Comprehensive guide covering essential IELTS preparation strategies and techniques to help you achieve your target band score.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will be looking at identifying information and the writer’s views or claims,including true, false and not given and yes, no not given questions.
True, False, Not Given
In the IELTS Reading Test, common questions include true, false, not given. You will be asked to identify information in a text, then reading statements and deciding if they are true, false or not given.
When reading the text, you must concentrate and look for the following;
TRUE – this means that the statement agrees with the information in the text.
FALSE – This means that the information disagrees with the information in the text.
NOT GIVEN – this means that the information is not present in the text – so you cannot say if it is either true or false.
For the answer to be true, it must agree and be true to the information given in the text. Any information that is not shown in the text would be not given.
TEST QUESTION
In the IELTS test, the true, false, not given questions will look similar to the those below >>
Exercise 1
Read the text below (from the English History website) and decide if the statements are true, false or not given.
Mary, Queen of Scots was one of the most fascinating and controversial monarchs of 16th century Europe. At one time, she claimed the crowns of four nations – Scotland, France, England and Ireland. Her physical beauty and kind heart were acknowledged even by her enemies. Yet she lacked the political skills to rule successfully in Scotland. Her second marriage was unpopular and ended in murder and scandal; her third was even less popular and ended in forced abdication in favour of her infant son. She fled to England in 1568, hoping for the help of her cousin, Elizabeth I. Her presence was dangerous for the English queen, who feared Catholic plotting on Mary’s behalf. The two queens never met and Mary remained imprisoned for the next nineteen years. She was executed in 1587, only forty-four years old. By orders of the English government, all of her possessions were burned. In 1603, upon Elizabeth’s death, Mary’s son became king of England as James I.
True – if the statement agrees with the information
False – if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given – if there is no information present
10. Mary Queen of Scots was once the monarch of four different places.
11. Mary married her first husband Francis ii of France in 1558.
12. Mary and Queen Elizabeth 1st were good friends and met often.
13. After her death, Mary’s son James 1st became the King of Scotland.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
TIP >> NOT GIVEN > The IELTS Reading Test is measuring your ability to be able to read a text and find information within it. Not about your general knowledge on the subject. If the information is not in the text – your answer would, therefore, be not given.
Exercise 2
Read the text below (from the English History website) and decide if the statements are true, false or not given.
Henry’s first wife, Katharine of Aragon, was the youngest child of the ‘Catholic Kings’ of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella; she and Henry were married for over twenty years. His second wife, Anne Boleyn, was the daughter of an ambitious knight; she was executed after three years of marriage. His third wife, Jane Seymour, died after less than two years of marriage, having finally produced a son and heir for Henry. His fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was divorced mere months after the wedding, for Henry found her unattractive and was already courting his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Catherine was executed after less than two years of marriage and the king settled upon the twice-widowed Katharine Parr as his sixth wife. She outlived the mercurial king.
True – if the statement agrees with the information
False – if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given – if there is no information present
14. Henry’s first wife Katharine of Aragon was the longest relationship he had with any of the wives.
15. Henry Viii favoured his second wife Anne Boleyn above all the others.
16.Henry Viii divorced Anne of Cleaves after a short time.
17. atherine Parr had two sons with Henry Viii before he died.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 3
Read the text below (from the English History website) and decide if the statements are true, false or not given.
Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in English history. When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate by most Europeans. She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and Spain. She was only the third queen to rule England in her own right; the other two examples, her cousin Lady Jane Grey and half-sister Mary I, were disastrous. Even her supporters believed her position dangerous and uncertain. Her only hope, they counselled, was to marry quickly and lean upon her husband for support. But Elizabeth had other ideas.
She ruled alone for nearly half a century, lending her name to a glorious epoch in world history. She dazzled even her greatest enemies. Her sense of duty was admirable, though it came at a great personal cost. She was committed above all else to preserving English peace and stability; her genuine love for her subjects was legendary. Only a few years after her death in 1603, they lamented her passing. In her greatest speech to Parliament, she told them, ‘I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your love.’ And five centuries later, the worldwide love affair with Elizabeth Tudor continues.
