Sample item
What do you call the frozen water that falls from clouds in winter?
Snow
One word is the complete answer. A full sentence adds nothing to the score and consumes the short response window.
Speaking
Answer Short Question
Give a one- or few-word answer to a simple spoken question.
- Score
- 10s to respondAudio plays once
- Scored on
- ContentVocabulary
- Contributes to
- SpeakingListening
How to approach Answer Short Question
Listen for the question word
The question is short and plays once. The opening word tells you what kind of answer is wanted: what, where, who, which, or how many. Fix on that and on the one noun the question is really asking you to name.
Retrieve the everyday word
These questions test common vocabulary fields rather than reasoning, so the answer is almost always a word you already know: a season, an instrument, a profession, a shape, a body part. Do not look for a trick that is not there.
Answer in one or two words
Say the noun on its own. A full sentence adds nothing to the content or vocabulary traits and burns the response window, which is only 10 seconds. Speak clearly enough for the answer to be recognised on the first attempt.
Stop and move on
Do not list alternatives or correct yourself after answering, because a second guess can displace the first. If nothing comes to mind, give your best single word rather than staying silent, then let the item go and reset for the next.
The method
Answer with the single word the question asks for. These draw on everyday vocabulary fields — body parts, weather, professions, academic subjects, tools — so breadth of common nouns matters far more than grammar.
The mistake that costs most
Answering in a full sentence. It wastes the short response window and adds nothing to the score.
Other Speaking tasks
- Read AloudRead a short text of up to 60 words aloud, clearly and accurately.
- Repeat SentenceListen to a sentence and repeat it exactly as you heard it.
- Describe ImageDescribe a chart, graph, map or diagram shown on screen.
- Re-tell LectureListen to a short academic lecture, then re-tell the main points.
- New · Aug 2025Respond to a SituationHear and read an everyday situation, then say how you would respond.
- New · Aug 2025Summarize Group DiscussionListen to three speakers discuss a topic, then summarize the key points.
Frequently asked questions
It is marked correct or incorrect on the single required word or short phrase, drawing on everyday vocabulary. A full sentence is not rewarded and simply consumes the short response window.