Reading

Matching Headings to Paragraphs

Description
The Matching Headings task tests your ability to read and understand the main ideas in
a passage. On the question paper, you see a set of headings that report information and
ideas from the passage. Your job is to read the passage and decide which of the
headings best describes the information and ideas in each paragraph or section of the
passage.

Here are the basic rules for the Matching Headings task:

1. The list of headings in the box is in random order.

2. There are more options in the box than you need to answer all the questions.
3. You can use each heading once only.
4. The words in the headings summarise the main ideas in the passage, but do not
use exactly the same words or phrases.
5. You read each paragraph or section of the passage carefully and find the main
idea.
6. You then decide which of the headings in the box reports that idea exactly and
write the correct Roman numeral (e.g. i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) on your answer sheet.

Tactics
1. Before you read the passage, read the list of headings and underline the key
words.
2. Read the passage quickly to get an idea of the type of information and ideas it
contains.
3. Now read each paragraph or section of the passage carefully. Think about the
main idea or the main point that the writer is making in each paragraph.
4. After reading each paragraph or section, look at the list of headings and choose
the one that best reports the main idea.
5. When you read the passage, you may see some words or phrases that appear in
the headings. Be careful. The correct heading for each paragraph uses different
words to express the main ideas.
6. Don't use your own knowledge of the subject to help you choose the heading.
The headings need to report the ideas in the passage.
7. Quickly read the paragraph or section again to make sure you haven't missed
anything.
8. Remember to write only the correct Roman numeral on the answer sheet.
9. Always answer all the questions, even if you're not sure of the answer.
Passage 1
Passage 2
General Training Reading
Academic Reading
 Speaking
Part 1
Description
The Part 1 task tests your ability to talk about familiar topics, related to everyday life. For
example, the examiner might ask you questions about your job or studies, where you live, or your
hobbies. This part of the test lasts for approximately four to five minutes. As this is the first part
of the Speaking test, it starts with introductions between you and the examiner, as well as an ID
check. The examiner then goes on to ask you a series of questions about different topics.

Here are the basic rules for the Part 1 task:

 In this part of the test, you are showing that you can give information and opinions
about everyday topics. Typical topics include home and family life, work and studies,
hobbies and interests, and likes and dislikes.

 Another purpose of this part is to help you settle in to the test and get over your nerves,
so the questions are not meant to be too challenging.

 For each topic in the Part 1 task, the examiner asks you a number of questions covering
different topics.

 When answering the examiner's questions, don’t just say 'Yes' or 'No'; give your answer
and also add a reason, explanation or example.

Tactics
1. In the exam room, be friendly and polite. Make eye contact regularly while taking part in the
conversation.

2. Be aware of your pronunciation. Focus on speaking clearly and carefully and take your time.
Speak loudly enough so that the examiner can hear you.

3. Listen carefully to the examiner when he/she asks you a question. If you don't hear it or
understand it the first time, you can ask the examiner to repeat the question; for example,
you can say, 'I'm sorry, can you repeat that, please?'

4. The questions in Part 1 are supposed to be fairly easy, but if the examiner asks you a difficult
question, you can use a filler expression such as 'That's a very good question ... ' or 'Well, I've
never really thought about that before, but .. . ' to give yourself a little more time to think
about your answer.

5. Avoid giving one- or two-word answers to the questions. Try to extend your answer a little
by giving a reason or an example. A full answer in this part of the test can be two or three
sentences long.

6. If you can't think of the perfect word to use to express your idea, don't worry about it. Just
use another word or expression instead and move on. Your ability to paraphrase (to say
something in a different way) is a positive thing. Avoid using expressions like 'How do you
say ...?', as they just draw attention to the vocabulary you don't know.

7. If you make a mistake, try not to worry about it: just keep going! It's natural to make the
occasional mistake when speaking. The examiner knows this and will assess you on your
overall performance on the whole test.
1. Discuss with your partner what kind of information the
examiner can ask you at the beginning of the test.

2. Which of these questions require short and which long

answers?

1. What’s your name?

2. Where are you from?

3. Tell me something about your hometown

4. Do you work or are you a student?

5. What do you like about your job/studies?

3. Which of these answers to question 5 is better and why?

1. I like the fact that I can make some money. Also, I like the
guys there, they are nice! Ok…er….what else….Oh! I really
like a possibility to visit various conferences.

2. Well, you know, there a number of things I really

appreciate about my job. First of all, it is my salary. The
money is fine and I can provide myself with any sort of
enjoyment. Apart from that, my co-workers are fantastic
people. It is not only easy to work with them but also
they are some of the funniest human beings I have ever
known.

4. Work in pairs. Ask each other questions from task B and

take notes of the answers you will hear.
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Q FOCUS 85 Work i n pairs. In Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test, you may be asked to talk about
your likes and dislikes. Look at the questions below. How would you answer them?
Talking about likes
Practise asking and answering the questions.
and dislikes

PART 1
CLOTHING
• Do you like going shopping for clothes?
• Is fashion important to you?
• What styles of clothes do you like wearing?
• Are there any colours that you dislike wearing?

1 9 6 36 Look at the box below. Then listen to the conversation between a candidate and
an examiner and tick (.t) the expressions that you hear.

� LIKES AND DISLIKES

LIKE UNDECIDED DISLIKE
I (absolutely) love . . . I don't mind . . . I hate . . .

I'm crazy about . . . I have mixed feelings I can't stand . . .

I (really) like . . .
I ' m really into . . .
I ' m a big fan of . . .
about . . .
I don't (really) like . . .
I don't (really) have
I ' m not (really) into . . .
any strong feelings
about . . . I ' m not a big fan of . . .

I ' m quite keen on . . . . . . i s OK. I ' m not that keen on . . .

17 Task 6 8?
0 How did the candidate's answers compare with your responses in Exercise
a She used a wider range of vocabulary and grammar.
b She used a smaller range of vocabulary and grammar.
c We used about the same range.

Q FOCUS 18
1 Work in pairs. Here are some common language errors that candidates make. Discuss
what is wrong with each candidate's answer.
Identifying common
errors (2)
Examiner: Do you like going shopping for clothes?
Candidate: Yes, I like. X

2
Examiner: Do you like going shopping for clothes?
Candidate: Yes, I absolutely like it. X

3
Examiner: Do you like going shopping for clothes?
Candidate: No. I dislike it. X

SPEAl<ING 267
Key 3

Reading 1 Answer 2

1. iii 1) Better structure: answer and two

2. viii reasons
3. vi
2) Linking and connecting words:
4. v
5. i  Well, you know,
 First of all,
Reading 1
 Apart from that,
1. v
3) Paraphrased ‘like’
2. x
3. vi I really appreciate
4. ix
5
5. i
6. ii Students’ own answers.
7. iv
8. vii 6

General Training Reading The candidate uses the following

expressions: I (absolutely) love, I’m crazy
Section A: i about, I (really) like, I’m really into, I don’t
(really) like, I’m not that keen on
Section B: ii
7
Section C: iii
Students’ own answers.
Section D: viii
8
Section E: vii
The candidate should have said ‘Yes, I do’
Academic Reading
when giving a short answer to this question.
1. iii
The candidate has made a collocation
2. ix
error. The adverb ‘absolutely’ cannot be
3. vii
used with ‘like’, only with ‘love’. The
4. viii
candidate meant to say ‘I absolutely love it’.
5. vi
6. ii Although ‘dislike’ is possible, it is more
natural to say ‘I don’t like it’ or ‘I hate it’.
Speaking

Long: 3, 5