Listen and answer the questions
IELTS Listening Test SampleShort Answer QuestionThe IELTS Listening test sample in this lesson is a short answer question. These come up regularly in the exam and can appear in any section of the test. They are particularly common inSection 2which will be amonologue set in an everyday social context, for example, a welcome talk for new college students. Show
You must listen to the recording and write a short answer in each blank space provided. Sometimes, more than one answer will be required, for example, What are theTWOmajor concerns new students have regarding accommodation? This lesson includes:
Here are two IELTS Listening test sample questions to give you an idea of what to expect. The first is from a past test paper and the second has been createdspecifically to teach you the strategy for answering this type of question and to illustrate some tips. IELTS Listening Test Sample Question 1Source:Official IELTS website www.ieltsessential.com IELTS Listening Test Sample Question 2Well be usingthis second exampleas our IELTS Listening test sample question to practice the strategy and tips Im about to show you. Strategy & TipsYou will have a short time to prepare before the speakers begin talking. Use this time to familiarise yourself with the question and focus your mind on what you need to listen out for. 1) Read the instructionsRead the instructions carefully, paying particular attention to how many words you are allowed to write for the answer as this does vary. The instructions for our sample question state that you must, WriteNO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBERfor each answer. If you write more than three words, your answer will be marked incorrect even if the information you give is correct. Instructions do vary and the limit could be TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBERor ONLY ONE WORD, so dont get caught out. 2) Answer orderThe answers will come in the same order in the recording as they are listed in the question so, for this question, you will hear answer 1 first, then answer 2 and so on. This makes it easier to pick out the answers than if they were in a random order. 3) Predict the answersTryto predict what the answers might be. This will focus your mind on what to listen out for in the recording. Occasionally, youll be able to predict the actual word but mostly its one or more of these things that youll be able to determine:
Anyclues you can get will help you to understand the audio and identify the information needed for the answers. Have a go at predicting some of the answers in our short answer question. Then have a look at my predictions below. Here are the questions: There aren't enough clues in the questions in this instance to guess any of the words but we can make these predictions: Predictions 1 a time 2 to 5a noun (& adjective?) 4) Synonyms and paraphrasingSynonyms and paraphrasing will be used extensively in the recording. So, you will not only be listening for the exact words that are used in the questions but also, different words and phrases that have the same meaning. In your preparation time, scan the questions and underline key words that are likely to be replaced by synonyms or paraphrased. Then, quickly think of words that might be used instead. Ive underlined some important key words in our practice question. Can you think of some synonyms for them or ways the information might be paraphrased?
Well look at the synonyms and paraphrasing that have actually been used when we review the answers. 5) Problematic vocabularyThereare 6 types of vocabulary that can cause particular problems for students and some of them are regularly used in short answer questions. The 6 types are:
You must be able to recognise them in speech and to write them correctly in your answers. Ive written a whole lesson on this topic, including 8 listening exercises to help you recognise & learn these types of vocabulary. Follow this link to the lesson:Vocabulary Lesson & Exercises 6)Watch out for distractorsThe examiners may try and catch you out with distractors. A distractor is a word or a phrase that changes or corrects the original piece of information given. So, you maybe given an answer and then have it taken away again. Here are some sample sentences containing distractors. Ive highlighted the relevant words.
The use of but and however are particularly common distractors but there are many different words and phrases that can be used to change or correct a piece of information so be alert for them. 7)Guess if necessaryMy final tip is to never leave a blank space on the answer sheet. If you miss an answer, take an educated guess. This gives you at least some chance of getting it right. Dont stress about a missed answer or it will affect your ability to answer the next set of questions. Just make your choice and move on. Practice ActivityIts now time for you to practice using this strategy on our sample question. Here it is again. IELTS Listening Test Sample QuestionListen to this recording and identify the missing words. Refer back to the strategy as you need to and keep the predictions in mind.As youre listening, remind yourself that you are not looking for the exact words as in the question but the same meaning. When youve completed the practice activity, go through the answers below. IELTS Listening Test Sample Recording Short Answer
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