Business English Listening Practice: A2 and B1 Exercises

Business English listening practice is easier to organise when each recording gives you a practical task. Can you work out which meeting detail has changed, what a client has agreed to, or what you need to check before replying to a customer?

The six exercises below let you practise those decisions with short workplace recordings. Start with three A2 activities about a meeting, a delivery and a first day at work. Then try three B1 conversations about a project launch, an event booking and a support handover. Each exercise includes playable audio, questions, a full transcript and answers with the details that support them.

The A2 recordings play at a slightly slower pace, 90% of the original speed. The B1 recordings keep their original pace. All situations and organisations are fictional, and the voices are generated for these original practice scripts. A2 and B1 are the intended practice levels; your answers here are not an official assessment of your CEFR level.

Choose your business English listening exercise

Exercise	Level	Situation	Audio length	Listen for
1. A meeting room change	A2	A team meeting announcement	41 seconds	A room change, preparation and joining time
2. A delivery voicemail	A2	A supplier voicemail	47 seconds	Separate deliveries and reception instructions
3. Your first morning at reception	A2	A conversation at reception	1 minute	Arrival, identification and the first morning's sequence
4. Deciding when to launch a website	B1	A project team meeting	1 minute 15 seconds	A problem, responsibilities and a conditional plan
5. Changing a client booking	B1	A client booking call	1 minute 18 seconds	Constraints, alternatives and an agreed change
6. Taking over a support shift	B1	A support shift handover	1 minute 8 seconds	Priorities, checks and customer updates

If workplace conversations are new to you, begin with exercise 1. If you can already follow routine instructions, start with exercise 4 and use the A2 activities for a shorter review.

How to practise with the audio and transcripts

Read the situation and questions before you press play. Leave the transcript closed during your first attempt. You can answer in short notes: this is a listening task, so you do not need to write polished sentences.

1. Listen once for the situation. Identify what the people need to do or decide. Avoid stopping at every unfamiliar word.
2. Listen again for the questions. Write down times, quantities, conditions and actions. Connect each detail to the correct person or task.
3. Check the transcript. Select “Show transcript” and find the line you missed, then replay that part and notice how it sounds.
4. Check the answer key near the end. An accurate answer in your own words is enough. Use the explanations to identify why another detail would be wrong.
5. Give the short spoken response. Summarise the action you would take in that situation.

For example, hearing “Friday” is only a start. You also need to know whether Friday is a delivery date, a test date or a deadline for an update. Use a simple note format: who / action / when / condition.

Choose one or two recordings for a session. After checking them, return to one without reading the transcript. This second attempt lets you see which details you can now recognise directly from the audio.

Business English listening A2

These three activities focus on familiar workplace routines. Listen for explicit instructions, times and the order of events. The first two have one speaker; the third is a conversation between a new employee and a receptionist.

1. A meeting room change

Situation: At the end of Monday's team meeting, the team leader explains a change to Tuesday's planning meeting. Listen for what changes and what stays the same.

Listen to exercise 1: A meeting room change

Transcript available: Use “Show transcript” after the questions to read along, then “Hide transcript” to listen again without the text.

Questions

1. What is the main change to Tuesday's meeting?
2. Where is the new meeting room?
3. How should staff prepare for the meeting, and what should they bring? What will they not need?
4. When should people working from home join the video call?

:::transcript

Just one thing before we finish. We need to change the room for tomorrow's planning meeting.

We're still meeting on Tuesday at ten. But they're repairing the lights in our usual room on the second floor. We'll use the small meeting room downstairs instead, next to reception.

Bring your notebook. We're going to talk about next week's schedule, so have a look at it today and bring any questions. You won't need your laptop.

We'll finish at half past ten. Then we can get a coffee in the kitchen.

If you're working from home tomorrow, I'll email you the video link this afternoon. Join five minutes early so we can check the sound.

Right, that's everything. See you tomorrow!

:::

Listening focus: The room, the meeting start, the finishing time and the online joining time are different details. Match each time to its purpose before you check the answers.

Your spoken response: You work from home tomorrow. Tell a colleague when you'll join the meeting and how you'll prepare. Keep it to two sentences.

2. A delivery voicemail

Situation: Alex from Parkside Supplies leaves a voicemail about an office order. There are two deliveries. Listen for which items arrive on each day and what reception needs to do.

Listen to exercise 2: A delivery voicemail

Transcript available: Use “Show transcript” after the questions to read along, then “Hide transcript” to listen again without the text.

