IELTS Computer Delivered Tests + Band Score

Writing the wrong thing on the IELTS reading answer sheet

by Narendra

I wrote T F NG instead of True False and Not given. Do I loose marks?

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Mar 01, 2015
Mistake with True False Not Given
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Narendra,

You should always read and carefully follow the instructions, so you should write the full answers.

They may well accept it but I can't say for sure as there is no information about this on the official IELTS website.

If they do accept it they are not likely to publisise it as they would want people to follow the instructions.

Jun 04, 2015
Don't worry
by: Anonymous

i have read somewhere that instead of write True, False, Not Given so we can write T, F and NG so just relax

Jul 21, 2015
Write in full
by: Anonymous

The extract below was taken from www.ielts.org:

"You have to write ‘True’, ‘False’ or ‘Not given’ in the boxes on your answer sheet."

Mar 07, 2016
What Happened?
by: Anonymous

I face the same problem and I would like to know what happened? Did you lose mark for this case? Please inform us.

Jul 18, 2016
Deducted
by: Anonymous

Recently I wrote my ielts and I was pretty confident with my ielts reading scoring. But later when I got my reading score I was so devastated I just scored 6.5. I guess they have deducted my score for just writing T, F & NG.

Jul 21, 2016
It is OK
by: Anonymous

It is OK to write T F NG instead of TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN. Don't worry about it.

May 02, 2017
writing the wrong thing in IELTS reading answer sheet
by: Gawri

I did my exam last Saturday and the same thing happened to me. I mean I wrote T/F/NG instead of True / False / Not given. I did not do it purposefully. I used to answer like that when I was practicing. Will those be marked wrong? IF so I will lose 10 marks?

Jul 29, 2017
True or false instead yes or no
by: Anonymous

Hi, I have written yes or no instead of true or false will I loose a mark??

Aug 01, 2017
True or false instead yes or no
by: IELTS buddy

IELTS don't officially state whether they would accept that or not so it's difficult to give you an answer.

Aug 22, 2017
ielts answer sheet information
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I'm thinking I had written my wrong candidate number on the answer sheet of ielts, is possible to contact them to make the changes now? Should I need to worry about it, whether my answer sheet will be checked properly or not?

Aug 25, 2017
ielts answer sheet information
by: IELTS buddy

I think the admin team will probably sort it out. They would have to mark it - you've paid for the test so they could not just discard it.

But phone them if you are concerned.

Aug 26, 2017
true or false / yes and no
by: Anonymous

i just done my test, i also put for all my answers instead of yes and no, replacing it with true and false, i asked a lady working there. she told me as long as your answer does not look like two possibilities such as writing false but making it look like true.

Aug 26, 2017
not sure please help me
by: Anonymous

Within the test, i fully forgot about not mentioned, and just answered with false or true. within the reading test, how many possible questions are there that deal with not given?

The first paper listening i would say i scored, 34+ and the second paper due to this mistake, maybe 25+

Writing i was skeptical about simply because i used techniques in English such as starting task two with rhetorical questions and using good techniques. i would say maybe 25+ and the speaking band 8/9 what will be my final grade i need a 6, i am very worried.

Aug 27, 2017
not sure please help me
by: IELTS buddy

Unfortunately it's impossible to know how many 'not given' questions there were or to predict your band score so you'll just need to wait for the result.

Sep 10, 2017
True/False instead of yes/no
by: Anonymous

Hi, I took my test yesterday. In reading, i've written true/false instead of yes/no. Is it acceptable or will i lose marks?

Sep 12, 2017
True/False instead of yes/no
by: IELTS buddy

IELTS don't officially state whether they would accept that or not so it's difficult to give you an answer.

Oct 21, 2017
About true false
by: True false

I have written T for true and F for false. Plz let me know if this is write or wrong.

Oct 27, 2017
About true false
by: IELTS buddy

I'm afraid it's not possible to answer that. IELTS don't say publicly whether they do accept that or not.

Someone did post previously on here that it is ok, but I can't confirm it.

Nov 26, 2017
T,F,NG
by: Anonymous

I have written on answer sheet T, F, NG instead of writing true false and not given on answer sheet. Can I loose marks?

Dec 05, 2017
I wrote True, False Instead of Yes, No
by: Anonymous

Oh Please I am going crazy at the moment. I took the IELTS on Saturday 02 December and I just realized that instead of writing YES, NO, I wrote TRUE , FALSE. Please can someone tell me they will not mark it as wrong because I really need the marks as I am hoping to get an 8. The pressure was just too much during the Exams.