‘Proud and haughty, as although she knows she was born of such a mother, she nevertheless does not consider herself to inferior degree to the Queen, whom she equals in self-esteem; nor does she believe herself less legitimate than her Majesty, alleging in her own favour that her mother would never cohabit with the King unless by way of marriage, with the authority of the Church….
She prides herself on her father and glories in him; everybody saying that she also resembles him more than the Queen does and he therefore always liked her and had her brought up in the same way as the Queen.’ the Venetian ambassador Giovanni Michiel describes Elizabeth; spring 1557.
Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich Palace. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry had defied the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor to marry Anne, spurred on by love and the need for a legitimate male heir. And so Elizabeth’s birth was one of the most exciting political events in 16th-century European history; rarely had so much turmoil occurred on behalf of a mere infant. But the confident predictions of astrologers and physicians were wrong and the longed-for prince turned out to be a princess.
True – if the statement agrees with the information
False – if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given – if there is no information present
18. Queen Elizabeth 1st wanted to find a husband to share her royal responsibilities.
19. Queen Elizabeth 1st was loved by many.
20. Queen Elizabeth 1st was the only female heir to the throne.
21. Henry was determined to marry Anne Boleyn, driven by his affection and his longing for a son.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
What is the difference between true, false, not given and yes, no, not given questions?
There is a difference between the true, false, not given questions and the yes, no, not given questions.
The true, false, not given questions are asking you to look for information based on facts in the text.
The yes, no, not given questions are asking you to look for the writer’s views or claims in the text.
Identifying The Writer’s View or Claims
When the writer is giving their opinion, this is them expressing their view on a topic. If the writer presents something as a fact, then this is a claim. Therefore to find a claim or view in the text, you are required to read the text and use your own interpretation of it.
Not given still means that you cannot find any information in the text in relation to the statement.
Yes, No, Not Given
For these questions you will look at the following;
YES – if the statement agrees with the views or claims
NO – if the statement contradicts the views or claims
NOT GIVEN – it is impossible to say what the writer’s views/claims are
TEST QUESTION
In the IELTS test, the yes, no, not given questions will look similar to the those below >>
Exercise 4
Read the text below (from the BBC English History website) and decide if the statements are yes, no or not given.
Viking Raids
Raids by seaborne Scandinavian pirates on sites in Britain, especially largely undefended monastic sites, began at the end of the eighth century AD.
By the end of the ninth century, there were large-scale settlements of Scandinavians in various parts of Britain, and they had achieved political domination over a significant territory.
Early in the 11th century, the king of Denmark became King of England as well. And in 1066 there were separate invasions by the king of Norway, Harald Hardrada, and Duke of Normandy, William, the latter the descendant of Scandinavian settlers in northern France.
Many monasteries in the north were destroyed, and with them any records of the raids.
Yet the most significant development of the period was an indirect result of Scandinavian involvement in the affairs of Britain – the emergence of two kingdoms of newly unified territories, England and Scotland.
In 793 AD, an anguished Alcuin of York wrote to the Higbald, the bishop of Lindisfarne and to Ethelred, King of Northumbria, bemoaning the unexpected attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne by Viking raiders, probably Norwegians sailing directly across the North Sea to Northumbria.
It is clear from the letter that Lindisfarne was not destroyed. Alcuin suggested that further attack might be averted by moral reform in the monastery.
Over the next few decades, many monasteries in the north were destroyed, and with them any records they might have kept of the raids. We know no historical details of the raids in Scotland, although they must have been extensive.
Iona was burnt in 802 AD, and 68 monks were killed in another raid in 806 AD. The remaining monks fled to Kells (County Meath, Ireland) with a gospel-book probably produced in Iona, but now known as the ‘Book of Kells’.
Other monasteries in Scotland and northern England simply disappear from the record. Lindisfarne was abandoned, and the monks trailed around northern England with their greatest possession, the relics of St Cuthbert, until they found a home in Durham in 995 AD.
