Part 1: forms, names and spelling
Stop losing easy Part 1 marks. Retrain your ear for the English alphabet (G/J, B/V, M/N, A/E/I, Y/W), and learn how surnames, street names, email addresses and UK postcodes are spoken, so you can write them perfectly.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Recognise every English letter name by its vowel sound, including the pairs that Bangla speakers confuse
- Write spelled words accurately, including 'double' letters and spoken clarifications
- Take down email addresses and UK postcodes exactly as they are spoken
- Avoid familiar-spelling traps with surnames, and spell common Part 1 words that are never spelled for you
The English alphabet, grouped by vowel sound
| Vowel sound | Letters | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|
/eɪ/ as in day | A, H, J, K | All four rhyme with say. H is 'aitch'; some Irish and Australian speakers say 'haitch' |
/iː/ as in see | B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V (and Z in American English: 'zee') | The biggest and most confusing group: these letters differ only in their first sound |
/e/ as in bed | F, L, M, N, S, X, Z (British and Canadian 'zed') | Each starts with a short 'e': ef, el, em, en, es, eks, zed |
/aɪ/ as in my | I, Y | Y is pronounced exactly like the word why |
/əʊ/ as in go | O | The same sound is used for zero in phone numbers ('oh') |
/uː/ as in you | Q, U, W | Q = 'kyoo', U = 'you', W = 'double-u': three syllables but ONE letter |
/ɑː/ as in car | R | British speakers say 'ah' with no R sound; Americans say 'ar' |
The letter pairs that cost Bangla speakers marks
| Letters | How they sound | Why we mix them up | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|---|
A / E / I | A = 'ay' (day), E = 'ee' (see), I = 'eye' (my) | We often call A 'এ', so a native 'ay' can be heard as E. An Australian A can sound close to I | Ask yourself: does it rhyme with day, see or my? |
G / J | G = 'jee', J = 'jay' | Both begin with the same জ sound; only the vowel is different | G rhymes with see; J rhymes with day |
B / V / P | 'bee', 'vee', 'pee' | Bangla has no separate /v/ sound, so V is easily heard as B. On the phone, B and P blur too | Listen for clarifications: 'B for Bravo', 'V for Victor', 'P for Peter' |
M / N | 'em', 'en' | The vowel is identical; only the final nasal differs, and phone lines blur it | M ends with closed lips. Speakers may add 'M for Mike' or 'N for November' |
S / X / F | 'es', 'eks', 'ef' | All three begin with the same short 'e' | X has a clear k before the s; F ends in a soft breath |
Y / W | Y = 'why', W = 'double-u' | Y begins with a w sound, so learners write W | One short syllable = Y. If you hear 'double', it is W |
Q / U | 'kyoo', 'you' | The only difference is the k at the start | In English words Q is almost always followed by U |
C / Z (American) | C = 'see', Z = 'zee' | American 'zee' sounds very close to 'see' or G | Note the accent: British and Canadian speakers say 'zed' |
Listen: the confusable letters, said clearly
How to take down a spelled word
- 1
Write each letter as you hear it
Do not wait for the whole word. Nobody can hold nine random letters in their head while still listening. Write letter by letter, as fast as they come.
- 2
Use capitals on paper
In capitals there is no confusion between handwritten a/o, u/v, n/h or l/I. Capitals do not affect your mark, and they make your answers easier to read.
- 3
Treat 'double' as a command
The moment you hear 'double', write the next letter twice. Do not try to remember it for later.
- 4
Use the read-back
The other speaker usually repeats the spelling, and that is your free second chance. It is also exactly where corrections happen: 'G, X?' 'No, J.'
- 5
Check the length and the sound
Does your spelling roughly match how the name was pronounced? If Bevington sounded like four syllables and you have six letters, something is missing.
Dictation challenge: six spelled items (no transcript)
Check: the dictation and the alphabet
8 questions- 1
Dictation item 1 (a surname):
- 2
Dictation item 2 (the street name only):
- 3
Dictation item 3 (an email address):
- 4
Dictation item 4 (a postcode):
- 5
Dictation item 5 (a surname):
- 6
Dictation item 6 (a company name):
- 7
Which letter rhymes with 'day'?
