IELTS Reading

Matching Headings Questions

 
On this page, we’re going to look at ‘matching headings’ questions. They can be some of the most
challenging of the IELTS Reading test.

The aim of this type of question is,

to test if you are able to understand the main idea of each paragraph.

There are two possible strategies for answering matching heading questions:

1) Read text first, then headings.

2) Read headings first, then text.

Some teachers will tell you to always read the text before you look at the headings while others
say you should definitely read the headings first.

Personally, I think the first strategy is the easiest. However, my advice is to try both when you’re
practicing to see which one works best for you. Different people process information in different
ways so one method may suit you better than the other.

Either way, if a matching headings question does come up for one of the texts in your test, do it
first. By doing so, you’ll already understand the main ideas of the text by the time you get to the
other questions. This will save you a lot of time.

Before we look at the two strategies in detail, I want to quickly highlight the main problems
students encounter with these types of questions and also give you some key tips.

Key problems:
 There are more headings than paragraphs – this makes it harder to narrow down the correct ones.

 Some headings will be very similar in meaning.

 It’s easy to confuse specific details in a paragraph with the main idea – they may be
different.

 Synonyms and paraphrasing will often be used.

 It’s easy to spend too much time on this type of question.

Key tips:
  Cross out each heading in the test booklet as you match it to a paragraph. This will eliminate it from further
consideration as you move onto other paragraphs. 

 Work through the paragraphs in order but move on if you’re struggling to find the
heading match. Come back to it once you've eliminated more headings and have fewer
to choose between.

So, let’s look at the two strategies in detail.

Strategy 1 – Read Text First, Then Headings 

Follow these steps.

1) Read the instructions

It’s vital that you understand what you have to do. Here’s an example of how the instructions will
be set out. It’s taken from a real IELTS Reading paper.

In the middle of the instructions are the headings but remember, for this first strategy don’t read
them yet.

There will sometimes be a sample answer for illustration. In this case, it’s the answer to Section E.
Knowing this answer means that you can immediately cross out ‘heading vi’ in the list of headings
and eliminate it from further consideration.
Source: Official IELTS website – www.ielts.org

2) Read the first paragraph

Your aim is to identify the main idea. Focus on the first one or two sentences and the last
sentence as these will usually introduce and summarise this main idea. Skim read the rest of the
text. You do not need to know the detail for this type of question.

Note that occasionally a section will contain more than one paragraph. In this case, you’ll need to
find the main idea in each paragraph.

3) Summarise the main idea

Briefly sum up the main idea of the paragraph in your own words as if you were writing your own heading.
Do it in just a few words or a short phrase at the most. Write this beside it.

4) Read the headings

Now it’s time to read the list of headings. As you do so, try to match your summary of the first paragraph to
one of the headings. Make sure that you read them all carefully and don’t just select the first one that seems
to match as there may be two that are very similar in meaning.

Look out for key words as clues but also synonyms as these are very likely to be used.

Let’s practice the steps so far.

Here’s the first Section (paragraph) of our sample text. If you haven’t already read the instructions, scroll
back up and do so, but don’t read the headings yet.

Then work through steps 2-4 and see if you can identify the correct heading. I’ve underlined the first and last
sentences to highlight them for you.

Source: Official IELTS website – www.ielts.org

This heading is quite easy to match as the main idea is made clear in the very first sentence, often called the
topic sentence.

The answer is:

v. Governments and management of the environment

Did you get it right?

If you didn’t, go back and study the paragraph again and see if you can work out why it is the
correct match.

5) Repeat for all sections

Repeat these steps for each section of the text.

If you get stuck on a particular paragraph, move on and come back to it when you’ve matched more heading
and crossed them off the list. It will be easier to find the one you’re struggling with when there are fewer
headings to choose from

6) Similar headings
Where you have two very similar headings and can’t decide which is the right one, write them out one under
the other to help you focus in on the difference between them.

7) Eliminate used headings

Once you have matched a heading, cross through it in pencil to eliminate it from further consideration.

Strategy 2 – Read Headings First, Then Text

Follow these steps.

1) Read the headings

First, read the full instructions, including the headings, then focus in on the headings.

Read each carefully and try to understand what it means. Remember, each will summarise the main idea of
the paragraph it matches.