Skim the text and see if the statements below agree with the claims of the writer >>
YES – if the statement agrees with the views or claims
NO – if the statement contradicts the views or claims
NOT GIVEN – it is impossible to say what the writer’s views/claims are
7. The most important part of that time was the evolution of two empires.
8. The fear that the Norwegians would cross the ocean and settle into the North of England.
9. The Vikings left with treasures including ‘The Book of Kells’.
10. The Vikings ruined many places along the north coast in the UK including Bamburgh Castle.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 5
Read the text below (from the BBC English History website) and decide if the statements are yes, no or not given.
The Home Front
The concept of a ‘Home Front’ – when civilians are mobilised en masse to support the war effort during a conflict – dates from World War One, as far as the British are concerned. It was re-activated in 1938 during the Munich crisis when civilians were encouraged to enrol in Air Raid Precautions (ARP) or the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS).
Anticipating terror from the air
ARP was a reaction to the fear, shared throughout Europe in the 1930s, of the mass bombing of civilians from the air. In the 1930s, the government estimates calculated that 600,000 people would be killed and 1.2 million injured in air raids during a future war.
The evacuation had already been running for two days by the time war with Germany was announced on 3 September 1939. Throughout the war, three million people were moved beyond the reach of German bombers, in what became a fundamentally life-changing event for many. The internment of German and Austrian ‘aliens’ also commenced at the outbreak of war, and those considered high risks were interned immediately. Later, Italian aliens were ’rounded up’ under Churchill’s orders after Italy joined the war in June 1940.
‘Doing your bit’
The nation’s labour was once again mobilised, and to an even greater extent than World War One. Half a million women joined the uniformed services, and millions more worked in the factories and on the land. Both men (from 1939) and women (from 1941) were conscripted. Men were even conscripted into the coal mines – one in ten of those enlisted domestically.
Skim the text and see if the statements below agree with the claims of the writer >>
YES – if the statement agrees with the views or claims
NO – if the statement contradicts the views or claims
NOT GIVEN – it is impossible to say what the writer’s views/claims are
11. Although many people were in the military services during World Wars 1 and 2 much more volunteered to help.
12. During the war, many people were displaced.
13. People from Italy were offered protection from the English government.
14. Women completed more roles during the war effort than men.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The true, false, not given / yes, no, not givenquestions are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start reading the questions or the text. Take note if the questions are true, false, not given or yes, no, not given.
TIP >> Read the questions and the given text. For the yes, no, not given questionslook out for keywords that suggest the writer is sharing their view or opinion, like; always, occasionally, some or claimed.
TIP >> Skim read the text and match the statement to the correct part of the text.
TIP >> Check that the statement exactly matches the meaning of the text if you are going to say it is true (or yes). If it does not it is false (or no). If there is no information – it is not given.
TIP >> Answers are in the same order as the text, work your way through them. If you are going over and over looking for something, then it is most likely ‘not given’. Don’t waste lots of time looking for something that is not there.
TIP >> Be aware of synonyms and paraphrasing.
Answers >>
Exercise 1 Answers >>
10. True
11. Not Given
12. False
13. False
Exercise 2 Answers >>
14. True
15. Not Given
16. True
17. False
Exercise 3 Answers >>
18. False
19. True
20. Not Given
21. True
Exercise 4 Answers >>
7. Yes
8. Yes
9. No
10. Not Given
Exercise 5 Answers >>
11. Yes
12. Yes
13. No
14. Not Given
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
Essential strategies and practice techniques for this IELTS Reading question type. Learn how to manage time and improve accuracy.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will be looking at matching features.
In the IELTS Reading Test, you could be given questions that ask you to match features, often with texts that include theories or comments about people, places, years and things. To comprehend how to complete these questions, you need to be able to skim read.
The questions will not be ordered in the same way as the given text, the various options will be presented in a box and you will match them to the questions. There will be paraphrased information and more questions are given than needed to complete the task.
