diff --git a/sru/almasru.py b/sru/almasru.py
index dd300db1be65e298e965b5e6f41d41624da024bc..f756b384501e58b14852508e273cbc5b3d42a7ab 100644
--- a/sru/almasru.py
+++ b/sru/almasru.py
@@ -77,14 +77,27 @@ class RecordRetriever:
         :raises SruDiagnostics: if SRU returns an error
         """
 
+        sru_url = self._create_url(alma_query)
+
+        response = request.urlopen(sru_url).read()
+        sru_xml = fromstring(response)
+
+        self._raise_errors_single_records(sru_xml)
+
+        xml_list = self._extract_marc_xml(sru_xml, namespaces)
+        return xml_list[0]
+
+    def _create_url(self, alma_query: str) -> str:
+
         self.url_query['startRecord'] = '0'
         self.url_query['maximumRecords'] = '1'
         self.url_query['query'] = alma_query
         url_query_string = parse.urlencode(self.url_query)
         sru_url = self.url_base + url_query_string
 
-        response = request.urlopen(sru_url).read()
-        sru_xml = fromstring(response)
+        return sru_url
+
+    def _raise_errors_single_records(self, sru_xml: Element):
 
         namespaces = {
             'srw': 'http://www.loc.gov/zing/srw/',
@@ -95,14 +108,14 @@ class RecordRetriever:
         num_recs = sru_xml.find("srw:numberOfRecords", namespaces)
 
         if (
-            num_recs is not None and
-            num_recs.text == '0'
+                num_recs is not None and
+                num_recs.text == '0'
         ):
             raise NoRecord('No matching records found!')
 
         elif (
-            num_recs is not None and
-            num_recs.text > '1'
+                num_recs is not None and
+                num_recs.text > '1'
         ):
             raise MultiRecord('More than one record found'
                               'while exactly one was expected!')
@@ -112,10 +125,10 @@ class RecordRetriever:
             sru_message = sru_xml.find(xpath, namespaces).text
             raise SruDiagnostics(sru_message)
 
-        else:
-            record_xpath = 'srw:records/srw:record//marc:record'
-            marc_xml = sru_xml.find(record_xpath, namespaces)
-            return marc_xml
+    def _extract_marc_xml(self, sru_xml, namespaces):
+        record_xpath = 'srw:records/srw:record//marc:record'
+        marc_xml = sru_xml.findall(record_xpath, namespaces)
+        return marc_xml
 
     def by_marc_009(self, marc_009: str) -> Element:
         """Return record by MARC 009 (control number).