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Choosing Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening

by Mani - Money13
(Sydney)

Hi, I need your help to understand below points, request you to help for this.


Listening Question Type-

Ques: If I am not sure about singular or plural of word what Speaker said during conversation, in that scenarios can I write the answer like this e.g. correct answer is 'applications' but since I was not sure I have given answer like this 'application(s)'

Is above answer is correct one or not? one of my friend told me either you can write 'application' or 'applications' but you can't write like this 'application(s)' this way of writing is not accepted in IELTS exams.


Ques: Can I use '/' sign for alternate answers in my Answer sheet for listening test e.g. Speaker says hotel name LondonArms but since I was not sure whether London Arms are two different words or single word. I gave answer like this 'London Arms/ LondanArms'

Is the above way of answering is correct?

Or If I am not sure about spelling of any word, can I give answer like this 'occurrance/occurrence'

In what condition I can use '/' sign in my answer.

Comments for Choosing Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening

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Jan 18, 2013
 Singular or plural in the IELTS listening test.
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

1) The rule is basically that your answer needs to be grammatically correct and you can only have one answer.

So no, you could not put a ‘/’ and singular or plural in the hope that one is correct. Your friend is right that you must choose one or the other. If you choose the wrong one then your answer is incorrect.

2) Again, you can’t use the ‘/’ sign and put two answers.

Basically in the listening test you need to put down what you believe is the correct answer. You can’t have two possible choices.

Thanks and good luck
Apr 03, 2014
 plural
by: Anonymous

Hi,

Can I use car(s) if I'm not sure, whether the correct answer is singular or plural.
Apr 06, 2014
 Choosing singular or plural in the IELTS listening test
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

No, you can't do that. That is like having two guesses.

You must get the correct answer.
Nov 30, 2014
 helpful tips about Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening
by: Anonymous

Hello. ..i am preparing for my ielts test and I am confused in singular and plural in listening. ..can you please give me some tips to improve it
Nov 30, 2014
 helpful tips about plural words in ielts listening
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

If you mean things such as not hearing if there is an 's' on the word or not, you can really only use the context of the listening situation to help you (are they likely to be talking about plural or singular things) or the grammar - does singular or plural fit? Often only one will grammatically.

Apart from that it is just a matter of listening to as much English as you can to improve your listening ability.
Aug 30, 2015
 Can writing Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening affect score?
by: Anonymous

If I write instead of tree as' 'trees', will I lose marks?
Aug 30, 2015
 Can writing Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening affect score?
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you will lose the mark.
Jan 23, 2016
 "Earthquake" instead of "A massive earthquake". Right or wrong?
by: Anonymous

I am confused if my answer is right or not. For instance, if the correct answer is "Automatically shut down", and I fill in "shut down" as the answer which both fit the context.

Similarly, I wrote "earthquake" as an answer but the correct answer given in the booklet is "A massive earthquake".

Would it be right or wrong?
Jan 24, 2016
 "Earthquake" instead of "A massive earthquake". Right or wrong?
by: IELTS buddy

You have to go by what is in the answer key.

If something in the answer key is in brackets then it is optional whether to put it or not. So for example if is says this in the answer key:

"(automatically) shut down"

Then either of these are correct:

1) automatically shut down
2) shut down

If the answer key says:

"automatically shut down"

You must write that.

But I don't know what book you are using. It is quite possible there is a mistake in it and your answer is correct.

You need of course to watch what the instructions say - how many words you are allowed to use in your answer.

Also, it is not possible to know exactly what happens when IELTS come to mark tests - it is quite possible that they realise after that some different answer is acceptable that they didn't realise at the time. I'm sure they would then allow the mark.

To be sure to answer your question correctly I'd really need to see the actual test you are referring to to know what was said, the actual question, and the answer. Without that it is impossible to be sure.
Mar 04, 2016
 The
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I'm doing the practicing questions online and the answer keys said this '(the) City Council'
I didn't write 'The' will I get the mark or not?
Thank you in advance
Mar 05, 2016
 The
by: IELTS buddy

If something is in brackets it is optional whether you put it or not, so yes you will get the point.
Aug 21, 2016
 Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening
by: Anonymous

do i lose marks if i write holiday instead of holidays..and bag instead of bags

========

That depends on what the person said, if they said 'bags' you should write 'bags', but if they said 'bag' you should write 'bag'.

If a singular words is used in the audio that is what you must write, as with plurals.

IELTS buddy
Aug 23, 2016
 Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening
by: Anonymous

But I have seen in Cambridge IELTS 7, They Used the same as applicant's wanted to know, like -know(s).
Please varify.

I think It is not indicating two different answer.
Thank You.

========

Sorry but I don't really understand your question.

IELTS buddy
Oct 26, 2016
 answers without the term already mentioned in the question
by: Anonymous

What about answers where the question is like: "How many words maximum you can use in the essays?"

