← IELTS Academic: Complete Preparation
Lesson
Matching Headings, completion, MCQ and Matching Information
The learner can choose the correct strategy for Matching Headings, completion, multiple choice and Matching Information question types on a short passage.
Four key question types and how to tackle them
Four key question types and how to tackle them
Matching Headings: Each heading summarises the main idea or purpose of a paragraph. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to get the topic, then find the heading that matches the overall point — not just a detail. Watch out for headings that share a keyword with the paragraph but capture only a small detail, not the main idea. Also avoid headings that are too broad and cover several paragraphs at once. Once you use a heading, cross it off your list.
Sentence / Summary / Note / Table / Flow-chart Completion: Always obey the word limit (e.g. 'NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS'). Copy words exactly from the passage — do not change word forms. The blank must make grammatical sense in the sentence. Scan for the section of text that corresponds to each item and lift the correct words. If the limit is two words, a three-word answer is automatically wrong.
Multiple Choice: Read the question stem carefully, then read the options. Eliminate distractors — answers that use words from the text but distort the meaning, go too far, or address a different point. The correct option paraphrases the text accurately. Avoid options that are true in general but not stated in the passage.
Matching Information / Features: You are given a list of statements and must find which paragraph (or which person/research) each piece of information appears in. Paragraphs may be used more than once or not at all. Use scanning — look for names, numbers, or key ideas from each statement and locate them in the text. You do not need to read paragraphs in order; go where the clues lead you.
Worked mini-example for completion: Passage says 'The ancient aqueduct, constructed entirely from locally quarried stone, supplied the town with water for over three centuries.' Question: 'The aqueduct was built using ___ ___.' Word limit: NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Answer: 'locally quarried' (or 'quarried stone') — two words, exact from text, grammatically fits.
Lesson notes
Four key question types and how to tackle them
Matching Headings: Each heading summarises the main idea or purpose of a paragraph. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to get the topic, then find the heading that matches the overall point — not just a detail. Watch out for headings that share a keyword with the paragraph but capture only a small detail, not the main idea. Also avoid headings that are too broad and cover several paragraphs at once. Once you use a heading, cross it off your list.
Sentence / Summary / Note / Table / Flow-chart Completion: Always obey the word limit (e.g. 'NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS'). Copy words exactly from the passage — do not change word forms. The blank must make grammatical sense in the sentence. Scan for the section of text that corresponds to each item and lift the correct words. If the limit is two words, a three-word answer is automatically wrong.
Multiple Choice: Read the question stem carefully, then read the options. Eliminate distractors — answers that use words from the text but distort the meaning, go too far, or address a different point. The correct option paraphrases the text accurately. Avoid options that are true in general but not stated in the passage.
Matching Information / Features: You are given a list of statements and must find which paragraph (or which person/research) each piece of information appears in. Paragraphs may be used more than once or not at all. Use scanning — look for names, numbers, or key ideas from each statement and locate them in the text. You do not need to read paragraphs in order; go where the clues lead you.
Worked mini-example for completion: Passage says 'The ancient aqueduct, constructed entirely from locally quarried stone, supplied the town with water for over three centuries.' Question: 'The aqueduct was built using ___ ___.' Word limit: NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Answer: 'locally quarried' (or 'quarried stone') — two words, exact from text, grammatically fits.