The Replacement Bus: Reading Across Two Notices
You need to travel from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen for a 10:30am appointment on Tuesday. You cannot leave home before 7:15am because of childcare. You have two notices. The rail timetable lists a 07:40 train arriving at 09:10 and an 08:40 train arriving at 10:35. A separate engineering notice says: 'Monday to Thursday, no trains between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen. Replacement bus departs 07:40 and takes 1 hour 50 minutes. Trains resume on Friday.' The bus notice says: 'Replacement bus picks up at stand C, not the station front. Show your rail ticket. No bicycles. Allow 15 minutes to transfer at Carmarthen.' You need to decide which departure to take and whether the appointment is realistic.
1. Which departure should you take, and will you arrive by 10:30am? Show your reasoning.
Read the worked answer
Take the 07:40 replacement bus. Monday to Thursday has no train, so the 08:40 train is not running, even though the timetable lists it. The bus takes 1 hour 50 minutes, so it arrives at Carmarthen at about 09:30. Add the 15-minute transfer, which gives about 09:45 at the appointment. That is 45 minutes before 10:30, so the appointment is realistic. You must leave home before 7:15am? No-7:15am is your earliest possible departure, and you need to be at stand C for 07:40, so 7:15am is workable. The 08:40 option would arrive at 10:35 even if it ran, which is too late.
2. What two details in the notices could make you miss the bus even if you leave home on time?
Read the worked answer
First, the pickup point is stand C, not the station front. If you wait at the front, you can miss the bus while it loads at stand C. Second, you must show your rail ticket. If you have only a bus ticket or a printed itinerary without the rail ticket, you may not be allowed to board. A third risk is the no-bicycles rule, which matters if you planned to cycle to the station. The 15-minute transfer at Carmarthen does not make you miss the bus, but it affects whether you reach the appointment on time.
3. Write a 20-30 word message in Welsh to the appointment office confirming your arrival.
Read the worked answer
Helo, Rwy'n teithio ar fws disodli 07:40 o Aberystwyth ac yn disgwyl cyrraedd Caerfyrddin am 09:30. A allwn gadarnhau fy apwyntiad am 10:30? Diolch. This is 27 words. It gives the departure, the replacement-bus detail and the expected arrival, then asks for confirmation. 'A allwn gadarnhau...' is a polite B1 request. It does not overpromise: 'yn disgwyl cyrraedd' means 'expecting to arrive', which is accurate if the bus is delayed.