Part 1: numbers, dates, prices and addresses
Catch every number in Part 1: teens vs tens, phone numbers with 'oh' and 'double', dates, times, prices in pounds and dollars, measurements, percentages and years. Then learn to spot the number distractors that test writers love.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Distinguish teens from tens (thirteen/thirty) using vowel length and the final 'n', not just stress
- Write phone numbers, dates, times, prices, measurements, percentages and years correctly from speech
- Recognise British and American ways of saying numbers ('half seven', 'a quarter of nine', 'twenty-five hundred')
- Avoid number distractors: corrections, old vs new prices, categories, per person vs total, rejected options
Teens vs tens: the classic confusion
Thirteen and thirty differ in three ways:
| Teens (13–19) | Tens (30, 40 … 90) | |
|---|---|---|
| Stress | usually on the end: thirTEEN | on the start: THIRty |
| Vowel at the end | long /iː/: 'teeeen' | short /i/ |
| Last sound | a clear n | no n |
Two complications make stress unreliable:
- Stress shift. When a teen number comes before a stressed word, its stress often moves to the front. Alone, you say thirTEEN, but in a phrase you say THIRteen POUNDS. So stress alone can fool you.
- The American t. Many North American speakers say thirty and forty with a quick, soft d-like sound: 'thirdy', 'fordy'. The -teen numbers keep a clear t.
What actually works: listen for the long 'een' + n at the end of the word. Then check the context. Is £13 or £30 more sensible for a cinema ticket? Is 'Flat 14' or 'Flat 40' more likely in a small building? Part 1 speakers also often check for you: 'Was that one-three or three-oh?'
Listen: teens and tens, alone and in sentences
Say it to hear it: teens vs tens
0/6 triedListen to the model, then press “Say it” and repeat. Speech recognition checks each word — green means it was clearly understood.
thirteen
/ˌθɜːˈtiːn/
Make the 'ee' long and finish with a clear n: thir-TEEN.
শেষের 'ঈ' লম্বা করুন আর 'ন' স্পষ্ট বলুন: থার-টীন।
thirty
/ˈθɜːti/
Stress the first syllable and keep the ending short, with no n: THIR-ty.
প্রথম অংশে জোর দিন, শেষটা ছোট; কোনো 'ন' নেই: থার-টি।
fourteen
/ˌfɔːˈtiːn/
Long 'ee' plus n at the end.
শেষে লম্বা 'ঈন'।
forty
/ˈfɔːti/
Note the spelling: forty has no 'u', even though four does.
বানানে খেয়াল করুন: forty-তে 'u' নেই।
It costs fifteen pounds fifty.
/ɪt kɒsts ˌfɪfˈtiːn ˈpaʊndz ˈfɪfti/
Both numbers in one sentence: keep the long 'een' in fifteen even if the stress moves forward.
একই বাক্যে fifteen আর fifty: fifteen-এর শেষের 'ঈন' যেন হারিয়ে না যায়।
the thirteenth of August
/ðə ˌθɜːˈtiːnθ əv ˈɔːɡəst/
Thirteenth ends in 'n-th'; thirtieth ends in 'ti-eth', which is one syllable longer.
