Listening: Maria's Changed Meeting
A1 Listening, Part 1. The candidate hears a recorded phone message twice. The message says: 'Hi, it's Maria. I can't meet at 4 o'clock at the library. Can we meet at 4:30 at the café next to the station? And can you bring the book? Thanks, bye.' The candidate has three tick-box questions: What time? Where? What to bring? The options are 4:00 / 4:30 / 5:00; library / café next to station / station; book / café / money. The recording is clear and at A1 speed. The candidate has 10 seconds between the two playings. The message begins with a negative ('I can't') and a correction. The candidate may hear 'library' first and write it down before the change. The task tests listening for changed plans.
1. Why is 4:30 correct and 4:00 wrong? What does the word 'can't' do in the message?
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4:30 is correct because Maria says 'Can we meet at 4:30'. 4:00 is the old plan, and 'can't' cancels it: 'I can't meet at 4 o'clock'. A1 candidates often hear the first time and write it down without processing the negative. The message is a change of plan, so the correct answer is the new time, not the first number. 'Can't' is the signal to reject the first time. If a candidate misses 'can't', they may choose 4:00 confidently. The second time phrase comes after the correction and is the one to record.
2. A candidate ticks 'library'. What is the likely reason, and what evidence in the message should they use?
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The candidate probably heard 'library' early and stopped listening, or did not connect 'can't meet ... at the library' with the change. The correct place is 'the café next to the station'. The phrase 'next to' is important: the café is not the station itself, so 'station' is also a distractor. The candidate should listen for the place after the new time and check the preposition. At A1, 'next to' is a core place phrase. The library is the rejected place, and the message signals this with 'can't'. The candidate should match the whole phrase, not just the noun.
3. What should the candidate do in the 10 seconds between playings, and why is 'bring the book' a better answer than 'buy the book'?
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In the 10 seconds, the candidate should check which answers are already sure and mark the uncertain one. On the second playing, listen for the changed details, not the whole message again. 'Bring the book' is correct because Maria says 'can you bring the book?' 'Buy' is not in the message. The distractor 'money' catches candidates who hear 'book' and guess a shop context. The candidate should match the exact verb. At A1, 'bring' and 'buy' are different actions; the message is about an object the listener already has. Checking the verb prevents a confident wrong answer.