Problem: completion tasks look easy — fill the gap — but word limits, paraphrased targets and scattered information trap the unwary. Answer in brief: predict the answer type before searching (noun? number? verb?), locate by keywords, copy exact words within limits. This guide teaches completion discipline across all formats with a summary drill, and IELTS Reading — Course 4 trains completions plus headings drills.
Predict first: answer type before search
Read the gap’s grammar: after “the…” expect a noun phrase; after “increased…” expect a number or extent; verb gaps need tense from surrounding time markers. Prediction narrows searching from everything to candidates — and wrong-type answers get rejected before transfer. Thirty seconds predicting saves three minutes hunting.
Sentence completion
Stems paraphrase passage lines: match key nouns to their rewordings, verify the full stem against the passage (not just the gap), respect word limits exactly (“NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS” counts hyphenated compounds as one — know the rules). Order follows the passage, so work stems sequentially and never re-read from the top.
Master completions supervised? The full IELTS Reading — Course 4 teaches completion tasks — sentences, summaries, tables, flow-charts, diagrams — with headings drills. Explore the course →
Summary completion (with and without word banks)
With banks: eliminate used options, watch distractors (right word, wrong gap), grammar-check each fit. Without banks: exact passage words within limits — copy, never rephrase, because rephrasing breaks exactness. Summaries compress whole sections: read the summary first to learn what matters, then locate each compressed point in order.
Tables, flow-charts and diagrams
Tables: row/column headers define the search space — read them first. Flow-charts: sequence arrows dictate order; each box needs its stage’s word. Diagrams: labels locate parts; processes need stage vocabulary. Visual formats test whether you read structure, not just text — headers and arrows first, always.
Headings drill 1 (warm-up)
Five paragraphs, seven headings, six minutes: job-notes per paragraph, match, verify by function. Use as warm-up before completion sets — headings activate whole-text awareness that completions then exploit locally.
FAQs
Must answers be exact passage words?
Without word banks, yes — exact words, exact limits. With banks, exact bank words fitted grammatically. Either way, invention scores zero.
Do completion answers follow passage order?
Almost always within each task: work sequentially and trust the order. Apparent disorder usually means a misread stem — recheck before jumping.
What is in the course?
Completion tasks across all formats with matching-headings drills.
The matching course
IELTS Reading — Course 4 completes completions: predict, locate, copy exactly — across sentences, summaries, tables, charts and diagrams. If gaps cost marks, fill them here.
Sources and note
- IELTS Reading format per ielts.org — Reading format. Word-limit rules summarised generally; check current instructions on test day.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only).
- Examples are newly written; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
