Summary and sentence completion

Summary completion and sentence completion appear often in IELTS Reading, in both Academic and General Training. They test whether you can find specific information and fit it correctly into a grammatical sentence. Most lost marks here are not about understanding. They are about word limits, grammar and copying the wrong word. This lesson gives you a reliable method.

The two task types

Sentence completion gives you a list of incomplete sentences. You complete each one with words taken from the passage, within a word limit such as "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS".

Summary completion gives you a short paragraph that summarises part of the passage, with gaps. There are two versions:

• Words from the passage. You copy words directly from the text.
• Words from a box. You choose from a list of options, usually labelled A to H. There are more options than gaps, and the options are often synonyms, not the passage's exact words.

Always check which version you have before you start.

The five-step method

1. Read the instructions and circle the word limit. "ONE WORD ONLY" and "NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER" need very different answers.
2. Read the whole summary or sentence first. Understand what it is about. A summary usually covers one or two paragraphs, not the whole passage.
3. Predict the grammar of each gap. Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective? Singular or plural? Look at the word before the gap: "an ____" needs a word starting with a vowel sound; "several ____" needs a plural.
4. Locate the section. Use names, numbers, dates and unusual words in the summary to find the matching part of the passage. Answers usually follow the passage order.
5. Match meaning, then copy exactly. The summary paraphrases the passage. Find the idea, then copy the exact word or words, with correct spelling.

Worked example

Passage extract:

"When the Rahman family opened a small batik workshop in Kota Bharu in 1998, they relied almost entirely on tourists. Within ten years, however, more than half of their income came from online orders placed by customers overseas. The founder, Nur Aisyah Rahman, credits this change to her daughter, who photographed every design and built a simple website."

Summary (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage):

At first, the workshop depended on (1) ____ for its sales. Later, the business earned most of its money through (2) ____ from other countries. This success was largely due to the owner's (3) ____.

• (1) "Depended on" paraphrases "relied almost entirely on". Answer: tourists.
• (2) "From other countries" matches "customers overseas". The gap needs a noun after "through". Answer: online orders.
• (3) "The owner's ____" needs a person. Answer: daughter.

Notice that each answer fits the grammar of the summary sentence. Read your completed sentence aloud in your head. If it sounds wrong, the answer is probably wrong.

Working with a word box

When the options come from a box, the passage rarely uses the same word. You must think in synonyms. If the passage says "costs rose sharply", the box may offer "a significant increase in expenses". Also:

• Cross out options as you use them. Use an option more than once only if the instructions say you may.
• Check grammar: if the gap needs a noun, eliminate adjectives and verbs immediately.
• Some options are distractors that appear in the passage but in a different context.

Common mistakes

• Breaking the word limit. "Online orders" fits a two-word limit, but "the online orders" is three words and would be marked wrong. Count every word, including articles such as a and the.
• Changing the word form. If the passage says "photographed", do not write "photography". Copy what is written unless you are choosing from a box.
• Spelling the copied word wrongly. The word is on the page. There is no excuse for losing the mark.
• Singular vs plural mistakes. "Tourist" instead of "tourists" can be marked wrong.
• Using your own knowledge. Answers must come from the passage, even if you know something different is true.
• Reading the whole passage slowly for every gap. Locate, then read closely only that part.

Practice idea

Take any English newspaper article about Bangladesh or Malaysia. Write a three-sentence summary of one paragraph, then remove two key words. A week later, try to complete your own summary using the article. This trains both paraphrase spotting and careful copying.

Quick tip

Hyphenated words such as "well-known" normally count as one word, and numbers can be written as digits. When you are unsure, choose the shortest correct answer that fits the grammar and the word limit.