Planning Catering for a Company Picnic - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 08 Academic Listening Test 6 · Part 1 · Questions 1–10
Audio
Questions
Questions 1–4 Short Answers
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Questions 5–8 Note Completion
Complete the following notes about the three catering companies Bob and Cindy discuss.
Paris Kitchen
lack of variety of food
poor quality 5
Company Caterers
expensive
6 discount for groups of 30 or more
Celebrations
new company
only 7 for picnics
8 dishes
offers free samples
Questions 9–10 Short Answers
Answer the questions using only a date or a telephone number.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 50 | Cindy: Shall we say 50? Bob: I think so | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Cindy suggesting the number 50 for the picnic, and Bob agreeing with her suggestion. Answer Explanation: The answer means that they are planning the picnic for fifty people. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 50 because Cindy asks if they should count on having 50 people at the picnic, and Bob confirms by agreeing with her. Keywords to note are "Shall we say 50?" and Bob's reply, "I think so." |
| Q2 | 26th August / 26 August / August 26 / August 26th | Cindy: 26th. The last Sunday in August | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Cindy telling Bob that the picnic date is the 26th of August. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the company picnic will take place on the 26th day of August. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed when Bob asks about the date chosen for the event, and Cindy clearly replies that it is set for the '26th', specifically 'The last Sunday in August'. Combining the day and the month gives '26th August'. |
| Q3 | £15 | We decided to go for £10 a head for food and £5 a head for drinks | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Cindy telling Bob that their plan is to spend 10 pounds on food for each person and 5 pounds on drinks for each person, which equals 15 pounds in total. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the planned total amount of money to spend on one person's food and drinks is 15 pounds (£15). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is £15 because Cindy explains the budget when Bob asks about it. She states that they chose to spend "£10 a head for food" and "£5 a head for drinks." In English, the phrase "a head" means "per person." Adding £10 and £5 together gives a total budget of £15 per person. |
| Q4 | ice-cream | We also don't want food that could deteriorate in the sun-ice cream, that kind of thing | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Bob saying that they do not want foods like ice cream because they can go bad or melt outside in the sun. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to a cold, sweet, frozen dairy dessert that melts easily. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by Bob's statement about choosing picnic food. He specifically points out that they should avoid food that can spoil or melt in the heat, giving "ice cream" as a direct example of something they do not want (unsuitable food). In this context, "deteriorate in the sun" means go bad or melt in hot weather. |
| Q5 | wine | The drinks included some wine, which was apparently not very good | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the drinks came with wine, but the wine tasted bad or was not good quality. Answer Explanation: The answer means an alcoholic drink made from grapes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "wine" because Cindy talks about a friend who used Paris Kitchen. She explains that the drinks included wine, and it had poor quality (described as "not very good"). Therefore, "wine" completes the note describing what was of poor quality. |
| Q6 | 10% | Yes, they do offer a discount for groups of more than 30 10% does that help us |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Cindy reading that the catering company gives a 10 percent discount for groups that have more than 30 people. Answer Explanation: The answer means a price reduction of 10 percent. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "10%" because Cindy checks the pamphlet for Company Caterers and points out that they give a 10% discount for groups of more than 30 people. Keywords to notice include "offer a discount for groups of more than 30" and "10%". |
| Q7 | cold meals | It says here that they just provide cold meals for picnics | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the company only makes and serves food that is cold when catering for picnics. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to food that is served without being heated, such as salads or sandwiches. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed when Cindy reads the details about the catering company called Celebrations. She checks the type of food they prepare and notes, "It says here that they just provide cold meals for picnics." In this context, the word "just" means "only," which directly matches the phrase "only cold meals for picnics" in the notes. |
| Q8 | vegetarian | And they include vegetarian dishes | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the company Celebrations prepares dishes without meat for people who are vegetarians. Answer Explanation: The answer means food options that do not contain any meat or fish. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "vegetarian" because when Cindy reads the details for the catering company Celebrations, she specifically mentions that they offer vegetarian dishes, which suits their colleagues who do not eat meat. |
| Q9 | Thursday | Bob: OK. Which day? How about tomorrow? Cindy: No. We've got that meeting. The day after tomorrow. Thursday | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Bob asking what day they should visit, and Cindy replying that they should go on Thursday instead of tomorrow because they have a meeting. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Bob and Cindy will visit the catering company on Thursday. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed because Bob suggests going to visit Celebrations tomorrow, but Cindy says they have a meeting. She suggests going the day after tomorrow, specifically saying "Thursday," and Bob agrees. |
| Q10 | 28 65 34 79 | Bob: Good. Right, what's their phone number? 28 65 34 79 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Bob asking for the company's phone number and then immediately reading out the numbers 28 65 34 79. Answer Explanation: The answer is the telephone number 28 65 34 79. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 28 65 34 79 because when Bob and Cindy decide to contact the catering company called Celebrations, Bob checks their information and reads out their phone number directly as "28 65 34 79". |
Transcript
Cindy: So, Bob, how many people have said that they're coming on the company picnic?