EXERCISE 1
The paragraphs for this practice exercise is from a text called “Giving blood in a time of crisis” from The World Health Organisation (WHO) website.
Read the questions, skim read the following text, and look for the important details;
Prakash Ghimire was just leaving his home in Kathmandu to travel to the airport when the shaking started.
Within a minute, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake – the worst to strike the region in more than 80 years – had laid waste to large parts of the city, wreaking destruction that would leave about 9000 people dead and another 22 000 injured.
Half an hour later, Dr Ghimire, a national professional officer at WHO’s country office in Nepal, was at the Health Ministry to join the team assembled at the health emergency operation centre. He was put in charge of coordinating the blood transfusion services, including the availability of blood and blood products in earthquake response operations.
“Immediately after the earthquake, we assembled and started taking stock of what had happened,” he says.
An initial assessment revealed extensive damage to the nation’s blood supply infrastructure. Out of about 100 blood transfusion centres, 9 were completely destroyed and 21 were partially damaged. The Central Blood Transfusion Service building in Kathmandu had large cracks in its walls and was deemed structurally unsound.
There were also deaths and injuries at two of the sites carrying out blood collection activities that day. One Nepal Red Cross staff member, one volunteer and seven donors had died, and others remained trapped in a collapsed donation centre, awaiting rescue.
But Nepal had long feared a devastating earthquake and had made some preparations. The country’s first solar-powered emergency blood transfusion service centre had been inaugurated just five days before the earthquake struck. The designers had predicted that power would be a significant problem after a natural disaster; the rooftop solar panels meant that this was not an issue.
Match the features >>
Prakash Ghimire
Dr Ghimire
Nepal
A. A nurse
B. Place of the earthquake
C. a doctor
D. a blood donor
E. Earthquake victim
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 2
The paragraphs for this practice exercise is from a text called “Forgetting to wash your hands can cost lives“ from The World Health Organisation (WHO) website.
Read the questions, skim read the following text, and look for the important details;
When Bandana Das, a midwife in India, washes her hands it is not simply routine, it is a critical step in reducing infection and saving the lives of mothers and newborns.
“I have seen mothers discharged from the health facility and then come back to the same facility with severe infections and high temperatures,” says Bandana, the president of the Society of Midwives in India. “Many of these mothers do not survive.”
Worldwide, 30 000 women and 400 000 babies die every year from infections, such as puerperal sepsis, often caused by lack of water, sanitation and poor hand-washing practices. In an era of antimicrobial resistance, it is crucial that all midwives wash their hands at key moments – before and after touching a patient, before medical procedures, and after being exposed to bodily fluids.
However, up to 70% of health workers do not adhere to recommended hand hygiene practices, according to WHO.
In India and many low- and middle-income countries, practising good hand hygiene is not easy. Bandana, like many midwives in India, often does not have access to water, a toilet, or soap.
“In some places, water has been so dirty it is unusable,” she says. “It is very difficult to practice good hygiene in these circumstances.”
According to a WHO and UNICEF report, more than 1 in 3 health facilities in low- and middle-income countries do not have any access to water at all. When the reliability, safety, and distance of the water supply is taken into account, that ratio increases to 1 in 2.
Lack of water is only one challenge. Nearly 1 in 5 of these facilities do not have toilets and more than 1 in 3 does not have soap for hand washing. Clean water, functioning toilets and soap are all essential to protecting the lives of mothers and newborns during the time of birth.
Match the features >>
WHO and UNICEF
Bandana Das
Health workers
A. leads the way in good hygiene practices in India
B. wrote a report about the shortage of midwives in India
C. communicated information about some places having no water
D. often do not clean their hands
E. Performed tests on the water in India
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The matching features questions are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start reading the text. Make sure you understand what the question is asking you to do.
TIP >> Read the names/ places first and scan the text to find them. You can underline/highlight them – they may be mentioned more than once.
TIP >> Look for the connection between their name and what they have achieved etc, that relates to the options. Be wary of synonyms and paraphrasing.
