Listening practice with numbers, dates, names and addresses

Understanding numbers of all kinds (figures, telephone numbers, dates, credit cards) and the spelling of names is a bone of contention for English students, irrespective of their level, especially if they don't live in an English-speaking country and exposure to the language is mostly restricted to the classroom.

A few weeks ago Domenic Cole published a listening activity (van hire listening) to give students practice in this conflict area. Domenic Cole's blog focuses on preparing students for IELTS. If you are interested in taking IELTS, his blog is a must. But even if you just want to develop your English for general purposes, you will find Domenic's tips and activities of great interest.

I think this listening activity on numbers and spelling is suitable for students ranging from Básico 2 (elementary) to Intermedio 2 (intermediate) students. The former might be more than happy getting 5 answers out of 10 right, while the latter should aim at 9 or 10 out of 10, while Intermedio 1 students should aim at getting 7 marks out of 10 right.

You can download the activity sheet here and the key and transcription for the recording here.