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What are Short Answer questions?

IELTS Listening short answer questions test whether you can write a short answer inside the word limit. The speaker may list items and then rule some out, describe something over time, or give the answer before the clue in the question. Here are the main traps to watch for in short answer questions.

Strategy:

• The List Exclusion Trap. A speaker often names several items from one group and then rules some of them out. Words such as except, only, out of stock, and no longer available remove an item you have already heard. Do not write the first item you hear. Wait for the item that still fits the question, and keep your answer inside the word limit.
• The Adjective Overload Trap. A speaker may describe one thing several times over: an older version, an option that was considered, and the version in use now. Signals such as used to be, considered, and in the end tell you which description is current. Write the description that matches the thing as it is today, and spell it the way the speaker says it.
• The Preposition Flip Trap. The recording does not follow the word order printed on your page. A speaker often gives the answer first and the word from the question second, so the answer can arrive before the clue you were waiting for. Predict the kind of word the question needs, such as a place, a time, or a material, and take that word whenever it arrives.
• The Structural Inversion Trap. A lecturer may turn a sentence around and leave the subject until the end. The grammar in the audio does not have to match the grammar on your page, so follow the meaning rather than the word order. The questions follow the order of the recording, so move to the next question at once when one gets away from you. Then count the words in your answer and check the spelling.

Strategy reminder: The List Exclusion Trap. A speaker often names several items from one group and then rules some of them out. Words such as except, only, out of stock, and no longer available remove an item you have already heard. Do not write the first item you hear. Wait for the item that still fits the question, and keep your answer inside the word limit.

We'll look at a sample IELTS listening practice.

Sample Question:

Let’s solve it using the strategy.

• Use the strategy. The List Exclusion Trap. A speaker often names several items from one group and then rules some of them out. Words such as except, only, out of stock, and no longer available remove an item you have already heard. Do not write the first item you hear. Wait for the item that still fits the question, and keep your answer inside the word limit.

The agent lists several documents and payment methods first. A student card does not apply, and utility bills cannot be processed, so the document to bring is a passport. Bank transfers and vouchers are ruled out, so the only payment the agent can take over the phone is a credit card.

Correct answer:

Strategy reminder: The List Exclusion Trap. A speaker often names several items from one group and then rules some of them out. Words such as except, only, out of stock, and no longer available remove an item you have already heard. Do not write the first item you hear. Wait for the item that still fits the question, and keep your answer inside the word limit.

We'll look at a sample IELTS listening practice.

Sample Question:

Let’s solve it using the strategy.

• Use the strategy. The List Exclusion Trap. A speaker often names several items from one group and then rules some of them out. Words such as except, only, out of stock, and no longer available remove an item you have already heard. Do not write the first item you hear. Wait for the item that still fits the question, and keep your answer inside the word limit.

The kiosk materials include maps, nature books, and event schedules, but the books are out of stock and the schedules are no longer printed. Visitors can buy maps. The lakeside path and mountain track are closed. The trail that is fully open is the forest trail.

Correct answer: