Easy Life Cleaning Services - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 1 · Questions 1–10
Audio
Questions
Questions 1–10 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD for each answer.
Easy Life Cleaning Services
Basic cleaning package offered
- Cleaning all surfaces
- Cleaning the 1 throughout the apartment
- Cleaning shower, sinks, toilet etc.
Additional services agreed
- Every week
– Cleaning the 2
– Ironing clothes – 3 only
- Every month
– Cleaning all the 4 from the inside
– Washing down the 5
Other possibilities
- They can organise a plumber or an 6 if necessary.
- A special cleaning service is available for customers who are allergic to 7
Information on the cleaners
- Before being hired, all cleaners have a background check carried out by the 8
- References are required.
- All cleaners are given 9 for two weeks.
- Customers send a 10 after each visit.
- Usually, each customer has one regular cleaner.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | floor / floors | No, I don’t have any, but the floor would need cleaning. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the person does not have anything to clean the floor with, implying that the floor needs to be cleaned. Answer Explanation: The answer 'floor/floors' refers to the surface that requires cleaning, specifically in the context of the apartment cleaning services. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'floor' because it fits the context of cleaning services that involve cleaning all surfaces, including the floors, as mentioned in the note. The person in the excerpt is indicating that the floor needs cleaning, which aligns with the service offered in the notes. |
| Q2 | fridge | Actually, I hardly ever use that, but can you do the fridge? | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that the person speaking doesn't use something much but asks to have it cleaned. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the 'fridge,' which is a common appliance found in kitchens to keep food cold. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer fits because the person in the transcript is asking for the 'fridge' to be cleaned, indicating it is a cleaning task to be included in the services provided by Easy Life Cleaning Services. |
| Q3 | shirts | It wouldn’t be much, just my shirts for work that week. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that the person only needs their work shirts to be ironed for that week. Answer Explanation: The answer 'shirts' refers to the specific clothing item that needs to be ironed. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'shirts' because the person mentions that they only need their shirts for work to be ironed, which aligns with the answer provided. |
| Q4 | windows | So for example, if the inside of your windows need cleaning, we could do that. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that if the inside of the windows needs to be cleaned, the cleaning service can take care of that. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the 'windows'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'windows' because it fits with the context of the transcript where the service mentions cleaning the inside of windows as an additional service they can provide. |
| Q5 | balcony | But would you be able to do something about the balcony? | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript is asking about cleaning a specific area of an apartment, specifically the balcony. Answer Explanation: The answer is referring to the balcony as the area that needs to be cleaned. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'balcony' because the excerpt mentions cleaning the balcony, and it fits with the context of the cleaning services provided by Easy Life Cleaning Services. |
| Q6 | electrician | And the same thing if you need an electrician. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that if there is a need for someone to fix electrical issues in the house, they can provide an electrician to help. Answer Explanation: The answer 'electrician' refers to a professional who deals with electrical problems and installations. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer matches the context in the excerpt where it mentions organizing a plumber or an electrician if necessary, indicating the availability of an electrician service as part of the additional possibilities offered by Easy Life Cleaning Services. |
| Q7 | dust | And I don’t know if this is of interest to you, but we also offer a special vacuum cleaning system which can improve the indoor air quality of your home by capturing up to 99% of all the dust in the air. So if you’re troubled by allergies, this can make a big difference. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about a special vacuum cleaning system that can help improve the air quality in a home by removing up to 99% of the dust particles in the air, which can be beneficial for people with allergies. Answer Explanation: The answer 'dust' refers to tiny particles that float in the air and settle on surfaces, potentially causing allergies or irritation. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'dust' because it matches with the description in the excerpt about capturing dust particles in the air to help those who are sensitive to allergies. The mention of dust in the context of indoor air quality improvement aligns perfectly with the concept of reducing allergens by capturing dust. |
| Q8 | police | So all our cleaners are very carefully selected. When they apply to us, they have to undergo a security check with the police to make sure they don’t have any sort of criminal background, and, of course, they have to provide references as well. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that before hiring cleaners, a security check is done to ensure they don't have a criminal background. Answer Explanation: The answer 'police' refers to the organization responsible for conducting the security checks on the cleaners. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from the information in the excerpt where it mentions that cleaners undergo a security check with the police. This indicates that the police organization carries out background checks on the cleaners. |
| Q9 | training | Then if we think they might be suitable for the job, we give them training for it. That lasts for two weeks so it’s very thorough, and at the end of it, they have a test. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript is saying that before hiring cleaners, they provide them with training for two weeks. This training is very detailed and includes a test at the end. Answer Explanation: The answer 'training' refers to the process of teaching the cleaners the necessary skills and knowledge for their job. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'training' because it directly matches the description provided in the excerpt where it states that the cleaners undergo a two-week training period to learn how to perform their cleaning duties. This training ensures that the cleaners are well-prepared and competent in their work. |
| Q10 | review | we ask all our clients to complete a review of their performance after every visit and to email it to us. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript mentions that the clients of Easy Life Cleaning Services are requested to provide feedback about the cleaners' performance after each visit. Answer Explanation: The answer 'review' means giving feedback or sharing thoughts about something. In this context, clients are asked to review the cleaners' performance. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'review' because it matches the action of clients providing feedback on the cleaners' performance after each visit, as stated in the excerpt. |
Transcript
JACINTA: Hello, Easy Life Cleaning Services, Jacinta speaking.
