English Test for Tourism and Catering

Advanced Level
Function and Content
SAMPLE

You can spend 20 minutes on this test. Total:10 marks

Answer the following questions. Write a paragraph of about 70-80 words for each.

1. Explain why tour operators and air carriers are interdependent.

2. Describe a few factors which might affect the customer’s meal experience in a restaurant.
 SAMPLE KEY English Test for Tourism and Catering
Advanced Level
Function and Content
SAMPLE

Suggested answers:

1. In the planning stage of a tour, airlines have to consider the fixed and variable costs of an
aeroplane and the aim to achieve profit.

Tour operators buy seats in bulk They want the lowest price possible so that they can re-sell
all the seats they have purchased.

As tour operators buy in bulk, carriers are prone to losing passengers. To protect their existing
business, carriers impose conditions on the resale of tickets, e.g. tour operators must build in
the price of tickets as part of a package or IT.

To fill empty seats, tour operators also choose to charter whole planes.

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2. The main aim of food and beverage operations is to achieve customer satisfaction. In other
words, to meet the customer's needs. The needs that the customer might be seeking to satisfy
are:
Physiological: For example the need to sate one's appetite or quench the thirst
Social: E. g. going out with friends or business partners
Psychological: For example the need for variety
Convenience: E. g. the physical impossibility of catering at home.
The customer who is not able to satisfy his/her needs will be a dissatisfied customer. Therefore
food and beverage operators should be aware of factors which might affect the customer's
meal experience. These range from location to the acceptance of credit cards, and from
attitudes of staff to the behaviour of other customers. Firstly, the range of food and drink on
offer is of paramount importance, but so is the method, speed and reliability of service.
Cleanliness and hygiene are key issues, but providing value for the price is also essential. Last
but not least the success of a restaurant might turn on its atmosphere, a fairly intangible
concept including aspects such as decor, lighting, heating, furnishings and acoustics.