TIP >> Choose your answers through an elimination process. Which ones do not fit? Which ones can you dismiss?
Answers >>
Exercise 1 Answers >>
1 – E
2 – C
3 – B
Exercise 2 Answers >>
1 – C
2 – A
3 – D
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
Essential strategies and practice techniques for this IELTS Reading question type. Learn how to manage time and improve accuracy.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will be looking at matching sentence endings.
In the IELTS Reading Test, you could be given questions that ask you to match sentence endings, often with many combinations that include incorrect sentences. To comprehend how to complete these questions, you need to see how ideas are connected in the texts.
You should read the first half of the sentence and then look through the text to find the information. After that read through the section of the text and choose the relevant sentence ending. There will be more sentence endings given than needed to complete the task.
Before trying the practice questions below, see if you can match the following sentence endings, only using your logic and knowledge of grammar >>
When I turn the key
If you turn the tap on
The child obesity rate
The hospital service
Substance abuse in teens
A. is steadily growing in high-income countries
B. creates many illnesses and problems
C. the door opens
D. reported cuts to spending in 2017
E. water flows out
F. reported they had been successful
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
TEST QUESTION
In the IELTS test, the matching sentence endings questions will look similar to this example below >>
The paragraphs for the practice exercises are from a text called “Obesity and Overweight” from The World Health Organisation (WHO) website.
Exercise 1
What causes obesity and overweight?
The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. Globally, there has been:
an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat; and
an increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanisation.
Changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with the development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing, and education.
Match the sentence endings >>
Weight issues are created when
Having a job where you are sitting for long periods of time or no exercise in your regular routine can
The situation around you can affect your
A. the number of calories burned are not the same as the calories that have been eaten
B. health and the lifestyle that you have
C. a person consumes too much fast food
D. lead to weight gain, because of less movement
E. make a person gain weight and go out less
F. outlook on life, which affects your daily diet and exercise routine
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 2
How can overweight and obesity be reduced?
Overweight and obesity, as well as their related noncommunicable diseases, are largely preventable. Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices, by making the choice of healthier foods and regular physical activity the easiest choice (the choice that is the most accessible, available and affordable), and therefore preventing overweight and obesity.
At the individual level, people can:
limit energy intake from total fats and sugars;
increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts; and
engage in a regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes spread through the week for adults).
Individual responsibility can only have its full effect where people have access to a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, at the societal level, it is important to support individuals in following the recommendations above, through sustained implementation of evidence-based and population-based policies that make regular physical activity and healthier dietary choices available, affordable and easily accessible to everyone, particularly to the poorest individuals. An example of such a policy is a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Match the sentence endings >>
Being overweight
People can
Society must
A. offer help to those who are overweight, making sure that healthy diet options and regular activities are easily accessible
B. can be stopped, by making changes and receiving help from the community
C. is caused by being irresponsible
D. watch what they eat
E. be careful with their daily eating habits, making sure they consume a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables
F. promote a sugar tax on all unhealthy foods
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 3
What are common health consequences of overweight and obesity?
Raised BMI is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as:
cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death in 2012;
diabetes;
musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints);
some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).
The risk for these noncommunicable diseases increases, with increases in BMI.
Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.
Match the sentence endings >>
Eventual exposure
Being obese at a young age
The dangerous circumstances surrounding obesity
A. can lead to early death
B. are higher when a person’s BMI is immense
C. can make it tough for a young person at school
D. can lead to children struggling to breathe and other complications
E. projects a future of obesity and ongoing serious health issues
F. to the health issues caused by obesity can cause a number of diseases
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The matching sentence endings are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start reading the text, partial sentences or the sentence endings.
TIP >> Read the partial sentences first and the sentence endings.
TIP >> Skim read the text and look for any clear answers.
TIP >> Choose your answers through an elimination process. Which ones do not fit? Which ones can you dismiss? Be attentive to synonyms and paraphrasing.
