Part 1 notes: joining a sports centre
You can catch prices, times and numbers the first time you hear them, including the ones a speaker changes.
A man who has just moved to a new town rings the local sports centre to join. You'll note down what he's told: prices, times and numbers.
Each recording is played once, and in Part 1 the speakers often change a number before they agree on it. So the first figure you hear is not always the answer.
Warm-up
Which time?
Play the clip once. The announcer gives three different times. Choose the one the question asks for.
Clip 1: a pool announcement
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What time does the main pool close today?
How it works
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Brackenhill Sports Centre: new members
Membership
•Off-peak: gym and pool on weekdays until 1 pm
•Full membership: $2 a month
•Joining fee: $3 this month
Classes
•Indoor cycling: Thursdays at 4 pm
•Each class lasts 5 minutes
•Book on the app up to 6 days ahead
First visit
•Induction with a trainer: Saturday at 7 am
Notes follow the conversation in order, under short headings.
Notes are shorter than sentences: a heading, then lines of a few words. Each gap is one missing piece of a line, so the words around it tell you what kind of answer fits. Until ______ pm can only be an hour.
The method
- 1Decide what each gap needs
You get a short time to look at the notes before each part plays. Use it to decide what each gap needs: a time, a price, a number of days. Then you know which number to wait for.
- 2Read the words around the gap
If the notes already show $, pm or minutes, type only the number. The rest is already on the screen.
- 3Wait for the number they agree on
A normal price comes before an offer, and a class time can be turned down for another. The answer is the one the speakers settle on.
- 4Use figures
8.45, 30, 12.50. Figures are quick to type, and there is no spelling to get wrong.
What you hear, and what you type
8.45: fifteen minutes before nine
6.15: fifteen minutes after six
3.30
9.45: the hour first, then the minutes
12.50, when the notes already show the $
40: speakers repeat a number digit by digit to make it clear
Question 1: off-peak hours
Have a go at question 1 on your own. Play the clip once, then read how I worked it out.
Clip 2: membership
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Off-peak: gym and pool on weekdays until pm
Write no more than 1 word.
Watch me do one
Question 1 says until ______ pm, so I'm waiting for an hour in the afternoon or evening. The pm is already there, so I only need the number.
The receptionist says off-peak members can come in until four in the afternoon. Four in the afternoon is 4 pm, and the rest of the line matches my notes: gym, pool, weekdays.
Then Marcus says I don't finish work until five. Five is also an afternoon hour, and it comes later, so it's tempting.
But five is about his job. It doesn't tell me when off-peak ends, so I keep 4.
Last check: one number, no pm added, inside the limit.
Practice with Elita6 questions
Six more questions, each with its own part of the call. You'd hear each part once in the test, so give yourself one play here too.
Question 2: the monthly price
Write the price of full membership. Two prices are mentioned.
Clip 3: the price
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Full membership: $ a month
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 3: the joining fee
Write the fee Marcus will pay this month.
Clip 4: the joining fee
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Joining fee: $ this month
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 4: the class time
Write the time of the class Marcus chooses. Write it in figures.
Clip 5: indoor cycling
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Indoor cycling: Thursdays at pm
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 5: the class length
Write how long each class lasts. Listen to the end of the clip.
Clip 6: the class length
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Each class lasts minutes
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 6: booking
Write how many days ahead you can book on the app.
Clip 7: booking
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Book on the app up to days ahead
Write no more than 1 word.
Question 7: the induction
Write the time Marcus books for his induction. Write it in figures.
Clip 8: the induction
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Induction with a trainer: Saturday at am
Write no more than 1 word.
Words to keep
At a less busy time, and usually cheaper. Off-peak members can only come in before four on weekdays.
Money you pay once, when you become a member. The joining fee is half price this month.
A first session that shows a new member how things work. Every new member has an induction with a trainer.
A time that is free to book. There's a free slot on Saturday morning.
Become full. The evening classes fill up fast, so book early.
A small cupboard you can lock, for your bag and clothes. Bring a padlock for the lockers.
Before you go
Before the recording, decide whether each gap needs a time, a price or a number, and see what the notes already show beside it.
Wait for the number the speakers agree on. Normal prices, turned-down times and numbers about other things often come first.
Type figures: 7.15, 64, 11.30. Leave out any unit the notes already show.
When you hear fifteen or fifty, listen for the stress, and for a speaker repeating it digit by digit.
Next: The speaking lesson that follows is about keeping going in Parts 1 and 2 when you need a moment to think.