IELTS Reading- Matching Headings

Matching headings is considered the trickiest type of question in IELTS reading test. The Abroad Gateway categorizes this type of question in tough ones in the IELTS reading exam as it takes comparatively enough focus to match the appropriate headings with the correct paragraph.

About matching headings

In this type of question, the test taker has to match the relevant heading with the correct paragraph of the reading text. Having more titles than the text’s paragraphs makes it intricate and takes comparatively more time to solve than other questions. Therefore, this type of question tests one’s ability to identify the central idea and recognize its supporting details.

Steps to solve:

Step-1. Read the headings

The first and foremost that one must do is to read the headings. Read each heading with utmost concentration and try to get the main idea of every heading. Doing this will give one a brief impression of what they will be looking for in the paragraph and hence brings an aim to one’s reading instead of reading the text obliviously.

Step: 2 Keywords:

The second step is to underline the keywords in each heading. Keywords can be name, place, date, or nouns. Highlighting keywords makes it easier to locate the correct paragraph and match the relevant heading according to the test taker’s understanding of the main idea.

Step: 3 Observing similarities and differences

In this type of question, the test taker may encounter similar or completely opposite headings, which makes it quite puzzling to filter out the relevant headings to link with the paragraphs. So, observing the similarities and differences in the headings itself at the beginning will help clarify the correct option that can be linked with the paragraphs in the text.

Step- 4. Read the first and last sentence of the paragraph.

Usually, the first and last sentences may contain the main idea of the paragraph. But also, it is important to have a quick reading of the sentences in between. This will save a lot of time as it consumes plenty of time to search for the appropriate heading.

Step-5 Choose the heading.

Now, it is time to choose the most suitable heading that matches the paragraph appropriately. After reading all paragraphs while keeping the headings and keywords in mind, the test taker will have a clearer idea of correct headings.

 Tips:-

1. Be aware of the synonyms and paraphrases as they are included in the paragraphs to trick the test taker.
2. Get a general idea of the passage by skimming but don’t hurry as one can miss important information required to match the heading.
3. Try to find the actual differences and similarities in the headings and filter them out.
4. Do not spend time reading the intricate details of the text.
5. Discard the previous knowledge about the text and focus on the information given in the text.
6. If stuck somewhere, move on further. The chances are that the test taker may find the answer till they complete reading of the whole text.

So, in this way, you can match the headings with accuracy. Furthermore, you can modify your current strategy after applying these steps and improve your IELTS score better than anticipated.

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