Answers >>
Practice Questions Answers >>
1 – C
2 – E
3 – A
4 – D
5 – B
Exercise 1 Answers >>
1 – A
2 – D
3. F
Exercise 2 Answers >>
1 – B
2 – E
3 – A
Exercise 3 Answers >>
1 – D
2 – E
3 – B
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
Essential strategies and practice techniques for this IELTS Reading question type. Learn how to manage time and improve accuracy.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will be looking at matching headings.
The matching heading questions normally ask you to match a list of headings to paragraphs. The texts given can consist of six to nine paragraphs.
When you see this type of task, you should;
Quickly read the headings and underline/highlight any keywords.
Skim read the text – so you understand the overall meaning
Read the first paragraph and see if any headings match up
Choose the best heading for the paragraph (read again if needed)
Repeat this strategy for every paragraph
This strategy above allows you to choose the heading appropriate for each paragraph by going through a process of elimination.
What is a heading?
A paragraph heading sums up the paragraph as a whole, not just parts of it. Try not to match up words in the heading with words you see in the paragraph, that could lead you to make an incorrect choice. The heading should apply to all information written about in the paragraph, not just parts of it.
When you look at the heading choices you may think that more than one could match up with different paragraphs, but you need to look closer to see which option is the best fit. You should take the time to practice matching headings to paragraphs, summing up the main idea, not just trying to match the words.
Test Question
In the IELTS test, the matching headings questions will look similar to the those below and it will appear before a text, not after it >>
The paragraphs for the practice exercises are from a text called “Adolescents: health risks and solutions” from The World Health Organisation (WHO) website.
All answers are at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 1
Read the following headings and then skim read the text, choose the heading that supports the main idea of each paragraph >>
What topic do all of the headings have in common? Underline/highlight and keywords.
i. The future of mental health
ii. Violence has a wide scope in urban areas
iii. Support is on offer for youths surviving violent backgrounds
iv. The cause of female and male violence
v. The future of mental health in the school system and beyond
vi. Conflict prevention methods should be used to promote harmony
vii. Knowledge of assaults on women and men
A
Depression is the third leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents, and suicide is the third leading cause of death in older adolescents (15–19 years). Violence, poverty, humiliation and feeling devalued can increase the risk of developing mental health problems.
B
Building life skills in children and adolescents and providing them with psychosocial support in schools and other community settings can help promote good mental health. Programmes to help strengthen the ties between adolescents and their families are also important. If problems arise, they should be detected and managed by competent and caring health workers.
C
Violence is a leading cause of death in older adolescent males. Interpersonal violence represents 43% of all adolescent male deaths in LMICs in the WHO Americas Region. Globally, 1 in 10 girls under the age of 20 years reports experiencing sexual violence.
D
Promoting nurturing relationships between parents and children early in life, providing training in life skills, and reducing access to alcohol and firearms can help to prevent injuries and deaths due to violence. Effective and empathetic care for adolescent survivors of violence and ongoing support can help deal with the physical and psychological consequences.
TIP >> Don’t try to match the words in the headings to the words in the text. You need to focus on the whole idea in each paragraph.
TIP >> Try and narrow the choices down when you are completing the task – through an elimination process. Look at paragraph A and decide which headings do connect with it, which ones do not?
Exercise 2
Read the following headings and then skim read the text, choose the heading that supports the main idea of the paragraph >>
i. The detrimental effects of alcohol abuse
ii. How young people are affected by bad drinking habits
iii. Drinking alcohol can create many health problems
A
Harmful drinking among adolescents is a major concern in many countries. It reduces self-control and increases risky behaviours, such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving. It is a primary cause of injuries (including those due to road traffic accidents), violence (especially by a partner) and premature deaths. It can also lead to health problems in later life and affect life expectancy. Setting a minimum age for buying and consuming alcohol and regulating how alcoholic drinks are targeted at the younger market are among the strategies for reducing harmful drinking.
