Respond to situation — explaining

Every situation on this page asks you to explain something clearly so the other person understands it. Respond politely and clearly. Include:

1) A short introduction saying what you are explaining and why you are contacting them.
2) The key facts in a sensible order — what happened, when, and why.
3) What it means for the listener — what they need to do, or what to expect.
4) A check that they have followed you, and a polite closing.

How to practise

Press Start. The situation is read aloud once by the built-in voice — no audio files needed. After it finishes, you have 10 seconds to get ready — then a beep signals your 40-second response window. Use speech-to-text or type your answer. Press Repeat prompt to redo the same situation, or Next to move on. Pick the voice and speed under Listening settings.

Situation: 1 / 6

Situation

Listen to the prompt, then respond using the structure above.

Press Start to hear the situation.

00:00

Your answer

Type here, or use the microphone button for speech-to-text (Chrome / Edge).

Self-check

After responding, tick each element you included.

Did your explanation cover all four required elements?

✓

What and whyDid you say what you are explaining and why you are contacting them?

✓

The key facts, in orderDid you give what happened, when and why, in an order that is easy to follow?

✓

What it means for themDid you say what the listener needs to do, or what they can expect to happen next?

✓

Check and closeDid you check they had followed you, and close politely by offering to go over anything again?

0 / 4

Useful language for explaining

Clear and ordered — the tone examiners expect.

Starting off

I'm calling to let you know about a change to tomorrow.
I'll quickly run you through how it works.
There are two things you need to know.
Let me explain what happened.

Ordering the facts

First… then… after that…
The reason for the delay is that the warehouse ran out of stock.
It started on Saturday night, and by the morning…
The important part is the start time.

What it means for them

So for you, that means arriving an hour earlier.
You don't need to do anything — I've already booked it.
What that means in practice is a wait until Tuesday.
All you'll need to do is get off at the second stop.

Checking and closing

Does that make sense so far?
Let me know if you'd like me to go over any of it again.
I'll send it in writing as well, so you have it.
Thanks for your patience with this.

Template

Use as a starting point if you get stuck.

Shortcut: Ctrl + Enter inserts the template.