IELTS Listening Practice Test 7: Part 1

Narrator: Part 1. You will hear a man phoning a restaurant to book a room for a family celebration.

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.

Events manager (Claire): Good morning, the Old Mill Restaurant, Claire speaking. How can I help?

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Oh, hello. I'm ringing about your function rooms. My sister and I are organising a surprise dinner for our parents. It's their fortieth wedding anniversary in October.

Events manager (Claire): Oh, how lovely. Forty years! Congratulations to them. Well, we've got two private rooms, so let me take a few details, and then we can work out which one would suit you best. Could I have your name first?

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Yes, it's Michael Kilbride.

Events manager (Claire): And how do you spell your surname?

Caller (Mr Kilbride): It's K-I-L-B-R-I-D-E.

Events manager (Claire): Thank you, Mr Kilbride. And do you have a date in mind?

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Well, the actual anniversary is on the ninth, but that's a Wednesday, and quite a few of the guests are travelling a long way, so a weekday's really no good. We were hoping for the Saturday after that, which is the twelfth.

Events manager (Claire): Saturday the twelfth of October. Let me just check the diary. Yes, that's fine. Both rooms are free that evening. And how many guests are you expecting?

Caller (Mr Kilbride): There'll be thirty-four of us altogether. Oh, no, wait. My cousin rang last night to say that she and her husband can't come after all, so that makes it thirty-two.

Events manager (Claire): Thirty-two. In that case, I'm afraid our smaller room, the Library, won't work, because it only seats twenty-four. But the Garden Room can take up to forty, so that would be ideal. It has glass doors that open onto the garden, so if the weather's nice, people can take their drinks outside.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Oh, that sounds perfect. My mother loves gardens. Is it all right if we decorate the room? My sister has lots of ideas.

Events manager (Claire): Of course. Most people bring balloons, and you're welcome to put up banners as well. There are always candles on the tables, so you don't need to bring those. The one thing we don't allow is confetti, I'm afraid. It gets into the carpet, and it's almost impossible to clean.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Fair enough. I'll let her know.

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.

Events manager (Claire): Now, let's talk about food. For private parties, we offer either a set menu or a buffet.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Right. What does the set menu involve?

Events manager (Claire): It's three courses, with a choice of two dishes for each course. It's thirty-one pounds per person. Oh, sorry, I'm looking at last year's price list. The prices went up in the spring, so it's thirty-five now.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Thirty-five. OK. And what are the main courses?

Events manager (Claire): At the moment it's roast lamb, or for vegetarians there's a mushroom pie. We used to do a pasta dish, but our new chef felt it was a bit ordinary for a special occasion, so he replaced it with the pie, and it's been very popular.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): My father will definitely go for the lamb. And what about the buffet?

Events manager (Claire): That's twenty-six pounds per person, and it's a bit more relaxed, because people can get up and walk around and chat to each other. People often think a buffet just means sandwiches, but ours has a choice of hot and cold dishes, and for dessert there's a chocolate fountain, with fresh fruit for dipping.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Oh, my mother would love that. She's a real chocolate lover. Hmm. I'll need to talk to my sister before we decide. Oh, and I should mention that my uncle can't eat gluten, and one of my nieces is vegan.

Events manager (Claire): That's no problem at all, and there's no extra charge for it. We just need to know at least ten days before the event. We used to ask for a week's notice, but our suppliers need a bit longer these days.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Ten days. Fine. What about flowers? Can you provide those?

Events manager (Claire): Yes, we can put a small arrangement on each table. That's eight pounds per table. What colour would you like? Most people go for white.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Well, it's their ruby anniversary, so I suppose red would make sense. But actually, my mother carried yellow roses at her wedding, and she's always said they're her favourite flowers. So let's have yellow.

Events manager (Claire): What a lovely idea. Yellow it is. Is there anything else you'll need?

Caller (Mr Kilbride): Actually, yes. My sister has put together a slideshow of old family photos. Is there any way we could show it during the evening?

Events manager (Claire): Certainly. We can set up a projector and screen in the Garden Room. It's normally forty-five pounds to hire, but for customers who book the Garden Room, we reduce it to thirty.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): That's very reasonable. Let's add that, then.

Events manager (Claire): Lovely. I'll email you a booking form with everything we've discussed. We'll need a deposit of one hundred pounds to confirm the date.

Caller (Mr Kilbride): That's great. Thanks very much for your help, Claire.

Events manager (Claire): You're very welcome. I hope your parents have a wonderful evening.

Narrator: That is the end of Part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers to Part 1.