IELTS Listening Short Answer Questions

The IELTS Listening Short Answer Questions are easy to solve if you have practiced the questions. You will listen to the audio and write a short answer using the information you understand from the audio. 

This IELTS Listening question type will measure your ability to write answers within a word limit which will be given in the instructions. You will have to provide answers in a short manner to the questions asked. In the IELTS Listening Short Answer Questions you have to listen for facts and information. 

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IELTS listening short answer questions Explained

In the IELTS Listening test, there will be a total of 4 audio and 10 questions each. The IELTS listening short answer question is one of the question types asked in the test. You can easily complete the task if you know this question type. 

Sometimes distractors are used to confuse you, so you have to think well before you answer. It will trick you into giving the wrong answer, so carefully listen to the audio during the test. Ignore the wrong answers and be precise when answering the questions. If you want to learn more about the scoring pattern of the IELTS listening short answer questions you must check out the Listening Band score article.

IELTS Listening short answer questions Tips

1. Follow the instructions

Pay attention to the instructions given in the question paper. You should only write the answers following the given word limit. In case you write more than the allowed word limit, you will lose your marks. These instructions will vary from question to question.

2. Answer in the order

The questions in the listening test will be asked in the order of the audio. This means you will get the answers in the order of the questions. So you can fill up the answers right from question 1.

3.Guess the answer

From the questions, you can predict what type of answers you can expect. So when you listen to the audio you can listen to the words that are suitable to answer the questions. You can use the questions as clues to find the answer. 

4. Look for paraphrasing and synonyms

The question may not have exactly the same words or sentences as given in the audio. The question might contain paraphrased sentences or synonyms. To make finding such words easier, you can underline such words that you think could be synonyms. You should do this before you start listening to the audio. 

5.Have a good vocabulary

When you listen to the audio it is very important that you can understand the words you listen to. For this, you should have a good vocabulary. To have a good understanding of the vocabulary in IELTS Listening, you can check out the IELTS Listening Words.

6.Look out for distractors

Distractors are used in the audio to distract you from the actual answer. Words like “but, however, until” are distractors that will confuse the listener. When you hear such sentences think twice about the meaning of the sentence before you answer. For more help with solving the questions, check out our  IELTS Listening tips page.

How to answer IELTS Listening short answer questions

• First Read the Questions

Before you listen to the audio you can read through the questions. When you do this you will understand what the audio is about and what keywords to listen to. You have 20 seconds to quickly go through the questions.

• Underline important words

As you read the questions, you can underline the main words that you feel are important. So when you listen to the audio you can easily identify the answers. 

• Look out for question words

Words like who, which, where, and why are called question words. Depending on the type of question words you get in the question, you will know what type of answer you should expect.

• Listen to the audio carefully

You will only get one chance to listen to the audio. The audio will not be played more than once. So if it is difficult for you to remember the words, you can note them down. You should also pay attention to the exact words you hear in the audio.

• Be accurate while noting down the answers

While you answer the questions, you should be very careful. You will lose marks if you make mistakes while noting down the answers. Your writing should be legible to the examiner. Also, keep in mind to write the correct number of words. If you write more you will lose marks. Use the IELTS listening mock test to learn to solve questions of this type. 

Sample IELTS Listening short answer questions for Practice 

Sample Question 1

Video Library Application Form Listening Answer

Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.

1. How much does it cost to join the library?
2. When will Louise's card be ready?

Answers:

1. $25/ twenty-five dollars / 25 dollars (refundable)
Explanation: MR MAX tells LOUISE: Oh, and I nearly forgot, the membership fee. $25, refundable if you leave the library for any reason.

2. next week / in a week / in one week / the following week
Explanation: MR MAX tells LOUISE: You can borrow videos now if you like, but your card won't be ready until next week.

Sample Question 2

Waste and Waste Management

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

1. Where was a Stone Age rubbish dump found?
2. In Medieval times, what type of waste was most common?
3. What did science link with waste?
4. Which invention is the biggest problem for the environment?

Answers:

1. Norway
2. Organic
3. Disease
4. Plastic

Practice more questions using the IELTS Listening Practice Test.

Other IELTS Listening Question types

Here are the other IELTS Listening Question types usually asked in the test.

• IELTS listening matching questions
• IELTS listening multiple choice questions
• IELTS listening note completion
• IELTS listening form completion
• IELTS listening table completion
• IELTS listening sentence completion
• IELTS listening summary completion
• IELTS listening map & plan labelling
• IELTS listening diagram completion
• IELTS listening flow chart completion

Conclusion

If you have learned the tips and strategies to solve this question type, it will be easy for you to score well in the listening test if short answer questions arise. Solve more “IELTS Listening Short Answer Questions” to get confident with these types of questions.

FAQs on Short Answer Questions

1.What is a short answer question in IELTS listening?

In the short answer question type, you have to listen to audio and write down answers for the given questions in short sentences. The word limit for the answers will be given in the instructions.

2.How do you answer the short answer question in IELTS listening?

You can easily solve the short answer questions. Read the questions and listen to the audio carefully and then write down the answers correctly by following the instructions.

3.Can I answer while listening in IELTS? 

In a computer-based test, you can answer as you listen. The questions will be displayed on the screen.

4.Can I pause the audio during IELTS listening?

You cannot pause or hear the audio as you wish. You will only be able to hear the recording once. So it is important that you listen to the audio from the beginning very carefully.

5.Can we write two answers in IELTS listening? 

You can only give one answer to each question. Giving multiple answers to one question will lead to losing your marks.