IELTS Listening Practice Test 9: Part 1

Narrator: Part 1. You will hear a father phoning a children's holiday club to book places for his son and daughter.

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.

Club organiser (Lucy): Good morning, Kingfisher Holiday Club, Lucy speaking. How can I help?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Oh, hi. I'm calling about your summer club. I'd like to book places for my two children, if you still have room.

Club organiser (Lucy): We do have some spaces left, yes, although a few weeks are filling up quite fast. Can I start by taking your surname?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Sure. It's Fairclough.

Club organiser (Lucy): Sorry, could you spell that for me?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Of course. It's F-A-I-R-C-L-O-U-G-H.

Club organiser (Lucy): Thank you, Mr Fairclough. And which week were you interested in?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Well, ideally the week beginning the twenty-first of July. That's the first week of the school holidays, and my wife and I are both working.

Club organiser (Lucy): Let me just check. Oh dear, I'm afraid that week's fully booked. I can put you on the waiting list, but I wouldn't be very hopeful.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Ah, that's a shame. What about the following week?

Club organiser (Lucy): The week beginning the twenty-eighth? Yes, there's still plenty of room that week.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): OK, let's go for the twenty-eighth, then. My parents have offered to have the kids for a few days, so we'll ask them to help out the week before.

Club organiser (Lucy): Lovely. And could I have the children's names and ages?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Yes. There's Ella, who's ten, and her brother Sam, who's seven.

Club organiser (Lucy): Ella, ten, and Sam, seven. Now, do either of them have any medical conditions or allergies that we should know about?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Ella's fine. Sam was allergic to eggs when he was a baby, but he grew out of that a few years ago, so you don't need to worry about it. The main thing is that he has asthma. It's quite mild, but he always carries an inhaler.

Club organiser (Lucy): That's no problem. All our staff are trained in first aid, and we'll make sure he keeps the inhaler with him, especially during sports. Now, the club finishes at five o'clock every day. Will you be collecting the children yourself?

Caller (Mr Fairclough): I'll drop them off in the mornings on my way to work, but I can't get there by five. My wife usually picks them up from school, but she's working late shifts that week. So their grandmother will pick them up. She only lives a few streets away from you.

Club organiser (Lucy): That's fine. The first time she comes, she'll just need to show some photo identification at the front desk.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): OK, I'll let her know. And can I ask about the cost? I saw a leaflet that said ninety pounds a week for each child.

Club organiser (Lucy): Ah, I think that must be last year's leaflet. It's a hundred pounds per child now. But we do give a discount when brothers and sisters come together, so for both of them it comes to one hundred and eighty pounds for the week.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): That sounds fair enough.

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.

Club organiser (Lucy): Now, would you like to hear what the children will be doing that week? Every day has a different main activity.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Yes, please. Ella gets bored very easily, so that would be good to know.

Club organiser (Lucy): Well, on Monday it's archery, in the sports hall. We used to do fencing on Mondays, but our fencing coach moved away last year, so archery has taken its place. The children love it, and all the equipment is provided.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Ella will be thrilled. She's been asking to try that for ages.

Club organiser (Lucy): Then on Tuesday there's a nature trail in Hollins Wood. The children look for birds and insects, and they do some drawing too. Please don't send them in sandals or trainers that day, though, because the paths get very muddy. They'll need boots. Wellies are ideal.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Right. I'll dig them out of the garage.

Club organiser (Lucy): On Wednesday we have our day trip. We'd planned to go to Ashby Castle, but it's closed for repairs this summer, so instead we're taking them to the aquarium in Westport. They'll get to watch the sharks being fed.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): That sounds great. Is there an extra charge for the trip?

Club organiser (Lucy): There is, I'm afraid. The normal entry price for children is fourteen pounds, but we get a group discount, so it's just nine pounds per child, and that includes the coach.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): That's very reasonable.

Club organiser (Lucy): On Thursday it's cooking. Parents often expect the children to be making cakes, and we did use to do that, but these days we try to encourage healthier eating, so now they make pizzas. They make the dough themselves, and they can take what they've made home at the end of the day.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Sam will love that. He'd eat pizza every day if we let him.

Club organiser (Lucy): And then on Friday afternoon it's our sports day. Parents and grandparents are very welcome to come and watch.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Wonderful. And how do I pay?

Club organiser (Lucy): I'll email you a booking form this afternoon, with a link for the payment. As soon as that's done, the places are confirmed.

Caller (Mr Fairclough): Perfect. Thanks very much for your help, Lucy.

Club organiser (Lucy): You're welcome. Goodbye.

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