Also remember that there will be more headings than paragraphs so you won’t need them all.

2) Underline key words

If a heading contains names, numbers, dates or place names, underline these to identify them as key words
that should be easy to spot in the text. Or there may be a key noun that stands out. It could be one that occurs
in more than one heading.

Doing this will help you to match information in the text and headings as you read each paragraph.
Here’s are the instructions of our sample text for Strategy 2. Again, it’s taken from a real IELTS Reading
paper.

Have a go at these first two steps.

3) Identify similar titles

There will often be two headings with a similar meaning which can make it difficult to decide which one is
the correct match.

If you do spot two similar headings, make a note of this. It will remind you to look at them both closely
when you think one of them is the match.

4) Read the first paragraph

Your aim is to identify the main idea. Focus on the first one or two sentences and the last sentence as these
will probably introduce and summarise this main idea. Skim read the rest of the text. You do not need to
know the detail for this type of question.

Look out for any keywords you underlined in the heading. Be aware that synonyms could be used instead.

Note that occasionally a section will contain more than one paragraph. In this case, you’ll need to find the
main idea in each paragraph.
5) Choose the matching heading
Now that you understand the main idea of the first paragraph, go back to the headings and select the best
match. Where you have two possible headings, write them out one under the other to help you focus in on
the difference between them.

Once you have made your decision and filled in your answer, cross through the heading in pencil to
eliminate it from further consideration.

6) Move on
As I mentioned in the tips above, if you’re struggling to find the correct heading, move on and come back to
it once you’ve eliminated more headings and have fewer to choose between.

7) Repeat for all sections

Repeat these steps for each section of the text.

Now have a practice with one of the paragraphs (Section B) from the sample test paper. I’ve added the
headings again beneath to make it easier.

I suggest that you focus on the first two sentences and the last one (I’ve underlined them), then skim read the
rest of the paragraph.
 The correct answer is,

viii  The possibility of attracting the wrong kind of student

Answer questions 1-4 which are based on the reading passage below.

Dance Forms

A. The word dance comes from the old German word “danson”, which means “to stretch”. All dance forms
are built upon stretching and relaxing. Dance makes the whole body vibrant. Dance is broken down into five
elements: Body, Action, Space, Time and Energy. These five elements work together in dance to bring life
to the dance. Dance not only changes the dancer’s mood, also viewer psychology will as a result of
connecting with a dancer, with its being. Even, there are different sorts of dance forms such as jazz, folk
dance, ballet, Irish dance etc., related to different forms of mood and life. 

B. Dance can be even therapeutic, if we dance without caring about the way we dance, it releases the stress
and anxiety embedded in the unconscious mind. We can also consciously construct the dance movements to
tap the specific mood in the viewers. Indian classical dance is such. It is stated that there are two basic
aspects of Indian classical dance - Tandava and Lasya. Tandava denotes movements and rhythm and Lasya
denotes grace and bhava. It is further broken down into three components which are Natya, Nritta and
Nritya. One of the great books about Indian dance is Natya Shastra written by Bharat Muni.

C. There are instances, where dance forms of minorities became popular in the world. For example, Jazz.
Jazz has its roots in Africa. America bought several african as a slave. Those African slaves are performed
 their traditional dances such as Cakewalk during plantation. This progressively moved in the position of
Jazz. Jazz dance became a popular feature in ballroom in  the 1940s and 1950s. Jack Cole and Gus Giordano
are some of the popular jazz dancers.

D. One can even use the dance as a resistance against domination. Dance symbolizing the resistance as such
it connects the other people. Michael Jackson is one who uses his art for rebellion and protest. He is a big
proponent of freedom. He claimed that one of his popular songs, “They Don’t Care About Us”, is a call for
protest against oppressive forces. He even introduced and popularized some of the famous dance movements
such as “Moonwalk”.

Questions 1 - 4 

The reading passage has four paragraphs, A-D.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-vii, as your answer to each question.

List of Headings

 i Indian Classical Dance

 ii Origin of Jazz Dance
 iii Hazards of Dance
 iv Michael Jackson as a Rebellion
 v Rudolf Nureyev
 vi Criticism on Dance
 vii Types of Dance

1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D