Exercise 3
Read the following headings and then skim read the text, choose the heading that supports the main idea of the paragraph >>
i. How to have a healthy diet
ii. The key to being healthy at a young age
iii. An insight to the eating habits and daily activities of young people
B
Developing healthy eating and exercise habits in adolescence are foundations for good health in adulthood. Reducing the marketing of foods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt and providing access to healthy foods and opportunities to engage in physical activity are important for all but especially children and adolescents. Yet available survey data indicate that fewer than 1 in every 4 adolescents meets the recommended guidelines for physical activity: 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.
Exercise 4
Read the following headings and then skim read the text, choose the heading that supports the main idea of the paragraph >>
i. Observations of cigarette use amongst young people in modern society
ii. The problems associated with smoking
iii. How to stop people from smoking
C
The vast majority of people using tobacco today began doing so when they were adolescents. Prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors and increasing the price of tobacco products through higher taxes, banning tobacco advertising and ensuring smoke-free environments are crucial. Globally, at least 1 in 10 adolescents aged 13 to 15 years uses tobacco, although there are areas where this figure is much higher. Cigarette smoking seems to be decreasing among younger adolescents in some high-income countries.
Exercise 5
Read the following headings and then skim read the text, choose the heading that supports the main idea of the paragraph >>
i. The history of HIV
ii. An understanding of the current status of HIV in minors
iii. Problems associated with HIV
D
More than 2 million adolescents are living with HIV. Although the overall number of HIV-related deaths is down 30% since the peak in 2006 estimates suggest that HIV deaths among adolescents are rising. This increase, which has been predominantly in the WHO African Region, may reflect the fact that although more children with HIV survive into adolescence, they do not all then get the care and support they need to remain in good health and prevent transmission. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 10% of young men and 15% of young women aged 15 to 24 are aware of their HIV status.
Exercise 6
Read the following headings and then skim read the text, choose the heading that supports the main idea of the paragraph >>
i. The health issues relating to the youth of today
ii. Problems affecting adolescents in modern society
iii. The most common health issues that stop young people from reaching their full potential
E
Around 1.2 billion people, or 1 in 6 of the world’s population, are adolescents aged 10 to 19. Most are healthy, but there is still substantial premature death, illness, and injury among adolescents. Illnesses can hinder their ability to grow and develop to their full potential. Alcohol or tobacco use, lack of physical activity, unprotected sex and/or exposure to violence can jeopardise not only their current health, but also their health as adults, and even the health of their future children.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The matching headings questions are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start reading the text. Make sure you understand the question.
TIP >> Skim read each paragraph and get the main idea of each one.
TIP >> Look at the headings and highlight any keywords you can see, then match them up if you see anything clear.
TIP >> Choose your answers through an elimination process. Which ones do not fit? Which ones can you dismiss? Be attentive to synonyms and paraphrasing.
Answers >>
Exercise 1 – Answers >>
A = iv
B = v
C = vii
D = vi
Exercise 2 – Answers >>
A = ii
Exercise 3 – Answers >>
B = iii
Exercise 4 – Answers >>
C = i
Exercise 5 – Answers >>
D = ii
Exercise 6 – Answers >>
E = i
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Essential strategies and practice techniques for this IELTS Reading question type. Learn how to manage time and improve accuracy.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will be looking at matching information.
For the matching information tasks, you should look at each phrase in the questions and then find the information or idea in the text. The order of the questions is not in the order of where you will find the information in the text. A skill that is important and will help you is skim reading.
Skim Reading
Skim reading is a skill that is used to locate information in a text quickly. It is often used to find the main ideas or the main points in a text. In the IELTS Reading Test, skim reading is a skill you should use when trying to find numbers or dates, a measurement, a reason, a finding, a description, a reaction, an account, a cause or an effect, a conclusion or a problem. It will help you to find the information you need to answer questions and it makes sure you know the overall meaning of the text.
Look at the sentences below, which ones have a number, a date, a description, a measurement, a finding, a reaction, a cause, an effect, a conclusion? (More than one type may apply to each sentence).
