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IELTS Listening Practice Test 2: Part 1
Booking a cycle tour. A woman phones a cycle tour company to ask about guided tours for her family.
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You hear the recording once, as in the real test.
Questions 1–10
Complete the form below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Riverside Cycle Tours: Booking Enquiry
Customer details
- Group size: four (example) people
- Surname: 1
- Hotel: the 2 Hotel
- Ages of children: 9 and 3
- Date of tour: 4 August
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Guided tours
| Tour | Length | What you see | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Trail | 2 hours | the ruins of an old 5 | completely flat: best for 6 |
| Lighthouse Loop | 7 hours | views from the cliffs; 8 on the rocks | minimum age: 9 |
| Forest Ride | 3 hours | a lake and a waterfall | price includes a 10 |
Show the answers and explanations
- MerrimanThe surname is spelled letter by letter: M-E-R-R-I-M-A-N (note the double R).
- Harbour / HarborTrap: the Castle Hotel was the first booking, but the family has been moved to the Harbour Hotel.
- 13 / thirteenTrap: she was twelve until last week. She is now thirteen.
- 23 / 23rd / twenty-third / 23 August / 23rd AugustTrap: they thought about the twenty-second, but there is a festival that day, so they choose the twenty-third.
- monasteryTrap: people expect a castle because of the village name, but there has never been a castle there.
- young children / children / familiesTrap: people think it is for older riders, but it suits families with young children best.
- 4 / fourTrap: it used to take three hours. A cliff section was added, so it now takes four.
- sealsDolphins are only seen two or three times a summer. The seals can almost always be seen.
- 14 / fourteenTrap: the minimum age used to be twelve. It is now fourteen.
- packed lunch / lunchBike hire and helmets are included on every tour, so they are not special to the Forest Ride. Its price also includes a packed lunch.
Show the transcript
Narrator: Part 1. You will hear a woman phoning a company that runs guided cycle tours.
Narrator: First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 4.
Narrator: You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.
Narrator: Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 4.
Booking assistant (Tom): Good afternoon, Riverside Cycle Tours, Tom speaking. How can I help?
Caller (Sophie): Hi there. I'm coming here on vacation with my family next month, and I wanted to ask about your guided bike tours.
Booking assistant (Tom): Of course. Let me just take a few details first. How many people would be cycling?
Caller (Sophie): There are four of us. Me, my husband and our two kids.
Booking assistant (Tom): Lovely. And can I take your surname?
Caller (Sophie): Sure. It's Merriman. That's M-E-R-R-I-M-A-N.
Booking assistant (Tom): Thank you. And where will you be staying? We can sometimes collect people from their hotel.
Caller (Sophie): Oh, that would be great. We were booked into the Castle Hotel, but they had a problem with the rooms, so they've moved us to their sister hotel. It's called the Harbour Hotel. It's right on the seafront.
Booking assistant (Tom): Ah, yes, I know it. The Harbour. That's very close to our shop, actually, so you could easily walk over.
Caller (Sophie): Perfect.
Booking assistant (Tom): Now, you mentioned children. Can I ask how old they are? Some of our tours have age limits.
Caller (Sophie): Sure. My son is nine, and my daughter is, well, she was twelve until last week. She's just turned thirteen, and she'll tell you that herself if you ask.
Booking assistant (Tom): Thirteen. Right. And when were you thinking of coming?
Caller (Sophie): We arrive on the twentieth of August. We were thinking about the twenty-second, but there's a music festival in town that day, and we'd like to go to that. So could we say the twenty-third?
Booking assistant (Tom): The twenty-third of August. That should be fine.
Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 5 to 10.
Narrator: Now listen and answer questions 5 to 10.
Booking assistant (Tom): So, we run three different tours at the moment. The shortest one is the Valley Trail. That takes about two hours, and it follows the old railway line along the river.
Caller (Sophie): And is there anything to see on the way?
Booking assistant (Tom): Yes. About halfway along, you stop at the ruins of an old monastery. A lot of people expect a castle, because of the name of the village, Castleford, but there's never been a castle there. The monastery is about eight hundred years old, and the guide tells some good stories about it.
Caller (Sophie): That sounds interesting. Is it hard going?
Booking assistant (Tom): Not at all. It's completely flat. People sometimes think it's mainly for older riders who want a gentle day out, but actually most of the groups we get are families with young children, and that's who it suits best, because there are no hills and no traffic at all.
Caller (Sophie): Hmm. My kids are a bit more adventurous than that, to be honest. What else is there?
Booking assistant (Tom): Well, the most popular one is the Lighthouse Loop. That goes up along the cliffs to the lighthouse and back. It used to take three hours, but last year we added a section along the cliff path, so now it's four hours in total, including a break.
Caller (Sophie): And what's the highlight on that one?
Booking assistant (Tom): The views from the cliffs are amazing, of course. But what most people remember is the seals. There's a group of them that lie on the rocks just below the lighthouse, and you can almost always see them. People ask about dolphins too, but we only see those two or three times a summer, so I wouldn't promise anything.
Caller (Sophie): Oh, my daughter would love that. Is there an age limit?
Booking assistant (Tom): There is, I'm afraid, because part of the route is on the main road. The minimum age used to be twelve, but our insurance company changed the rules this year, and it's now fourteen.
Caller (Sophie): Oh, that's a shame. So my daughter's too young by a year, and my son definitely is. OK, what's the third one?
Booking assistant (Tom): That's the Forest Ride. It's three hours, and it goes through the forest to the lake. There's a lovely waterfall at the far end of the lake. It's quite hilly in places, but nothing too steep.
Caller (Sophie): And how much is that one? Do we have to pay extra for the bikes?
Booking assistant (Tom): No, bike hire and helmets are included on all our tours. The Forest Ride is thirty pounds for adults and twenty for children, and that also includes a packed lunch, which we eat beside the lake.
Caller (Sophie): That sounds perfect. I think the kids would really enjoy that one. Can I book it for the twenty-third?
Booking assistant (Tom): Certainly. Let me just check. Yes, there's space. I'll send you an email with everything you need to know.
Caller (Sophie): Great. Thanks so much for your help.
Narrator: That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers to Part 1.