IELTS Listening: Short-answer questions
Direct questions answered in a few words taken from the recording. The most common failure is not mishearing — it is writing a correct detail that answers a different question from the one printed.
Let the question word set the target
| Question begins | Listen for |
|---|---|
| How much / How many | A number, an amount, a price |
| Where | A place, a room, a building |
| When / What time | A time, a day, a date |
| Who | A person, a role, an organisation |
| What | Read the rest of the stem — it narrows this a long way |
Marking the question word in the preparation time means you are listening for one kind of thing rather than trying to hold the whole stem in mind while the audio runs.
The rules
- Words must come from the recording — no paraphrasing into your own words.
- The word limit is strict and counted exactly as in Reading.
- Answers run in the order you hear them.
- Leave nothing blank: there is no penalty and a plausible guess sometimes lands.
Two questions sometimes share a sentence in the recording. Where two short answers sit close together on the paper, expect both in quick succession and have your pen ready.
Short-answer questions — FAQs
2 questions
No. The word limit normally makes that impossible anyway.
Take the one that answers the question word. The other is usually there as the distractor.
More listening question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.