Dec 06, 2017
I wrote True, False Instead of Yes, No
by: IELTS buddy

IELTS don't officially say what they do in those circumstances, but you are very clearly told to follow the instructions so it may well be marked wrong I'm afraid.

Dec 18, 2017
True and false instead yes, no
by: Anonymous

Hi guys could any body tell me what ielts would do if I wrote true and false instead of yes and no. please I did the same

Jan 21, 2018
True false not given
by: Anonymous

I wrote yes no not given instead of true false not given

Mar 25, 2018
T/F/NG instead of TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
by: Anonymous

i wrote T/F instead of TRUE /FALSE here many people posted that they also did by mistake. Please anyone post if they got marks for those questions or did they nullified.. please reply

Mar 28, 2018
T/F/NG instead of TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
by: IELTS buddy

It wouldn't be possible for someone to know whether it got marked correctly or not as you are just given a final reading band score. You don't know which questions you got right or wrong.

And IELTS don't officially say either whether they award the marks if you do that. Someone on here as said they do but it's not possible to say for sure.

So you should always follow the instructions to make sure you will definitely get the mark.

May 12, 2018
Mistake in details
by: Anonymous

I've written wrong address..
Can it be sorted out..

May 12, 2018
Yes/No/Not Given
by: Anonymous

Will i loose out on points if i write True instead of Yes??

May 16, 2018
Yes/No/Not Given
by: IELTS buddy

You probably would. You get questions with yes, no, not given, and questions with true, false, not given. They are not the same so if you are putting the wrong things down it will probably be marked wrong.

You must follow the instructions.

May 23, 2018
Personal information
by: Simran

I wrote my name incorrect on the answer sheet for IELTS exam . I provided unnecessary space between my name. It was simranjeet on passport however I wrote Simran Jeet. Would this affect???

May 27, 2018
Personal information
by: IELTS buddy

It shouldn't affect anything as long as they can identify you by you number.

May 30, 2018
yes you will loose marks
by: Anonymous

I too wrote T/F/NG in my first attempt i got 6.5. but second time i wrote full answers and i got 8.5. In both attempts me and my 2 other friends sat for the test. We discussed every question after the test, in both cases i am pretty much confident that i scored 35+. The only mistake is writing T/F/NG.

Jul 02, 2018
maybe
by: Anonymous

i think i wrote one digit of my candidate number wrong on the answer sheet. will it affect my result?

Jul 03, 2018
maybe
by: IELTS buddy

No they will sort it out.

Jul 07, 2018
Misplaced answer
by: Asmaa

Hi friends,

I took my IELTS exam today..and I did something horrible.. they answered the first question for you as an example so you know how to answer the other questions.

The first question's answer was "private" but instead of writing it on the sheet as number one I didn't write it, and I forgot and wrote the answer of the question two at the place of the question number one and so on.

And when I realized it I started to re-do it over again but I could not correct them all and I think the number of remaining questions was around 10..

Please tell me if there is a chance that the examiner understood and didn't consider them as wrong.

Jul 08, 2018
Misplaced answer
by: IELTS buddy

It's not actually an examiner who marks listening or reading, it's the administration staff as those questions are either right or wrong. It doesn't seen a trained examiner like the speaking and writing.

But as for your error, it's not possible to know for sure what the person marking it may do, but to be honest I think it's most likely they will have to go with marking it exactly as it should be as per the answer key and make them incorrect.

If the staff start making their own judgements on things, with 1000s being marked it could turn into a mess and be difficult to manage.

So I think likely those you mixed up will be wrong, but as I say it's impossible to know for sure what will happen.

Jul 08, 2018
incorrect?
by: Anonymous

in reading section ı wrote Not Given instead of Not given. is it problem?

Sep 27, 2018
Important questions
by: Anonymous

In a part where it is true, false and not-given and you write yes instead of writing true, would you loose points or marks from it?

If you would loose points then how many points or marks would be lost

Oct 01, 2018
Important questions
by: IELTS buddy

It would likely be marked wrong. You have to follow the instructions. You would just not get the one point if it is marked wrong.

Oct 27, 2018
test date on answer sheet
by: KR

I shaded wrong bubble for test date on the listening omr answer sheet, will it effect my result? Please tell what should I do now

Oct 30, 2018
test date on answer sheet
by: IELTS buddy

There's nothing you can do. I'm sure they'll sort it out.

