Home › Free IELTS practice tests › Listening tests › Test 25
IELTS Listening Practice Test 25: Part 1
A quote for contents insurance. A woman phones an insurance company to compare three home contents policies and get a quote for her new flat.
Take it like the real test. Do this Listening section on the computer-delivered test screen, with the timer, highlighting and instant marking. Free, no sign-up.
Start the free Listening sectionAudio
You hear the recording once, as in the real test.
Questions 1–10
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Brightwell Insurance: contents policies
| Policy | Maximum cover | What is covered | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £20,000 (example) | theft, fire and 1 | £2 |
| Standard | £40,000 | as Basic, plus accidental damage; free 3 advice by phone | £19 |
| Premium | £60,000 | as Standard, plus 4 kept in the garden or a shed; belongings of 5 staying in the home | £26 |
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Quote details
Customer
- Name: Rachel 6
- Occupation: 7
The flat
- Address: Flat 6, 14 Eastfield Road
- On the 8 floor
- Security: a 9 above the main entrance
Policy
- Start date: 10 February
- Full quote to be sent by email
Show the answers and explanations
- flooding / floods / floodBasic covers theft, fire and flooding. Trap: many people think it covers accidental damage, but that only comes with Standard.
- 11 / eleven / £11 / 11 poundsTrap: paying for the whole year costs £120 (which looks like £10 a month), but paying monthly costs £11.
- legalThe helpline gives legal advice, for example about a dispute with a landlord. Trap: financial advice is mentioned, but this company does not offer it.
- bikes / bicycles / bike / bicycleOnly Premium covers bikes kept outside in the garden or a shed. Garden furniture is not covered by any policy.
- guestsPremium covers the belongings of guests who come to stay. Trap: lodgers, who pay rent, are not covered.
- CoulthardThe surname is spelled letter by letter: C-O-U-L-T-H-A-R-D.
- librarianTrap: she trained and worked as a teacher, but she is now a librarian at the city library.
- topThe adviser mentions ground-floor flats, but hers is not on the ground floor: it is on the top floor.
- cameraThere is no alarm, and the caretaker has left, but there is a camera above the main entrance.
- 25 / 25th / twenty-fifth / 25 February / 25th FebruaryTrap: she moves her things in on the twenty-eighth, but the adviser recommends the day she gets the keys, so the policy starts on the twenty-fifth.
Show the transcript
Narrator: Part 1. You will hear a woman phoning an insurance company to get a quote for home contents insurance.
Narrator: First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5.
Narrator: You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.
Narrator: Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Good morning, Brightwell Insurance, Marcus speaking. How can I help?
Caller (Rachel): Oh, hi. I've just rented an apartment, a flat, I should say, and I need to insure my belongings. The furniture belongs to the landlord, but everything else is mine. So I was hoping to get a quote for contents insurance.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Certainly, I can help you with that. Before I take your details, would it be useful if I explained the three policies we offer?
Caller (Rachel): Yes, please. I had a look at your website, but to be honest, I found it a bit confusing.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): You're not the only one, believe me. Right, so our cheapest policy is called Basic. With Basic, the most we would pay out is twenty thousand pounds, which is usually plenty for someone renting a small flat.
Caller (Rachel): Twenty thousand. OK. And what does it actually cover?
Insurance adviser (Marcus): It covers you if your things are stolen, or if they're damaged in a fire. A lot of people assume it also covers accidental damage, say, if you drop your laptop, but I'm afraid it doesn't. The only other thing Basic covers is flooding.
Caller (Rachel): Flooding? I hadn't even thought about that. And how much does it cost?
Insurance adviser (Marcus): If you pay for the whole year in one go, it's a hundred and twenty pounds. Or you can spread the cost, and then it's eleven pounds a month.
Caller (Rachel): So it works out a little more expensive if I pay monthly.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): That's right, but most people find it easier. Then there's our Standard policy, which is the most popular one. That covers up to forty thousand pounds, and it includes accidental damage. So if you spilled a cup of coffee over your laptop, for example, you'd be covered.
Caller (Rachel): That would be useful. I'm pretty clumsy.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Standard also comes with a free helpline. Some insurers give their customers financial advice, which we don't offer, I'm afraid. But if you have a dispute with a landlord or a builder, say, you can call us and get legal advice at no extra cost.
Caller (Rachel): Oh, that's good to know. I had a lot of trouble with my last landlord. And what's the price of that one?
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Standard is nineteen pounds a month.
Caller (Rachel): OK. And the third policy?
Insurance adviser (Marcus): That's Premium. It covers up to sixty thousand pounds, and it includes everything in Standard. But with Premium, your bikes are covered even if they're kept in the garden or in a shed. With the other two policies, bikes are only covered while they're inside your home.
Caller (Rachel): Really? That could matter, actually. I've got two bikes, and there's no room for them in the flat, so they'll have to go in the back garden. What about garden furniture? There's a table and some chairs out there.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): I'm afraid garden furniture isn't covered by any of our policies. The other thing Premium includes is cover for guests' belongings. So if someone comes to stay with you and their phone is stolen from your flat, the policy would pay for it. It doesn't cover lodgers, though. Anyone who pays you rent would need to take out their own insurance.
Caller (Rachel): That's fine. I won't be renting out a room. So how much is Premium?
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Twenty-six pounds a month.
Caller (Rachel): Hmm. That's quite a lot more than Standard, but because of the bikes, I think I'd better go for Premium.
Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10.
Narrator: Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): I think that's sensible. So, if I can just take a few details, I'll be able to give you an exact quote. Could I have your full name, please?
Caller (Rachel): Yes, it's Rachel Coulthard.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): And could you spell your surname for me?
Caller (Rachel): Sure. It's C-O-U-L-T-H-A-R-D.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Thank you. And what's your occupation, Ms Coulthard? It can make a difference to the price.
Caller (Rachel): I'm a librarian. I trained as a teacher, and I taught for a few years, but I work at the city library now.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Lovely. And the address of the flat?
Caller (Rachel): It's Flat six, fourteen Eastfield Road.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): Thank you. And which floor is the flat on? Ground-floor flats are more likely to be broken into, so that affects the price as well.
Caller (Rachel): Well, it's not the ground floor. It's on the top floor. There's no elevator, so I'm going to get plenty of exercise.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): That should help keep the price down. Now, what about security? Is there a burglar alarm in the building?
Caller (Rachel): No, there's no alarm. There used to be a caretaker who lived on the ground floor, but he left last year and nobody's replaced him. There's a camera above the main entrance, though.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): That's good. Some insurers insist on a particular type of lock, but we don't, so that's everything on security. And when would you like the policy to start?
Caller (Rachel): Well, the tenancy starts on the twenty-fifth of February, but I'm not actually moving my things in until the twenty-eighth. So I guess it should start on the twenty-eighth?
Insurance adviser (Marcus): I'd recommend starting it on the day you get the keys, actually. People often take a few boxes over before the main move, and those wouldn't be covered.
Caller (Rachel): That's true. I'll probably take some things over on the first day. OK, let's make it the twenty-fifth, then.
Insurance adviser (Marcus): The twenty-fifth of February. Right, I'll work out the final figure and send the full quote to you by email this afternoon. It'll be valid for thirty days, so there's no rush to decide.
Caller (Rachel): That's great. Thank you so much for your help, Marcus.
Narrator: That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers to Part 1.