IELTS Reading

Sentence completion questions

Complete each sentence with words taken from the passage. The instructions give a word limit, such as NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, and going over it makes the answer wrong even if the words are right.

Before you look in the passage, decide what kind of word fits the gap: a noun, a plural, a number, an adjective. The completed sentence must be grammatical and must match the meaning of the passage.

What the question looks like

sentence completion. “Complete the sentences. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.”

Try real-format questions

This question type is in our free practice test: Passage 1 (“The Folding Umbrella: A Compact Idea”), questions 10–13. Open the practice test →

How to answer

Completing Sentences Accurately

Read the whole sentence before scanning; its subject and time reference guide which passage detail fits.
Copy the passage wording exactly, including singular or plural forms; do not replace it with a synonym.
Test the completed sentence for meaning and grammar, not just matching vocabulary.
Check the instruction's word limit and exclude extra words.

Example: Worked example: completing a sentence from a short passage. Passage: The glass panels reduced heat loss during winter. Their narrow frames also allowed more daylight into the building.\nSentence: The panels reduced heat loss during ____.\nAnswer: winter. The word fits the sentence and matches the passage exactly.

Completing Sentence Gaps

Read the words immediately before and after the gap to identify whether it needs a noun, verb, adjective or clause.
Check tense, singular or plural forms, articles and verb patterns against the whole sentence.
Use the passage to confirm the meaning; a grammatically correct choice may still contradict it.
Read the completed sentence again to check that it is clear and fits the passage.

Example: Worked example: complete a sentence using a passage. Passage: The sensor stopped working after water entered its casing. Sentence: The device was switched off because _____. Answer: water had entered its casing. After because, the gap needs a clause, and this one matches the reason given in the passage.

Predicting Completion Grammar

Read the words immediately before and after the gap before searching the passage.
Ask: what part of speech does the sentence need—a noun, verb, adjective or adverb?
Ask: do nearby words require a particular number, tense or verb form?
Predict the grammatical form first; then search for information that fits it.

Example: Predicting the form for a sentence gap. Gap: “The solution was ___ before testing.” The word “was” signals a passive structure, so predict a past participle. Then look for a passage word that fits.

Practise

Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.

During storage, researchers kept the seeds at a low temperature. This treatment slowed water uptake and delayed germination. The seeds remained in temporary dormancy until conditions became warmer.

1Choose the words from the passage to complete the sentence: At low temperatures, the seeds remained in a period of ____.

A team restored a section of wetland by blocking drainage channels and replanting native species. Over three years, researchers counted returning birds and recorded changes in plant growth. These measures helped them assess whether the habitat was recovering.

2Choose the words from the passage to complete the sentence: The team replanted ____.

Researchers compared paved streets with streets shaded by mature trees. At midday, the shaded streets had lower surface temperatures, especially where the tree canopy was dense.

3Complete the sentence using no more than two words from the passage: At midday, the shaded streets had lower ____.

Researchers placed two groups of leaves under different light levels. After a week, the group kept in darker conditions showed less colour loss. The team concluded that reduced light slowed the breakdown of leaf pigments.

4Complete the sentence: The darker group showed less colour loss because reduced light _____.

Water samples were collected each month for a year. Salt concentration rose during dry months, when evaporation was high, and fell after heavy rain. The researchers linked these seasonal changes mainly to changes in water volume.

5Complete the sentence: After heavy rain, salt concentration _____.

In a laboratory study, researchers compared three methods of drying plant samples. The samples were ___ before being weighed, so their mass could be compared.

6Before searching for the missing word, which grammatical form should you predict?

A monitoring system uses several sensors to track water temperature. Each of the sensors ___ a separate reading every minute.

7Which grammatical form fits the gap after “Each of the sensors”?

Test hacks

Skim first sentences first

Spend about two minutes reading the title and the first sentence of each paragraph before the questions.

Why it works: First sentences usually state the paragraph's main idea, which is exactly what heading-matching questions test.

Matching headings: think main idea

A heading sums up the whole paragraph, not one detail. Read the first and last sentences, then decide the main point before looking at the list.

Why it works: Wrong headings usually match a single detail word in the paragraph.

False vs Not Given

False means the passage says the opposite. Not Given means the passage doesn't say either way. Don't use your own knowledge.

Why it works: Confusing False and Not Given is an easy trap: choosing False when the passage simply says nothing about the point.

Practise with feedback on every answer

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