IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions
In the test of IELTS reading, 14 different types of questions are included. The short answer questions are also one of the types from them. IELTS reading short answer question type is not difficult task in the test.
In this task of IELTS reading short answer questions, you have to answer the questions in a very short form. You have to answer in just one to three words in this type of task. You need to answer queries from the text provided in the IELTS reading test.
This type of task is almost similar to the sentence completion. The main difference in between these tasks is this that in sentence completion, you just have to complete the sentence by picking words from the test while in short answer questions, you have to complete the sentence or direct answer according to the text of IELTS reading.
Skills required for short answer questions
IELTS reading short answer questions need skills to tackle such type of task in the best way. If you have required abilities and strategies to tackle it, you can attempt it. Following are not ignorable skills, you have to master while attempting this type of task in IELTS reading; in fact it is best for whole test of IELTS reading.
- You must develop the habit of reading the instructions. Most of the candidates directly start solving the questions, and lose the scores. It is necessary to note instructions.
- Understanding question statement is also important to keep in mind.
- Skimming is also necessary in this task. By skimming, you get the idea of the text to understand about the text that what it is about.
- Scanning is also one of the skills of reading. It is good to master while tackling IELTS reading short answer questions. Because scanning saves your time and you get your answer fast without reading whole text.
Summary of Reading Short Answer Questions
Words limit is very important in IELTS reading short answer questions. In this type of task, you have to answer the questions in a short form and with limited words. If you cross the words limit, you will lose your marks even your answer is correct.
The answers you require to get from the text provided in the test of IELTS reading. The wording is also necessary to be same as the text is, to get score in IELTS reading short answer questions. Must read the instructions, so that you can know the rules of answering the questions. this task is easiest task in IELTS reading test. identifying keywords in the questions are good to get answer quickly. The strategies of skimming and scanning take an important role in answering these short answer questions, because with the help of these strategies, you can manage your time. Sample test is given in this article to familiarize you about the test and must practice the practice tests of IELTS reading to become expert in IELTS reading.
- Improve your ability of identifying keywords from the text.
- You must have ability to manage time in this task because IELTS reading is one of the parts of IELTS in which most of the candidates face the issue of time management. It can be solved by the practice of IELTS academic reading practice tests or IELTS general reading practice tests.
- Good command on vocabulary makes you expert to answer quickly because most of the time you can face the issue of familiarity in wording. Keeping this factor in mind, you must improve vocabulary to get desired bands.
How to answer IELTS reading short answer questions
It is also result oriented to know the procedure of answering IELTS reading short answer questions. The easiest task in the IELTS reading test is IELTS reading short answer questions. The procedure to answer these questions is not difficult. First of all, read the instructions of the short answer questions, so that you will be informed about the rules to answer these short questions.
Note the word limit from the instructions that how many words are required to answer the short questions. Then read the question and understand the statement that which keywords are there in the question. Keep in mind the synonyms of the keywords to get answers fast. By using keywords, you are required to search answers from the text using the technique of skimming and scanning instead of reading whole text or reading each word from the text.
After applying skimming and scanning, you will definitely get the answer or identify the location of the answer. Then read the question again and find your answer from the exact location which you identified by applying the techniques of skimming and scanning. Repeat this procedure for each question to get answers.
Tips for IELTS reading short answer questions
These IELTS reading short answer question tips make you comfortable to answer the questions of this task. These tips will be helpful to familiarize you about the test that how to tackle this task without wasting time and perform well.
- Foremost rule is to read the instructions carefully.
- Then read the question first and go to text to find answers.
- Remember the answers will follow order.
- Do not cross word limit. This action will lose your scores. If your answer is right, but you cross the word limit, the answer will be considered wrong.
- Most of time, you need to search keyword synonyms to get answers. So, build your vocabulary as much as possible.
- I must recommend to write answers in exact wording of text especially in IELTS reading short answer questions task. You can change the tense of verb to make your answer grammatically correct.
Common problems of IELTS reading short answer questions
- Synonyms and paraphrasing are most common problems faced by the aspirants of IELTS. Aspirants who do not know these techniques waste a lot of time in searching exact word of the text.
- Most of the candidates waste their time to read each word of the text instead of applying the technique of skimming and scanning to answer.
- Word limit is also one of the issues of the candidates.
- Most of the students cross the word limit to write in a better way.
IELTS reading short answer questions sample
The sample of IELTS reading short answer questions familiarizes you about the structure of the text and how to answer the questions of text. The nature of the test will be familiarized by IELTS reading short answer question example.
Here is the sample of the text. Write the answers according to questions. The sample test “IELTS reading short answer question” is adapted from an IELTS website “ieltsup”.
| Peanut allergy theory backed up by new research The effects of eating peanut products as a baby to avoid the risk of allergy have been backed up by new research. In 2015, a study claimed early exposure to peanut products could cut the risk of allergy by 80%. Now researchers say “long-lasting” allergy protection can be sustained – even when the snacks are later avoided for a year. The New England Journal of Medicine study looked at 550 children deemed prone to developing a peanut allergy. The latest paper builds on the results of the 2015 research, which was also carried out by King’s College London and marked the first time scientists were able to suggest that exposing children to small amounts of peanut snacks could stave off an allergy. The new study suggests that if a child has consumed peanut snacks within the first 11 months of life, then at the age of five they can afford to stop eating the food entirely for a year, and maintain no allergy. Lead author Prof Gideon Lack said: “[The research] clearly demonstrates that the majority of infants did in fact remain protected and that the protection was long-lasting.” He said that part of the problem was that people lived in a “culture of food fear”. “I believe that this fear of food allergy has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the food is excluded from the diet and, as a result, the child fails to develop tolerance,” he told the BBC News website. The researchers used the same children who took part in the 2015 study – half of whom had been given peanut snacks as a baby while the remainder had been fed on a diet of breast milk alone. “The study found that at six years of age, there was no statistically significant increase in allergy after 12 months of avoidance, in those who had consumed peanut during the [2015] trial,” the authors said. The children taking part in the study were considered prone to peanut allergy, because they had already developed eczema as a baby – an early warning sign of allergies. Prof Lack said that further studies were needed to see if the resistance lasts for considerably longer than the 12-month abstinence period. He said that in the UK and US combined, 20,000 babies a year are being diagnosed with peanut allergies. He also said that between 1995 and 2005, the number of people being diagnosed had trebled, and this was not because detection methods had become any more advanced as they had remained the same. Prof Barry Kay, from Imperial College London, said the study’s results “point the way to completely fresh thinking on the mechanisms of tolerance to allergenic foods in ‘at risk’ infants”. Speaking about both pieces of research, Michael Walker, a consultant analyst and medical adviser to the government, said: “Taken together these are reassuring findings that pave the way to stem the epidemic of peanut allergy.” |
Questions:
Write EXACTLY TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
- What is the number of children that the New England Journal of Medicine studied?
- At what age can the child stop eating peanuts for a year if it has consumed peanut snacks within the first 11 months of life?
- What part of the infants remained protected for a long-lasting period?
- What’s the illness that 20,000 babies in the UK and US combined are diagnosed with each year?
The text and questions are just a sample to familiarize you about the test. First read the text and answer these questions. I provide answers of these questions below for your help.
Answers of the questions:
- 550
- 5
- The majority
- Peanut allergies
In a nutshell: Reading Short Answer Questions
As there are different types of questions, yet IELTS reading short answer question type is the easiest one. This task is similar to sentence completion task. In this question type of IELTS reading short answer questions, you have to answer in one to three words. Important to note in this task is about instruction and word limit with required skills to tackle within a time constraint.