Skim read through to find the information >>
The Medical Journal of the American Research Institute last year published many articles relating to new developments in medicine.
By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years.
Many people have been shocked by the number of cuts in the health system this year.
The government has made a huge mistake in failing to give nurses a pay rise for over 10 years, thus losing voters and support from that profession.
The impact of spending cuts in the NHS has seen many people suffer long waiting hours over a number of departments, increasing the wait time in A&E in some hospitals to over 4 hours.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
Matching Information
Look at the extracts from texts below and match them to the following information >>
An Effect
A Date
A Finding
An Account
People worldwide are living longer. Today, for the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. By 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to total 2 billion, up from 900 million in 2015.
According to The World Health Organisation (WHO), a longer life brings with it opportunities, not only for older people and their families but also for societies as a whole. Additional years provide the chance to pursue new activities such as further education, a new career or pursuing a long-neglected passion.
In fact, in the research paper on ageing by The World Health Organisation (WHO), there is, however, little evidence to suggest that older people today are experiencing their later years in better health than their parents. While rates of severe disability have declined in high-income countries over the past 30 years, there has been no significant change in mild to moderate disability over the same period.
If people can experience these extra years of life in good health and if they live in a supportive environment, their ability to do the things they value will be little different from that of a younger person. If these added years are dominated by declines in physical and mental capacity, the implications for older people and for society are more negative.
Below is an example of how a matching information question may look in the IELTS Reading test. In the examples given in this post, the texts are short, to give you an introduction to how to answer this type of question. In the test, the texts will be much longer with a word count of 1000+, you will need to skim read the whole text to find the answers you are looking for.
Read the information below and match the information, remember to skim read the text, don’t read every word.
Diversity in older age (A) There is no ‘typical’ older person. Some 80 year-olds have physical and mental capacities similar to many 20 year-olds. Other people experience significant declines in physical and mental capacities at much younger ages. A comprehensive public health response must address this wide range of older people’s experiences and needs.
Health inequities (B) The diversity seen in older age is not random. A large part arises from people’s physical and social environments and the impact of these environments on their opportunities and health behaviour. The relationship we have with our environments is skewed by personal characteristics such as the family we were born into, our sex and our ethnicity, leading to inequalities in health. A significant proportion of the diversity in older age is due to the cumulative impact of these health inequities across the life course. Public health policy must be crafted to reduce, rather than reinforce, these inequities.
Outdated and ageist stereotypes (C) Older people are often assumed to be frail or dependent, and a burden to society. Public health, and society as a whole need to address these and other ageist attitudes, which can lead to discrimination, affect the way policies are developed and the opportunities older people have to experience Healthy Ageing.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-C, in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.
11. A description of the way society views the elderly.
12. A reaction to the rights for the elderly living in our society.
13. The effect of our surroundings partnered with our own personality traits, which lead to health differences.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
How You Can Prepare = Read More
You should prepare as much as possible before your IELTS Test and that includes reading regularly. You can find good texts to read on various websites like the news sites listed in the Introduction to IELTS Reading post.
You should try to read around a range of topics, from health, the environment, technology, education, history and general interest articles. The IELTS articles will not cover politics or religion, so you can focus on other topics.
Some articles may seem challenging to read, but this is really good practice! Keep a notebook and write down any words you do not know the meaning of, then look them up and write the meaning in the book. This is a good way to learn new vocabulary.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The matching information questions are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start reading the text. Make sure you understand the questions.
TIP >> Skim read the text/paragraphs and get the main idea.
TIP >> Look at the questions and think about if they match up with any of the paragraphs. Is anything standing out to you?
TIP >> Choose your answers through an elimination process. Which ones do not fit? Which ones can you dismiss? Be attentive to synonyms and paraphrasing.
Task Answers >>
Skim reading exercise answers >>
A finding
A description
A reaction
A cause
An effect
Matching Information Answers (Task 1) >>
A Date
An Account
A Finding
An Effect
Matching Information Answers (Task 2) >>
11. C
12. A
13. B
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
