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Writing a Business Plan

While it may be tempting to put off, creating a business plan is an essential part of starting your own business. Plans and proposals should be put in a clear format making it easy for potential investors to understand. Because every company has a different goal and product or service to offer, there are business plan templates readily available to help you get on the right track. Many of these templates can be adapted for any company. In general, a business plan writing guide will recommend that the following sections be incorporated into your plan.

Executive Summary

The executive summary is the first section that business plans open with, but is often the last section to actually be written as it’s the most difficult to write. The executive summary is a summary of the overall plan that highlights the key points and gives the reader an idea of what lies ahead in the document. It should include areas such as the business opportunity, target market, marketing and sales strategy, competition, the summary of the financial plan, staff members and a summary of how the plan will be implemented. This section needs to be extremely clear, concise and engaging as you don’t want the reader to push your hard work aside.

Company Description

The company description follows the executive summary and should cover all the details about the company itself. For example, if you are writing a business plan for an internet café, you would want to include the name of the company, where the café would be located, who the main team members involved are and why, how large the company is, who the target market for the internet cafe is, what type of business structure the café is, such as LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, what the internet café business mission and vision statements are, and what the business’s short-term objectives are.

Services and Products

This is the exciting part of the plan where you get to explain what new and improved services or products you are offering. On top of describing the product or service itself, include in the plan what is currently in the market in this area, what problems there are in this area and how your product is the solution. For example, in a business plan for a food truck, perhaps there are numerous other food trucks in the area, but they are all fast –food style and unhealthy so, you want to introduce fast food that serves only organic and fresh ingredients every day. This is where you can also list your price points and future products or services you anticipate.

Market Analysis

The market analysis section will take time to write and research as a lot of effort and research need to go into it. Here is where you have the opportunity to describe what trends are showing up, what the growth rate in this sector looks like, what the current size of this industry is and who your target audience is. A cleaning business plan, for example, may include how this sector has been growing by 10% every year due to an increase in large businesses being built in the city.

Organization and Management

Marketing and sales are the part of the business plan where you explain how you will attract and retain clients. How are you reaching your target customers and what incentives do you offer that will keep them coming back? For a dry cleaner business plan, perhaps if they refer customers, they will get 10% off their next visit. In addition, you may want to explain what needs to be done in order for the business to be profitable. This is a great way of showing that you are conscious about what clear steps need to be taken to make a business successful.

Financial Projections & Appendix

The financial business plan section can be a tricky one to write as it is based on projections. Usually what is included is the short-term projection, which is a year broken down by month and should include start-up permits, equipment, and licenses that are required. This is followed by a three-year projection broken down by year and many often write a five-year projection, but this does not need to be included in the business plan.

The appendix is the last section and contains all the supporting documents and/or required material. This often includes resumes of those involved in the company, letters of reference, product pictures and credit histories. Keep in mind that your business plan is always in development and should be adjusted regularly as your business grows and changes.

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Listening Practice Test – 22

Listening test has a set of 40 questions which you have to answer in 30 minutes. the recording has 4 sections. the recording will be played once and it will never be played again..

Questions 1-8

Complete the notes below.

Write  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS  for each answer.

TOUR OF EUROPEAN CAPITALS 

Leader : Jenny Allen

Driver : Ray ……………………………..(1)

Duration : ………………………………… (2) days

London => ……………………………(6)                                         7:00                                                   breakfast 9:30                                                   Eurostar 1:00                                                   book into Hotel …………(7) 5:00 – ………………(8)                      free time 8:30                                                   dinner

Questions 9 and 10

9. Why is there no tour of Brussels? ___________________________________

10. What will the group be visiting in Amsterdam? ___________________________________

Questions 11-14

Complete the notes below. Write  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS  for each answer.

BUSINESS PLANNING EXERCISE

FORM: PRESENTATION WITH …………………………………………. (11)

STUDENT                                            TASK                                                                                WHY

Mark                                                        financial……………………………(12)                                good at figures

Andrew                                                   helping Mark                                                                   ……………………(13) with figures

Jessica                                                    helping Debbie                                                                 good research skills

Debbie                                                   research ……………………………(14)                                 good research skills

Questions 15 – 18

Complete the sentences below. Write  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS  for each answer.

