IELTS Academic Reading: question types field guide

You judge whether a factual statement agrees with, contradicts, or is simply not addressed by the passage. The trap is treating Not Given as if it were False: if the passage does not confirm or refute the claim, the answer is Not Given regardless of how likely it seems.

Match each statement to a specific line or sentence. If no supporting or contradicting sentence exists, it is Not Given.

Same mechanic, but about the writer's opinions or claims rather than factual statements. Yes means the writer agrees, No means the writer disagrees, Not Given means the writer's view is not expressed. Look for reporting verbs and modality (argues, believes, may, is likely to).

Choose one option from three or four. Read the stem carefully and then reject each distractor. Distractors are often correct-sounding paraphrases of the wrong part of the text; the right answer is the option supported by the specific line the question refers to.

You map paragraphs to a list of headings. This is a main-idea task, not a detail task. Skim each paragraph for the topic sentence and the concluding sentence; that is usually where the heading matches. Cross out used headings only after you have confirmed the whole set.

Matching information asks which paragraph contains a specific piece of information; matching features asks which person, place, or category a statement belongs to. Both are scan-heavy. Start by identifying named entities (people, dates, places) — they anchor your search.

You fill gaps with words taken directly from the passage. The instruction line matters: NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS means one or two, never three. Answers must be grammatical fits and exact matches — do not paraphrase.

For summary completion with a word list, treat it as vocabulary matching first, then verify each candidate in context.

You answer questions in a limited number of words (typically NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS). Answers are usually specific: a number, a name, a short phrase. Verify the word limit before writing anything.