thirteenth-এর শেষে 'ন্থ'; thirtieth-এর শেষে 'টিয়েথ'।
Phone numbers: 'oh', 'double' and 'triple'
| You hear | You write | Note |
|---|---|---|
oh seven seven double-oh, nine double-oh, eight three five | 07700 900835 | 'oh' = 0. 'double-oh' = 00. UK mobiles are usually grouped 5 + 6 |
oh one six one, four nine six, oh eight two seven | 0161 496 0827 | UK landline: the area code (here 0161) comes first |
oh four one two, triple three, five six one | 0412 333 561 | Australian mobile. 'Triple three' = 333 |
area code six one seven, five five five, oh one nine two | (617) 555-0192 | US numbers: area code + 7 digits. 'Five five five' is often read digit by digit |
nine double-five, double-two, four | 955 224 | 'Double' applies only to the next digit |
Sorry, was that four-five or five-four? | Listen for the answer | The read-back is where corrections happen: write the corrected version |
Dates: three ways to say them, one safe way to write them
| You hear | You write (any of these) | Note |
|---|---|---|
the third of May | 3 May / 3rd May / May 3 | Typical British pattern: the + ordinal + of + month |
May the third | 3 May / May 3 | Also British, a little more informal |
May third | May 3 / 3 May | Typical American pattern: no 'the', no 'of' |
the twenty-first of February | 21 February / 21st February | Spell February with both Rs: Feb-RU-ary |
the thirteenth vs the thirtieth | 13th vs 30th | -teenth ends in 'n-th'; -tieth has an extra syllable: thir-ti-eth |
the first, second, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, twelfth | 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th | Irregular ordinals: learn to recognise them instantly |
oh three, oh five (read as digits) | Avoid 03/05 | In the UK 03/05 means 3 May; in the USA it means 5 March. Always write the month as a word |
Times: British, American and the 24-hour clock
| You hear | You write | Note |
|---|---|---|
half past seven | 7.30 | 7.30 and 7:30 are both accepted |
half seven | 7.30 | Informal British. It means 7.30, NOT 6.30 |
quarter past six | 6.15 | |
quarter to eight | 7.45 | 'to' = before the hour |
a quarter of nine | 8.45 | Some American speakers use 'of' to mean 'to' |
twenty to nine | 8.40 | Count back from the hour: 9.00 minus 20 minutes |
five past ten | 10.05 | Write the zero: 10.05, not 10.5 |
seven forty-five | 7.45 | Digital style, common in every accent |
eighteen thirty | 18.30 (= 6.30 p.m.) | 24-hour clock: timetables, flights, trains |
noon / midday, midnight | 12.00 / 12 p.m.; 12 a.m. | If the form already prints 'a.m.' or 'p.m.', don't write it again |
Prices: pounds and pence, dollars and cents
| You hear | You write | Note |
|---|---|---|
forty-five pounds fifty | 45.50 | Pounds first, then pence. The word 'pence' is often left out |
four fifty | 4.50 | Short form: the context tells you it is money |
a pound twenty | 1.20 | 'a pound' = one pound |
ninety-nine p / ninety-nine pence | 99p / 0.99 | 'p' is pronounced 'pee' |
ten quid | 10 | Informal British word for pounds |
twelve ninety-nine | 12.99 | Prices ending in .99 are very common |
a hundred and twenty dollars | 120 | British and Australian speakers say 'and'; Americans often don't: 'a hundred twenty' |
fifty cents | 0.50 | 100 cents = 1 dollar |
twenty-five hundred dollars | 2,500 | American style. British speakers usually say 'two thousand five hundred' |
twelve hundred / one thousand two hundred | 1,200 | Both mean the same number |
Number dictation: six items (no transcript)
Check: the dictation and the basics
8 questions- 1
Dictation item 1 (phone number):
- 2
Dictation item 2 (price in dollars): $
- 3
Dictation item 3 (date):
- 4
Dictation item 4 (time):
- 5
Dictation item 5 (year):
- 6
Dictation item 6 (percentage): %
- 7
A British speaker says the train leaves at 'half seven'. When does it leave?
- 8
How many zeros are in 'oh seven seven double-oh'?
Answer every question to check.