15. The presentation will be in…………………………………………………………………… weeks.

16. Jessica cannot work on the presentation next week because she’ll be………………………………………

17. Most of the basic work on the project will be done by……………………………………………………………..

18. The meeting to discuss the progress of the project will take place on………………………………………

Questions 19 and 20

Choose the best answer  A – D .

19. What time will the final meeting take place?

A. 11:00 B. 12:00 C. 1:00 D. 2:00

20. Who will present the final talk?

A. a Japanese student B. Mark C. Jessica D. no one chosen yet

Questions 21 – 27

Complete the interviewer’s notes below. Write  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS  for each answer.

INTERVIEW NOTES

Position:                           Assistant in languages department

Interviewer:                    Mrs Davis

Applicant:                         ……………………………….(21) Barracco

Appointment:                 [changed day – has to meet…………. ………………….(22)] now…………………………..(23)

Application form already received and checked:                                               Yes []               No [] (24)

English Level:                 Fair                                Good                           Excellent

Work Experience:        Worked in a bank……………………………….(25)

To teach:                            ENGLISH / ITALIAN/ RUSSIAN

Commitments:                Applied for place on……………………………….(26)

Details of teaching position :                    Teach course on……………………………….(27)

Questions 28 – 30

28. What is the interviewee particularly concerned about? ________________________________________________

29 Where will the interviewee live? ________________________________________________

30 When will the interviewee find out if she will be employed as a teaching assistant? ________________________________________________

Questions 31 – 32

Circle the correct answer  A – D .

31 Tonight’s ceremony is mainly

A to celebrate the centenary of the college. B to celebrate the achievements of the college over 100 years. C to present a prize to the college. D to present prizes to the students.

32 Government figures show that the college’s main strengths are

A teaching, research and care for students. B research and engineering. C teaching and engineering. D engineering research and care for students.

Questions 33 – 36

Complete each sentence in  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS .

33. In 1900, the area’s traditional industries were…………………………………………… and agriculture.

34. The college originally wanted to help ………………………………………………………….. from the town and local area.

35. Dr Bart Halliday is………………………………………………………………………. for winning the Nobel Prize.

36. By 1917 it was producing………………………………..a year.

Questions 37 – 40

Write a short answer to these questions using  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS .

37. Why didn’t Lucian Dewdley finish his studies?                                …………………………………………………………

38. What invention brought fame to the college?                                   …………………………………………………………

39. In which other areas has the college become renowned?               …………………………………………………………

40. How long has the speaker been Principal of the College?              …………………………………………………………

Answer & Explanation

• tour of London/sites
• cat/drink/eat and drink
• King George
• because of elections/blocked off roads
• Van Gogh (accept Goph/Goff) exhibition
• smaller companies
• having (minor) surgery/in hospital
• Debbie and Andrew
• father (in London)
• Thursday aftemoon/2 o’clock
• for two summers
• Master’s (course)
• Italian media
• (her) college (accommodation)
• couple of weeks/two weeks
• weaving and cutlery/agriculture and cutlery/ weaving and agriculture
• the poorest boys/the brightest boys
• famous/known
• 300 graduates/graduate engineers
• because of illness
• (Bell) racing engine
• bridge building (technology)
• 12 years/a dozen years

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Question 1 - Correct.

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Planning The Show

You are going to hear a conversation between Christopher and Gillian talking about Christopher's attendance at a trade show.

Decide if each sentence is True or False .

If the audio player above doesn't work, click here to download the audio file.

1. Christopher only found out the day before he had to attend the trade show.

    True

    False

2. Both people think the company's stand is in a good position.

3. They will get a lot of people visiting due to other bigger companies being nearby.

4. One of their rival companies will be close to them.

5. Another rival company could be missing.

6. Gillian wants Christopher to set a target for software sold.

7. Ray Jones is the person who will be operating the hi-tech parts of the stand.

8. The company will advertising their attendance at the trade show on their website.

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Office party planning

Listen to the conversation with an event planner to practise and improve your listening skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Matching_MjMzMjE=

Ayako : Hello, sales department. This is Ayako speaking. How can I help you?

Sam : Hi, Ayako, this is Sam from Events-4-U. I'm calling about the piano you want at your Christmas party next month.

