And as soon as possible …

MR THORNDYKE:    What I’ll do is come round tomorrow morning and do that immediately.

EDITH: Thank you so much. The other things aren’t so urgent but …

 

MR THORNDYKE:    Now, I’ll make a note of everything you want doing.

EDITH: Well, in the kitchen I’d like some painting doing.

MR THORNDYKE:    All the kitchen walls?

EDITH: Just the area over the cooker (Q8). It’s very greasy …

MR THORNDYKE:    Right … it does tend to get that way!

EDITH: Yes!

MR THORNDYKE:    Well, if you want a proper job done what I’d need to do is strip the old paint and plaster it about a week before I paint it. (Q9)

EDITH: Of course. Now, May tells me you also do work in the garden.

 

MR THORNDYKE:    That’s right.

EDITH: Well, I’d like you to replace a fence. (Q10)

MR THORNDYKE:    Just one?

EDITH: Yes, at the far end.

MR THORNDYKE:    Fine. Shouldn’t be a problem.

EDITH: And that’s the lot.

MR THORNDYKE:    Fine. Yeah, as I say I can come round tomorrow morning to look over things with you.

EDITH: That’s great, thank you.

MR THORNDYKE:    So, I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow at …