How to Solve Sentence Completion Questions in IELTS Reading Module
Here is step by step techniques to solve sentence completion questions.
The questions
There are two types of sentence completion questions in the reading exam.
Type 1. With a selection of possible answers.
Type 2. Without a choice of possible answers.
These questions require you to complete the end of a sentence.
The questions appear in the same order as the information in the text.
Type 2 questions are similar to the short answer questions in that they will always tell you to write your answers in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. So you can answer with one word, two words or three words but not more. They will also tell you to use words from the reading passage.
As with short answer questions:
Also note that the answers should not require a hyphenated word (e.g. non-smoker) or a contraction (e.g. They’ve). Also, if the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6) or a word (e.g. six) or a combination (e.g. 6 million).
How to do sentence completion questions
• Read the instructions carefully.
• Quickly read through all the sentences halves. As you do this
– underline the key words.
– try to work out what information you need.
– think about the grammatical form as well as the vocabulary that should follow immediately from the stem.
• Go back to the first sentence and decide what information you need to complete it.
• Find the place where the information should be in the text and read it carefully.
• Look out for synonyms and parallel expressions because the questions are not likely to use the same words as those in the text.
• Make sure your sentences make sense both logically and grammatically.
Remember:
* for type two, the answer could be one word, two words or three words but not four or more.
* if you think you need more than three words your answer is probably incorrect.
Practice:
Do the following sentence completion
Focus on IELTS: p.30
Cambridge IELTS 1: p.90
Cambridge IELTS 2: p.100
IELTS Reading Questions Solution:
>> Information Matching Question
>> List of Heading or Heading Matching
