Home › Free IELTS practice tests › Listening tests › Test 27
IELTS Listening Practice Test 27: Part 1
Booking a guided walk. A woman phones a national park visitor centre to book a guided walk for herself and her husband.
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 notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Ashdale National Park: Guided Walk Booking
Booking details
- Number of people: 2 (example)
- Surname: 1
- Accommodation: a cottage at 2 Farm
- Date of walk: Tuesday 3 July
Other information
- Husband has a problem with his 4
- Packed lunch must not contain 5
- Found out about the walks from a 6
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Guided walks available
| Walk | Distance | Highlights | Price per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Walk | 8 km | 7 often seen near the islands | £12 |
| Fell Top Walk | 8 km | views as far as the sea; steep, rocky path down | £12 |
| Heritage Walk | 10 km | a visit to a 9 that is 300 years old | £10 (includes entry fee) |
Show the answers and explanations
- GarrowayThe surname is spelled letter by letter: G-A-R-R-O-W-A-Y (note the double R).
- BeechTrap: the assistant asks if it is 'beach' like the seaside, but it is Beech, like the tree: B-E-E-C-H.
- 12 / 12th / twelfth / 12 July / 12th JulyTrap: she wanted Sunday the tenth, but there are no guided walks on Sundays, and on Thursday the fourteenth they have a boat trip. So Tuesday the twelfth.
- kneeTrap: he broke his wrist, but that has healed. His long-term problem is his knee.
- nutsTrap: her husband does not like mushrooms, but she says not to worry about that. She is allergic to nuts.
- podcastTrap: she looked at the website later, but she first heard about the walks on a podcast.
- ottersTrap: many people hope to see red deer, but they stay on the higher ground in summer. Otters live near the islands.
- 17 / seventeen / 17 kmTrap: the walk used to be fourteen kilometres. After a storm, the route is longer: seventeen kilometres.
- millTrap: people expect to visit the castle, but it is on private land and only seen from a distance. The main stop is the mill.
- 19 / nineteen / £19The other two walks cost twelve pounds. The Heritage Walk costs nineteen because it includes the entry fee for the mill.
Show the transcript
Narrator: Part 1. You will hear a woman phoning a national park visitor centre to book a guided walk.
Narrator: First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6.
Narrator: You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.
Narrator: Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 6.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Good morning, Ashdale National Park Visitor Centre, Gareth speaking. How can I help?
Caller (Rachel): Oh, hi. My husband and I are coming to Ashdale on vacation in July, and I'd like to book one of your guided walks, please.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Lovely. Is that just for the two of you?
Caller (Rachel): It is now. My sister was going to come with us, but she can't get the time off work, so yes, just two.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Two people. And could I take your surname?
Caller (Rachel): Sure. It's Garroway. G-A-R-R-O-W-A-Y.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Thank you. And where are you staying while you're here? Sometimes the guide needs to get in touch the evening before, if the weather looks bad.
Caller (Rachel): We've rented a cottage on a farm just outside Ashdale village. It's called Beech Farm.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Is that beach, as in the seaside?
Caller (Rachel): No, as in the tree. B-E-E-C-H.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Ah, yes, I know it. It's at the bottom of the valley, by the river. Right, and which day would you like to walk?
Caller (Rachel): Well, we arrive on Saturday the ninth of July, so I was hoping we could do a walk on the Sunday.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): I'm sorry, our guides don't work on Sundays in the summer. The guided walks run on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Caller (Rachel): Oh, OK. So the Thursday would be the fourteenth. Hmm, no, we've already booked a boat trip on the lake that day. It'll have to be the Tuesday, then.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Tuesday the twelfth of July. That's no problem. There are still places on all three walks that day.
Caller (Rachel): Great.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Now, the walks are quite long, so I always ask if either of you has a health problem that the guide should know about.
Caller (Rachel): Let me think. I'm fine. My husband broke his wrist skiing in February, but that's completely healed now. The real issue is that he's had trouble with his knee for years. He's fine on flat ground, and even going uphill, but long, steep descents can be really painful for him.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): That's useful to know. I'll make a note of that for the guide. Also, all our guided walks include a packed lunch, which the cafe here makes fresh in the morning. Do either of you have any special dietary needs?
Caller (Rachel): We eat pretty much everything. My husband isn't keen on mushrooms, but that's just him being fussy, so please don't worry about that. But I should tell you that I'm allergic to nuts. It's not severe, but I do need to avoid them.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): I'll let the kitchen know. And one last question. We're trying to find out how people hear about our walks. Was it through our website?
Caller (Rachel): No, actually. I did look at your website later, to check the details, but we first heard about the walks on a podcast. It's one about walking holidays in Britain, and they did a whole episode on Ashdale.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Oh, brilliant. I don't think anyone's said that before.
Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 7 to 10.
Narrator: Now listen and answer questions 7 to 10.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): So, let me tell you about the three walks on the twelfth, and then you can decide. The first is the Lakeshore Walk. It's eight kilometres, and it goes all the way round Ashdale Water, our biggest lake. It's completely flat, on good paths.
Caller (Rachel): And is there much wildlife?
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): There is. A lot of people hope to see red deer, but in summer they tend to stay up on the higher ground, so I wouldn't count on that. What you've got a very good chance of seeing are otters. There's a family of them living near the islands at the north end of the lake, and the guides know exactly where to look.
Caller (Rachel): Oh, I'd love that. What's the second one?
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): That's the Fell Top Walk, which climbs to the highest point in the park. It used to be fourteen kilometres, but part of the old path was washed away in a storm last winter, so the route now goes the long way round, and it's seventeen kilometres in total.
Caller (Rachel): Seventeen! That's quite a day.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): It is, but the views are amazing. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the sea. I should warn you, though, that the path down from the top is very steep and rocky, so with your husband's knee...
Caller (Rachel): Yes, I don't think that would be a good idea. And the third?
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): That's the Heritage Walk. It's ten kilometres, and it follows the river through three villages. People often expect to visit the castle, because you can see it on the hill from the main road, but it's on private land, so you only see it from a distance. The main stop is a three-hundred-year-old mill, where they used to make woollen cloth. It's been beautifully restored, and the machines still work.
Caller (Rachel): That sounds more like it. And how much are the walks?
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): The Lakeshore Walk and the Fell Top Walk are both twelve pounds per person, and that includes the packed lunch. The Heritage Walk is a little more, nineteen pounds, because that also covers the entry fee for the mill.
Caller (Rachel): That's fine. I think we'll go for the Heritage Walk, then. My husband loves anything to do with old machines.
Visitor centre assistant (Gareth): Great. I'll put you both down for that, and I'll email you the details of where to meet.
Caller (Rachel): Perfect. Thank you so much for your help, Gareth.
Narrator: That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers to Part 1.