Advice on Plumbers and Decorators Listening Practice Test with Answers
The IELTS listening section checks your skills to understand spoken English in various contexts. It comprises four parts, each with a different type of audio recording, including conversation and monologue.
In this write-up, you will read about advice on plumbers and decorators listening answers with audio that requires you to listen to a conversation. In this, you will hear a practical discussion where a homeowner seeks guidance on selecting reliable home improvement professionals.
IELTS Prep Boost
Elevate your preparation with exclusive tools
Unlimited Access Includes
BEST PLANDuration Days
Transcripts for Advice on Plumbers and Decorators
You will hear a woman, who has just moved into the area, talking to a neighbour about problems she is having in her house.
Man: Oh, hi Ruth. How are you?
Woman: I’m sorry to bother you, Alastair, but I’ve been having some problems.
Man: Oh. Come on in ... What’s happened?
Woman: Basically, I had a leak from one of the pipes in the bathroom and water started coming through downstairs and the kitchen ceiling’s badly stained. I’ve got the leak fixed temporarily but I wasn’t happy with the plumber and I wanted to ask your advice. Bathroom renovations
Man: Of course ... Well, the first thing I’d say is make sure you choose a local company ... that way if things go wrong you’re close by and it just makes things easier.
Woman: Let me write this down ... Right. Yes. The plumber who fixed things yesterday was from quite far away but I chose him because his advert said he did emergency repairs.
Man: Well, fair enough ... you needed something in a hurry. But another piece of advice I’d give is to try to avoid calling anybody on weekends. That’ll really bump up the prices. Leave it till Monday, if you can.
Woman: Well, yes ... I think I can do that because the temporary fix should hold. And obviously I’ll need the ceiling plastered and eventually re-decorated.
Man: Yes, sure.
Woman: So who would you recommend? Is there a directory?
Man: Well, there’s quite a good website covering this sort of work. It’s www.plasdeco.com.
Woman: Is that with a K?
Man: A C, P-L-A-S-D-E-C-O dot com.
Woman: Got it. Well I’ll try and have a look at that.
Man: Yes, it gives price and quality comparisons.
Woman: Oh, that’ll be useful, but I find personal recommendations really helpful as well ... you know, you can find out whether you can rely on the company.
Man: Well, I know a couple of reasonable plumbers and also some plasterers.
Woman: Great.
Man: There’s a company called Peake’s Plumbing ... now they’re a father and son team. They’re really friendly and they tell you the information you need in a clear way ... you know, so they really understand what the problem is.
Woman: Right, well that’s good to know. Are they reliable?
Man: Well, that’s a downside - every single time I’ve used them they arrive late. And friends have said the same thing.
Woman: But is the work good quality?
Man: Absolutely ... Another one is John Damerol Plumbing Services - he’s very good.
Woman: How do you spell the surname?
Man: D-A-M-E-R-O-L.
Woman: Right ... got that. And does he do high-quality work?
Man: Well, it’s fine, you know, but I wouldn’t say that was his main point. Basically he comes out cheaper ... you know ... than other people.
Woman: I sense there’s a ‘but’ ... is he unreliable?
Man: Oh ... he comes when he says he’s coming BUT he’s not very courteous and he has the tendency to be messy ... you know so you have quite a bit of clearing up to do.
Woman: Hmmm ... OK.
Man: So it’s up to you ... they’re both good workers and they won’t cheat you.
Woman: Right. And you said you knew some plasterers?
Man: Yes a company called Simonson Plasterers did our living room last year ... we chose them because we wanted some fancy work on the ceiling - around the lights.
Woman: So they can do a variety of designs?
Man: You’ve got it. But it comes at a premium because they are more expensive ... you know ...
Woman: ... than the others ...
Man: Yes ... Or you could go for a one-man firm called H.L. Plastering ... Harry Lester - he’s fine - very reliable, if all you want is a simple job ...
Woman: Do either of them do painting for you if you want ... ? After the plastering’s dried out of course.
Man: That’s what I was going to say. But I should explain that Harry’s quite old now and so he avoids doing jobs which involve tall ladders ... you know.
Woman: But my kitchen isn’t too bad for that ... I’d have to ask him if he’s prepared to do it.
Man: Yeah sure.
Woman: So I’ll start by looking at the website.
Man: All those companies are on there ... with their phone numbers etc ...
Woman: Thanks ever so much ...
Questions for Advice on Plumbers and Decorators Listening Test
Questions 1-2
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.
Example: Make sure the company is: local
Don’t call a plumber during the __1__.
