A Telephone Conversation of a Man Ordering Items from a Library- IELTS Listening Sample Answer

In the IELTS Listening test, candidates are required to listen to a few audio recordings played by the examiner and answer the questions given below. These audio recordings will be in the form of monologues or conversations between two or more people. The duration of the IELTS Listening test is 30 minutes. This topic is section one of IELTS listening and contains the following question types:

• Write a number
• Write the correct answer
• Fill the blank

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Topic: A Telephone Conversation of a Man Ordering Items from a Library

Audio Transcript
Section 1
You will hear a phone conversation of a man ordering items from a library. First, you have some time to look at questions 1- 3.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 - 3

Librarian: Good morning, City Central Library. May I help you?

Man: Yes, I want to order some books and copies of articles, please. You can send them to me through the postal Courier. Can't you?

Librarian: Yes, certainly. I'll just get the form and take down some details. First, your name, please sir.

Man: Lester Mackey. That's MacKie

Librarian: Mackie Lester and your membership number?

Man: That’s M 9301274

Librarian: M 9301274. Thank you. Now your address, please. That's the address you want us to send the items to.

Man: It's 17 Westmead Road, Annandale.

Librarian: And could I have your phone number and your fax number, please?

Man: Yes, the fax number is 8635923

Librarian: 8635923

Man: That's correct. The daytime phone number is 025796363 and after 5 p.m. It's 579 1857.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation you have some time to look at questions 4-6.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 4-6.

Librarian: Now, may I ask why you'll be needing the books? I'm sorry about this but we have to have this information whenever we send books out from a telephone request.

Man: No problem. I'm preparing a short article for the environment watch section of the local newspaper. We're quite concerned about the problems. We are facing here now, especially since we've been getting so many tourists in the district.

Librarian: Oh, I know. I'm so glad someone's doing something about publicizing the problem.

Man: Now how long can I keep the books for?

Librarian: Well, as you know a normal loan period is three weeks with a two-week extension over the phone. However, in cases where we send books out by post, we allow a longer initial loan period to allow for the delivery time, so you may have the books for six weeks from the date of postage, but I'm afraid the two-week extension won't apply then. However, you would be able to renew them by bringing them in for stamping provided No one else has a reserve them.

Man: I should think the normal period would be enough. Now, how do you prefer the postage and photocopy fees to be paid?

Librarian: We accept both cash and credit card, but it will be such a small sum. It might be more convenient to send us a money order.

Man: Hmm. Would it be all right, if I left it until I come in next time and just pay cash then?

Librarian: Of course, there's no problem with that at all.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation you have some time to look at questions 7 to 10.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 7 to 10.

Man: Shall I tell you the articles I want copied first.

Librarian: Good. I've got all that down now, perhaps we could go on to the books. You tell me the books you need and I'll tell you whether we have them immediately available or whether you'll have to wait a bit for them. All right. The details I need are the author, publication date, and the title of the book.

Man: The first one is by Holzworth. Published in 1978. It’s called ‘Land and Water resources in Australia.’

Librarian: Yeah, we have that on the shelf.

Man: The next two are both government publications. The first one is rather old, published in 1984 – Land degradation in Australia. but the second one is more recent that's ‘coastal zone inquiry report’ from 1993.

Librarian: I'm afraid we don't have the first one. We'll have to get that from the government archives for you. But the second one, the later one has just come in. So, I'll put that aside for you.

Man: Wonderful. Now, there are three more. Two rather old books, but they're standard works. So, you probably have them, ‘Environmental Law by Fisher’ and ‘Environmental Chemistry by Raiswell’. They were both published in 1980.

Librarian: Yes, we do have both those texts. Environmental laws should be on the shelf but environmental chemistry is out on loan at the moment. I'll put that on reserve for you.

Man: Right and the last one is the environment impact of travel and tourism by M Burns and Associates 1989.

Librarian: Burns… environment …

No, I'm sorry. We don't have that. I'll have to use the interlibrary loan service and get it for you.

Man: How long is that likely to take?

Librarian: Well, it really depends where we can get it. If it's available locally, it shouldn't take more than a few days. But if we have to send overseas for it, and it could be rather a while. We'll do our best to hurry it up.

Questions 1-10
Questions 1-3

Complete the form below.
Write A NUMBER for each answer.

Answer 1: M 9301274

Explanation: Librarian confirmed the Mobile number 9301274.

Also check:

Answer 2: 8635923

Explanation: Man said that the fax number is 8635923

Answer 3: 579 1857

Explanation: Man said that the daytime phone number is 025796363 and after 5 p.m. It's 579 1857.

Questions 4-6

Circle the correct answer for each question next to 4-6 on your answer sheet.

4. Why does the caller need the literature?

1. For a student paper
2. For a newspaper article
3. For research
4. For general interest

Answer: B

Explanation: Man said that he want to order some books and copies of articles, please and wanted to send them to him through the postal Courier.

5. How long can the caller have the books after the date of posting?

1. 3 weeks
2. 6 weeks
3. 5 weeks
4. 2 weeks

Answer: B

Explanation: Librarian said that the normal loan period is three weeks with a two-week extension over the phone.

6. How will the caller pay the fees?

1. Credit card
2. Cheque
3. Money order
4. Cash

Answer: D

Explanation: Man asked about the normal period would be enough and also how do you prefer the postage and photocopy fees to be paid?

Questions 7-10

Look at the booklist below.
Write in the boxes the appropriate letters (A, OL, or R) as explained below.
Available in the library            A
Out on loan                           OL
Request from other library     R

Answer 7: R

Explanation: Man says that the first one is by Holzworth. Published in 1978. It’s called ‘Land and Water resources in Australia.’

Answer 8: A

Explanation: Man says that the next two are both government publications. The first one is rather old, published in 1984 – Land degradation in Australia. but the second one is more recent that's ‘coastal zone inquiry report’ from 1993.

Answer 9: A

Explanation: Man says that the next two are both government publications. The first one is rather old, published in 1984 – Land degradation in Australia. but the second one is more recent that's ‘coastal zone inquiry report’ from 1993.

Answer 10: OL

Explanation: Librarian says yes, they do have both those texts. Environmental laws should be on the shelf but environmental chemistry is out on loan at the moment.