3.4. Answer Rules for Every Question
Stop losing marks on answers you heard perfectly well.
The short version
The word limit is part of the mark.
A misspelled answer scores zero.
A missing s on a plural is a wrong answer.
Never leave a box empty.
The word limit is a rule
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS is not advice. An answer that goes over scores nothing, even when the right word is inside it. The limit is shown above each group.
Side by side
Limit: ONE WORD. You hear the blue recycling bin. You write bin. One mark.
Limit: ONE WORD. You write recycling bin. Zero, even though bin is right.
Plurals are part of the answer
If the speaker says gloves and you write glove, the answer is wrong. Listen to the end of the word, and let the grammar of the gap warn you which one to expect.
Spelling counts, and so does the form
Standard British or American spelling is accepted, but a spelling that is neither is wrong. Copy what you hear, and where a name is spelled out, write the letters exactly.
Step by step, in the checking pause
- 1Count the words in each answer
Anything over the limit is worth nothing. Cut it back before the next part begins.
- 2Check the plurals
Look at the gap. If it needs a plural and you wrote a singular, fix it now.
- 3Fill every blank
Put your best guess in every empty box. Nothing is deducted for being wrong.
Quiz time3 questions
Three questions on the rules that apply everywhere.
Over the limit
The limit is ONE WORD. The speaker says: leave it beside the blue recycling bin.
Which answer scores the mark?
The missing s
The speaker says: bring gloves, which the centre does not provide.
You wrote glove. What happens?
An empty box
Choose the best habit for the checking pause.
What should you do with an empty box?
Recap
Count your words against the word limit.
Plurals and spelling are part of the answer.
Fill every box before the part ends.
Next: the question types themselves, and what each one asks you to do.