🧾 IELTS Reading – Summary Completion (With or Without Word Bank)

Summary Completion tasks test your ability to understand and condense information from a reading passage. You’ll be given a short summary and asked to complete the blanks with information from the text — either using your own selection from the passage or choosing from a provided word list. Let’s break down how to tackle both types effectively.

📌 Types of Summary Completion Questions

• With Word List: Choose words from a box (usually 6–9 options)
• Without Word List: Take words directly from the passage based on word limit

Example Instruction: “Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage.”

🧠 Skills These Questions Test

• Scanning for specific information
• Paraphrasing and synonym recognition
• Understanding sentence grammar and logic

✅ Strategy for Summary Completion (No Word Bank)

1. Read the Instructions First

Pay attention to the word limit: “ONE WORD ONLY” or “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.”

2. Read the Entire Summary Quickly

Understand the topic, flow, and what kind of words are missing (noun, verb, number, etc.)

3. Underline Keywords in Each Sentence

This helps you locate the related part of the passage quickly.

4. Scan the Text for Synonyms

The words in the summary will not match exactly — expect paraphrasing. Example:

• Summary: “The disease is spread by...”
• Passage: “The virus is transmitted through...” → answer: transmitted

5. Check Grammar and Meaning

Insert the word into the sentence. Does it make grammatical and logical sense?

✅ Strategy for Summary Completion (With Word List)

1. Read the Summary and All Words in the Box

Understand each option clearly and eliminate words that don’t fit grammatically.

2. Predict the Missing Word

Based on the sentence structure, try to guess the word type (e.g., “a form of _____” needs a noun).

3. Match by Meaning, Not Just Vocabulary

The correct word may not be a synonym but must match the idea in the passage.

4. Use Process of Elimination

Cross off words that clearly don’t fit. This narrows your choices and avoids traps.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Copying entire phrases instead of just the answer word
• ❌ Writing more words than allowed
• ❌ Guessing without checking grammar in the sentence
• ❌ Confusing similar meaning options in the box

📋 Example (Without Word List)

Summary: The experiment showed that low temperatures affected the plant’s ability to produce ______.

Passage: “When the plants were exposed to cold weather, their photosynthesis rate dropped.”

Answer: photosynthesis

💡 Tips for Improving

• ✔️ Practice identifying paraphrases: e.g., “decline” = “fall,” “increase” = “rise”
• ✔️ Build vocabulary by reading scientific or academic articles
• ✔️ Always check the final sentence after inserting your answer

🎯 Final Advice

Summary Completion is about recognizing relationships between ideas — not just copying from the text. Use scanning, grammar awareness, and logic to find the best fit. With enough practice, these questions can become one of your strongest areas in IELTS Reading.

See also Multiple Choice Questions in IELTS Reading – Smart Techniques

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