Nov 17, 2018
Fill in the blank by choosing table word
by: Anonymous

Today 17th Nov i have attended IELTS exam but i have done a small mistake.

There were 10 question to fill in a blank by choosing out of 15 words but i have written the word instead of a letter.

Do i loose marks?

Nov 18, 2018
Fill in the blank by choosing table word
by: IELTS buddy

Unfortunately the likely answer is yes, you won't get the mark.

Admin staff mark the reading and listening tests, and they would have an answer key with them to see if it's right or wrong. So they will go by the letter.

To find out if your word is correct they'd have to look at the test and match it to the letter to see if you were right. It's unlikely they are going to have the time to do that or be expected to do that.

That is why it's so important, and teachers will always stress, read the instructions carefully and make sure you follow them. Not doing that could mean, as in your case, losing marks for no good reason.

Jan 19, 2019
Biggest error
by: Jamilae

Hello,


I sat for IELTS test today and to my greatest surprise, after the listening, in my widest imagination I thought the same procedure was going to be followed In the reading part, I answered all the questions Inside the question paper. I failed to transfer it to the answer booklet. Although all details reflected on the question paper for the reading section as it appears on other components. I am guessing the whole reading part will be zero for me? Or do I need to call and complain ?

Feb 09, 2019
Center code
by: Anonymous

I forgot to write center code on my ielts reading answer sheet what will happen??😢😭😭

Feb 28, 2019
Brackets In ielts?
by: Ritesh vanjari

Sir, in reading answer sheet in match the heading i have used Ampersand symbol sir like '(vii)' instead of simply writing 'vii'. Is this
a problem???

Mar 10, 2019
Brackets In ielts?
by: IELTS buddy

I'm not sure why you have mentioned the ampersand as you discuss brackets.

You should not put in the brackets but to be honest I'd have thought the person marking would probably have just ignored them and given you the mark but it's impossible to say for sure what they did.

Mar 24, 2019
Mistake in filling details in IELTS answer sheet
by: Bhavana

Hi Narendra

I forgot to write my test centre number and mistake in candidate number in listening and reading answer sheet. Will my answer sheet be evaluated. I am concerned kindly reply.

Mar 24, 2019
Wrong name on answer sheets
by: Anonymous

I have written my full name in the ielts answer sheets as wrong. I wrote my last name first and then the first name. Will this affect the valuation of my paper? Will they cancel my answer sheets?

Mar 31, 2019
Wrong name or candidate number on IELTS paper
by: IELTS buddy

You should try to get it correct, but if you do make a mistake they will sort it out and your paper will still get marked.

Apr 28, 2019
Wrong test date.
by: Anonymous

I wrote IELTS on 27th April, unfortunately I wrote wrong test date on the answer sheets. Is there and solution?

Jul 28, 2019
Wrote whole statements in the answer sheet
by: Anonymous

I wrote the whole statement in the answer sheet instead of writing A,B,C,D in the listening section. Though in other questions where we have to use only 1-2 words i did it correctly but where we have to choose one option from total 4. I write the whole statement of the correct answer. Will my marks be get deducted? I am really nervous about this

Jul 29, 2019
Wrote whole statements in the answer sheet
by: IELTS buddy

Unfortunately it will probably get marked wrong. It's really important you follow the instructions for each question.

The admin staff who mark those will just have an answer sheet to go from and they will be told to follow that. That answer sheet would have had the letters on there so I doubt they are going to be allowed or even have the time to start checking if the words you wrote match the letters.

Oct 01, 2019
Capital letter instead of small and TFNG
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I have 2 questions if somebody can really help me please

1. Suppose your answer is option c - finance (C. Finance) and you write in the answer sheet small letters in answers instead of capital then what will happen

2. Also if you are asked to write TFNG and you write complete true false then do they consider

Please answer I gave my exam on 28th recently

Oct 12, 2019
single spacing
by: Anonymous

in the writing task 2, i wrote the introduction in a single spacing format and rest of the paragraphs without any space.
Ielts will deduct marks for that format ??

Jan 11, 2020
Transfer answers on wrong side
by: Anonymous

I sat for IELTS exam today and transferred listening answers on reading answer side. I realized that immediately after I transferred the answers and was going to erase it and transfer on correct side but one of staff members ask me not to do that instead she marked line on reading and wrote listening above the reading and did same on listening side and wrote reading. She asked me to write my reading answers on listening side and said we will check it don’t worry it happens. But I’m worried, would the really consider it? Or I’m gonna get 0 for both reading and listening.. who check the answers ?