CLIENT: Oh hello. I’m looking for a cleaning service for my apartment – do you do domestic cleaning?
JACINTA: Sure.
CLIENT: Well, it’s just a one-bedroom flat. Do you have a basic cleaning package?
JACINTA: Yes. For a one-bedroom flat we’re probably looking at about two hours for a clean. So we’d do a thorough clean of all surfaces in each room, and polish them where necessary. Does your apartment have carpets?
CLIENT: No, I don’t have any, but the floor would need cleaning.
JACINTA: Of course – we’d do that in every room. And we’d do a thorough clean of the kitchen and bathroom.
CLIENT: OK.
JACINTA: Then we have some additional services which you can request if you want – so for example, we can clean your oven for you every week.
CLIENT: Actually, I hardly ever use that, but can you do the fridge?
JACINTA: Sure. Would you like that done every week?
CLIENT: Yes, definitely. And would ironing clothes be an additional service you can do?
JACINTA: Yes, of course.
CLIENT: It wouldn’t be much, just my shirts for work that week.
JACINTA: That’s fine. And we could also clean your microwave if you want.
CLIENT: No, I wipe that out pretty regularly so there’s no need for that.
JACINTA: We also offer additional services that you might want a bit less often, say every month. So for example, if the inside of your windows need cleaning, we could do that.
CLIENT: Yes, that’d be good. I’m on the fifteenth floor, so the outside gets done regularly by specialists, but the inside goes get a bit grubby.
JACINTA: And we could arrange for your curtains to get cleaned if necessary.
CLIENT: No, they’re OK. But would you be able to do something about the balcony? It’s quite small and I don’t use it much, but it could do with a wash every month or so.
JACINTA: Yes, we can get the pressure washer onto that.
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JACINTA: Now if you’re interested, we do offer some other possibilities to do with general maintenance. For example, if you have a problem with water and you need a plumber in a hurry, we can put you in touch with a reliable one who can come out straightaway. And the same thing if you need an electrician.
CLIENT: Right. That’s good to know. I’ve only just moved here so I don’t have any of those sorts of contacts.
JACINTA: And I don’t know if this is of interest to you, but we also offer a special vacuum cleaning system which can improve the indoor air quality of your home by capturing up to 99% of all the dust in the air. So if you’re troubled by allergies, this can make a big difference.
CLIENT: Right. In fact, I don’t have that sort of problem, but I’ll bear it in mind. Now can you tell me a bit about your cleaning staff?
JACINTA: Of course. So all our cleaners are very carefully selected. When they apply to us, they have to undergo a security check with the police to make sure they don’t have any sort of criminal background, and, of course, they have to provide references as well. Then if we think they might be suitable for the job, we give them training for it. That lasts for two weeks so it’s very thorough, and at the end of it, they have a test. If they pass that, we take them on, but we monitor them very carefully – we ask all our clients to complete a review of their performance after every visit and to email it to us. So we can pick up any problems straightaway and deal with them.
CLIENT: OK, well that all sounds good. And will I always have the same cleaner?
JACINTA: Yes, we do our best to organise it that way, and we usually manage it.
CLIENT: Good. That’s fine. Right, so I’d like to go ahead and …