General Training Section 1: a community centre and local adverts
You can find the one detail that decides an answer in short everyday texts, including the small print.
This lesson is for the General Training paper. Section 1 of its Reading test is everyday material: two or three short texts, or several shorter ones, such as notices, adverts and timetables.
Adverts for local services look much the same, with their days, prices and phone numbers. Often one small detail separates them, such as weekdays only or we do not work on Sundays. That detail is what you practise finding here.
Warm-up
Advert language
One of the adverts in this lesson mentions a call-out charge. What is it?
A call-out charge is...
How it works
Look at the five adverts, A-E. For which advert are the following statements true? Write the correct letter, A-E, next to Questions 1-6. NB You may use any letter more than once.
- 1This service offers a lower price to older customers.1
- 2This service works on Sundays.2
- 3This service gives customers something extra if they book early.3
- 4Customers can try this service before they pay for it.4
- 5This service has a minimum length for each booking.5
- 6This service can come to the customer's workplace.6
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.
- 7When is the centre closed?7
- 8How much does membership cost for a year?8
Working through the texts
- 1Read the questions first
Know what you are hunting for before you read the texts: a day, a price, a kind of customer, a condition.
- 2Get a picture of each text
Read each heading and first line, so you know what every advert or notice is for. This takes seconds, and it tells you where to look later.
- 3Look for the idea in other words
The statement will not use the advert's words. Older customers may be over 65. Try before you pay may be your first walk is free.
- 4Read the small print
Words like only, except, minimum, free if and not on Sundays often decide the answer.
- 5Check the other texts
Before you write a letter, make sure no other text fits as well. The same letter may be the answer more than once, so each statement is a new search.
The passage
Text 1: Elmgrove Community Centre, weekly activities
| Day | Time | Activity | Room | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10.00-11.30 | Chair exercise for over-60s | Main hall | £2 |
| Monday | 19.00-20.30 | English conversation club | Room 3 | Free |
| Tuesday | 09.30-11.00 | Parent and toddler group | Main hall | £1.50 per family |
| Wednesday | 18.00-20.00 | Repair café: bring broken items | Room 1 | Free, donations welcome |
| Thursday | 14.00-16.00 | Computer help for beginners | Room 3 | Free, booking needed |
| Friday | 18.30-20.00 | Table tennis, ages 12 and over | Main hall | £3, bats provided |
| Saturday | 10.00-12.00 | Community breakfast | Café | Pay what you can |
| Sunday | 14.00-16.00 | Board games afternoon | Café | Free |
- The centre is closed on public holidays.
- Members pay half price for all paid activities. Membership costs £12 a year.
- To book, phone 07700 900 215 or ask at the front desk.
Text 2: Local services
A HANDY HELEN. Small jobs around the home: shelves put up, dripping taps fixed, flat-pack furniture built. No job is too small. Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. Customers over 65 get 10% off every job. Call 07700 900 347 for a free quote.
B WHEELS ON CALL. Bike servicing and repairs at your home or workplace. We work seven days a week, including evenings. The call-out charge is £10, but we don't charge it if the repair costs more than £40. Text a photo of the problem to 07700 900 582.
C BRIGHT SPACES CLEANING. Regular or one-off cleaning for flats and small houses. We bring all our own products and equipment. Available Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm. Minimum booking: two hours. Call 07700 900 614.
D EASY MOVES. A van and two helpers for small moves within the city: flats, student rooms, single items. Charged by the hour. Book at least a week ahead and we'll give you twenty boxes free. Sorry, we do not work on Sundays. Call 07700 900 736.
E HAPPY TAILS DOG WALKING. Hour-long walks in Elmgrove Park, in groups of no more than four dogs. Your first walk is free, so your dog can get to know us before you pay anything. Weekdays only. Call or text 07700 900 859.
Watch me do one
Statement 1: This service offers a lower price to older customers. The ideas to hold on to are lower price and older.
The adverts will not say older customers. So I scan for ages and for money off: over 65, pensioners, discount, % off.
Advert A: Customers over 65 get 10% off every job. Over 65 is older, and 10% off is a lower price.
Before I write it, I check the others. E gives a free first walk, but to every new customer, whatever their age. B drops its call-out charge for bigger repairs. Neither is about age.
So I write A.
Practice with Elita7 questions
Statements 2 to 6 are about the adverts, and questions 7 and 8 about the timetable and its notes. Look back at the texts as often as you need to.
Statement 2
Read the five adverts again. Which one fits the statement?
This service works on Sundays.
Statement 3
Which advert fits the statement? Look for a reward that depends on when you book.
This service gives customers something extra if they book early.
Statement 4
Which advert fits the statement?
Customers can try this service before they pay for it.
Statement 5
Which advert fits the statement? Several adverts mention hours, so read each one closely.
This service has a minimum length for each booking.
Statement 6
Which advert fits the statement? You may use a letter you have already used.
This service can come to the customer's workplace.
Question 7
Use the timetable and the notes under it. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
When is the centre closed?
Write no more than 3 words.
Question 8
Use the notes again. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
How much does membership cost for a year?
Write no more than 3 words.
Words to keep
A fee for coming to your home or workplace, before any work is done. The call-out charge is £10.
The price a business says it will charge, given before the work. Ask for a free quote before you agree to anything.
The shortest time, or the smallest amount, you can book. The cleaners have a minimum booking of two hours.
Money you give because you want to, with no fixed price. The repair café is free, but donations are welcome.
A day when most offices and many businesses close. The centre is closed on public holidays.
Furniture sold in pieces in a flat box, for you to put together. She builds flat-pack furniture for customers who have no time.
Before you go
Read the questions first, so you know which detail you are hunting for.
Expect the statement to use different words from the text: older customers for over 65.
Read the small print and the notes under a table. Only, except and free if change answers.
Before you write a letter, check that no other text fits as well.
Next: Next, for both papers: a Listening Part 2 talk about a redesigned town square, and a map to label.