Jul 30, 2020
(A) this type of answer is valid in answer sheet of reading
by: Anonymous

(A) this type of answer is valid in answer sheet of reading

Oct 16, 2020
interchange task answer sheets
by: Harpreet

i wrote task2 on task1 answer sheet .do i loose marks ??

Jan 31, 2021
READING PRACTICE TEST
by: Anonymous

I did a practice reading test and under one section It asked for NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, a few of the answers I put for example "the teacher" and when I checked the answer it said "teacher". In the real exam would I get that wrong???

Apr 25, 2021
Big mistake
by: Kozim

hi I got the answer to last week's exam reading part. 4.5 was my score because I didn't write True False Not given in full. 15 questions were considered incorrect because they were incomplete!

Sep 04, 2021
wrong candidate number
by: Anonymous

hi, wrote my candidate number incorrect on answer sheet. will my result appear??

Sep 05, 2021
wrong candidate number
by: IELTS buddy

Yes, they should work out something is wrong and fix it.

Oct 01, 2021
writing words instead of alphabets
by: Anonymous

I gave the IELTS exam last week … in the fill in the blanks question from the words given below I wrote the words for answer instead of the associated alphabet … will it be considered wrong????

Oct 03, 2021
writing words instead of alphabets
by: IELTS buddy

You must follow the instructions so it will probably be marked wrong.

Jul 29, 2023
Writing word instead of option
by: Anonymous

Hi anyone, could you please help me to confirm , if there is a para for fill in the blank along with options and we needs to choose the option for that blank space . For example if they gave the options as A.home , B.time .if we write the word time instead of option B is that they will consider this as right ? Can anyone tell me whether it's a wrong or write ?

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Writing the word instead of the letters

by Mike

In 'fill in the gaps' questions which give items labeled by letters to choose from, do we lose mark if we write the words in the answer sheet rather than the letters, provided that the question says '...write the letters....'.

For example:

Over time ..... are accumulated.

A. stones
B. sediments
C. sands

If the correct answer is 'A. Stones' and we write the word 'stone' in the answer sheet rather than the letter 'A', do we lose mark? or It receives mark.

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Nov 02, 2014
Writing words instead of the letters
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you would lose the marks.

You must follow the instructions.

Nov 14, 2014
Option
by: Nishanth

What if I wrote the alphabet as well as the whole option?
For example I wrote 'A. Cow' instead of just 'A' or just 'Cow', !

Nov 18, 2014
Writing the letter and the word
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Nishanth,

As I said before, the only way you can be 100% sure you are right is to follow the instructions.

The listening and reading tests are marked confidentially by IELTS organisations so it is difficult to know for sure if they may accept your suggestion.

You could check on the official IELTS website, but if they do not tell you there, then we don't know.

Oct 12, 2016
Read the Instructions carefully in each section
by: Dr Krishnakumar

You may loose marks even though your answers are correct if you do not follow the instructions meticulously in IELTS.

Apr 21, 2018
Information sheet / Center number
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I'm thinking I had written my wrong center number on the answer sheet of ielts, is possible to contact them to make the changes now? Should I need to worry about it, whether my answer sheet will be checked properly or not?

Apr 27, 2018
Information sheet / Center number
by: IELTS buddy

No they will work it out.

May 05, 2018
problem
by: Anonymous

Same problem

It is also my problem i have written full word instead of alphabet. what will happen next

May 10, 2018
problem
by: IELTS buddy

That's not a problem. You are supposed to write the full word.

May 11, 2019
wrote the whole answer instead of the alphabet
by: Anonymous

will i be penalised even if the answer is write?

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I wrote the word instead of the letter - will I lose the mark?

by merry

I have a question

In reading instead of writing A, B, C, or D I wrote the whole word?

Do I loose marks?

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Oct 24, 2015
Following instructions in the IELTS test
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

I'm assuming that in the instructions it told you to put the word, not the letter?

This is not really possible to answer. If you look at the ielt.org website, they don't tell you if they will accept the word instead of the letter.

Maybe they do but they have not said.

This is the same for True, False and Not Given. Some people put T, F, or NG instead. It is not clear whether they will accept this or not, though I would have thought they do.

To be on the safe side, you should always READ and FOLLOW all instructions in the IELTS test very carefully. This will avoid you losing marks Unnecessarily.