Bob: Well, Cindy, we've got 35 definite and another 10 probable.
Cindy: Shall we say 50?
Bob: I think so. And we've fixed the date for...?
Cindy: 26th. The last Sunday in August.
Bob: Great! I hope the weather is good.
Cindy: Should be. Now, we have to decide where to order the food from and what kind of things we want.
Bob: Right. What's our budget?
Cindy: We decided to go for £10 a head for food and £5 a head for drinks.
Bob: OK. I got some pamphlets from caterers. What do you think?
Cindy: The most important thing is to make sure there's a variety of food. We don't want people complaining that they don't like anything.
Bob: We also don't want food that could deteriorate in the sun-ice cream, that kind of thing.
Cindy: You've seen these pamphlets. What do you think?
Bob: Well, I thought Paris Kitchen looked good. The price almost exactly meets our budget and they seem to have a good variety.
Cindy: I don't know. A friend of mine used them for her company and wasn't impressed.
Bob: Really? What exactly didn't she like?
Cindy: Well, the food... she said the food was good, but not quite the variety they'd expected. The drinks included some wine, which was apparently not very good.
Bob: Oh. Well, perhaps we need to consider this one... er ... Company Caterers.
Cindy: Looks a bit pricey. Mind you, I've heard that they are very good.
Bob: Let me check the price. ... Yes ... £12 a head for food. That's more than our budget. Do you think we could get a discount?
Cindy: Let's see if it says anything in the pamphlet. ... Yes, they do offer a discount for groups of more than 30. ... 10% ... does that help us?
Bob: 10% off £12 ... It's still more than we budgeted for.
Cindy: Hey, look at this one. Celebrations.
Bob: It's a new company. I asked a few people about them, but no-one has any ideas.
Cindy: Well, let's see. £9 a head for food and £5 a head for drinks. That's fine. What kind of food do they have? It says here that they just provide cold meals for picnics. Well, that's OK. ... And they include vegetarian dishes. ... We do have some vegetarian to take into consideration.
Bob: Well, it looks good to me. The only problem is their lack of experience. I mean, it's a bit of a risk, isn't it?
Cindy: Yes. If the food is no good, we'll look incompetent.
Bob: Ah, look here. It says that we can visit their premises and try some of the dishes they offer.
Cindy: You mean we might get a free lunch? Shall we call them and arrange to go and see them?
Bob: OK. Which day? How about tomorrow?
Cindy: No. We've got that meeting. The day after tomorrow. Thursday.
Bob: Good. Time?
Cindy: 11?
Bob: Good. Right, what's their phone number? 28 65 34 79. We also need to ask them whether they can deliver straight to the picnic site, don't we?
Cindy: Yes. I don't think that'll be a problem, though. I mean, it's on the outskirts of the city, but it's not too far away. Does the price include delivery?
Bob: It doesn't say, but the other companies include it, so they should. If they don't, our budget still allows us to pay a small fee.