Listening · Unit 3: Core strategies
L27: Sentence completion and short answers
Target band 6.5 to 7
Sentence completion and short-answer questions both ask you to write words from the recording. They look similar to form completion, but there's one extra challenge. Your answer has to fit the grammar of a sentence, or answer a question exactly. A correct word in the wrong form is still wrong.
Why this matters
These question types often appear in Parts 3 and 4, where the language is harder. Students hear the right idea, but write a word that doesn't fit, or write too many words. Fixing this is about checking grammar, not improving your ears.
Sentence completion: make it fit
Read the sentence with a gap. Your answer must make the whole sentence correct.
The researchers found that bees prefer __________ flowers.
The gap is before "flowers". So it's an adjective, like blue or large or wild.
The main aim of the project is to __________ local wildlife.
After "to", you need a verb in its base form, like protect or study. Not protecting or protection.
Short answers: answer the question word
Short-answer questions are real questions. Look carefully at the question word.
| Question word | What kind of answer |
|---|---|
| What | a thing or an idea |
| Where | a place |
| When | a time or date |
| Who | a person or a job |
| How many / How much | a number |
| How long | a length of time or distance |
| Which | one thing from a group |
You don't need to write a full sentence. Just the words that answer the question, inside the word limit.
Question: What does the speaker say visitors should bring?
Audio: "Please make sure you bring a waterproof jacket, because it often rains in the afternoon."
Show the answers
a waterproof jacket (or waterproof jacket, if the limit is two words).
A simple checklist
After writing each answer:
- Read the full sentence with your answer in it. Does it sound right?
- Check the word form. Noun, verb, adjective?
- Check the word limit.
- Check that you didn't repeat words from the question.
Try it yourself
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
The museum was originally used as a __________.
Audio: "Before it became a museum, the building served as a railway station for nearly a century."
How often does the speaker visit the gym?
Audio: "I try to go every day, but realistically it's about three times a week."
The new policy aims to __________ waste.
Audio: "We want to cut waste in general, but the main goal is to reduce plastic waste from the canteen."
Show the answers
- railway station
- three times (or 3 times). Note that every day is a distractor.
- reduce. The speaker also says cut, which means the same thing. But the phrase that matches "aims to" is "the main goal is to reduce". When two words fit, choose the one that matches the meaning of the full sentence.
One more rule: always write the exact word you hear. Never change it into a synonym, even a good one. If the speaker says reduce, don't write decrease.
Honest note
Grammar checking feels slow at first, especially in Part 4. But it gets faster with practice. Even a quick two-second check can save a mark.
Your task today
Do one Part 4. After checking answers, look at each wrong one. Was the problem grammar, word limit, or listening?