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.
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 look at short answer questions and sentence completion.
Short Answer Questions
Short answer questions in the test, will require you to write no more than a set number of words. You will probably be given a word limit, for example, ‘No more than two words and/or a number’. If you write more words than the instructions tell you to, your answer will be marked as incorrect. The short answers only need keywords, meaning you will not be able to write a sentence. These questions are there to see how well you can find specific information.
When you are answering short answer questions, underline/highlight the keywords that will help you to find the information you need. You can also underline any words that you think are suitable in relation to the information you need to find.
You also need to be aware of synonyms and paraphrasing – look for words that have the same meaning, don’t just look for words that are exactly the same.
Take a look at the examples below, the words in italics are what you need to find out, the key terms are in bold.
On which date was the medical research on asthma first published?
Which news article was eventually discussed by the media in more detail?
Read the following passage and answer the questions with no more than two words.
Approximately 90% of visually impaired people live in developing countries.
People aged 50 and over
About 65 % of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises about 20 % of the world’s population. With an increasing elderly population in many countries, more people will be at risk of visual impairment due to chronic eye diseases and ageing processes.
Children below age 15
An estimated 19 million children are visually impaired. Of these, 12 million children are visually impaired due to refractive errors, a condition that could be easily diagnosed and corrected. 1.4 million are irreversibly blind for the rest of their lives and need visual rehabilitation interventions for a full psychological and personal development.
TIP >> When answering the question, use the keywords in bold to help you find the text and the word in italics to find the information you need for the answer.
TIP >> You must use the word limit stated in the instructions – DO NOT go over this.
Questions >>
How many people have sight problems over the age of 50?
How many young people have vision and sight problems?
Which situation can quickly be changed for the better in young children?
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Sentence Completion
Similar to short-answer questions, sentence completion questions are designed to assess your ability to find specific information. You will have to choose the right words or keywords from a text to complete a sentence. The words will be in the text and when you write them, they must be grammatically correct.
The sentence will paraphrase the information from the text, so you will have to use your knowledge of synonyms, underlining or highlighting any keywords and terms. Paraphrasing is a skill that is needed in all parts of the test.
Read the following passage and answer the questions with no more than one word.
Leishmaniasis is caused by a protozoa parasite from over 20 Leishmania species and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies. Over 90 sandfly species are known to transmit Leishmania parasites. There are 3 main forms of the disease:
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar is fatal if left untreated in over 95% of cases. It is characterised by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia. It is highly endemic in the Indian subcontinent and in East Africa. An estimated 50 000 to 90 000 new cases of VL occur worldwide each year. In 2015, more than 90% of new cases reported to WHO occurred in 7 countries: Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. The kala-azar elimination programmes in South-East Asia are making sustained progress towards elimination, and cases are declining in the three major endemic countries: Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis and causes skin lesions, mainly ulcers, on exposed parts of the body, leaving life-long scars and serious disability. About 95% of CL cases occur in the Americas, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and Central Asia. Over two-thirds of new CL cases occur in 6 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Iran (The Islamic Republic of) and the Syrian Arab Republic. An estimated 0.6 million to 1 million new cases occur worldwide annually.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis leads to the partial or total destruction of mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat. Over 90% of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis cases occur in Bolivia (the Plurinational State of), Brazil, Ethiopia and Peru.
Questions >>
The disease is passed on to people from the poison carried by the ………………. Sandflies.
One strain of the disease can cause death if it is ………………………
Another strain of the disease can cause skin problems and ulcers, leaving people with marks and sometimes even a severe…………….
One of the deadliest strains of this disease attacks the …………………. membranes located in the upper part of the body.
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The short answer questions and sentence completion questions are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
Short Answer Questions Strategy
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start to read the questions or the text.
TIP >> The answers will be in the same order as the questions.
TIP >> Check the word limit – make sure you do not go over it.
TIP >> Try to find the information byscanning quicklyuntil you locate the part of the text with the information you are looking for.
TIP >> Check your spelling, make sure you have spelt the word or words correctly.
TIP >> Look for any keywords and see how they may have been paraphrased in the questions. knowing and understanding paraphrasing and synonyms will help you to reach a high score over all parts of the IELTS test.
