IELTS Reading

Matching sentence endings

You get the first halves of several sentences and a list of possible endings (A, B, C…). Choose the ending that completes each sentence so it matches the passage. There are more endings than you need, and the questions follow the passage order.

Several endings will fit grammatically. The right one matches the meaning of the passage, so locate the sentence beginning in the text before you look at the endings.

What the question looks like

matching sentence endings. “Complete each sentence with the correct ending from the list below. There are more endings than sentences.”

Try real-format questions

This question type is in our free practice test: Passage 3 (“The Paradox of Choice”), questions 34–36. Open the practice test →

How to answer

Matching Sentence Endings

Read the sentence beginning carefully and identify the claim or relationship it sets up.
Find the relevant idea in the passage; it may be expressed with different words.
Check each ending against the passage’s meaning, not just a shared keyword.
Reject endings that add a claim, reverse a relationship or contradict the passage.

Example: Worked example: match a sentence beginning to the passage. Passage: In a trial, plants in shaded trays lost less water than plants in open trays. Their growth was slower, however. Beginning: The researchers concluded that shade... Ending: reduced water loss, but did not increase growth. The passage supports both parts of this ending.

Predicting Completion Grammar

Read the words immediately before and after the gap before searching the passage.
Ask: what part of speech does the sentence need—a noun, verb, adjective or adverb?
Ask: do nearby words require a particular number, tense or verb form?
Predict the grammatical form first; then search for information that fits it.

Example: Predicting the form for a sentence gap. Gap: “The solution was ___ before testing.” The word “was” signals a passive structure, so predict a past participle. Then look for a passage word that fits.

Practise

Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.

In a controlled study, seedlings in shaded trays received less direct sunlight than those in open trays. By the end, the shaded seedlings had lost less water, although their growth was slower. The researchers linked shade with reduced water loss, not faster growth.

1Complete the sentence: The study suggests that shade...

Researchers compared a set of early maps with later maps of the same region. They found that some apparent boundary changes resulted from improved surveying methods. The comparison did not show that the boundaries themselves had moved.

2Complete the sentence: Comparing the early and later maps helped researchers...

In a laboratory study, researchers compared three methods of drying plant samples. The samples were ___ before being weighed, so their mass could be compared.

3Before searching for the missing word, which grammatical form should you predict?

A monitoring system uses several sensors to track water temperature. Each of the sensors ___ a separate reading every minute.

4Which grammatical form fits the gap after “Each of the sensors”?

Test hacks

Matching headings: think main idea

A heading sums up the whole paragraph, not one detail. Read the first and last sentences, then decide the main point before looking at the list.

Why it works: Wrong headings usually match a single detail word in the paragraph.

Skim first sentences first

Spend about two minutes reading the title and the first sentence of each paragraph before the questions.

Why it works: First sentences usually state the paragraph's main idea, which is exactly what heading-matching questions test.

False vs Not Given

False means the passage says the opposite. Not Given means the passage doesn't say either way. Don't use your own knowledge.

Why it works: Confusing False and Not Given is an easy trap: choosing False when the passage simply says nothing about the point.

Practise with feedback on every answer

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