May 10, 2016
Maybe
by: Anonymous

Cambridge IELTS Complete says that Y, N, NG, T, F are ok, however it is not the best textbook, so I don't know if I trust it.

Aug 29, 2016
Mistake
by: Navjot Dhillon

Hello, I have written T F N.G instead of writing true false and not given. Are they valid or not?

Aug 29, 2016
Mistake
by: IELTS buddy

Various people have said on here before it is ok, but as I have said, IELTS don't publisise as to whether they accept it or not.

A lot of people make that error so I would guess they accept it.

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Wrong Spelling

by Mary

Hi,

In the reading test on the question "WRITE NO MORE THREE WORDS" I have written 3 words as the question asked.

The spelling of the first 2 words is correct but the spelling of the third word was wrong.

For example: the correct answer is "big swimming pool" and the answer I wrote was "big swimming poul".

Will I get marks for the correct words I wrote? or my whole answer will be considered wrong??

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Sep 04, 2016
Spelling IELTS Reading
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Mary,

That will be marked wrong, you must get the spelling right.

You are just copying words / phrases from the reading so there should be no reason to get the spelling wrong.

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Word Limits

by Nancy

Hi,

On the reading question "WRITE NO MORE TWO WORDS"..I wrote "gardener's calendar" does this considered as two words or three words?

thank you

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Sep 04, 2016
Word Limits
by: IELTS buddy

That is two words.

The 's' is just making the word gardener possessive, it is not making it another word.

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Correcting a Wrong Answer in Pen

by Sara

Hi,

I have written my answer on the reading answer sheet with a pen.

But I found out that the answer I have written was wrong and there is no space to write my correct answer on it, even if I deleted the wrong answer there still no space.

Can I delete the wrong answer and write my correct answer on the bottom of the answer sheet and put the number of the question in front of it, so the examiner will know that is the correct answer??

I'm confused. Please what should I do if I face this problem again??

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Sep 04, 2016
Pencil and eraser
by: IELTS buddy

You can use a pencil in the test and an eraser.

So write in pencil and you can rub out any wrong answers and write in the correct one.

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Writing too many words

by Katrin Bujari
(Kosovo)

Is it wrong if I write more words in the answer than needed?

For example: I wrote "colorful lithography" but in the answer key is just "lithography".

In the question it said that NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS so I did not past the limit.

Is this wrong writing a word more? Thank you

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Dec 04, 2016
Writing to many words
by: IELTS buddy

It all really depends whether your answer fits properly or not. That will also depend on what type of question it is but you didn't say.

For example, if it was a question with a gap where you had to put the missing word, then if "colorful lithography" fits grammatically in the gap and reflects what was written in the text it will be ok.

The answer key normally tell you if an extra word is ok. It would say "(colourful) lithography" to tell you that it would not be wrong if you had the extra word.

But it's possible that the answer key missed it out, so it could still be correct.

So really I'd need to see the reading and question, but if it fits properly without making the answer potentially wrong in any way, it would be ok.

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How are answers graded in IELTS Reading?

by Sebastian A.

Hello everyone

I'd like to know how exactly answers from reading section are graded in terms of complete answers.

For example, in one of the practice tests I took the correct answer according to the answer sheet is: "nearest staircase" , but I wrote "starcaise" only. In another one, the good one should be "final written warning", but I wrote "written warning" only.

Are these situations clasiffied as mistakes and, therefore, as incorrect answers? if not, is there any chance that these kinds of answers may be graded as correct?

Thanks a lot.

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Oct 11, 2018
Grading of answers
by: IELTS buddy

I'd really need to see the test you are referring to to say for sure, but assuming that the answer key you are looking at is correct, then your answers are wrong.

If in the answer key it says "nearest staircase", but you wrote "staircase" it's not the same so it's wrong.

You must have exactly what is in the answer key. If a word is optional then it is in brackets.

For instance if the answer key said "(nearest) staircase" then either "staircase" or "nearest staircase" would be correct.

Also remember you have to take note of the instructions as to how many words you can use.

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Articles in the IELTS Reading Answers

by agodhani

In the fill in the blanks part, is it always necessary to write the articles along with the main answer. For example what if I write "young age" instead of "a young age." Would my answer be marked incorrect?

Comments for Articles in the IELTS Reading Answers

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Dec 09, 2016
Articles
by: IELTS buddy

Your answers have to be grammatically correct so if an article was needed to achieve this then it would be wrong without it.

However it's actually very uncommon to see answers that do require articles. They seem to avoid them when they write the questions so you do not need to worry about it too much.