Sentence Completion Strategy
TIP >> Read the instructions beforeyou start to read the questions or the text. Check that you understand what you have to do.
TIP >> The answers will be in the same order as the questions.
TIP >> Check the word limit – make sure you do not go over it. How many words do you have to find?
TIP >> Read the incomplete sentences then try to find the missing words in the text by skim reading (scanning through it quickly).
TIP >> Check your spelling, make sure you have spelt the word or words correctly.
TIP >> Look for any keywords and see how they may have been paraphrased in the questions. knowing and understanding paraphrasing and synonyms will help you to reach a high score over all parts of the IELTS test.
Short Answer Questions >> Answers
about 65%
19 million
refractive errors
Sentence Completion Answers >>
female
untreated
disability
mucous
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.
Step-by-step guide to answering this type of IELTS Writing Task 1 question. Covers structure, key language, and band-scoring criteria.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will look at flowcharts, notes, tables, summaries and diagrams. It is very important that you will be able to >>
Understand information in flowcharts, diagrams and tables. These are used to give specific information for a fast analysis. In the test, you may have a table that you have to fill in, after finding the required information in an article.
Summaries and notes, a summary is a short review of something, you will often see this when looking for information about a book or movie, they will give you a short summary of what it is about. Notes can be in bullet form, with groups of words or single words, linked to a subject heading.
Read The Questions / Instructions
Before you start to read the information presented to you, first you must read the questions/instructions and think about the amount and type of information you can enter. If your answer does not follow the instructions given, then it will be marked as incorrect.
For example, you may be asked to;
Write no more than one word for each answer
Write no more than one word and/or a number for each answer
Write no more than two words for each answer
Write no more than three words for each answer
Finding Words In The Text
When reading information in a text you will be looking for specific information, that you can write onto a diagram, table or flowchart. This means you will use words that are in the text, paying close attention to the spelling. It is ok to copy words straight from the text, other forms of the word will be marked incorrect.
Read through the questions and skim read the text, can you answer the questions?
Dementia is a syndrome – usually of a chronic or progressive nature – in which there is deterioration in cognitive function (i.e. the ability to process thought) beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement. Consciousness is not affected. The impairment in cognitive function is commonly accompanied, and occasionally preceded, by deterioration in emotional control, social behaviour, or motivation.
Dementia is a ……………….. which is usually continuous and gradual.
It can affect many cognitive functions, including ………………………………, …………………., or ………………….
According to the notes, dementia sufferers …………………… is not damaged.
Dementia can affect the ability to remember, awareness, direction and ………………
Answers >> Are at the bottom of the page.
Flowcharts
A flowchart is a graphic that shows the events of a process, normally in sequence. In the IELTS test, the flowchart questions are similar to the notes questions, but with arrows to tell you the sequence. When you read through the given text, the information presented may not be in the order of the flowchart.
Take a look at the information below and see if you can find the one-word answers that are missing…..
Climate change
Over the last 50 years, human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels – have released sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to trap additional heat in the lower atmosphere and affect the global climate. In the last 130 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.85oC. Each of the last 3 decades has been successively warmer than any preceding decade since 18501. Sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting and precipitation patterns are changing. Extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent.
Answers >> Are at the bottom of the page.
Diagrams
There are different types of diagrams that you may see, including labelling a plan, or a design. The other types could be something from the natural world or a technical drawing. You may also see a diagram, for example, to read a text about the human body and then label parts of the body, using one-word (or more) answers from the text.
You may have a diagram that requires labelling from a selection of words in a box, try to understand what is happening in the diagram and where those words would fit. On the other hand, you may have a diagram that relates to a text you have to read and locate information relating to the diagram. Make sure you check how many words you need to write in the spaces, as writing too many will lose marks. Start with the most obvious and move on, if you are finding information in a text, read through quickly and don’t waste time trying to read the whole text and understand it.
The information you will see in a table can be looked at quickly, by looking at the headings and the information in each row. The tables present information, for example, a timetable, exam results or in this case below, IELTS band scores.
Look at the table above, and see if you can answer the following questions >>
What do you need to score in listening to get a band score of 7?
