Please clarify "not more than..." word instructions in the IELTS Test

by tikoji

Hi,

After reading all ur doubts, now I'am doubtful.

Clarify if it is "not more than two/not more than three" means can our answer be two and three, or else only one and two words?

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Oct 25, 2015
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Number of word instructions
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

It means you cannot write any MORE words than the numbers given.

"Not more than two words"

= You can write, one word or two words

"Not more than three words"

= You can write one, two or three words

Oct 26, 2015
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Not More Than Three words type of questions
by: Pankaj Chaturvedi

It means that your answer can contain one, two or three words but in no case the fourth word provided the answer is grammatically correct and gives the same information as given by the speaker / writer.

Aug 25, 2016
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listening
by: Anonymous

hi.. i have written an answer 'super market' is that correct? i am confused whether it is supermarket.. will i get marks for that?

Aug 26, 2016
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Supermarket
by: IELTS buddy

The correct word is 'supermarket' so what you put would likely be wrong but the official ielts site doesn't specifically discuss that so it is difficult to say for sure whether they would accept it.

Sep 25, 2016
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Help me
by: Anonymous

Hi! I've written 2 million, whether it is one word or two!! It's confusing.

Sep 25, 2016
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Help me
by: IELTS buddy

"2 million" = one word and one number

"Two million" = two words

Jan 08, 2017
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No more than one word.
by: Naef

Please I need to know:
they asked in the listening exam to write no more than one word:
they asked about the date:
My answer was 15th June.

Is it two words or one word?

Jan 30, 2017
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31st March
by: Nagendra

Can I write 31st March for the question type one word/a number

Feb 02, 2017
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31st March
by: IELTS buddy

You don't need the 'st' but yes it should be ok.

Feb 03, 2017
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Word count
by: Nagendra

'Notice', 'board' are two different words, when we see it separately but when we combine these two words we'll get single meaning i.e.,NOTICE BOARD
So, do we consider it (NOTICE BOARD) is two words or single word word, as per meaning it is giving.
@there is no hyphenation between notice and board

Feb 03, 2017
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Word count
by: IELTS buddy

It is two words.

Feb 12, 2017
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How to write a time range?
by: Alina

Hi,

In my test, answer to one question was 25-30 minutes. I wrote it as "25 to 30 minutes".

Instructions were "No more than three words and/or a number". If my answer is incorrect, how can we write the same answer by following the instructions?

Feb 14, 2017
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How to write a time range?
by: IELTS buddy

It's not possible to write that answer as it is two numbers and the instructions you gave say one.

Which test are you referring to? Are you sure that is the correct answer? Or could it be an error in the test (assuming it is a practice test)?

Mar 10, 2017
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Cannot get a point
by: Anonymous

The instruction was: "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS" but the answer was "Sir Jozeph Banks", hovewer, following the instruction I've written just "Jozeph Banks".

But surprisingly the key was "Sir Jozeph Banks"!!!!! Hoow??? There were required only TWO WORDS!

Mar 10, 2017
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Cannot get a point
by: IELTS buddy

It sounds like an error in the book.

Which practice book were you using?

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One word and/or a number???

by ava
(rogers)

One word and/or a number???

Did everybody finish Cambridge 9?

I am kind of confused about the second test, in section one, questions about India girl's birthday. I could hear clearly, it was March 31st, 1972.

But the answer require to be only one word and/or a number??? How could it be possible ?

March 31st, 1972------------> there are THREE words!!

How can i answer this question?

Thank you

Comments for One word and/or a number???

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Feb 06, 2016
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One word and/or a number???
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Ava,

I had a look.

I think it must be an error because in the answer key they have put "31 March", which fits "One word and / or a number".

But then in the actual transcript they have underlined "13 March 1976".

That would be one word and two numbers.

If an error was made like that I'm sure they would let you have the mark if you put either of those.

Mar 18, 2016
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the same question
by: Anonymous

Last time I took the Ielts test and I had almost the same question with the same instruction no more than one word or/and number. Question required to put date of birth of a girl, so as I know we can not put date of birth without including either date or year. I was confused, but I put only date and month even though I heard the year too. Am I correct ? How could I know how they marked my answer?

Thank you

best Dake

Aug 20, 2016
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listening
by: mathew

my name is Mathew..the answer 'flat 6A' contains how many number and words. my question was no more than 2 words and or a number. could you please help me..

========

I would say that is one word and one number so you are ok.

IELTS buddy

Aug 20, 2016
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Two words and/or a number
by: Anonymous

There was a date of birth of a girl to be written. I heard the exact date like 18 October 1980. But I wrote 18 October because with years it would have been 2 numbers and one word. Which is correct? Can you enlighten me please.

