IELTS, Listening
IELTS Listening Short-Answer Questions
You answer questions with a few words you hear, within a word limit such as no more than three words and/or a number.
- Skill
- Listening
- Word limit
- 3 per answer
- Part
- Listening
How Listening Short-Answer Questions is scored
One mark per correct answer. Spelling and the word limit count.
Marked against the answer key
10%of your listening score, by our estimate
How to answer Listening Short-Answer Questions
A step-by-step method you can use on every question of this type.
- 1
Underline the question word (who, where, how many) to know what kind of answer you need.
- 2
Check the word limit before the audio starts.
- 3
Write the words you hear; don't rephrase them.
Common mistakes
What costs the most marks, and what to do instead.
- Writing a full sentence and going over the word limit.
- Answering with a word the speaker later corrects.
IELTS Listening Short-Answer Questions: common questions
How many words can you write in each Listening Short-Answer Questions answer?
No more than 3 words per answer. Going over the limit makes the answer wrong, even if it contains the right word.
How is IELTS Listening Short-Answer Questions scored?
One mark per correct answer. Spelling and the word limit count.
How many Listening Short-Answer Questions questions are in the IELTS test?
It varies. Each IELTS Listening test mixes several question types in groups of a few questions each, so this type may appear once, more than once or not at all.
How much does Listening Short-Answer Questions count towards your score?
By our estimate, about 10% of your listening score. The test provider doesn't publish exact weights, so treat this as a guide to where practice pays off.
Where can I practice IELTS Listening Short-Answer Questions for free?
On PrepScroll you can answer exam-style Listening Short-Answer Questions questions and get an instant estimated score with feedback on what to fix. It's free to start and runs in your browser.
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