- 8
A speaker spells: 'D, O, double-u, N, E, S'. What do you write?
Answer every question to check.
Email addresses: what you hear and what you write
| You hear | You write | Example |
|---|---|---|
at | @ | sam at citymail dot com → sam@citymail.com |
dot | . (in emails it is never 'full stop' or 'point') | j dot reid → j.reid |
underscore | _ | anna underscore k → anna_k |
hyphen / dash | lee hyphen park → lee-park | |
all one word / no spaces | no space | green leaf, all one word → greenleaf |
two one / twenty-one / double nine | 21 / 21 / 99 | tom double nine → tom99 |
dot com | .com | citymail.com |
dot co dot uk | .co.uk (UK companies) | citymail.co.uk |
dot A C dot U K | .ac.uk (UK universities) | haverley.ac.uk |
dot E D U | .edu (US universities) | ridgemont.edu |
dot com dot A U | .com.au (Australian companies) | surfmail.com.au |
UK postcodes
A UK postcode has two halves separated by a space:
| First half (area + district) | Second half |
|---|---|
| BS8 | 3JX |
| M14 | 6PL |
| EH7 | 4QW |
| LS6 | 2PQ |
Speakers say each character separately: 'B, S, eight, three, J, X'. The first half has one or two letters and one or two digits, so M14 may be read as 'M, one, four' or 'M, fourteen'. The second half is always one digit followed by two letters, so you always know where the space goes: before the last three characters.
Letter O or zero? Both can be said 'oh'. Use the pattern: the first character of the second half is always a number, so 'oh' in that position means 0.
Other countries you may hear
- Canada: letter–number–letter, space, number–letter–number, e.g. V5Z 2R8 ('V, five, Z, two, R, eight'). A Canadian says 'zed', like a British speaker.
- Australia: four digits, e.g. 2031.
- USA: a five-digit ZIP code, e.g. 94110.
On a Part 1 form the town is usually printed already, and the postcode is the answer. Write it with the space, in capitals if you like.
Surnames that sound the same but are spelled differently
| You hear | Possible spellings | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
/klɑːk/ | Clark, Clarke | Wait for 'with an E on the end' |
/smɪθ/ | Smith, Smyth | Smyth is rare but appears in tests precisely because it is a trap |
/ˈtɒmsən/ | Thompson, Thomson | Listen for 'with a P' or 'no P' |
/ˈfɪlɪps/ | Phillips, Philips | Double L or single L: count carefully |
/riːd/ | Reed, Reid, Read | Three spellings, one sound |
/ˈstiːvənz/ | Stevens, Stephens | V or PH: never assume |
/ɡreɪ/ | Gray, Grey | Both common surnames |
/ˈælən/ | Allen, Allan, Alan | The vowel in the second syllable is unclear in speech |
/niːl/ | Neal, Neil, Neill, Neale | Four possibilities: only the spelling tells you |
/məkˈdɒnəld/ | McDonald, MacDonald, Macdonald | Capitals don't matter, but 'Mc' vs 'Mac' does |
Everyday Part 1 words that are never spelled for you
| Topic | Words to master | Common misspellings |
|---|---|---|
Days and months | Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, February, August | Wensday, Thrusday, Febuary |
Accommodation | accommodation, apartment, reception, guarantee, furniture | accomodation, apartement, garantee |
Money | deposit, receipt, insurance, discount, cheque (US: check) | reciept, insurence, deposite |
Places | library, restaurant, museum, theatre (US: theater), centre (US: center) | libary, restarant, musuem |
Food | breakfast, vegetarian, vegetables, sandwich, dessert | vegeterian, sandwhich, desert (that is a dry region!) |
Courses | beginner, intermediate, advanced, certificate, timetable | begginer, intermidiate, certificat |
Health | dentist, appointment, allergy, medicine | apointment, alergy, medecine |
Streets | Road, Street, Avenue, Lane, Crescent, Terrace, Close, Square | Avenu, Cresent, Terrase |
General | necessary, separate, convenient, environment, licence (US: license) | neccessary, seperate, enviroment |
Taking down a spelled name: two candidates
Band 5 habits
- Waits for the whole name, then tries to remember it
- Hears 'G' and writes J, because both start with the same sound
- Hears 'double S' and writes only one S, because the next letter arrived too quickly
- Writes Thompson because that is the spelling they have seen before
- Writes Normanton Park in a gap where 'Park' is already printed
- Ignores the read-back, so misses the correction 'No, J for Juliet'
Band 8 habits
- Writes each letter the moment it is said, in capitals
- Uses the vowel: 'jee' (like see) = G, 'jay' (like day) = J
- Treats 'double' as a command and writes the letter twice at once
- Writes exactly what was spelled (Thomson), even if it looks unusual
- Writes only Normanton because the form already says 'Park'
- Listens hardest during the read-back, because that is where corrections happen
Spelling marks are lost in the hand as often as in the ear. A fixed routine (write as you hear, obey 'double', trust the given spelling, use the read-back) makes these answers almost automatic.
