What it is: You hear a recording and answer questions in one to three words. 1 mark each, unless the paper says [2].
The instruction on the paper: Answer the following questions.
Example: Answer the following questions.
Press play, write short answers, then show the answers.
You are going to hear a radio report about a school that has banned phones.
- What was the main reason for the ban?
- Why are some parents unhappy?
Since September, students at Hillside Academy have locked their phones in pouches at the start of the day. The head teacher says the main reason was cyberbullying, not grades. Six months on, teachers report that students talk more at lunch. Some parents, however, are unhappy, because they can't contact their children during the day.
- cyberbullying
- (they) can't contact (their) children
- Answer the following questions.
- Write short answers in English.
- What…? · Where…? · Why…? · Who…?
- The question word tells you what to find.
- List the two… [2]
- Two answers, two marks.
- According to the speaker, …
- The speaker's idea, not yours.
- What makes… different?
- Find what is special about it.
Remember: By bus gets the mark. You don't need She goes to school by bus.
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Nail the short answer
Read the question word
Who? Where? Why? It tells you what to find.
Listen for that detail
Ignore the rest of the recording.
Write one to three words
Use words from the recording.
Check it answers the question
A place for where, a reason for why.
Question word → Listen → Write short → Check
Example: find the detail
You are going to hear an interview with a chef who runs a zero-waste restaurant.
- Where does the restaurant save the most?
- What is the most ordered dish?
People assume our biggest saving is on food, but it's actually on energy. We cook most dishes in a wood-fired oven that stays hot all day. Leftover bread becomes our dessert: a bread pudding that's now the most ordered dish on the menu.
- (on) energy
- (the) bread pudding
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This is how it feels: In the exam you hear it twice and never see the words. Try it here.
Answer the following questions.
You are going to hear a talk by Leo Hart, a scientist who studies city foxes.
- Why do foxes move into cities?
- What is the main cause of death for city foxes?
- What do people often fear?
- What is the best way to keep foxes away?
- List two sources of food for city foxes. [2]
There are now more foxes in our city than in the countryside around it. The reason isn't that cities are safer; it's food. Our bins and takeaway leftovers give them an easy meal. Most city foxes live for only two years, mainly because of traffic. People often fear that foxes attack pets, but in our ten-year study we recorded just three attacks on cats. If you want to keep foxes away, the best thing is to close your bins, not to put out chemicals.
- (easy) food
- traffic
- foxes attack(ing) pets
- close (your) bins
- bins · takeaway leftovers
Two marks, two points: [2] means two answers. Write two short points, one per line.
Do
- Write one to three words.
- Answer the exact question.
- For [2], give two points.
Don't
- Copy a long sentence.
- Give a view the speaker rejects.
- Add extra details that are wrong.