Look at trade website: 2 www_2_.com
Questions 3-10
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer
| Name | Positive points | Negative points |
|---|---|---|
| Peake’s Plumbing | Pleasant and friendly; Give __3__ information; Good quality work | Always __4__ |
| John Damerol Plumbing Services | __5__ than other companies; Reliable | Not very polite; Tends to be __6__ |
| Simonson Plasterers | Able to do lots of different __7__ | More __8__ than other companies |
| H.L. Plasterin | Reliable; Also able to do __9__ | Prefers not to use long __10__. |
Premium IELTS Coaching
at an Affordable Price
Answers of Advice on Plumbers and Decorators Listening Test
Below are the answers of advice on plumbers and decorators listening test. It will help you to enhance your listening ability for the IELTS exam.
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3

Unlock All Answers for Free
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10

IELTS Prep Boost
Unlimited Access Includes
Other Passages
Important Links for IELTS Exam
Explore Free IELTS Mock Tests
Find IELTS Coaching Centres
Practice Every IELTS Module
Essential IELTS Tools & Resources
Study Abroad Consultants in India
Top Study Abroad Destinations
Exams Required to Study Abroad
Popular Universities to Study Abroad
Important Links for IELTS Exam
Explore Free IELTS Mock Tests
Find IELTS Coaching Centres
Practice Every IELTS Module
Essential IELTS Tools & Resources
Study Abroad Consultants in India
Top Study Abroad Destinations
Popular Universities to Study Abroad
Quick Links
You have gone through the advice on plumbers and decorators IELTS listening answers from the above details. You also have listened to the audio. In the recording, you will hear a practical discussion where a homeowner seeks guidance on selecting reliable home improvement professionals. This is a brief summary of the above audio.
Hopefully, you have understood the intent of the topic from the above details. Now there is less chance of facing issues, in solving this task. But if you have trouble, you can enroll in IELTS online coaching at the Gradding. The experts here can help you in enhancing your skills for the IELTS exam.
Key Highlights of the IELTS Listening Section
- The IELTS listening section follows a particular structure for both the Academic and General Training versions.
- Students will have the chance to listen each audio recording only once.
- Each audio segment comprises a total of 10 questions but in some cases, it can be 5 also.
- The IELTS listening section is divided into four parts, with each part presenting one audio recording.
- This constant format is designed to ensure an evaluation for all test takers.
Task Types in Advice on Plumbers and Decorators IELTS Listening answers
The advice on plumbers and decorators listening answers covers a 10 completion type questions. Below, you will gain a detailed understanding of the question type.
Note Completion
A note completion question in the IELTS listening section requires you to fill in missing information in a set of notes based on details you hear in the recording.
Table Completion
Table completion in IELTS listening requires filling in missing details in a table based on details heard in the recording.
Make sure to read the guidelines carefully to understand what is required. If you need more practice for the listening section, consider the IELTS Self-Help Kit for help, it offers valuable resources for effective preparation.
IELTS Listening Common Mistake
Test takers often make common mistakes in the IELTS listening that can cost them points. Understanding them is important for achieving a high score. Read below to learn more about them:
- Ignoring the Given Question Guidelines: With six different types of questions, it is easy to get the pattern mixed up or just ignore it. Moreover, when it's stated you need to answer in three words or need to take the phrase limit seriously and just answer in third words.
- Leaving Blank Spaces: Unlike a reading test, it is worthless to leave space as you go through answering the question. Because there is no negative marking, any attempt will give you only the upside, not the downside.
- Not Checking for Spelling Mistakes or Grammatical Errors: Accurate spelling matters here most, as there is a time limit, and that added stress of answering at the same time. Thus, it is easy to misspell words. This can be as small as forgetting to write the plural version of the word or using the wrong tense. So, take a moment or two to check your solution, especially when transferring them to the answer sheet.
IELTS Band Calculation for Listening Section
The IELTS listening section consists of 40 questions. Each correct answer is worth one point. The total score out of 40 is then converted to the IELTS band scale. Results are reported in whole and half bands. Please refer to the table below for further details:
Band Score
Score / 40
9
39-40
8.5
37-38
8
35-36
7.5
33-34
7
30-32
6.5
27-29
6
23-26
5.5
19-22
5
15-18
4.5
13-14
4
10-12
3.5
8-9
3
6-7
2.5
4-5
Conclusion
Summing up, the advice on plumbers and decorators listening answers sample provides a clear insight into the note and table completion question types. However, by solving it you get the idea of the format section. Moreover, if you are looking to make your practice more engaging, take our IELTS listening mock test and other study materials.