Answer Short Question

What do you need to do?

1. You hear a short question lasting about 3-9 seconds; an image may also appear.
2. The microphone opens after the audio and there is no replay.
3. You have 10 seconds to answer with one word or a few words.

Keep in mindPreparation: Respond immediately. Response: 10 seconds. Scored skills: Listening.

What should your answer do?

Give the word or short phrase that answers the question.

How to answer

1. Identify what is being asked

   Listen for whether the answer should be a person, place, object, quantity or concept. Attend to the whole question.

2. Choose the precise term

   Use the shortest accurate answer you know. If an image appears, use the information it supplies.

3. Answer when recording opens

   Speak clearly and promptly. A word or a few words are enough; an explanation is usually unnecessary.

4. Avoid changing a correct answer

   Once you have given the appropriate term, finish. Extra alternatives can make the response unclear.

Practise each part of Answer Short Question

Use these focused exercises to work on one part at a time, then bring them together in a complete attempt.

Question words

Distinguish what, where, when, who and how many before searching for the answer.

Vocabulary recall

Practise common terms by meaning and category, saying each answer aloud.

Sample-style short question

This is an original PrepEx example designed to demonstrate the response format. It is not an official Pearson test item.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Pausing too long after the microphone opens
• Giving an explanation when one term is enough
• Repeating the question instead of answering it
• Replacing a known answer with a more complicated phrase

How to improve your next answer

Answer a small set once through. For each miss, write the question category and the term you needed. Review those words later using new questions rather than memorising only one recording.

1. Decide whether the problem was understanding the question or retrieving the word.
2. Check whether your short answer was precise and intelligible.

Change one thing, then try a new question. A better repeat on a familiar prompt is useful rehearsal; a fresh prompt shows whether you can apply the skill.

Try Answer Short Question

Review previous attempts to see whether the same issue keeps returning.

What your response is scored on

Correct or incorrect

The answer receives credit when its words appropriately answer the recorded question.

Listening

This task contributes to Listening, even though you give the answer through the microphone.

No length bonus

A concise accurate answer earns the available mark; extra words do not add marks.

Read the feedback alongside the number and use it to choose your next exercise. A PrepEx score is a practice estimate, not an official PTE score. Only Pearson can issue an official result.

Check the rules before test day

Read the official Pearson task instructions before your test. Follow Pearson's current instructions if the format changes.

Task instructions and timing checked October 15, 2026. The exercises and study suggestions on this page are independent preparation guidance.