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PTE Answer Short Question: format, scoring and tips

You hear a short general-knowledge question, sometimes with an image, and answer it with a single word or a few words. The questions are about everyday topics, not specialist knowledge. Speed and a clear, short answer are everything here.

Practise Answer Short Question free

Timing at a glance

AudioA short question of a few seconds
Answer timeAbout 10 seconds

Timings are approximate and can vary slightly from question to question.

How it's scored

Scored onContent

Each answer is simply right or wrong: a correct word or short phrase earns the mark, and anything else does not. There is no score for fluency or pronunciation, but the answer still has to be clear enough to be recognised.

Worked example

Practice questions we wrote

"What do we call the device that shows the temperature of a room?" "How many days are there in a leap year?"

A strong approach

"A thermometer." "Three hundred and sixty-six."

One short answer each, said straight away. No full sentence is needed.

Common mistakes

  • Answering in a long sentence and running out of time.
  • Giving two answers ("A thermometer, or maybe a barometer") instead of one.
  • Waiting too long to start while unsure.

Tips

  • Answer in one to three words.
  • Start speaking as soon as the question ends.
  • If you are unsure, give your single best guess rather than staying silent.
  • Build everyday vocabulary: jobs, places, tools, time, the body, nature and numbers.

Answer Short Question FAQ

No. A single correct word or short phrase is all that is needed.

Related guides

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PTE Practice is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Pearson. Our scores are a calibrated emulation, not official PTE scores.