Reporting a Broadband Fault: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 9 questionsPart 1medium
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Good afternoon, Swiftlink Broadband technical support, Sam speaking. How can I help?”
- Transcript length: about 356 words
- Questions: 9
- Question types: Form Completion, Note Completion, Multiple Choice, Sentence Completion
“Reporting a Broadband Fault” 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
Reporting a Broadband Fault answers with explanations
Questions 1–3: Form Completion
BROADBAND FAULT REPORT
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: Macleod
Why: The answer "Macleod" is found when Fiona spells out her surname to Sam, stating it as "M-A-C-L-E-O-D" and confirming it is one word with no space.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 (Fiona) “Yes, it's Fiona Macleod.”
- 2
Account number:(max 2 words)
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Answer: 94261805 (also accepted: 942 618 05 / 942618 05)
Why: The account number is provided when Fiona confirms it as "nine-four-two, six-one-eight, oh-five" during her conversation with Sam about her internet issue.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 9 (Sam) “Got it — account nine-four-two, six-one-eight, zero-five.”
- 3
Fault reference:(max 1 word)
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Answer: F5290
Why: The fault reference "F5290" is found when Sam informs Fiona that he will log the issue under this reference number and instructs her to use it if the problem persists after eight o'clock.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 19 (Sam) “I'll log this as fault reference F, then five-two-nine-zero, so F5290.”
Questions 4–7: Note Completion
Details of the fault
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 4
The broadband light on the router is:(max 2 words)
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Answer: flashing red (also accepted: red)
Why: The answer is found when Fiona describes the router's broadband light as "flashing red," indicating a connection issue, which Sam confirms by explaining that a flashing red light usually means there's no connection on the line.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 11 (Sam) “A flashing red broadband light usually means there's no connection on the line.”
- 5
Cause: a damaged ______ near the exchange.(max 1 word)
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Answer: cable
Why: The answer is found when Sam informs Fiona that there is a known issue affecting her area due to a damaged cable near the exchange.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 13 (Sam) “I can see there's actually a known fault affecting your area — a damaged cable near your exchange.”
- 6
Service will be restored by:(max 2 words)
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Answer: 8 pm (also accepted: 8pm / eight pm / 8 o'clock / 20:00 / eight o'clock)
Why: Sam informs Fiona that the estimated time for service restoration is updated to eight o'clock tonight, which is mentioned after discussing the damaged cable affecting her area.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 15 (Sam) “The estimate is that service will be restored by six o'clock this evening — actually, let me update that, the latest note says by eight o'clock tonight.”
- 7
Credit added to next bill: £(max 2 words)
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Answer: 10 (also accepted: £10 / 10 pounds)
Why: The answer is found when Sam mentions that as a goodwill gesture, he will add a credit of ten pounds to Fiona's next bill for the inconvenience caused by the internet outage.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 17 (Sam) “And as a gesture of goodwill, I'll add a credit of ten pounds to your next bill for the inconvenience.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
What does Sam suggest Fiona do for her video call today?
- A. use her mobile as a hotspot
- B. go to a nearby café
- C. reschedule the call
- 8
For today's call, Fiona should
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Answer: A — use her mobile as a hotspot
Why: Sam suggests Fiona use her mobile as a hotspot for her video call today because the internet service will not be restored until later in the evening.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 17 (Sam) “For today, I'd suggest using your mobile as a hotspot for that call.”
Question 9: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentence below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY .
- 9
The company will send Fiona a ______ as soon as the line is back up.(max 1 word)
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Answer: text (also accepted: message)
Why: The answer is found when Sam tells Fiona that they will send her a text message immediately once the internet connection is restored.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 19 (Sam) “We'll also send you a text the moment the line is back up.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 9 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 |
|---|---|
| 9 / 9 | 9.0 |
| 8 / 9 | 8.0 |
| 7 / 9 | 7.0 |
| 6 / 9 | 6.5 |
| 4–5 / 9 | 5.5 |
| 3 / 9 | 4.5 |
| 2 / 9 | 3.5 |
| 1 / 9 | 2.5 |
| 0 / 9 | 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 “Reporting a Broadband Fault” under exam conditions
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