A paragraph can mention several people while reporting only one person’s opinion. Matching a statement to the first familiar name can therefore lead you to the wrong answer, even when you have located the right paragraph.
The matching-features sections in Jobin Thomas’s IELTS Academic Reading Power Practice focus on connecting descriptions with the correct people or categories. This guide develops that connection through an original short discussion.
Know what the labels represent
Start with the options. Are you matching people, places, time periods or categories? Keep the labels attached to the correct items as you work. A paragraph letter and a person’s option letter are not necessarily interchangeable.
Then locate each item in the passage. Treat that location as a lead, not as the answer: you still need to check which claim belongs to it.
Original matching practice
During a planning meeting, Priya suggested keeping the library open later on weekdays. Leon supported her suggestion but argued that weekend opening hours should stay unchanged. Marta disagreed with extending weekday hours and instead proposed opening earlier on Saturdays.
Options: A Priya; B Leon; C Marta.
Instruction: Match each statement to a person. You may use a letter more than once.
1. Wanted weekend opening hours to remain the same.
2. Proposed an earlier Saturday opening.
3. Opposed extending weekday opening hours.
Check the attributions
1 B: Leon wanted weekend hours unchanged.
2 C: Marta proposed opening earlier on Saturdays.
3 C: Marta disagreed with longer weekday hours. The instructions allow C to be used twice.
Priya initiated the weekday suggestion, but the exercise does not require every option to be used. Do not force A into an answer merely because it remains unused.
Follow pronouns and references carefully
“Her suggestion” in the example refers to Priya’s proposal. Leon’s support therefore connects him to that idea, while his argument about weekend hours adds a separate point.
When a reference is unclear, read back until you can identify its target. Do not assume “she,” “they” or “this view” always refers to the nearest name or noun. The sentence’s meaning and grammar need to support the connection.
Notice agreement, disagreement and contrast
Words such as “supported,” “disagreed” and “instead” describe relationships between views. Missing one can reverse the attribution. Two people can discuss the same topic while proposing opposite actions.
Underline the action or opinion, not just the shared topic. “Weekend opening hours” appears in different proposals, so those words alone do not identify the right person.
Do not eliminate an option unless the instructions justify it
In the original exercise, a letter can be reused. Once Marta answers statement 2, she remains a valid candidate for statement 3. Carrying over an assumption of one answer per person would create an avoidable error.
Read the instructions afresh for each practice task. If a question involves categories rather than people, apply the same discipline: match the full description and check any restrictions on reuse.
Review with a compact evidence note
For each answer, record the person, the relevant action and the phrase that establishes the connection. If your note contains only a name and a topic, return to the sentence and make the relationship explicit.
Explore IELTS Reading — Course 6 for the course linked to this book. For individual IELTS support around busy shifts, request preferred online one-to-one dates and times, with lesson availability confirmed by your tutor.
For the official task descriptions, see the IELTS Academic Reading format guide.
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IELTS Reading — Course 6
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Source: IELTS READING + 010.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.