Questions

1. What is being delivered on Wednesday, and how much?
2. When will the pens arrive?
3. Which entrance should the driver use, and what happens if it is locked?
4. Does anyone need to pay the driver? Explain.

:::transcript

Hello, this is Alex from Parkside Supplies. I'm calling about the paper you ordered for your office.

Our driver will arrive tomorrow, Wednesday, between nine and eleven in the morning. We're bringing six boxes of paper. The pens aren't in this delivery. We'll bring those on Friday.

Please ask someone to meet the driver at the back entrance, beside the car park. The boxes are heavy, so they'll bring them inside.

If the back door is locked, they'll call your reception desk. Please tell reception about the delivery today.

You don't need to pay the driver. We'll send the bill by email after both deliveries.

If you have a question, please call our office before four this afternoon. Thank you. Goodbye.

:::

Listening focus: The paper and pens do not arrive together. Notice the phrase “aren't in this delivery” and the instruction about paying the driver.

Your spoken response: Leave a short note for reception explaining Wednesday's delivery. Include the entrance and what happens if the door is locked.

3. Your first morning at reception

Situation: Sam arrives for their first day in customer support. Jamie, the receptionist, checks Sam in and explains the morning. Listen for the difference between arriving at reception and meeting the trainer.

Listen to exercise 3: Your first morning at reception

Transcript available: Use “Show transcript” after the questions to read along, then “Hide transcript” to listen again without the text.

Questions

1. What time was Sam asked to arrive, and when will the trainer meet Sam?
2. What does Jamie ask Sam to show, and what does Jamie give Sam?
3. Does Sam need a personal laptop? What has Sam brought to take notes?
4. What happens after the visit to the desk?
5. Where can Sam keep lunch, and when is lunchtime?

:::transcript

Sam: Morning. I'm Sam Carter. I'm starting in customer support today.

Jamie: Welcome, Sam. Have you got your photo identification?

Sam: Yes, here you are. My email said to arrive at half past eight. Am I in the right place?

Jamie: Yes, you are. Your trainer will meet you here at a quarter to nine. Here's your visitor card. Please keep it with you all morning.

Sam: Thanks. Will we go straight to the training room?

Jamie: First, you'll visit your desk. Then you'll go to the training room and learn how to answer a customer email.

Sam: I've brought a notebook. Do I need my own laptop too?

Jamie: No, there's a computer at your desk. The notebook will be useful, though.

Sam: Great. And is there somewhere I can put my lunch?

Jamie: There's a fridge in the staff kitchen. Lunch is at twelve. You can also buy sandwiches in the cafe downstairs.

Sam: That's good to know. I'll put my bag here and wait for the trainer.

:::

Listening focus: Questions such as “Will we go straight to the training room?” help you follow the sequence. Jamie's answer distinguishes the first stop from the next one.

Your spoken response: Imagine you're Sam. Tell a colleague what happens before training and whether you need your own laptop.

Business English listening B1

These conversations ask you to follow a decision as it develops. Listen for the reason behind a change, who owns the next action and whether a date is a commitment or depends on another event. Both speakers contribute information, so a later reply may change your understanding of an earlier suggestion.

4. Deciding when to launch a website

Situation: Leah, the project lead, and Marcus, the tester, discuss a registration problem during a team meeting. Listen for what is already ready, what needs fixing and what must happen before the company invitation goes out.

Listen to exercise 4: Deciding when to launch a website

Transcript available: Use “Show transcript” after the questions to read along, then “Hide transcript” to listen again without the text.

Questions

1. What problem was found during the registration test?
2. What work is already ready?
3. What will Marcus check on Friday morning?
4. Is Monday's company invitation guaranteed? Explain the condition.
5. When will Leah send an update if the results are incomplete?

:::transcript

Leah: Marcus, are we ready to invite everyone to the training website on Thursday?

Marcus: The lesson pages are ready, and the videos play correctly. But we've got a problem with registration. Two colleagues completed the form yesterday and didn't receive a confirmation email.

Leah: So they couldn't open their accounts?

Marcus: That's right. I'd like to test the form again before we invite the whole company.

Leah: Agreed. Priya says she'll update the form by Thursday afternoon. Could you run a small test on Friday morning?

Marcus: Yes. I'll ask five colleagues to register at nine, using different email addresses. I'll check that each person gets a confirmation message and can open their account.

Leah: Good. We'll hold the company invitation until Monday, provided that test is successful.

Marcus: And if the emails still don't arrive?

Leah: Then we'll postpone the invitation and announce a new date. Please don't send Thursday's invitation. I'll let the team know the plan has changed.