Nov 02, 2017
give wrong answer of task 2 ...what will happen
by: sabi

I wrote wronge answer of the question ..question was give another sense I included answer in other meaning what will happen I am so panic pls any help

Nov 06, 2017
give wrong answer of task 2 ...what will happen
by: IELTS buddy

I don't really understand your question. But if you gave the wrong answer it will be marked wrong.

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Articles in IELTS reading

by Kittuwa

I have written the words without using articles (a, an, the). But in the answer sheet the articles has been mentioned. Is it required to write the articles while filling the blanks in "Reading" test.

Eg: - an advisory panel Answer
advisory panel I had written

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Jun 19, 2018
Articles in IELTS reading
by: IELTS buddy

I'd really need to see the test you are referring to and the type of question, but if it was specified in the answer key then yes it was needed (assuming it's an official Cambridge test and the answer key is correct).

For instance in gap fills the answer must be grammatically correct, so if the article was needed to make it correct then it must be used.

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Different Answers

by Hamza
(Islamabad)

I just noticed that in some answers, your answers can slightly differ from what exactly IELTS management would consider.

For example from sample from British Council, I wrote "roll" where official answer sheet had "class roll", similarly I wrote "written warning" but answer sheet had "final written warning".

My question is, in such cases, will I still be considered correct?

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Jan 14, 2017
Different Answers
by: IELTS buddy

It's difficult for me to know if what you put is correct without seeing the actual test you are referring to, but basically, if it fits the right amount of words (e.g. if you can only use TWO words you must not use THREE) and the answers fits properly to answer the question (i.e. not grammatically incorrect or making the answer wrong in any way) then it should be marked correct.

It may be that a few other answers fit that they did not think to put in the answer key, but I'm sure that if that is the case then they would give you the mark.

Jan 25, 2017
Reply
by: Hamza

Thanks for your reply.

Let me give you an example:

http://www.ielts-exam.net/
practice_tests/35/IELTS_
Listening_Section_4/289/

In example (question 31-37), answer for 31 is "adult females", but my answer was "female".

In 35, I wrote "broadcast" but the official answer was "broadcast it"?

In 36, I wrote "female" but the official answer was "a female"?

In 37, I wrote "listen" but the official answer was "hear it"?

Jan 25, 2017
Different Answers
by: IELTS buddy

I've addressed your questions below:

31. It's possible 'females' would be marked as correct but 'female' would not be as it has to be plural (it is talking generally about females, not about one female).

35. 'Broadcast' would be wrong as it does not fit grammatically. You need the 'it' for it to make sense.

36. Again it needs the article 'a' to be grammatically correct.

37. 'Listen' would be wrong. You have to use the words from the listening and 'listen' is not used.

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Giving Short Answers

by BN

Hi there!

so I was wondering if I lose marks on reading if I answered with short answers for example I answer from "9-5" instead of "the working hours are from 9-5" and which answer is more correct.

Thanks!

Comments for Giving Short Answers

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May 17, 2017
Read the Instructions
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

It's really not possible to answer your question without seeing what the instructions are or what type of question you are referring to.

Firstly you must not go over the number of words you are limited to. You will be told for example to not use more than 3 Words. (you only used one so of course you would have been in the limit).

But the important thing is that your answer must fit in the gap and make sense. For example if it is sentence completion or a gap fill it must fit grammatically.

If '9.5' did not fit grammatically it would be wrong.

If you were doing a practice test you can check the answer key - they must match that.

Jul 10, 2017
Spelling
by: Jaskaran singh

If I write words outside of the box in ielts reading sheet due to more words is my answer is wrong

Jul 14, 2017
Spelling
by: IELTS buddy

I'm not sure - really you should be able to fit everything in the box.

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Matching Answer to Answer Key

by Anarcik2412

Hello everyone,

I have encountered with a one question from IELTS Plus 3, more precisely from the third test of the book, and became a bit perplexed.

The sentence was:

"And then, in October 1991, a wild-fire destroyed the entire area occupied by the remaining colony."

Question relating to this was:

"1991: the other colony was destroyed by?"

Word limitation was no more than 3 words. For that reason, I wrote 'wild-fire' as answer, but the correct one was 'fire'. The instruction or the sentence relating to this question was precisely the same as i wrote, but i can't understand why the answer is "fire".

If someone can help, please answer this question: Is the "answer" 'wild-fire' correct or not?