Ayako : Oh, good. It would be a great surprise to have one there for our boss for the night. He can play and it would be a great addition for the party. Have you been able to source one?

Sam : Well, yes, I have, but …

Ayako : But what?

Sam : Well, we're going to either have an issue with the logistics or the budget, or possibly both.

Ayako : Oh dear.

Sam : Well, we've found a baby grand piano, as you requested, and it's available for the date you want.

Ayako : OK, great. So what's the issue? Is it too expensive?

Sam : No, it's within the budget you gave me, so everything there is OK. But it's too wide for the entrance doorway into the building.

Ayako : Oh, I see. So what are our options? Could we dismantle it outside and reassemble it inside?

Sam : Er, no. Unfortunately, you can't really do that with pianos. But don't worry, I'm sure we can find some inventive solution.

Ayako : Do you have any ideas?

Sam : Well, we could hoist it up to the first-floor balcony. The door there would be large enough to fit it through.

Ayako : Great. That sounds like a good plan.

Sam : That would work, though it would increase the cost considerably as we'd need a crane, an extension on the insurance policy and probably two to three additional people to manage getting it successfully into the building.

Ayako : Oh, I see. Well, we can definitely stretch the budget by about ten per cent, but we shouldn't go over that. If we exceed the budget by more than ten per cent, then other areas of the party budget will have to be cut. And we don't really want that.

Sam : OK, so this idea won't work then. Sorry if I wasn't being clear. The considerable budget increase I was referring to would add a further fifty per cent. You know, cranes are expensive.

Ayako : Oh … um … OK. So what other options do we have?

Sam : Well, how fixed are you on the piano being a baby grand? Would an upright piano be an option?

Ayako : Hmm. I don't know.

Sam : It would fit through the door on the ground floor and cause fewer problems. I've also got the option on a really nice white vintage upright piano, with black design work.

Ayako : OK. That sounds like it might work. Could you send me over some photos of it?

Sam : I'll do it now, together with the rental and delivery information and costs.

Ayako : Great. Thanks, Sam. Let me think about it and I'll call you back later today.

Sam : Sure, no problem. I'll wait for your call. 

When was the last time you had to discuss a problem on the phone?

Language level

About 2 months ago I with 2 of my friends discussed about the absence of our friend for a long time. Her phone was out of order and she was ill. On her birthday we tried to reach her and then found about her illness

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Good time everybody I had a discussion about a problem with one of my co workers on phone last week. I work at the hoteling ward in the hospital named VIP and as the result of my responsibility I tried to convince her not to attach the labels which are wrong both grammatically and in translation.

This situation happened when me and my mother wanted to come back from Stryi(Lviv region) to Slobozhanske(Kharkiv region). I bought two tickets on train online, which cost around 60$, but the payment wasn't accepted! I thought, that I had lost 60$ and tickets to home, but thanks to workers of Monobank, I could return my money.

In my case, I prefer to solve problems in messengers, because it is much easier that way. But there were also cases recently when I needed to determine the place and time of a meeting, resolve some plans or talk about rescheduling lessons through a phone call.

it was just yesterday. I work in a company from 7:30 am until 14:15. I tried to teach at a university. everything was ok but we had only one problem.it was time. I couldn't take classes before noon. finally they manage to give me classes which hold after 14:15.

i really like this site, its so pro! i like the people on this site aswell they my brodas luv u!!!!!!

Usually I have to do that at my work, last week I have to work on a solution to a problem where there was an issue with a service at my work, so the clients where calling at us to complain about an internal website, I had to call to the webmaster and get a solution with him, it wasn't very easy to find it but at the end of the day, he could fix the bug and all went fine to the clients.

Thanks for the episode. Great site!

It wasn't a discussion,however there was one time I had to receive instructions and couldn't hear very well so I also had to repeat myself.

It is not actually a problem, but I have discussed changes of appointments through phone call. It is quite challenging to change dates and time of appointment especially now due to pandemic.

I don't work yet but I solve a problem daily with friends on call. I like to do that.

IELTS Listening Practice Test 72

Updated On Feb 23, 2022

Limited-Time Offer : Access a FREE 10-Day IELTS Study Plan!