Measurements, percentages and years
| Category | You hear | You write |
|---|---|---|
Measurement | one point five metres | 1.5 m |
Measurement | three by four metres | 3 x 4 m |
Measurement | sixty-five square metres | 65 m² (65 sq m) |
Measurement | two and a half kilos | 2.5 kg |
Measurement | a kilometre and a half | 1.5 km |
Percentage | fifteen per cent (UK) / fifteen percent (US) | 15% (both spellings are accepted) |
Percentage | nought point five per cent | 0.5% ('nought' = zero in British English) |
Fraction | a quarter / half / three-quarters of the cost | Understand it as 25% / 50% / 75%, but write what the gap needs |
Year | nineteen ninety-eight | 1998 |
Year | two thousand and five (UK) / two thousand five (US) | 2005 |
Year | twenty twenty-five | 2025 |
Year | twenty ten / two thousand and ten | 2010 |
Year | nineteen oh six | 1906 |
Year | eighteen hundred | 1800 |
Decade | the nineteen-eighties / the eighties | 1980s |
Handling numbers under pressure
Band 5 habits
- Writes numbers as words ('forty-five pounds fifty') and falls behind
- Listens only for stress, so writes 13 when the speaker said 'THIRty'
- Writes the first price mentioned
- Writes 03/05 for a date
- Writes '£45.50 pounds' next to a printed £ sign
- Loses one digit of a phone number and stops listening
Band 8 habits
- Writes digits instantly: 45.50
- Listens for the long 'een' + n, then checks the context
- Waits for the final number after but, actually or sorry
- Writes the month as a word: 3 May
- Writes only what the gap needs and never repeats printed symbols or units
- Writes phone numbers in groups as they come and fills any missing digit from the read-back
Numbers reward discipline more than ear power. Digits, patience for corrections and attention to what the form actually asks will protect almost every number mark.
Practice: Part 1 – booking a holiday lodge
10 questionsA phone call between a receptionist at a holiday park and a woman booking a lodge for her family.
Recording
🎧 Read the questions first, then play the recording once — just like the real test. You can replay it after checking your answers.
Questions 1–6
Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Lakeview Holiday Park – Lodge Booking Form
| Name: | Mrs Helen Prescott |
| Mobile number: | |
| Number of adults: | (plus 2 children) |
| Arrival date: | |
| Length of stay: | nights |
| Lodge: | Cedar – floor area m² |
| Price per night: | £ |
Questions 7–10
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Booking notes
- Deposit: % of the total
- Check-in time in August: from
- Previous stay at the park: in
- Distance from Cedar lodges to the lake: km
Final check: numbers without the traps
10 questions- 1
In the phrase 'It's fifteen pounds', what is the most reliable clue that you heard fifteen and not fifty?
- 2
You hear: 'oh one six one, four nine six, oh eight two seven'. Write the number:
- 3
A speaker says the film starts at 'twenty to nine'. What time is that?
- 4
Receptionist: 'It's forty pounds per person, so for the three of you that comes to a hundred and twenty.' Form: 'Total cost: £______'
The correct answer for the form is 40.
- 5
'Twenty twenty-five' written in digits is .
- 6
You hear 'the twelfth of March'. What is the safest way to write it?
- 7
Match what you hear to what you write.
four fiftyninety-nine pa hundred and twenty dollarstwelve ninety-ninetwenty-five hundred - 8
Which TWO spoken forms mean the year 2010?
Select 2.
- 9
'The coach at 7.15 is quicker, but it's always full in summer, so I'd book the 7.50.' The form says 'Recommended coach: ______'. What do you write?
- 10
Find and correct the mistake:
The course starts on 3 Febuary.
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
Booking vocabulary
Saved as flashcards with a free accountdeposit
noun/dɪˈpɒzɪt/
Part of the total price that you pay in advance to reserve something.
অগ্রিম জামানত
The holiday park asks for a deposit of fifteen per cent.
balance
noun/ˈbæləns/
The amount of money that still has to be paid after part of the price has been paid.
বাকি পাওনা টাকা
The balance is due six weeks before you arrive.
peak season
noun phrase/ˌpiːk ˈsiːzn/
The time of year when the most people travel or buy something, so prices are highest.
সর্বোচ্চ চাহিদার মৌসুম
August is peak season, so the lodges cost more.
check-in
noun/ˈtʃek ɪn/
The time or place at which you arrive and register at a hotel, airport or holiday park. The verb is 'check in' (two words).
আগমন নিবন্ধন (চেক-ইন)
Check-in is from half past four in August.
per cent
noun / adverb/pə ˈsent/
One part in every hundred, written %. British spelling 'per cent'; American 'percent'. Both are accepted.
শতকরা
The membership fee went up by seventeen per cent.
discount
noun/ˈdɪskaʊnt/
An amount taken off the usual price.
মূল্যছাড়
Local residents get a discount on all evening classes.
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