I wrote - 4000. The answer is 4000 words. Will I be wrong if I dont write "words" as the question already has words in it. Thanks
Oct 28, 2016
 answers without the term already mentioned in the question
by: IELTS buddy

It has to fit properly in the gap.

"4000" fits properly because like you say, 'words' is already in the question, so it would be ok.
Oct 29, 2016
 fees/ fee
by: Anonymous

Would it be a difference if I answered 'hospital' instead of 'hospitals' or 'joining fee' instead of 'fees'?

======

Yes, you must get singular/plural correct in IELTS Listening.

IELTS buddy
Jan 13, 2017
 Grammar unchanged
by: MSM

if i dont use plural instead of singular and it doesn't change the grammatical meaning is it ok?
Jan 14, 2017
 Grammar unchanged
by: IELTS buddy

You must write down exactly what they say, so if what they say is in the singular, you must write singular, or plural if it is plural. Otherwise it will be wrong.
Jul 04, 2017
 IELTS Resources youtube channel
by: Anand

Hi,

For listening, I am referring to IELTS Resources youtube channel.

1. Are those real questions that were previously asked in IELTS exam.

2. Is actual IELTS exam as tough as the ones in the channel? (A few of them are really tough)
Jul 06, 2017
 IELTS Resources youtube channel
by: IELTS buddy

1. From taking a look I don't think they are from real tests. Only Cambridge Examinations provides those in their practice books.

2. From a quick listen they sound similar to the real things so I'm sure they will be ok to practice with. But I can't listen to them all so I don't know if some are a bit too difficult. But that won't matter - it's all practice.
Jan 04, 2018
 Hii
by: Anonymous

Parents, parent's.... Which is correct spelling. Thank you in advance!!
Jan 09, 2018
 Parents, parent's
by: IELTS buddy

If you are talking about plural, then it is 'parents'. Apostrophes are used to show the possessive.
Mar 24, 2018
 Use of Articles
by: Anonymous

Hi

Does Articles matter, although they are written in brackets. So I think it is optional & I will not lose marks. But, I am not sure about it.

From reading earlier comments, it seems that only singular/plural has to be taken care of while answering listening questions.

Please advise
Mar 25, 2018
 Use of Articles
by: IELTS buddy

The brackets aren't specifically about articles, they apply to any words.

If something is in brackets in the answer key, yes it is optional for the answer. So if you do not use it in your answer, it will still be correct.
Apr 09, 2018
 singular x plural cambridge books
by: Anonymous

Hey,

I many IELTS Cambridge books we can see that in the answers they put 2 alternatives (Singular and Plural)

Like: Cambridge 11 - test 1

10 - Decoration/Decorations
11 - animal/animals
12 - tool/tools
14 - Dog/dogs


So... If the word grammatically fits in the blank they should accept the answer??

We can see many other examples like that in the IELTS Cambridge books.

Appreciate ur attention
Apr 12, 2018
 Singular or Plural in IELTS Listening
by: IELTS buddy

Yes, they will be doing that if either will fit.

So the speaker will have said the word with or without the 's' but as either will fit in the space grammatically they are accepting either.

The 's' can be hard to hear so it would be unfair to not award it if it would fit (if it would not fit then you would not get the mark).
Apr 12, 2018
 example
by: Anonymous

Oh I see....

For instance:

''Mainly for____''

Do u think either ''Vacation'' or ''Vacations'' could fit in the space above?

I am asking it cuz it was one of the questions in my real exam....I put in singular but the audio stated vacationS....
Apr 14, 2018
 example
by: IELTS buddy

I'd really need to see the test to be sure, but yes that looks like an example of where either would fit.
May 15, 2018
 Apostrohpe
by: Anonymous

Hi,

When is mandatory to put Apostrophe?

For instance, the question was:

_______ engineering

I put SMITH BROTHERS engineering.

However, how am I supposed to know if the correct would be with apostrophes? Like,

Smith Brother's or
Smith Brothers'

Do u think all 3 options fit in this case?

Thanks!
May 16, 2018
 Apostrohpe
by: IELTS buddy

Actually for names of businesses and streets the apostrophe is often missed off anyway on the sign so I'm sure you'd get the point.

They don't officially say if you must get apostrophes right or not in listening. You should try of course to get it correct in case they do, but I'd guess they do not.
Apr 23, 2019
 Articles and date
by: Anh Nguyen

Hi! I've done Cambridge ielts 9, test 1. I want to ask you two things.
1. The answeres are 'clear voice' and 'library' but mine are 'a clear voice' and 'the library'. The articles are spoken and there are no brackets. Maximum words are three. So am I correct or not?
2. The answer is 22 October and mine is October 22. Is it correct? And if 22/10 is acceptable also?
Thanks a lot!
Dec 04, 2019
 Articles
by: Anonymous

Is it necessary answer will come in the plural form if there is no article before blanks. and if there is 'the' before blanks then answer will come in a similar form. Thanks in advance
Dec 07, 2019
 Articles
by: IELTS buddy

Unfortunately there is no rule like that which you can follow.

