IELTS Listening Part 1 is a conversation between two speakers in an everyday or social situation — a booking, an enquiry, a registration, a complaint. It carries 10 of the 40 marks and is the most predictable part of the section: names, numbers, dates, addresses and prices, asked in the order they are spoken.
Work through the transcript below as if it were audio: read it once, at speaking pace, without going back.
|
Want to FINALLY Pass the IELTS Academic Test And Reach Your Goals? Get Your FREE Lume Account Today to Unlock… ✅ 10,000+ PRACTICE QUESTIONS with detailed answers ✅ FREE MOCK TESTS with fast & accurate AI scoring ✅ Get BETTER SCORES with a PERSONALIZED study plan (Limited seats available!) |
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Speakers | Two, in conversation |
| Context | Everyday or social — not academic |
| Questions | 10 |
| Common task types | Form completion, note completion, table completion, multiple choice |
| Typical answers | Names, numbers, dates, times, addresses, prices, single nouns |
| Heard how many times | Once |
Questions 1-10. Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
|
Transcript Receptionist: Good morning, Ridgeway Leisure Centre. How can I help? Caller: Hello, I would like to ask about membership. I moved to the area last month. R: Of course. Let me take a few details and I can send you the options. Can I have your full name? C: It is Marta Olsen. That is O-L-S-E-N. R: Thank you. And your address? C: Flat 4, 22 Beckwith Road. That is B-E-C-K-W-I-T-H. R: Postcode? C: RG9 4TP. R: Lovely. Best contact number? C: 07700 900 318. Actually, sorry — that is my old number. It is 07700 900 381. R: 900 381. Got it. Now, which membership are you interested in? We have Standard at 32 a month, Peak at 45, and Off-Peak at 26. C: What are the off-peak hours? R: Weekdays until four in the afternoon, and all day at weekends. C: I work until five, so that will not suit me. But 45 is more than I wanted to spend. I will take the Standard one. R: Standard it is. That includes the gym, the pool and two classes a week. Extra classes are five pounds each. C: Is there a joining fee? R: Normally twenty pounds, but it is waived if you join before the end of the month. C: I will come in this week then. What do I need to bring? R: Photo identification and proof of your address — a utility bill is fine. And if you want the swimming induction, bring a towel. C: Do I need to book the induction? R: Yes, and there is only one a week — Thursday evenings at half past six. C: Thursday at six thirty. I will book that. One more thing — is there parking? R: There is, but it is limited to ninety minutes unless you display a member permit. We issue those at the desk. |
| Q | Form field | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surname | |
| 2 | Street name | |
| 3 | Postcode | |
| 4 | Telephone number | |
| 5 | Membership chosen | |
| 6 | Monthly cost (pounds) | |
| 7 | Cost of each extra class (pounds) | |
| 8 | Documents required: photo ID and… | |
| 9 | Induction day and time | |
| 10 | Parking limit without a permit (minutes) |
| Q | Answer | Where it was said | Trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olsen | Spelled out by the caller | Olson, Olsson |
| 2 | Beckwith (Road) | Spelled out | Beckwith without the h |
| 3 | RG9 4TP | Given once, not spelled | Mishearing G as J |
| 4 | 07700 900 381 | Corrected mid-sentence | Writing 318, the first version |
| 5 | Standard | Chosen after rejecting two others | Off-Peak, mentioned first with the cheapest price |
| 6 | 32 | Stated in the price list | 26 or 45 |
| 7 | 5 | “Extra classes are five pounds each” | Writing “five pounds” — over the word limit if a number is asked for |
| 8 | proof of address / a utility bill | Both forms accepted | “utility bill” alone is safest and shortest |
| 9 | Thursday 6.30 / Thursday 18.30 | Stated as “half past six” | Writing 6.30 without the day |
| 10 | 90 | “ninety minutes” | Writing “ninety minutes” when the field asks for minutes |
| Trap | How it appeared here | Defence |
|---|---|---|
| Self-correction | The phone number was given wrongly, then corrected | Listen for “actually”, “sorry”, “I mean” and overwrite your answer |
| Distractor options | Three membership prices were read out; only one was chosen | Wait for the decision, not the first number you hear |
| Word-limit breach | “five pounds” for a field asking pounds | Re-read the instruction before you start writing |
| Spelling | Beckwith, Olsen | Write letters as you hear them, do not reconstruct afterwards |
| Confusable pair | How to separate them |
|---|---|
| A / R / 8 | R has an “ar” glide; 8 ends in a hard t |
| B / P / V | B and P are plosives, V continues |
| M / N | M is longer and lower |
| G / J | G is “jee”, J is “jay” — listen for the vowel |
| 13 / 30 | 13 stresses the second syllable, 30 the first |
| 15 / 50 | Same stress rule |
| double / two | “double four” is 44, “two four” is 24 |
| oh / zero | Both are written 0 |
| Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| Every question is worth 1 mark | A Part 1 form question counts as much as a Part 4 lecture question |
| Spelling must be correct | Both British and American spellings are accepted; a misspelling is not |
| Word limit is strict | Exceeding it scores zero regardless of content |
| Numbers may be written in figures or words | Unless the field itself specifies a figure |
| Hyphenated words count as one word | “part-time” is one word |
| Contractions count as one word | Avoid them anyway; write the full form |
Ten, out of 40 in the whole Listening section. Each of the four parts carries ten questions and each question is worth one mark.
It is the most predictable rather than the easiest. The context is everyday and the answers are usually names, numbers and short nouns, but that is also why careless spelling and word-limit errors cost more marks here than anywhere else.
Yes. The information comes in the same order as the questions across all four parts, which is why moving forward is the right response to losing your place.
Yes. An answer that is heard correctly but spelled incorrectly scores zero. Both British and American spellings are accepted, so “colour” and “color” are both fine, but “Olsson” for “Olsen” is not.
The answer scores zero even when the content is right. If the instruction says no more than two words and the answer needs three to make sense, you have misidentified the answer.
No. Every part of IELTS Listening is played once only, which is the main difference from many practice materials and school tests.
|
Want to FINALLY Pass the IELTS Academic Test And Reach Your Goals? Get Your FREE Lume Account Today to Unlock… ✅ 10,000+ PRACTICE QUESTIONS with detailed answers ✅ FREE MOCK TESTS with fast & accurate AI scoring ✅ Get BETTER SCORES with a PERSONALIZED study plan (Limited seats available!) |
Share
Lume Test
Editor
Lume Test is a leading platform offering practice questions and mock tests for major English exams like PTE, IELTS, TOEIC, Duolingo English Test, and more. We provide up-to-date, comprehensive materials designed to help learners improve their language skills and achieve high scores. With expert-crafted tests that closely mirror real exam formats, Lume Test ensures you're fully prepared for success. Your goals are our mission!
