Voicemail with a corrected meeting time
You are in Cardiff, waiting for a voicemail from your friend Elin about tomorrow's trip to see a film in Newport. The recording is 38 seconds long and has traffic noise. Elin says: 'Helo, fi yw Elin. Cwrddwn ni am hanner awr wedi naw... na, aros, sori, mae'r ffilm yn dechrau am hanner awr wedi deg, felly cwrddwn ni am chwarter i ddeg.' Then: 'Dw i'n meddwl platfform tri... na, platfform wyth, achos gwaith ar y lein.' She adds: 'Tocyn yn costio pedwar punt a hanner, a dere â chot law.' The voicemail cuts off before she says which cinema. You have a bus from your house at 9:15 that takes 20 minutes to the station. You need to write down the final meeting time, platform, and cash to bring.
1. What final time and platform do you write down? Explain how the corrections change your notes.
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Write 9:45 and platform 8. The first time was hanner awr wedi naw (9:30), but na, aros, sori signals a repair; the final time is chwarter i ddeg, which is 9:45, not 10:15. The platform goes from tri to wyth after na; trust the last stated detail. In A1 listening, the tested skill is often tracking a correction, not hearing every word. The cash is £4.50 because pedwar punt a hanner. Do not write down 9:30 or platform 3 as your final answer.
2. You have a bus at 9:15 that takes 20 minutes to the station. Is that bus safe? Show your reasoning and one risk.
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The bus arrives at about 9:35. The meeting is 9:45, so you have a 10-minute buffer. That is enough if the bus is on time and you know the station. The risk is that a 10-minute buffer disappears with one delay: traffic, a missed stop, or buying the ticket. A safer plan is the earlier bus or a text to Elin: Dw i ar y bws; efallai yn hwyr. Do not rely on the 9:15 bus if you have not bought the ticket; have £4.50 ready. The judgement is to treat the buffer as thin, not comfortable.
3. Elin's voicemail cuts off before the cinema name. What do you do, using only Welsh you know at A1?
Read the worked answer
Send a short text: Helo Elin, ble mae'r sinema? Diolch. If you need repetition: Sori, wnes i ddim clywed. At A1, Ble mae...? and Sori are enough. Do not guess the cinema from the film title; a wrong guess could make you late. If she does not reply, ring her and ask Pa sinema? Keep the message short and specific. The exam rewards asking for clarification rather than inventing information.