Marcus: Do we need to take the lesson pages offline while Priya fixes the form?

Leah: No, those can stay online. The content is ready. It's registration that needs work.

Marcus: I'll send you the results on Friday morning. Some colleagues might not finish before lunch, though.

Leah: That's fine. I'll send a progress update by noon on Friday, even if we haven't got all the results.

:::

Listening focus: “Provided that test is successful” makes Monday a conditional plan. A deadline for a progress update does not promise that the problem will be solved by then.

Your spoken response: Give a thirty-second project update. Explain what is ready, what Friday's test will check and the condition for sending Monday's invitation.

5. Changing a client booking

Situation: Anna from Westbridge Events phones Ravi, the venue coordinator. Fewer people are attending next Thursday's event. Listen for why one option is rejected and what they agree to change instead.

Listen to exercise 5: Changing a client booking

Transcript available: Use “Show transcript” after the questions to read along, then “Hide transcript” to listen again without the text.

Questions

1. Why did the client ask about a smaller room?
2. Why was the smaller room unsuitable?
3. What did the client agree to, and what must stay unchanged?
4. When will Anna receive the revised total, and why does she need it?
5. What information is still missing before the menu can be confirmed?

:::transcript

Ravi: Good morning, Riverside Conference Centre. Ravi speaking.

Anna: Hello, it's Anna from Westbridge Events. I'm calling about our booking for next Thursday. We're expecting twenty-eight people now, instead of forty. Could we move to a smaller room to bring the cost down?

Ravi: Let me check. The smaller room is available in the morning, but another group has booked it from one. What time does your event finish?

Anna: We're starting at nine and finishing at three. We really don't want to move everyone halfway through.

Ravi: Of course. We could keep the large room and reduce your lunch order from forty meals to twenty-eight. That would bring the total down.

Anna: That sounds reasonable. But will the room itself cost more because we're changing the booking?

Ravi: No, the room price will stay the same as in your original agreement. You'll just pay for fewer lunches.

Anna: All right, let's do that. Could you email me the revised total? I need to get it approved tomorrow afternoon.

Ravi: I'll send it before noon tomorrow. We're also still waiting for your final list of dietary requirements.

Anna: I'm checking with one last person. I'll send you the list this afternoon.

Ravi: Thanks. I'll wait for that before confirming the menu with the caterer. So, we're keeping the large room and changing the lunch order to twenty-eight.

Anna: That's right. Thanks for your help.

:::

Listening focus: A request is not the final agreement. Anna asks for a smaller room, but the conversation ends with a different solution. Follow the exchange through to the confirmation.

Your spoken response: Imagine you're Ravi. Confirm the agreed booking change in two or three sentences, including what stays the same and what you still need from Anna.

6. Taking over a support shift

Situation: Before leaving work, Taylor briefs Rosa, who will cover tomorrow morning's support shift. Listen for which case comes first and which checks must happen before a customer receives a reply.

Listen to exercise 6: Taking over a support shift

Transcript available: Use “Show transcript” after the questions to read along, then “Hide transcript” to listen again without the text.

Questions

1. Which case needs action before lunch?
2. What must Rosa do before telling the customer that sign-in is fixed?
3. What should Rosa do about the invoice request tomorrow?
4. Why are notes in the shared folder needed?
5. What should happen if the technical fix is delayed, and why should Rosa use email?

:::transcript

Rosa: Before you go, is there anything urgent for my shift tomorrow?

Taylor: There are two cases in the shared support folder. The red one needs action before lunch. A customer can't sign in after changing her email address.

Rosa: Has the technical team looked at it?

Taylor: Yes, they've found the cause. They expect to fix it by ten tomorrow.

Rosa: So I'll tell her it's fixed at ten?

Taylor: Check the team's update first, then try signing in with our test account. If that works, ask her to try again. Don't say it's fixed until you've checked it yourself.

Rosa: Got it. I'll give her a call once I've tested it.

Taylor: Actually, she prefers email. She's teaching tomorrow morning, so she won't be able to answer the phone.

Rosa: Okay. And if the fix takes longer than expected?

Taylor: Send her a progress update before noon. She shouldn't have to wait all morning without hearing from us.

Rosa: What's the blue case? Do I need to make a new invoice?

Taylor: No, that customer just needs a copy of an old one. Finance will send it directly to him on Friday. Tomorrow, you only need to confirm that we've received his request.

Rosa: I'll add a note to each case after I contact them, so the afternoon team knows what's happened.

Taylor: Exactly. Thanks, Rosa. Everything else can wait.