Thank-you

Aug 25, 2016
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olive oils
by: issac

i have written an answer 'olive oils'.. is that correct? i clearly heard them saying vegetables and olive oils.. my friend told me that it would be olive oil.. could u please help me out

Aug 26, 2016
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Olive oils
by: IELTS buddy

If they said 'olive oils' the answer is 'olive oils'. If they said 'olive oil' the answer is 'olive oil'.

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Please explain these confusing instructions for IELTS Listening

by Yugvir Singh
(Gurgaon)

Recently I took a listening practice test, In which the condition was "Use no more than two words OR/AND a Number"....

The answer which I gave was 92.4%, but in the book`s answer sheet the answer was 92.4 percent ....

In another book, i saw the same scenario "Use no more than two words OR/AND a Number". Their answer was 92.4% .......

Now I am totally confused and lost.

Please help me out. Which one is correct? A combination of number & symbol counts as one number? Or one number & one word?

Or they don't even include symbols in the count? Because in one Question the condition was "Use no more than three words OR/AND a Number", and the correct answer was "2-3 weeks".....

Another case is 2/3, is it one word or number?

Please help me. thanks in advance.

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Nov 25, 2014
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IELTS Listening Instructions
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Yugvir,

It should be fine to write 92.4% or 92.4 percent.

Maybe it was an error in the answer key and they did not tell you that it could also be "%" (or "percent" in the case of your other example).

Which books are you using to practice from?

I'm not sure if 92.4% counts as one number or one number and one word, but that does not matter. The percentage is needed if it is given in the listening (and is not written on the question sheet) so you would be given the right options to write it.

"2-3" would count as two numbers.

Apr 22, 2015
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Mixing up
by: Mahsa

Hi
I did not realize that which answer is true ?
Please explain more precise
the tips were not good

Jul 29, 2016
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Query
by: Anonymous

If asked to write no more than two words e.g. Techniques, training is "and" classified as a third word although if completing a sentence would not make sense without it...

Aug 06, 2016
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'And'
by: IELTS buddy

All words count as 'words', so yes 'and' would.

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Word Limits

by Asad

Hi,

If instructions are not more than two words or number and I wrote complete date of birth including year like 01.10.1986 then is my answer correct?

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Aug 20, 2016
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Listening Instructions
by: IELTS buddy

It's difficult to really know if what you wrote is correct without seeing the test to know what was read out and what gap needed to be filled in in the booklet.

It does look wrong though because it said two numbers and you used three.

As I said though difficult to know without seeing everything.

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IELTS Listening: Comparative words (more/much more) in answer

by Faisal
(Bangladesh)

Hello, I have a problem in Section 3 of Listening Part of Test 4, Cambridge IELTS 9. Here a part of the dialogue between two persons (Kira and Paul) is attached in image form. At one point of time during the conversation (the very last underlined sentence), Kira says she feels "much more confident" when asked by Paul how she feels after passing an academic year at her university.

Now in question 29 it is asked-"Having completed the year, how does Kira feel?" and in answer key it is written "confident". Since the question has a limitation of NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER, would it be right to write MUCH CONFIDENT or MUCH MORE CONFIDENT as answer?

Thanks in advanced.

Comments for IELTS Listening: Comparative words (more/much more) in answer

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Oct 13, 2016
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Listening Part of Test 4, Cambridge IELTS 9
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

I am sure that MUCH MORE CONFIDENT would be accepted even if the answer key says CONFIDENT only, as it does say 3 words is ok.

But MUCH CONFIDENT is not grammatically correct (we don't say that in English) so it would be wrong.

MORE CONFIDENT may also be accepted.

Oct 18, 2016
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Thanking Note
by: Faisal

Thanks for your help

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One Word

by Preet

In my IELTS test it was given in question to write only one word. The answer of the one question was 12 July.

Want to know does it count as a one word or there is some other way of writing it.

Thank you

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Jan 17, 2017
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One word
by: IELTS buddy

That would count as 'one word and a number'. I can't explain why the test you looked at said 'one word'. Maybe it is an error in the test.

Feb 03, 2017
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ONE WORD
by: NAGENDRABABU

In one practice test, I answered question type "ONE WORD ONLY" that was "STOCK MARKET".

I clearly listened to this word and it is the answer for my question but is this one word or two words??

When I was typed this word in dictionary I got the meaning for "STOCK MARKET" as a whole and there is no hyphenation between stock and market. Please give the clarity about word count in my answer.

Feb 03, 2017
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ONE WORD
by: IELTS buddy

It's two words. Are you sure your answer was correct? Was there an answer key for the test you were doing?

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