IELTS Academic Reading – Task Type 2 – Short-answer Questions
Task Description
What are candidates required to do?
This task type requires candidates to answer questions about details in the passage. Questions usually relate to factual information. Candidates must write their answers in words or numbers on the Answer Sheet.
How many words are candidates asked to write?
Often the instructions will state ‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage’, but sometimes ‘ONE word’, or ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS’. Numbers can be written using figures or words.
Are candidates penalised for writing more than the stated number of words?
Yes. If candidates write more than the number of words asked for, they will lose the mark even if their answer includes the correct word(s).
What about contractions or hyphenated words?
Contracted words will not be tested. Hyphenated words count as single words.
What skills are tested in this task type?
This task type tests candidates’ ability to locate and understand precise information in the passage.
Are the questions in text order?
The questions are usually arranged so that the answers appear in order in the passage.
What text type is this task type used with?
It is most likely to be used with a passage that contains a lot of factual information and detail.
Understanding the Task
To see an example of this task type please click on the link below
Things to consider
- How would you approach this task type?
- What kind of information do the instructions give you?
- What skills are being tested in this task type?
- How could you help your students to develop these skills?
