A Woman Booking a Bicycle Tour Over the Phone - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section comprises two conversations and two monologues. Candidates need to answer 40 IELTS listening questions. This topic - A woman booking a bicycle tour over the phone is IELTS Listening section One. Candidates need to answer the following question types:

• Complete the form
• Choose the correct answer
• Multiple choice

Audio Transcript

You will hear a woman booking a bicycle tour over the phone.

Man: Global bicycle tours . May I help you?

Woman: Yes, thank you. I’d like to sign up for a bicycle tour.

Man: Which tour were you interested in? We have the River valley tour coming up in June and the Mountain tour in July.

Woman: The River Valley tour is in June? I thought it was in May.

Man: It actually takes place the first week of June.

Woman: Oh, I see. Well, I can still do that. The River Valley tour is the one I want.

Man: splendid . Just let me take your information. May 1 have your name please?

Woman: Karla Schmidt. That’s Karla with a K, not a C. K-A-R-L-A.

Man: Thank you, Ms. Schmidt. Address?

Woman: Do you need a street address, or can I give you my box?

Man: A post office box is fine.

Woman: It’s P. O. Box 2.57 [two-five-seven], Manchester.

Man: Thank you. OK, next. Will you be bringing your own bicycle, or do you want to rent one from us?

Woman: I’ll bring my own.

Man: Excellent. Now, we provide all the meals, so we need to know if you have any dietary restrictions .

Woman: I don’t think so. What do you mean?

Man: I mean if there’s any food you can’t eat. Some people have food allergies or are vegetarian or have to avoid dairy products, things like that.

Woman: Oh, I see. Well, yes, I’m a vegetarian . I never eat meat.

Man: All right. I’ll make a note of that. Now, the total cost of the tour is 750 dollars .

Woman: That much!

Man: The price includes everything—food, hotel, transportation , everything.

Woman: Everything?

Man: Yes, everything. The only other thing is you’ll want to tip the tour guide . We usually recommend 5 percent of the total tour cost.

Woman: A five-percent tip. I guess that’s reasonable .

Man: In order to reserve your space on the tour I’ll need a 30 percent deposit .

Woman: Do you need that right away?

Man: We generally ask for the deposit at least four weeks before the tour begins. The River Valley tour begins, let me see, 6 weeks from now. So you’ll need to pay the deposit in two weeks.

Woman: I think I can do that. I wonder if you could tell me something. How will our luggage be transported ? Do we carry it on our bicycles?

Man: No, you leave that to us. We have a van that carries your luggage from hotel to hotel each day, so you don’t have to worry about it.

Woman: Great! I have a luggage rack for my bike, but I guess I won’t have to bring that.

Man: No, you won’t. But there are a few items we recommend that you bring. We can’t control the weather , so you should bring a raincoat or raingear.

Woman: Yes, that’s a good idea. And I should have my own spare tire, too, shouldn’t I?

Man: Actually, you don’t need that, as our guide always carries some. And, of course, you won’t need maps either, since our guide has the route all planned .

Woman: What about a water bottle? I’ll need that, won’t I?

Man: Yes, you should definitely have a water bottle. A camera would be a good idea, too, since that tour goes through some very scenic areas.

Woman: I have a guide book of that area. I wonder if I should bring it along.

Man: We don’t recommend guidebooks . It would just be extra weight, and the tour guide knows a great deal about the area.

Woman: Yes, I see. Is there anything else I need to know?

Man: I think we’ve covered the important points. I’ll send you a tour brochure , and you can call again if you have any questions.

Woman: Thank you very much.

Questions 1-4.

Complete the form below.

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Tour name: River Valley tour

Tour month: 1____________

Customer Name: 2___________ Schmidt

Address: P.O. Box 3_____________ Manchester

Bicycle rental required?_____ Yes No

Dietary restrictions: 4____________

Question 1.

Answer: June

Explanation: The man says that ‘We have the River valley tour coming up in June’. Therefore, the answer must be “June ”.

Also, check:

Question 2.

Answer: Karla

Explanation: The woman tells her name to the man. She mentioned ‘Karla’. So, the answer must be “Karla ”.

Question 3.

Answer: 257

Explanation: The woman mentions that ‘It’s P. O. Box 257, Manchester’. Thus, the answer must be “257 ”.

Question 4.

Answer: vegetarian/meat

Explanation: The man asks if the woman has any dietary restrictions. The woman answers ‘yes, I’m a vegetarian. I never eat meat’.

Questions 5-7.

Choose the correct letters, A, B, or C. Write answers next to 5-7 on your answer sheet.

5. What size deposit does the caller have to pay?

1. 5 percent
2. 30 percent
3. 50 percent

Answer: B

Explanation: The man informed ‘ In order to reserve your space on the tour I’ll need a 30 percent deposit’. So the correct answer is B.

6. When does the deposit have to be paid?

1. Two weeks from now
2. Four weeks from now
3. Six weeks from now

Answer: A

Explanation: The man said ‘you’ll need to pay the deposit in two weeks’. Thus the answer is A.

7. How will the luggage be carried?

1. By bus
2. By bicycle
3. By van

Answer: C

Explanation: The man stated ‘We have a van that carries your luggage from hotel to hotel each day,’ so the correct answer is C.

Questions 8-10.

Choose THREE letters, A-F. Write answers next to 8-10 on your answer sheet.
Which THREE things should the caller take on the tour?

1. raincoat
2. spare tire
3. maps
4. water bottle
5. camera
6. guide book

Question 8.

Answer: A

Explanation: As mentioned by the speaker ‘We can’t control the weather, so you should bring a raincoat or rain gear’. Therefore A is the correct answer.

Question 9.

Answer: D

Explanation: The man suggested that ‘you should definitely have a water bottle’. So the second thing that the caller should take on the tour is the water bottle.

Question 10.

Answer: E

Explanation: Another thing mentioned by the man ‘A camera would be a good idea, too, since that tour goes through some very scenic areas’. So the answer is E.