:::

Listening focus: Rosa suggests two actions that Taylor corrects: calling the customer and creating a new invoice. Listen to the corrections before deciding what Rosa should do.

Your spoken response: Imagine you're Rosa. Tell the afternoon team how you'll handle the sign-in case if the technical fix is delayed. Include the communication channel and update deadline.

Answers and explanations

Check your notes against the answers below. You do not need the exact wording, but your answer should preserve the action, person, time and any condition. If you chose the wrong time or item, return to the relevant line in the transcript and listen again.

Exercise 1: A meeting room change

1. The room changes. The meeting is still Tuesday at ten.
2. On the ground floor, next to reception.
3. Look at next week's schedule today, then bring a notebook and any questions about it. No laptop is needed.
4. At nine fifty-five, five minutes before ten. Half past ten is the finishing time.

Exercise 2: A delivery voicemail

1. Six boxes of paper, between nine and eleven in the morning.
2. Friday, in a separate delivery.
3. The back entrance beside the car park. The driver will call reception if the door is locked; staff should tell reception about the delivery today.
4. No. The supplier will email the bill after both deliveries.

Exercise 3: Your first morning at reception

1. Arrive at eight thirty; the trainer meets Sam at eight forty-five. These are different actions.
2. Photo identification. Jamie gives Sam a visitor card, which Sam should keep all morning.
3. No, there is a computer at the desk. Sam has brought a notebook.
4. Sam goes to the training room to learn how to answer a customer email.
5. In the staff kitchen fridge. Lunch is at twelve; sandwiches are also available in the cafe downstairs.

Exercise 4: Deciding when to launch a website

1. Two colleagues completed the form but did not receive a confirmation email.
2. The lesson pages are ready and video playback has been checked. The registration form still needs work.
3. Whether five colleagues using different email addresses receive confirmation messages and can open their accounts. The test begins at nine.
4. No. It will be sent Monday only if Friday's test is successful. Otherwise it is postponed and a new date will be announced.
5. By Friday at noon, even without complete results. That is a progress-update deadline, not a promise that registration will be fixed.

Exercise 5: Changing a client booking

1. Attendance fell from forty to twenty-eight and they wanted to reduce the cost.
2. It is booked by another group from one, while the event runs from nine to three. The client does not want to change rooms partway through.
3. Keep the large room and reduce the lunch order. The agreed room price stays the same.
4. Ravi will email the revised total before noon tomorrow. Anna needs to get it approved tomorrow afternoon.
5. The final list of dietary requirements. Anna will send it this afternoon after checking with one last person. Ravi will wait for it before confirming the menu with the caterer.

Exercise 6: Taking over a support shift

1. The sign-in case, marked red. The invoice case is marked blue.
2. Check the technical team's update at ten and test the sign-in process using the test account. If it works, contact the customer and ask her to try again.
3. Confirm receipt of the request. Finance will send the old invoice directly on Friday; Rosa should not create a new invoice.
4. So the afternoon team can see what has been done after each contact.
5. Send a progress update before noon. The customer prefers email and is teaching that morning, so she cannot answer a call. The expected ten o'clock fix is not a guaranteed outcome.

Turn listening mistakes into your next practice task

Use your missed answers to choose what to replay. If you confuse times, write the action beside each time before listening again: “arrive at reception” and “meet the trainer,” for example. If you miss a decision, listen from the original request through to the final agreement instead of repeating only the opening line.

If you understand a line when reading but miss it in the audio, try saying it aloud while looking at the transcript. Then hide the text and replay it. These recordings use ordinary contractions such as “we're,” “they'll,” “didn't” and “won't.” Practise recognising the whole phrase rather than expecting each written word to sound separate.

For the B1 exercises, make two columns: agreed action and condition or missing information. For the project meeting, Monday's invitation depends on Friday's test. For the booking call, the room stays booked while the lunch quantity changes. For the handover, a customer update is still needed if the fix is delayed. These distinctions are what make your notes useful at work.

Finish by recording the spoken response for one exercise. Listen back and check whether another person could act on it. Include the essential detail, such as the correct joining time or the deadline for an update. You do not need to repeat the whole conversation.

Continue practising English at work

Use the business English vocabulary guide when a workplace word keeps interrupting your listening. Note the phrase in its sentence, then return to the recording to hear it in context.

For a broader study routine, explore the business English course guide. Keep one short listening exercise in your routine and combine it with a spoken summary or a short email confirming the agreed action.

Try the same exercise again on another day without the transcript. Aim to identify the situation and next action first, then recover the details. When you can explain both the decision and its conditions, move to the next recording.