An answer option can repeat a phrase from the passage and still be wrong. It may attach that phrase to the wrong person, change the reason for an action or add a result that the passage never reports.
The multiple-choice sections of Jobin Thomas’s The Complete IELTS Reading Workbook (Academic) emphasise careful comparison and evidence. This guide uses an original example to show why a familiar word is only a starting point.
Identify what the question is asking
Before judging the options, decide whether you need a reason, a result, an opinion or a factual detail. A sentence can be true according to the passage but fail to answer the particular question.
If you are asked why a workshop changed location, an option describing the new room’s appearance does not answer the question unless the text links that appearance to the decision.
Original reading passage
A community centre moved its writing workshop upstairs because the original room was being repaired. The upstairs room was brighter, but it held fewer people. Organisers kept the existing fee and reduced the number of places available.
Question: Why did the workshop move?
A. To accommodate a larger group.
B. Because repairs were taking place in its usual room.
C. To justify an increase in the fee.
D. Because participants had requested better lighting.
Compare all four options
B is supported: the passage explicitly gives repairs as the reason.
A conflicts with the details: the new room held fewer people.
C conflicts with the unchanged fee.
D adds an unsupported request: the room was brighter, but no participant request is reported. A related detail is not evidence of the stated cause.
Break a long option into its claims
Suppose an option says, “The workshop moved upstairs to offer more places at a lower price.” Check the move, the number of places, the price and the proposed purpose separately. Finding support for the move alone is not enough.
This technique is particularly useful when two options seem close. Identify the precise words that make their meanings different, then return to the relevant sentences.
Keep outside knowledge out of the decision
A bright room might be attractive to learners. Repairs might be noisy. Neither possibility explains the organisers’ decision unless the passage says so. Choose the option that answers the question using the supplied evidence.
Watch for changes in certainty too. “May help” does not automatically support “will solve,” and “one reason” does not automatically support “the only reason.” Read these distinctions in context rather than rejecting a strong word on sight.
When several answers are requested, check each independently
Follow the number of selections specified in the exercise. Do not stop after finding one plausible option, and do not assume the last remaining choice must be right if your earlier eliminations were uncertain.
For practice review, write a brief evidence note for each selected answer and one reason for rejecting each alternative. If you cannot explain your choice, mark it for further review even if it matches the answer key.
Explore IELTS Reading — Course 4 for the course associated with this workbook. For targeted IELTS support, request online one-to-one lesson dates and times around your shifts, with the schedule confirmed by your tutor.
For the official task descriptions, see the IELTS Academic Reading format guide.
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IELTS Reading — Course 4
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Source: IELTS ACADEMIC R 02.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.