Not all nouns have articles so the fact there is not one doesn't automatically mean it is plural. For instance we say 'He had confidence' not 'He had a/the confidence'. Or we can say' He ate a chicken for dinner' but that means a whole chicken. We are more likely to say 'He ate chicken for dinner'.

And 'the' can be followed by plural or singular e.g. 'the car' or 'the cars'.
Aug 17, 2020
 Bird or birds
by: Luis Jimenez

Hello!

I listened "bird" (singular) however, the exercise was like this:
fountain that attracts _____, is it birds or bird?

Thanks,
Aug 19, 2020
 Bird or birds
by: IELTS buddy

It would be 'birds'. 'Bird' would not fit in the space grammatically.

It is sometimes difficult to hear whether an 's' was used or not, so you need to also pay attention to the grammar to help you decide.
Dec 28, 2021
 I don't understand this
by: Anonymous

In ilets 13 listening test one, in the form filling sections, I wrote the ans brain which was what the speaker said. I checked the written passage also which said brain instead of brains. but the answer in the sheet is brain(s), does it mean either of the answers brain or brains is correct?? or is it just brains?
Jan 02, 2022
 I don't understand this
by: IELTS buddy

Yes. When a word is in brackets in the IELTS listening test, that word, the 's', is telling you singular or plural is ok.

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Singular & Plural in IELTS Listening

by M. Noman
(Pakistan)

I have uncertain about this apparently trivial thing in IELTS listening - the singular & plural difference. Need to know from experts if it's worth worrying about.

For example, the question says: Method students use to collect data is _________ .

I wrote "interview" but answer says "interviews"

Does it really matter? What I understand, both would give same meaning in real scenario of listening.

Thanks.

Comments for Singular & Plural in IELTS Listening

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May 10, 2017
 Singular & Plural in IELTS Listening
by: IELTS buddy

It's difficult to know if in certain situations (such as if grammatically either would fit) they may be flexible with the answers, but the rule is that you must get singular / plural correct.

If the person used the plural then you should put that.
Apr 17, 2018
 bogged down with silly mistakes
by: Anonymous

1) What if it is reported to write no more than two words and/or a number and you put a number and two words? For instance I put '25 Alpine Avenue' but the correct answer was 'Alpine Avenue'.

2) I also have problems when there's a conflict between the audio and the grammar fit in the test. Shall I put what I just listened or I have to change the word to fit correctly the phrase? Because sometimes it's not clear, they put plural words preceded by 'a', which is grammatically incorrect.

3) Sometimes when it is allowed to write 3 words the correct answer is composed only by 2 words.
For example I put 'old fishing village' but it turned out the right answer was 'fishing village'.

It is so frustrating, because I fully understand the entire section, but it seems to me that sometimes the answers are given arbitrarily.
Apr 27, 2018
 bogged down with mistakes
by: IELTS buddy

1) '25 Alpine Avenue' is not two numbers, it is one, but anyway, if '25' was not required for the answer then it would be wrong.

2) I'm not sure if you are saying that when they speak they use a + plural, but anyway, you should put down what you hear. It should fit grammatically. I'd really need to see and example of what you are referring to.

3) Yes you may be told you are allowed to write 3 words, but the answer could be 1 or 2 words. The '3 words' instruction is a maximum. It's not saying you have to use three words.
Dec 05, 2023
 Please clear doubt on Singular and Plural words
by: Anonymous

Dear Sir/madam,

i am giving here reference of comment of another candidate which i found while scrolling the comments page i.e. In ielts 13 listening test one, in the form filling sections, I wrote the ans 'brain' which was what the speaker said. and your reply was: Yes. When a word is in brackets in the IELTS listening test, that word, the 's', is telling you singular or plural is ok.

So, my query here is that if they can write like brain or brain(s) both considered correct, so if we had doubt on singular/Plural that can we either write ans like this e.g.{Listener or Listener(s)} ??

Just for the reference bBecause there are thousands of different types of conversations which can't be recorded in ielts books so what about their answers??
Dec 05, 2023
 singular/plural
by: Anonymous

Dear Sir/Madam

i have a query plz

The brackets aren't specifically about articles, they apply to any words.

If something is in brackets in the answer key, yes it is optional for the answer. So if you do not use it in your answer, it will still be correct.

It's difficult to know if in certain situations (such as if grammatically either would fit) they may be flexible with the answers, but the rule is that you must get singular / plural correct.

If the person used the plural then you should put that.

Appreciate ur attention
Dec 05, 2023
 about rule elaborating
by: Anonymous

Dear Sir/Madam,
i have a query
please elaborate this rule: i.e. (the rule is that you must get singular / plural correct)

Appreciate ur attention
Dec 06, 2023
 singular/plural
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you must get singular / plural in IELTS listening correct.

The only exception is in a case where either would fit in the gap grammatically and this would be shown in the answer key i.e. "brain(s)".

You can't just write 'Listener or Listener(s)' for every answer.

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