Reporting a Leak to a Plumbing Company: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 9 questionsPart 1medium
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Oh, hello. I've got a leak under my kitchen sink and there's water all over the floor.”
- Transcript length: about 459 words
- Questions: 9
- Question types: Form Completion, Note Completion, Multiple Choice
“Reporting a Leak to a Plumbing Company” 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 Leak to a Plumbing Company answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Form Completion
PLUMBING CALL-OUT 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: Ashworth
Why: Helen spells out her surname as "A-S-H-W-O-R-T-H" when Gary asks for it after she reports the leak under her kitchen sink.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 (Helen) “Yes, it's Helen Ashworth.”
- 2
Address: 8 ______(max 2 words)
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Answer: Marlow Lane (also accepted: Marlow)
Why: Helen initially mentions her mother's address but then corrects it to her own, stating "My address is eight Marlow Lane.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 (Helen) “My address is eight Marlow Lane.”
- 3
Postcode:(max 2 words)
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Answer: M20 3RG (also accepted: M203RG)
Why: Helen provides her address as "eight Marlow Lane" and the postcode as "M-twenty, three-R-G" after initially mentioning her mother's address by mistake.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 9 (Gary) “Not to worry — eight Marlow Lane, postcode M20 3RG.”
- 4
Contact number:(max 2 words)
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Answer: 07700900124 (also accepted: 07700 900 124 / 07700 900124)
Why: Helen provides her contact number to Gary, confirming it as "oh-seven-seven-zero-zero, nine-zero-zero, one-two-four," which is written numerically as 07700900124.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 11 (Gary) “Let me just check — oh-seven-seven-zero-zero, nine-zero-zero, one-two-four.”
- 5
Job reference:(max 1 word)
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Answer: J7142
Why: The job reference "J7142" is provided by Gary towards the end of the conversation when he logs the job and informs Helen about the reference number for her plumbing issue.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 19 (Gary) “I'll log this now — your job reference is J, then seven-one-four-two, so J7142.”
Questions 6–8: Note Completion
Details of the problem and visit
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 6
The water is leaking from the ______ (not the tap).(max 2 words)
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Answer: pipe (also accepted: pipe joint / joint)
Why: Helen specifies that the water is leaking from the pipe joint, not the tap, when she tells Gary that the leak is definitely from the pipe and the tap is fine.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 14 (Helen) “The tap's fine, it's the pipe that's dripping, quite fast now.”
- 7
Engineer will arrive between 2 pm and ______.(max 2 words)
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Answer: 4 pm (also accepted: 4pm / four pm / 4 o'clock / 16:00 / four o'clock)
Why: Gary tells Helen that the engineer, Dave, can arrive at her location between two and four o'clock in the afternoon.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 15 (Gary) “Our engineer, Dave, can be with you between two and four o'clock.”
- 8
Call-out fee (covers first hour): £(max 2 words)
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Answer: 45 (also accepted: £45 / 45 pounds)
Why: The answer is found when Gary informs Helen that the call-out fee, which includes the first hour of labor, is forty-five pounds.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 17 (Gary) “There's a call-out fee of forty-five pounds, and that covers the first hour of labour.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
How will Helen pay for the work?
- A. by card, to the engineer at the door
- B. in cash, in advance
- C. by bank transfer after the visit
- 9
Helen will pay
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Answer: A — by card, to the engineer at the door
Why: Helen will pay by card to the engineer at the door, as Gary confirms that Dave can take card payment directly when he arrives.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 19 (Gary) “Yes, Dave can take card payment at the door.”
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 Leak to a Plumbing Company” under exam conditions
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