The reading and listening sections of English language tests have a variety of question types. Some of them can be tricky! No matter what English language test you take, this guide to English language test question types will give you the tools and strategies you need to be successful.
The Australian Government will accept results from five tests for visa and immigration purposes, including IELTS, PTE, CAE, and TOEFL iBT. If you’re not sure which test to take, check out .
Question types
Before you take your test, make sure you know what to expect. Use this table for some examples of the question types you might see:
Reading and listening question types at a glance | |||
| IELTS | PTE | CAE | TOEFL iBT |
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The three most common question types in reading and listening tests are Multiple Choice, Yes/ No/ Not Given, and Fill in the Blanks.
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Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple choice questions are designed to assess a variety of skills including understanding main ideas and specific details in reading or listening texts. Many learners find multiple choice questions the easiest questions to answer, because having a list of options makes it less confusing, and there’s a better chance of guessing the right answer. However, these questions can also be tricky if the options are similar or have confusing wording.
In a typical multiple choice question, you will have a question or the beginning of a sentence followed by three or four answer options. Your task is to choose the correct option. If you see a longer list of options, read the question carefully as you may have to choose multiple correct answers.
These steps will help you to answer the question:
- Read the question and options carefully, and underline the key words. This will help you to find the right section of the text when listening or reading. The questions will always follow the same order as the information in the text or audio.
- When you get to the right section, cross out the options in the question that you think are clearly wrong.
- From the remaining options, choose the answer you think is the most correct.
- At the end, review any answers you were unsure about.
💡 Top Tips
- If you’re unsure of the answer, guessing can be a good strategy. But, don’t guess in PTE because you might lose points for wrong answers.
- Watch out for words like “always,” “never,” “only,” or “must.” These are absolute terms and often incorrect.
- If you think two options are correct, choose “All of the above”.
- Watch for options that are opposites, like “increase” or “decrease”. Usually, one of these will be correct.
Credit: Getty Images: Hiob
Yes/ No/ Not Given Questions
Yes/ No/ Not Given or True/ False/ Not Given Questions are a type of multiple choice question often found in IELTS and other tests. These questions are challenging because they require careful thought under time pressure. They are most often used with reading texts where they assess skills like inferencing, attention to detail, and logical reasoning.
Start by using the multiple choice question strategies. Select ‘true’ if the statement agrees with the information in the text, ‘false’ if it disagrees, and ‘not given’ if it doesn’t mention anything related to the statement or if there’s not enough information to confirm or deny the statement.
💡 Top Tips
- When you find the part of the text with the answer, read it carefully. Small differences in wording or meaning can change whether the answer is ‘true’ or ‘false’.
- Focus on the text. Even if you know something about the topic, base your answer only on the information in the reading. Don’t use your own knowledge.
- If the text does not provide enough information or details about the statement, or if you have to guess what the text might mean, the answer is probably ‘not given’.
- If you are unsure, make a guess and move on. Spending too much time on one question can leave you with less time on other parts of the test. With this type of question, you have a 33% chance of guessing correctly!
Practice activity: two truths and a lie
You make three statements about the same topic: two are true and one is a lie. Your friend or study group guesses which statement is a lie. This can help you to practise identifying truthfulness and contradiction.
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Fill in the Blanks Questions
Fill in the blank or gap fill questions test your ability to listen for specific words or understand the main idea of a text. These questions need good grammar and vocabulary skills because the word you choose must fit the meaning of the text and might need to be changed into the correct grammatical form.
Start by reading the text with gaps to understand the topic. Then, as you listen or read, fill in the missing words. After you have finished, go back and check that each word is correct. Use this list to help you:
| Spelling | Spelling matters! If your spelling is incorrect, your answer will be marked as wrong. |
| Word type | Consider the type of word you need for each gap, such as nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs. |
| Grammar | Check your verb tenses and plurals. |
| Collocations | Think about the common word combinations that fit the meaning of the text. For example, a collocation like ‘strong coffee’ is commonly heard in a café. |
| Parallel Structures | This is when similar parts of a sentence or a list are written in the same way. In the sentence, ‘She likes reading, dancing, and ______’. The third word will end in ‘ing’. |
Practice activity: Music
Find the lyrics to a song you like online and remove some of the words. Listen to the song and try to fill in the missing words. Then, compare your answers with the original lyrics to see how you did. You can do this with books or newspaper articles too.
Next Steps
The best way to prepare for your English language test is to practise.
- Check out for some links to free test practice materials.
- The has a section on fun ways to practice and improve your English.
- Try one of the fun practice activities in this article.
Good luck with your English language test!
