IELTS Practice Test 3

Transcript (on the real test you hear this once)

Coordinator: Good afternoon, Kestrel Bay Cruises, private charters. Bernadette speaking.

Ravi: Hi there. My name's Ravi Kapoor. I'm hoping to charter one of your boats for an evening party in November.

Coordinator: We can certainly look at that. What's the occasion?

Ravi: It's for my mother. The family keeps calling it her birthday party, because her birthday falls in the same week, but really it's a retirement party. She's finishing after thirty years at the hospital.

Coordinator: Congratulations to her. A retirement party, then. Did you have a date in mind?

Ravi: Saturday the fourteenth of November, ideally.

Coordinator: Let me check… I'm afraid the fourteenth has gone — all three boats are out that night for a conference group. I could do the twenty-first or the twenty-eighth.

Ravi: Not the twenty-eighth. My aunt flies home on the twenty-seventh, and Mum would want her there. The twenty-first, then.

Coordinator: I'll hold the twenty-first for you. And how many guests are you expecting?

Ravi: Around fifty. Actually, no, my sister's just reminded me that a lot of people will bring partners, so it could be closer to sixty-five. Let's say sixty-five to be safe.

Coordinator: Sixty-five. That rules out the Marigold, which only takes forty. The Northern Star would be ideal, with its big dance floor, but it's already booked that evening for a wedding. The Bluebell, though, takes up to eighty, and it has a covered deck in case it rains.

Ravi: The one with the glass roof? That'll do nicely. Let's go with the Bluebell.

Coordinator: Right. What times would you like?

Ravi: Boarding at six in the evening. I was hoping to stay out until midnight.

Coordinator: Marina rules say charter boats have to be back at the dock by eleven thirty on Saturdays, so the latest I can give you is six until eleven thirty.

Ravi: Eleven thirty, then. That's still plenty of time. What does it cost?

Coordinator: The Bluebell is nine hundred dollars for the evening, and there's a refundable deposit. It used to be one hundred and fifty, but it went up in September, so it's now two hundred dollars. You'll get that back as long as the boat's left in good shape.

Ravi: Two hundred, fine. Can you suggest anyone for food? We don't want to cook ourselves.

Coordinator: Most of our clients use the Quillan Kitchen. They know the boats well.

Ravi: Quillan. Is that Q-U-E…?

Coordinator: No, Q-U-I, then double L-A-N. Quillan.

Ravi: Got it. Are there any rules I should know about?

Coordinator: A few. Please don't bring confetti or glitter. It blows straight into the lake and it's impossible to collect. Balloons are fine, though, as long as they're tied down. You're welcome to bring a cake of your own; the caterers won't mind. Music can go on until we're back at the dock; it's only the open top deck that has to be cleared by ten. And we do ask you to take every bag of garbage off the boat with you at the end of the night, because the marina dumpsters aren't emptied until Monday.

Ravi: No confetti, and the rubbish goes home with us. Understood. And parking? Some of her colleagues will drive.

Coordinator: The marina parking lot has only about twenty spaces, so I'd tell guests to use the overflow lot behind the ferry terminal. It's free after six.

Ravi: That's handy. I'll put it on the invitations. I suppose you could email me a deck plan of the Bluebell?

Coordinator: I can, but honestly, it's better to see it. Are you free to drop by?

Ravi: Actually, yes. I'm passing on Thursday, so I'll come and have a look first. Then I'll ring the caterers once I know how the deck is laid out.

Coordinator: Perfect. I'll be in the office until five on Thursday.