Practice: Part 1 – registering with a student lettings agency
9 questionsA phone call between a receptionist at a student lettings agency and a postgraduate student looking for a room.
Recording
🎧 Read the questions first, then play the recording once — just like the real test. You can replay it after checking your answers.
Questions 1–5
Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Abbeyfield Student Lettings – Registration Form
| First name: | Farhan |
| Surname: | |
| Current address: | Flat 4, 27 Road, Bristol |
| Postcode: | |
| Email: | @tellmail.co.uk |
| Course: |
Questions 6–9
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Preferences and references
- College: College
- Would like to live near Park
- Reference from current landlord: Mr
- Day for viewing rooms:
Final check: letters, emails and postcodes
10 questions- 1
Which group of letters all share the 'ee' sound, as in 'see'?
- 2
An American speaker spells a surname: 'L, O, P, E, zee'. What is the last letter?
- 3
Match the spoken word to the symbol you write in an email address.
atdotunderscorehyphen - 4
A speaker spells: 'F, E, double R, I, S.' Write the surname:
- 5
Receptionist: 'Is that Thompson with a P?' Caller: 'No, there's no P. T, H, O, M, S, O, N.'
The caller's surname is spelled Thompson.
- 6
A UK speaker says: 'L, S, six, two, P, Q.' How should you write the postcode?
- 7
The form says 'Address: 14 ______ Avenue' (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER). You hear: 'Fourteen Maple Avenue. Maple is M, A, P, L, E.' What do you write?
- 8
A surname is spelled 'C, L, A, R, K, E'. Which TWO answers would be marked correct?
Select 2.
- 9
Find and correct the mistake:
The flat has two seperate bedrooms.
- 10
Find and correct the mistake:
I need to book accomodation for February.
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
Part 1 accommodation vocabulary
Saved as flashcards with a free accountlandlord
noun/ˈlændlɔːd/
A person who owns a house, flat or room and rents it to someone else. A woman may be called a landlady.
বাড়িওয়ালা
The agency needs a reference from your current landlord.
tenant
noun/ˈtenənt/
A person who pays rent to live in a house, flat or room owned by someone else.
ভাড়াটে
Tenants must pay one month's rent as a deposit.
reference
noun/ˈrefrəns/
A statement from someone who knows you, describing your character or reliability, often needed when you rent a home or apply for a job.
সুপারিশপত্র, রেফারেন্স
Mr Wyatt has agreed to give Farhan a reference.
viewing
noun/ˈvjuːɪŋ/
A visit to a house, flat or room to see whether you want to rent or buy it.
(বাসা) সরেজমিনে দেখা
Viewings take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
applicant
noun/ˈæplɪkənt/
A person who formally asks for something, such as a room, a job or a place on a course.
আবেদনকারী
Each applicant fills in a registration form.
postcode
noun/ˈpəʊstkəʊd/
A group of letters and numbers added to an address in the UK to help deliver post. In the US it is called a ZIP code.
পোস্টকোড (ডাক কোড)
His postcode is BS8 3JX.
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