Placing a Party Catering Order: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 11 questionsPart 1medium
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Good morning, The Olive Tree restaurant, catering team, Nadia speaking. How can I help?”
- Transcript length: about 351 words
- Questions: 11
- Question types: Form Completion, Table Completion, Multiple Choice, Sentence Completion
“Placing a Party Catering Order” is an original IELTS-style practice recording written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Placing a Party Catering Order answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Form Completion
CATERING ORDER FORM
Complete the form below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 1
Surname:(max 1 word)
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Answer: Kowalski
Why: The correct answer "Kowalski" is found when Ben spells out his surname for Nadia, saying "Sure, it's K-O-W-A-L-S-K-I. Kowalski.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 (Ben) “Yes, it's Ben Kowalski.”
- 2
Date of party:(max 2 words)
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Answer: 7 June (also accepted: 7th June / June 7 / 7/06 / Saturday 7 June)
Why: The answer is found when Ben states the party is on "Saturday the seventh of June," indicating the date he wants the food delivered.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 (Ben) “It's on Saturday the seventh of June.”
- 3
Number of guests:(max 1 word)
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Answer: 25 (also accepted: twenty-five / twenty five)
Why: Ben initially mentions twenty guests but then updates the number to twenty-five after confirming a few more attendees, as stated in the conversation with Nadia.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 10 (Ben) “There'll be twenty guests — actually, make that twenty-five, a couple more just confirmed.”
- 4
Order reference:(max 1 word)
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Answer: O4826
Why: The order reference "O4826" is provided by Nadia towards the end of the conversation when she confirms the details of Ben's catering order.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 19 (Nadia) “Your order reference is O, then four-eight-two-six, so O4826.”
- 5
Contact number:(max 2 words)
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Answer: 07941622850 (also accepted: 07941 622 850 / 07941 622850)
Why: Ben provides his contact number, 07941622850, when Nadia asks for it in case there is any delay with the delivery.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 21 (Nadia) “Could I take a contact number in case there's any hold-up?”
Questions 6–8: Table Completion
Food order
Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 6
Sharing Platter menu — price per head: £(max 2 words)
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Answer: 12 (also accepted: £12 / 12 pounds)
Why: The answer is found when Nadia mentions that the Sharing Platter menu, which is the most popular option for a party, costs twelve pounds per person and includes a variety of breads, salads, dips, and grilled vegetables.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 11 (Nadia) “That's twelve pounds a head, and it includes a selection of breads, salads, dips and grilled vegetables.”
- 7
Meat dish added:(max 2 words)
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Answer: Lamb Kofta (also accepted: lamb kofta / kofta)
Why: Ben decides to add the Lamb Kofta to the order after Nadia suggests it as a popular meat dish option, priced at four pounds per person.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 13 (Nadia) “We can add the Grilled Chicken skewers at three pounds a head, or the Lamb Kofta at four pounds a head.”
- 8
Birthday cake (chocolate sponge) — price: £(max 2 words)
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Answer: 35 (also accepted: £35 / 35 pounds)
Why: The price of the chocolate sponge birthday cake is mentioned when Nadia states that a cake to serve twenty-five people costs thirty-five pounds.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 15 (Nadia) “A chocolate sponge to serve twenty-five is thirty-five pounds.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
What special requirement does Ben mention for the food?
- A. it must be vegetarian
- B. it must be nut-free
- C. it must be dairy-free
- 9
The whole order must be
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Answer: B — it must be nut-free
Why: Ben mentions that two guests can't eat nuts and requests that the entire order be nut-free, which Nadia confirms by saying she will flag the whole order as nut-free.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 18 (Ben) “Yes, two of the guests can't eat nuts, so please make sure everything is nut-free.”
Questions 10–11: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 10
There is a refundable deposit of £______ on the serving dishes.(max 2 words)
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Answer: 50 (also accepted: £50 / 50 pounds)
Why: The answer comes from Nadia's statement in the passage where she mentions that there is a refundable deposit of fifty pounds required for the serving dishes, which is returned when they are brought back.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 19 (Nadia) “Now, delivery within town is free, and there's a fifty-pound refundable deposit on the serving dishes, which we return when you bring them back.”
- 11
The driver will aim to arrive at ______.(max 2 words)
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Answer: 11:30 (also accepted: 11.30 / half past eleven / 11:30 am / 1130)
Why: The answer is found when Nadia informs Ben that the driver is scheduled to arrive at half past eleven, ensuring everything is ready before the midday start.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 21 (Nadia) “The driver will aim to arrive at half past eleven, so everything's set out well before your midday start.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 11 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Listening conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single recording is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 11 / 11 | 9.0 |
| 10 / 11 | 8.0 |
| 9 / 11 | 7.5 |
| 8 / 11 | 6.5 |
| 7 / 11 | 6.0 |
| 5–6 / 11 | 5.5 |
| 4 / 11 | 4.5 |
| 3 / 11 | 4.0 |
| 2 / 11 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 11 | 2.5 |
| 0 / 11 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Listening Part 1
- Use the preparation time to read every gap and predict what each answer will be: a name, a number, a day of the week, an amount of money.
- Note the word limit on the instructions — writing "the 14th of June" where "ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER" is allowed throws away a mark you actually heard.
Common trap: The correction trap: a speaker gives a detail, then changes it ("let’s say Tuesday — actually, Wednesday is better"). The corrected version is the answer, and Part 1 does this constantly.
Full Listening Part 1 strategyPractise “Placing a Party Catering Order” under exam conditions
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