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IELTS Listening Practice Test 4: Part 1
Renting a flat. A student phones a letting agency about renting a flat, and the agent describes three flats that might suit her.
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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.
Castlegate Lettings: Enquiry
Caller details
- Number of tenants: two (example)
- Name: Lena 1
Requirements
- Maximum rent: £2 per month in total
- Must move in by: 3 September
- Location: must be able to walk to the 4
- Essential: a safe place to keep a 5
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Flats available
| Address | Monthly rent | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granby Street | £6 | a very large 7 | above a 8, so it may be noisy early in the morning |
| Wells Court | £920 | 9 is included in the rent | fourth floor and no lift |
| Kingsley Road | £880 | has its own garden | heating bills are high because of the old 10 |
Show the answers and explanations
- HartmannThe surname is spelled letter by letter: H-A-R-T-M-A-N-N, with two Ns at the end.
- 950Trap: they would like to pay under 900 pounds, but that is unrealistic, so their absolute limit is 950 pounds.
- 8 / 8th / eighthTrap: the course starts on the 22nd and the induction week on the 15th, so they need to move in by the 8th.
- hospitalShe will spend most of her time on placements at the hospital. The campus is not important because there is a good bus service.
- bike / bicycleParking is not needed because neither of them has a car, but her friend's expensive bike needs somewhere safe.
- 875Trap: it was advertised at 900 pounds a month, but the landlord has reduced the price to 875 pounds.
- kitchenThe bedrooms are 'nothing special'. The kitchen is huge.
- bakeryTrap: people expect traffic noise, but the street is quiet. The noise comes from the bakery below, from about four in the morning.
- internet / broadband / wifi / wi-fiThe internet is included. Gas and electricity are paid for separately.
- windowsTrap: the boiler is brand new. The old windows let the heat out, so heating bills are high.
Show the transcript
Narrator: Part 1. You will hear a student phoning a letting agency to ask about renting a flat.
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.
Letting agent (Owen): Good afternoon, Castlegate Lettings, Owen speaking. How can I help?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Oh, hi. I'm a student at the university, and I'm looking for a flat to rent from September. I saw on your website that you have quite a few near the city centre.
Letting agent (Owen): We do. Is it just for you, or are you sharing with someone?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): With a friend, so there'll be two of us. We'd each want our own bedroom, though.
Letting agent (Owen): Of course. So a two-bedroom flat. Let me take some details. Can I have your name?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): It's Lena Hartmann.
Letting agent (Owen): Could you spell the surname for me?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Sure. It's H-A-R-T-M-A-N-N. There are two Ns at the end.
Letting agent (Owen): Thank you. And what sort of budget do you have, Lena? How much could the two of you pay a month in total?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Well, we'd really like to keep it under nine hundred pounds. But we've been looking online, and that seems a bit unrealistic round here. So I guess our absolute limit would be nine hundred and fifty.
Letting agent (Owen): That's sensible. You'll find a lot more choice at that level. And when would you want to move in?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): My course starts on the twenty-second of September, but there's an induction week before that, which starts on the fifteenth. So we'd need to move in by the eighth, really, to have time to settle in.
Letting agent (Owen): So the beginning of September. OK. Is there a particular area you're interested in?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Not really, as long as I can walk to the hospital. I'm studying medicine, and next year I'll be spending most of my time on placements there, rather than on the main campus. There's a good bus service to the campus anyway.
Letting agent (Owen): Right. Well, there are some nice streets around the hospital. Is there anything else that's essential? Parking, for example?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): No, neither of us has a car. But my friend Josie cycles everywhere, and she's got a really expensive bike, so we'd need somewhere safe to keep that. She won't leave it out on the street.
Letting agent (Owen): That's fair enough. Lots of bikes get stolen round here. And would you like a garden?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): That would be nice, but it's not essential.
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.
Letting agent (Owen): Right, I've got three flats on our books at the moment that might suit you. Shall I go through them?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Yes, please. Hang on, let me just grab a pen. OK.
Letting agent (Owen): The first one is on Granby Street, about ten minutes' walk from the hospital. It was advertised at nine hundred a month, but the landlord has just dropped the price to eight hundred and seventy-five, because he wants to find tenants quickly.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Oh, that's well within our budget. What's it like?
Letting agent (Owen): The bedrooms are a decent size, but nothing special. The thing everyone comments on is the kitchen. It's huge. You could easily fit a big table in there and have friends round for dinner.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): That sounds lovely. So what's the catch?
Letting agent (Owen): Well, it's above a bakery. People expect the traffic to be a problem, but actually it's a very quiet street. The issue is that the bakers start work at about four in the morning, and you can sometimes hear them through the floor.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Hmm. Josie's a very light sleeper, so that might not work. What's the second one?
Letting agent (Owen): That's in Wells Court, a modern block just behind the hospital, so it's the closest of the three. It's nine hundred and twenty a month, and the rent includes the internet, which is very fast. Gas and electricity you'd pay for separately.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): That's useful. One less bill to sort out. Is there anything bad about it?
Letting agent (Owen): It's on the fourth floor, and there's no lift, I'm afraid. But there's a secure bike store on the ground floor, so that would solve your friend's problem.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Great. We could probably do with the exercise anyway. And the third one?
Letting agent (Owen): The third one is on Kingsley Road. It's eight hundred and eighty a month, and it's the only one with its own garden, which is lovely in the summer. It's a bit further from the hospital, though. It would take you about twenty-five minutes on foot.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): And what are the disadvantages?
Letting agent (Owen): It's in an old house, and the heating bills tend to be high. The boiler is brand new, so it's not that. It's the windows. They haven't been replaced for years, so they let a lot of the heat out.
Caller (Lena Hartmann): I see. Well, I think Wells Court sounds best for us. Could we see it this week?
Letting agent (Owen): Certainly. How about Thursday afternoon, at about four o'clock?
Caller (Lena Hartmann): Perfect. Thanks very much, Owen.
Narrator: That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers to Part 1.