IELTS Reading Tips and Practice Test

: Matching Headings to Paragraphs

Exercises

A few things to know about Matching headings to

paragraphs

1. The task is to match between 5 and 7 headings to paragraphs in the text.

2. If it is used for a reading passage, it will usually be the first set of questions.
3. There are always more headings than paragraphs
4. You may need to read the whole text or only a part of it
5. Matching headings with paragraphs tests your ability to understand general
information.

I. Some pitfalls (common problems):

​ Just because a paragraph contains the key word(s) of a heading, it doesn’t

mean that is the correct heading! You still need to read carefully around the key
words in the paragraph and see if it does indeed have the same main idea as the
heading. If you’re still unsure, just write a note to the side and come back to it
later after you’re sure about the other headings
​ Keep track of your notes and answers. Students sometimes carelessly write
down the wrong roman numeral on the answer sheet! Familiarize yourself with
the roman numeral system (at least just up to 15, which is XV).
 ​ Don’t accidentally use the same heading twice. Again, keep clear notes of what
answers you’re using for which paragraph.
​ Keep track of your time. You should allow 20 minutes *maximum per reading
passage (as there are 3 of them to do within 60 mins.) If you find that you’re
spending too much time here, move on to the other questions! Maybe after
answering those, you’ll have a better understanding of the passage and you will
be able to go back and finish the heading questions.

II. Tips:

1. Do these questions first

Always do exercises with headings first, as the headings summarize the text. They help
you scan the answers to the other questions.

2. Try looking at the shortest paragraph(s) first.

By this way you can skim through it quicker, choose the heading and then you will have
fewer headings to choose from for the longer paragraphs.

3. Read through the list of headings

Become familiar with them and underline key words that either identify the main idea or
target words that you will be scanning for in the passage.

4. If there are two or three headings that are similar:

First, match any headings that are very obvious and you are sure about. For other kinda
similar headings, write them (2 – 3 headings) beside the paragraph and try to figure out
the difference between them. What are the keywords? How does this change the
meaning? Which one matches the paragraph best?. If you still can’t pick one, move on
and come back to it later.

5. Look for similar words/synonyms

As with most types of IELTS reading questions, you should be able to find words in the
paragraph that are similar to words in the heading. Be aware of synonyms. Many
students look for words that match exactly with words in the text and ignore synonyms.
For example, a keyword in the heading might be ‘hard working’, however the word
you’re looking for could be many different synonyms of ‘hard-working’ like ‘diligent’,
‘assiduous’, ‘studious’ or ‘industrious’.

6. Move on if you are spending too much time and come

back later

‘Paragraph headings’ questions often take a long time. Don’t allow yourself to use more
than 20 minutes for each reading passage. If you haven’t finished after 20 minutes,
move on to the next passage and come back later if you still have time left.

7. Read the instructions. Check if you can use a heading

more than once.

8. Look always for the most general heading. This may be

the first paragraph or the conclusion.

III. Technique: Search for connections between

headings

• Headings are usually connected with each other.

• Check for a heading that looks specific: it could be a detail in a paragraph and
therefore a distracter for a general heading. If yon removed this detail from the
paragraph, would it still remain intact?
• A heading that looks specific could be a heading for paragraph describing just one
detail.
• Check for headings that relate to each other: cause/effect – problem/solution.
• Check for headings with adjectives, which qualify nouns. Make sure the heading
covers all aspects of the paragraph. Don’t forget about the adjective or other qualifying
phrases.
• Headings can have two pieces of information where one is referring back to the
previous paragraph.

Sample Practice

Choose the correct heading for sections A-D and F from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-ix in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet

Section A

The role of governments in environmental management is difficult but inescapable.

Sometimes, the state tries to manage the resources it owns, and does so badly. Often,
however, governments act in an even more harmful way. They actually subsidise the
exploitation and consumption of natural resources. A whole range of policies, from
farm-price support to protection for coal-mining, do environmental damage and (often)
make no economic sense. Scrapping them offers a two-fold bonus: a cleaner
environment and a more efficient economy. Growth and environmentalism can actually
go hand in hand, if politicians have the courage to confront the vested interest that
subsidies create.

Section B

No activity affects more of the earth’s surface than farming. It shapes a third of the
planet’s land area, not counting Antarctica, and the proportion is rising. World food
output per head has risen by 4 per cent between the 1970s and 1980s mainly as a
result of increases in yields from land already in cultivation, but also because more land
has been brought under the plough. Higher yields have been achieved by increased
irrigation, better crop breeding, and a doubling in the use of pesticides and chemical
fertilisers in the 1970s and 1980s.

Section C

All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts. For example, land
clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers
and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the
abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion; and the spread of
monoculture and use of high-yielding varieties of crops have been accompanied by the
disappearance of old varieties of food plants which might have provided some
insurance against pests or diseases in future. Soil erosion threatens the productivity of
land in both rich and poor countries. The United States, where the most careful
measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one-fifth of its farmland
was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil’s productivity. The country
subsequently embarked upon a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to
meadow or forest. Topsoil in India and China is vanishing much faster than in America.