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Dec 22, 2017
Wild-fire or fire
by: IELTS buddy

'Wild-fire' should be correct, as should 'fire'.

I think it's likely just a mistake in the test as it's not an official IELTS reading test you are using.

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Forgot to Transfer Answers in IELTS Reading

by qween

Hello,

I recently did my ielts test and I did not transfer all my reading answers from the booklet to the answer sheet as it was my understanding that we will be given extra time like the listening test.

I read somewhere that we can request to ielts to check the booklet for answers but I could not find any further information about this.

Is there anything I can do to fix my mistake because the rest of my test went really well and I do not have time to redo the entire test again because there is a deadline I have to meet.

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Feb 27, 2018
Forgot to transfer answers in IELTS reading
by: IELTS buddy

I've never heard that you are able to ask them to check the answer booklet and I find it highly unlikely that you would be able to request this.

There are thousands taking the test each week the test is hold. It would be a big task to attempt to go through someone's booklet and work out there answers, especially if a lot of people were doing the same thing.

And if they allowed it it may encourage more people to forget, making it worse.

So check with the centre you took the test if you like, but I'm 100% sure you can't and unfortunately you will likely have to take the test again.

May 12, 2018
Yes/No/Not given
by: Anonymous

Do we loose on points if we write True instead of Yes??

May 16, 2018
Yes/No/Not given
by: IELTS buddy

You probably would. You get questions with yes, no, not given, and questions with true, false, not given. They are not the same so if you are putting the wrong things down it will probably be marked wrong.

You must follow the instructions.

Jul 30, 2018
Writing True or False instead of Yes or No and vice-versa
by: Anonymous

I took an IELTS class that was run by British Council for about a month and our teacher who was also an examiner at that time told us that it was important for us to read the questions and follow the instructions carefully.

We did a mock exam once and this was exactly the case; I wrote True/False instead of Yes/No. He did give us points for those questions though he did say it's only because it was a mock exam not the real test. In another words, we'd lose marks if we wrote yes/no when we're supposed to write true/false if it was a real test, he said.

Then again, he mentioned how you may very well get a different score depending on who the examiner is (whoever is doing your interview). Some might be more difficult than others.

So I guess it's not impossible for some examiners to accept them as an answer.

Aug 04, 2018
Writing True or False instead of Yes or No and vice-versa
by: IELTS buddy

I'm sure it's the case the if you write the wrong thing it will be marked wrong.

However the second part of what you said can't be correct. It's not examiners who mark the reading, it's administration staff. So it can't differ depending on the examiner.

I'm sure the administration staff will be under strict instructions to follow the rules, which we can assume (as your teacher said) are to only accept an answer exactly as per the instructions.

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Missing Words

by Swadini

The answer given on the answer key is two words (massive stars) but I've only written 'massive'. So the answer is wrong?

Also if I wrote 'large galaxies' instead of 'all large galaxies'? Right or wrong?

Comments for Missing Words

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Sep 08, 2018
Missing Words
by: IELTS buddy

It's difficult for me to know if you were right or not without seeing the actual test.

Your answer should fit the answer key so it looks like you are wrong (that is assuming the answer key is correct and no errors were made).

If a word is optional then it is in brackets in the answer key. For instance, if the answer key said 'massive (stars)' but and you wrote ''massive' then that would be ok.

Oct 04, 2018
less than 250 words
by: Tim Mo

I was running out of time, write only 210 words instead of 250 words in the writing part 2. Just worry will lose many mark on this.

Oct 05, 2018
less than 250 words
by: IELTS buddy

Unfortunately you probably will do. You are asked to write at least 250 words. It's not possible though to tell you how your essay score was affected by this.

Nov 10, 2018
First letter of each word was written in Capital
by: Khalil

Hi. I am confused that I wrote each letter of any word in capital and rest in small letter on IELTS Listening key. Will it be considered as wrong? I am much worried. Thanks

Nov 14, 2018
First letter of each word was written in Capital
by: IELTS buddy

No that is ok.

Mar 23, 2019
IELTS reading
by: Anonymous

Hi there,
I just had my IELTS exam today and I mistakenly wrote "environmental friendly" instead of "environmentally friendly". Will it be marked incorrect?

Mar 31, 2019
IELTS reading
by: IELTS buddy

It will be marked as wrong. You have to get spelling or word forms correct. What you wrote is wrong.

Oct 20, 2019
WRONG SURNAME
by: Anonymous

Help I'm so nervous I need clarification please. I have my marital name on my passport as the surname but used my maiden name on my answer sheets, I forgot cos I just did change of name recently, what will happen please, will I lose out completely?