• 1.1 Audio Transcription
• 2.1.1 Questions 1-8
• 2.2.1 Questions 9 and 10
• 3.1.1 Questions 11-14
• 3.2.1 Questions 15-18
• 3.2.2 Questions 19 and 20
• 4.1.1 Questions 21-27
• 4.2.1 Questions 28-30
• 5.1.1 Questions 31-32
• 5.1.2 Questions 33-36
• 5.1.3 Questions 37-40
• 6.1 Section 1
• 6.2 Section 2
• 6.3 Section 3
• 6.4 Section 4

If you’re taking the listening test, you should be aware of concepts such as signposting and techniques such as distraction. Take one of our IELTS listening practice tests and learn how to follow the audio using these techniques.

Audio Transcription

Download Audio Transcription

Questions 1-10

Questions 1-8.

Complete the notes below .

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Questions 9 and 10

9 Why is there no tour of Brussels?________________

10 What will the group be visiting in Amsterdam?________________

IELTS Listening Actual Tests and Answers (July - October 2022) | eBook + Audio + Tapescripts

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Written by professional IELTS teachers to help candidates on the big day

Questions 11-20

Questions 11-14, business planning exercise, questions 15-18.

Complete the following sentences with answers next to  15-18  on your answer sheet. 

15 The presentation will be in_______________________ weeks.

16 Jessica cannot work on the presentation next week because she’ll be_______________________

17 Most of the basic work on the project will be done by________________________

18 The meeting to discuss the progress of the project will take place on________________________

Questions 19 and 20

Choose the best answer A-D.  Write answers next to  19-20  on your answer sheet.

19 What time will the final meeting take place?

20 Who will present the final talk?

A a Japanese student

D no one chosen yet

Also check :

• IELTS Listening
• IELTS Listening Answer Sheet
• IELTS listening recent actual test
• IELTS Listening preparation tips
• IELTS Listening Vocabulary
• How to Improve IELTS Listening Section 3 and 4?
• What is Signposting?

Questions 21-30

Questions 21-27.

Complete the interviewer’s notes below .

Questions 28-30

28 What is the interviewee particularly concerned about?________________

29 Where will the interviewee live?________________

30 When will the interviewee find out if she will be employed as a teaching assistant?________________

Questions 31-40

Questions 31-32.

Circle the correct answer A-D . Write answers next to 31-32 on your answer sheete.

31 Tonight’s ceremony is mainly

A to celebrate the centenary of the college.

B to celebrate the achievements of the college over 100 years.

C to present a prize to the college.

D to present prizes to the students.

32 Government figures show that the college’s main strengths are

A teaching, research and care for students.

B research and engineering.

C teaching and engineering.

D engineering research and care for students.

Questions 33-36

Complete each sentence in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS .

33 In 1900, the area’s traditional industries were_______________________________ and agriculture.

34 The college originally wanted to help ____________________________________ from the town and local area.

35 Dr. Bart Halliday is_____________________________ for winning the Nobel Prize.

36 By 1917 it was producing__________________________a year.

Questions 37-40

Write a short answer to these questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS .

37 Why didn’t Lucian Dudley finish his studies?_____________________________________

38 What invention brought fame to the college?___________________________________

39 In which other areas have the college become renowned?____________________________________

40 How long has the speaker been Principal of the College?_____________________________________

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Courtney Miller

Courtney is one of our star content writers as she plays multiple roles. She is a phenomenal researcher and provides extensive articles to students. She is also an IELTS Trainer and an extremely good content writer. Courtney completed her English Masters at Kings College London, and has been a part of our team for more than 3 years. She has worked with the British Council and knows the tricks and tips of IELTS.

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• Click on the video below.
• Watch the video, and pay attention to it! (You can pause and rewind the video.)
• Answer the listening comprehension questions below the video.
• Check your answers.

Listening lessons A1

Listening lessons A2

Listening lessons B1

Listening lessons B2

Listening lessons C1

Listening lessons

Exercises - level b2.

• A business interview
• A design presentation
• A digital detox podcast
• A lecture about an experiment
• A talk about motivation
• Business news
• Creating a study group
• Film reviews
• Getting advice
• Joining a gym
• Office party planning
• Talking about rumours

      level C1