IELTS Reading (Academic)
Completing Sentences
 3 passages (40 total questions)
 60 minutes
Academic passage topics: general topics written by
general audience
Sources: journals, magazines, books, newspapers
Note:
 Scanning means quickly searching a passage
for a particular word or term (e.g. a name or a
date).
 Skimming means reading quickly without
reading every word so that you get an overall
impression of a text or part of a text
 If you have determined the type of question and
understood the specific tasks you are required
to do, then there is no need to read the entire
passage. You need to improve your skills in
scanning, skimming, paraphrasing, sequencing,
and identifying parts of speech.
Question Types
a. Multiple-choice Questions
Strategy: Scan the reading passage looking for
words, dates, or phrase in the multiple-choice
options. Read the sentence where these key words
are found. Does that sentence answer the
questions? Remember the key word may be a
synonym, antonym, or paraphrase of the correct
answer.
Tip: Read the question and try to guess the answer.
Scan the passage for the key words in the answer
options. Circle the key words when you find them.
The answers to the questions are in sequence. The
answer to the first question is in the first paragraph
of the passage. The answer to the second question
follows that.
b. Short-answer Questions
 Strategy: Scan the passage looking for keywords
found in the question and read for the answer to
who, what, when, where, or how long.
 Tip: Do not write more than the required
number of words, otherwise you will be
penalized.
“no more than three words” – write only 3
words or less
“at most two words” – write only 1 or 2 words
“one word only” – write only 1 word
c.
Strategy: Try to complete the sentences first, then
return to the passage to check your answer. Skim
the passage looking for synonyms or paraphrases of
words from the sentence. The word that completes
the sentence will be the same word in the passage.
The grammatical form will be the same.
Tip: Make sure the word you write in the blank
matches grammatically.
d. Completing Notes, Summary, Tables, Flowcharts
Strategy: As in notes and summaries, you will look
for what is missing in the table or flowcharts. First
look for words that are given. Scan the passage to
look for these words. The missing words will be near
these words.
Tip: Write only the number of words suggested in
the direction. Use the correct grammatical form.
e. Labeling Diagram
Strategy: Scan the text for keywords that indicate
location: next to, above, across, edge, center,
beneath, etc. Look for words that indicate geometric
patterns: square, rectangle, bisect.
Tip: This type of question tests your ability to
translate words into pictures. When you read, turn
words into pictures in your head, then make a
simple drawing on paper before you answer the
questions.
f. Choosing Headings for Paragraphs or Sections of a
Text
Strategy: The heading is a paraphrase of the topic
sentence of the paragraph. Skim to find the topic
sentence, the one that gives the idea of the
paragraph. Then scan the list of headings and
choose one that is similar in meaning.
Tip: The correct heading will probably be a
paraphrase of the first or second sentence of the
paragraph. Cross out the headings as you use them.
g. Choosing Answers from a List
Strategy: Read the instructions carefully and scan
the passage looking for the key words in the
direction line. Read carefully around the words in
the passage. Scan the answer choice quickly and
look for key words in each statement. Math the key
words in the passage with key words in the
statement. Do not pay attention to pronouns. Look
for nouns, verbs, and modifiers.
Tip: It is important to read the instructions carefully
and pay attention to the key words in the direction
 line. After you scan, choose the answers that you  Tip: Pay attention to adjectives and adverbs
remember. Then go back and look for the others. (modifiers). A modifier in a question may be the
h. Locating Information opposite of the modifier in the passage.
i. Identifying Points of View n. Yes, No, Not Given
j. Identifying Writer’s Claim The text will contain the opinions, views or beliefs of
k. Classifying Information the writer or other people who are mentioned.
Strategy: You will have to determine what Remember:
characteristics distinguish one topic from the other.  Yes – if the statement agrees exactly
You will classify the statements by what makes each with the views of the writer (even if the
different from the other. Scan the passage quickly words are different)
and circle the word or phrase in Heading A and  No – if the statement contradicts the
underline the word or phrase in Heading B. Skim the views of the writer
characteristic; then scan the passage looking for the  Not given – if it is impossible to say
characteristics that match the circled word and those what the writer thinks about this
that match the underlined word. Important Reminders
Tip: The characteristics or ideas to be classified will  Write your answers on the answer sheet as you do
probably in the same paragraph as the word in the the Reading Test
heading.  No extra time is given to transfer your answers
l. Matching lists or phrases  Read the instructions then the questions before you
 Strategy: scan the reading passage looking for read the passage.
the words, dates, or phrases in List A. Read the  Some questions require finding specific details in the
sentence where this word or data is found. Is a passage without your knowledge of the entire
related term or phrase in the List B? If not, read content.
the sentence that comes before or after.  Some tasks only require you to scan for specific
 Tip: The word in List A may be in italics or may information in the text.
be capitalized. The matching word or phrase
may be a paraphrase. Be sure to understand he
context and don’t just match identical words.
Sometimes you may use a word from List B
more than once.
m. True, False, Not Given
The text will contain factual information about a
topic.
 Strategy: Scan the passage for words that
match the key words in the statement. The
statements may be paraphrase of similar
statements in the passage. If there is no similar
statement in the passage, the answer is NOT
GIVEN.
Remember:
 True – if the statement agrees exactly
with the information in the passage
(even if the words are different)
 False – if the statement contradicts the
information in the passage
 Not Given – if there is no information
about this in the passage