Oct 22, 2019
WRONG SURNAME
by: IELTS buddy

No they will be able to identify you from your exam number. If you are still concerned you could phone your exam centre and double check it has all been logged properly.

Nov 04, 2019
IELTS answers not written on answer sheet
by: Anonymous

I could not transfer Reading Test answers on the given answer sheet. Instead I wrote them on questions paper booklet. I have send them email to please grant me passing marks at least. will they consider it?

Nov 06, 2019
IELTS answers not written on answer sheet
by: IELTS buddy

No they won't consider that. They probably won't even have your reading booklet anymore as they would get rid of them after the test. The only answers they would consider would be those on the answer sheet.

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Answers Differ from Answer Key

by Mojtaba

Hello everyone,

I am practicing for general IELTS test and I need some help. IELTS Cambridge 14 general reading, question 20 and 27:

For question 20, I can use 3 words and for question 27, I can use 2 words only.

For question 20: my answer was 'outside Concorde Building' which is three words and it is exactly similar to reading text. while in the answer keys the answer is only Concorde Building.

For question 27: my answer was 'individual grants' which is two words and it is exactly similar to reading text. while in the answer keys the answer is only 'grants'.

I faced few other similar types of question. this was just two examples. I don't know if I get the correct answer or no and if no, I like to know why?

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Jul 17, 2020
IELTS Reading Word Limits for Answers
by: IELTS buddy

I don't have Cambridge 14 so without seeing that I can't tell you if your answers fit.

If they do fit properly (grammatically in the space) and meet the word limit then they should be correct. But whether you would have got awarded the points on the day by IELTS as your answer differs from the key, again I can't know.

If it says no more than 3 words, then potentially the answer could be 1, 2, or 3 words, but no more.

So all I can say is that according to the answer key it looks like your answer was wrong but I'd need to see the question and read to know if an error was made in the answer key and your answer should have been ok.

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Confused over IELTS Reading Answers

by sam34
(usa)

Sentence Completion Question.

I have 2 questions

Text 1:

"And last but not least, don’t worry too much.Just believe in yourself and you will be fine!"

Question 1:
..... in yourself!

Actual Answer: Believe
Answer I wrote: Just believe

Text 2:

"But the Trust’s protection extends further than this: It has in its possession a hundred gardens and more than 200 historic buildings which it opens to visitors."

Question 2:
The trust owns .......... gardens and over 200 historic buildings.

Actual Answer: a hundred
Answer I wrote: hundred

I'm confused how this works? Can anyone explain?

Thanks

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Aug 10, 2020
Confused over IELTS Reading Answers
by: IELTS buddy

In the first one, "just believe" should be ok as long as you are allowed one or two words in the gap in the instructions because what you put fits correctly in terms of grammar and in terms of what was said.

If you are allowed only one word then obviously you can't have two and it would be wrong.

The answer key is wrong if you are allowed two words and 'just believe' is not there. I don't know though if you are referring to Cambridge official tests and I can't of course know what a marker would do in the actual test were 'just believe' not given to them as a possibility.

Regarding question two, what you wrote would be wrong because it does not fit in the space grammatically. The article needs to be there.

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Using an adjective before the answer

by Shaw
(HK)

May I ask, if the gap filling allows "no more than 2 words" and the answer is "permits", would I be wrong if i write the answer "pre-registered permits" which is mentioned in the related paragraph?

I faced many similar circumstances before (The answer is simply one word noun but the paragraph also includes one adjective word before). I'm not sure if i can get score from this.

Thanks a lot.

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Aug 20, 2021
Using adjective
by: IELTS buddy

They should do if, as you say, 2 words are allowed and, importantly, your answer fits grammatically into the gap.

But that's always a difficult one to answer for sure as I obviously can't say what the markers are going to do with that actual test or if they have some system in place to make sure examples such as that you have given are awarded the score when they should be.

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Changing Word Forms in Answer Key

by Rachel
(Thailand)

In gap-fill style question, can we use a word from the text as a different part of speech in the answer? For example, the text states "cause them to stampede"(verb), and I have given the answer "The stampede caused by..." (noun). Is this allowed?

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Feb 01, 2022
Changing Word Forms
by: IELTS buddy

In theory you could as long as it fits grammatically. But I'd avoid doing that. The answers tend to be taken exactly from the reading. If your answer need altering that may well mean it's wrong.

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