Vocabulary · Free lesson
IELTS short answers: answer the question being asked
A passage may contain a name, a year, a location and a number close together. For a short answer, you need the detail requested, not simply the first familiar word.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
A word from the passage is not automatically the answer. Who asks for a person, where for a place, and how many for a count. Read the rest of the question too, then find the matching fact.
Question focus → matching evidence → answer limit.
In the practice passage, Nora Patel is the collector, 36 is the sample count, 2024 is the year and Hillside Laboratory is the storage location. All appear in the text, but each answers a different question. Where were the samples stored? needs the location, not the collector. After choosing the fact, follow the task’s word and number limit.
Compare the examples
Nora Patel collected 36 seed samples in 2024. She stored them at Hillside Laboratory.
Who collected the samples? → Nora Patel
Where were the samples stored? → Hillside Laboratory
The question word is a clue, not the whole method. If a passage names two locations, you still need the one linked to the action in the question.
Build the meaning step by step
Read the exact question
Where were the samples stored?
Find the relevant detail
stored them at Hillside Laboratory
Keep the requested information
Hillside Laboratory
Try it now
Choose the matching short answer
Read all answers and explanations
Read: Nora Patel collected 36 seed samples in 2024. She stored them at Hillside Laboratory. Question: Who collected the samples?
Nora PatelNora Patel is the person who collected them. The year and laboratory answer other questions.
Read: Nora Patel collected 36 seed samples in 2024. She stored them at Hillside Laboratory. Question: How many seed samples did Nora collect?
3636 counts the samples. 2024 is a year, even though it is also a number.
Read: Nora Patel collected 36 seed samples in 2024. She stored them at Hillside Laboratory. Question: Where were the samples stored?
Hillside LaboratoryStored at connects the samples to Hillside Laboratory. The other details do not name the storage place.
Put it into practice
Repair an answer with the wrong focus
Read: Elena Ruiz displayed 24 photographs at River Gallery. Question: Where were the photographs displayed? Use no more than two words from the text.
Elena Ruiz
See a model answer
River Gallery
An answer can be copied accurately from the passage and still answer the wrong question.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Is any number suitable for a how many question?
No. A date, a price and a count are different facts. Find the number attached to the thing being counted.
36 samples in 2024 → How many samples? 36.
Does finding the right fact remove the word limit?
No. Check both meaning and the stated limit. A short answer usually does not need the whole evidence sentence.
Where? → River Gallery
Take it into your day
Correct evidence must answer the specific question.
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The English Grammar and English Speaking Master Course develops broader grammar, sentence-building, and communication foundations. Understanding question wording helps you locate the right fact. The dedicated exam course is coming soon; the available main course is not a complete exam-preparation program.
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