Short Answer Qs

1️⃣ Read Instructions Carefully

Underline the word limit:

“NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS” — this is a command, not a suggestion.

2️⃣ Read All Questions Before Reading the Passage

They’re usually in order, so you can locate each piece of information while scanning.

3️⃣ Underline Keywords

Focus on what type of information you need:

• Person

• Place

• Time

• Reason

• Quantity

• Cause / Effect

Predict possible forms of answers.

4️⃣ Scan the Passage Efficiently

Look for synonyms or paraphrases, not the exact words.
If the question says “What caused…”, look for “led to,” “resulted from,” “because of.”

5️⃣ Read Carefully Around the Keyword

Usually, the sentence before or after the keyword contains the real answer.

6️⃣ Copy Exactly from the Passage

• Keep the same spelling

• Don’t change word form unless needed grammatically

• Don’t add unnecessary words

7️⃣ Check Grammar and Word Limit

Read the completed sentence:

“The answer is ______.”
Does it sound correct? Is it within the word limit?

Trap:
The same keyword appears multiple times — but only one instance answers the question.

Example:

Passage:
“Early versions of the software were tested in 2005.
The final release came in 2008.”

Question: When was the software released?
✅ Correct: 2008
❌ Trap: 2005 — because it’s mentioned near the same word (software).

🧠 Strategy:
👉 Read the sentence before and after the keyword.
IELTS often plants the keyword in a different context earlier in the passage.

Trap:
The answer fits meaning but not grammar when inserted into the question.

Example:

Question: What kind of weather causes flooding?
Passage: “Heavy rainfall is responsible for frequent flooding.”
✅ Correct: Heavy rainfall
❌ Trap: Rainfall (grammatically incomplete — you need the adjective “heavy”)

🧠 Strategy:
👉 Read your answer inside the question.
If it sounds grammatically wrong — it is.

Trap:
Students copy a number but omit or add units, which IELTS counts as incorrect.

Example:

Passage: “The distance between the two cities is 45 kilometres.”
Question: What is the distance between the cities?
✅ Correct: 45 kilometres
❌ Trap: 45 (missing unit)

🧠 Strategy:
👉 Always copy both number and measurement unit (km, %, years, etc.) unless the question stem already includes it.

Trap:
Two sentences describe similar ideas — one is background, the other directly answers.

Example:

Passage:
“The device was first shown in 2015.
However, it was officially launched in 2017.”

Question: When was the device introduced to the market?
✅ Correct: 2017
❌ Trap: 2015 (first shown ≠ launched)

🧠 Strategy:
👉 Focus on the action in the question (e.g., “introduced to market” ≠ “first shown”).
IELTS changes verbs to mislead.