English speaking lesson · Services & Admin
Renewing your ID
Your passport is about to expire, and you're at the office to renew it. You practise it as a real conversation, at whichever of the four levels fits you — the room and the steps stay the same, only the words get harder.
A records office · you talk to the records officer
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Ask to renew, say when it expires, hand over your documents, and arrange collection. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. Nothing is corrected while you talk; the corrections are collected and handed to you at the end.
How it opens
Good morning — what brings you in today?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the records officer.
The 5 steps that finish it
A step clears when you say the thing that clears it. The steps are identical at all four levels — only the example line fades, and at Natural there is none at all.
- 01
Ask to renew
Say you'd like to renew your passport or ID.
“Good morning! I'd like to renew my passport.”
- 02
Say when it expires
Say when your current one expires.
“It expires next month.”
- 03
Hand over documents
Say what you've brought with you.
“Here's my old passport, my photo, and the form.”
- 04
Check the application
Check the application details are correct.
“Yes, that's correct.”
- 05
Arrange collection
Say how you'd like to receive it, and finish politely.
“In three weeks? By post, please. Thanks very much!”
The words, at all four levels
The same room and the same steps, four vocabularies. These are the words the lesson listens for and scores you on — with what each one means and how it sounds when you are talking to the records officer.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- renew
- to get a new version of a document
- “I'd like to renew my passport.”
- passport
- your official travel ID book
- “I'd like to renew my passport.”
- old
- not new, from before
- “Here's my old passport.”
- month
- a period of about thirty days
- “It expires next month.”
- photo
- a picture of you
- “Here's my photo.”
- form
- an official document you fill in
- “Here's the form.”
- correct
- right, with no mistakes
- “Yes, that's correct.”
- post
- to send by mail
- “By post, please.”
- weeks
- more than one week
- “In three weeks?”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks very much.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- renewal
- getting a new version of a document
- “I'm here for a renewal.”
- expires
- stops being valid
- “It expires next month.”
- identity
- who you officially are
- “It's my identity card.”
- current
- the one you have now
- “Here's my current one.”
- application
- a formal request, usually with a form
- “Here's my application.”
- photographs
- official pictures for documents
- “I've brought photographs.”
- correct
- right, with no mistakes
- “Yes, that's correct.”
- collect
- to pick something up
- “Could I collect it instead?”
- processing
- the official handling of a request
- “What's the processing time?”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for something
- “I appreciate your help.”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- validity
- the period a document remains usable
- “What's the validity period?”
- lapsed
- no longer valid because it ran out
- “It hasn't lapsed yet.”
- expedited
- made to happen faster than usual
- “Is an expedited service available?”
- biometric
- using fingerprints or facial data
- “Is it a biometric document?”
- certified
- officially confirmed as genuine
- “Do you need certified copies?”
- surrender
- to hand over an old document
- “Do I surrender the old one?”
- issued
- officially given out
- “When would it be issued?”
- collection
- picking something up in person
- “Is collection possible?”
- sorted
- arranged and settled
- “That's sorted, thanks.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- paperwork
- the official forms and documents
- “The paperwork is all here.”
- backlog
- a build-up of unprocessed work
- “Is there a backlog at the moment?”
- cutting
- leaving very little time — 'cutting it fine'
- “I'm cutting it fine, I know.”
- fast-track
- a quicker processing option
- “Is there a fast-track option?”
- turnaround
- the time taken to complete something
- “What's the realistic turnaround?”
- chase
- to follow up on something (informal)
- “When should I chase it up?”
- ping
- to send quickly (informal)
- “Could you ping me when it's ready?”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, that's sorted.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers, appreciated.”
More Services & Admin lessons
- Opening a bank account
- Customer service call
- Courier claim
- Making an insurance claim
- Registering at the town hall
- At the tax office
- Visa appointment