What do you need to score in Academic reading to get a band score of 8?
What do you need to score in General Reading for a band score of 6?
Answers >> Are at the bottom of the page.
Summaries
A summary is a brief explanation of the main points on a topic. You will use and see many summaries all of the time, from reading what a movie is about or a book, you summarise the story or events. When you see a summary of the reading test, quickly highlight or underline the keywords and think about paraphrasing.
Asthma is a major non-communicable disease characterised by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. Symptoms may occur several times in a day or week in affected individuals, and for some people become worse during physical activity or at night. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Recurrent asthma symptoms frequently cause sleeplessness, daytime fatigue, reduced activity levels and school and work absenteeism. Asthma has a relatively low fatality rate compared to other chronic diseases.
Choose one word only for each answer.
The severity of Asthma varies in each person, some may have many …………. and others few.
Due to physical activities or in the evening, many sufferers say that they become…………….
When an attack happens, the air that flows into the lungs is restricted, with the ……………. becoming smaller.
Asthma does not cause many deaths in comparison to other ……………….. illnesses.
Answers >> Are at the bottom of the page.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The flowcharts, notes, tables, summaries and diagrams 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 >> Study the diagram/flowchart and see how many words you need to write. For summaries, notes and tables, skim read and get the main idea.
TIP >> Highlight any keywords or labels you can see, then match them up if you see anything that stands out to you.
TIP >> Choose your answers carefully, be attentive to synonyms and paraphrasing and check your spelling.
Answers From All Exercises >>
Notes Answers >>
syndrome
deterioration in emotional control, social behaviour or motivation.
consciousness
comprehension
Flowchart Answers >>
carbon dioxide
decades
extreme
Diagram Answers >>
7. Spinal Nerve
8. Spinal Cord
9. Vertebra
10. Spinal Cord
Table Answers >>
33-35
36-37
26-30
Summary Answers >>
symptoms
worse
airways
chronic
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, and 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.
The IELTS Reading Test lasts 60 minutes. It is made up of three parts, with a total of 40 questions. You are given no extra time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. During the test, the texts become more difficult.
In the General Training test, the texts are not academic, they are about daily life, for example – advertisements, reviews or ‘how to’ articles. You may read something about preparing for a job interview or a review of places to visit when going abroad.
In the Academic test, all three texts are of an academic tone, for instance – scientific research or a historical article. The articles in the Academic reading test may include research about medical procedures or the future of medicine, the environment and climate change issues.
What do you need to do?
Find specific information in the texts. You will be looking for information, such as dates, names, places and costs.
Finding the purpose of a text, looking at the reasons behind the writing. Why did the author write this? What is the purpose of it? To share an opinion? Many people when they write are expressing their views, selling something, sharing news, suggesting, recommending something or reviewing something.
Separating the main idea of an article apart from other ideas. In a long text, there will be the main idea, that is supported by other ideas. It will be good practice for you to read articles and select the main idea, as well as the point of each paragraph.
Following an argument, looking for both sides, the for and against. When you are reading a text, think about – What is the key argument? What statement is the author making? Are they sharing their opinion?
Understand information in diagrams and tables. These are used to give specific information for a fast analysis. In the exam, you may have a table that you have to fill in, after finding the required information in an article.
Summaries and notes, a summary is a short review of something, you will often see this when looking for information about a book or movie, they will give you a short summary of what it is about. Notes can be in bullet form, with groups of words or single words, linked to a subject heading.
The main features of the text, knowing where the title is, the subheadings, the images and the main body of the text is important.
Text length, can in the Academic test go well over 1000 words. This is why it is important to learn how to skim read and locate specific information. In the General Training test, the texts are shorter, but you will also have to be able to skim read.
Being able to paraphrase and recognise paraphrasing is also very important. Many of the texts will paraphrase words – the questions may paraphrase using different words with the same meaning. Always read the questions before you start reading through the text.
How Can You Practice?
There are many websites and texts out there for you to practice with, but day to day you should try and read articles from news websites, science journals, history and of course general interest.
Here are some links to websites with articles you may find interesting;
For more help on each skill you should practice before the reading test, please take a look at the other posts in the reading section.
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.
