Techniques for IELTS Reading Summary Completion Question with Examples

Techniques for IELTS Reading Summary Completion Question with Examples

1. Read the Instructions Carefully

1. Technique: Always start by reading the instructions thoroughly. The instructions will inform you how many words to use, whether you should choose from the word list or the text, and any specific requirements like "no more than two words."
2. Example:
   Instruction: "Write no more than two words from the passage."
   If the summary requires "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS," this means you cannot use more than two words to complete each gap. If you use three words, the answer will be incorrect, even if the information is right.

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2. Skim the Summary

1. Technique: Skim through the summary quickly to understand the overall meaning. Focus on the general theme or subject to give you a mental map of the content. This will help you recognize the relevant sections of the passage later.
2. Example:
   Summary: "The invention of the telephone significantly changed communication. It allowed people to make (1) ________ over long distances, replacing the need for (2) ________."
   Skimming the summary, you can predict that the gaps are related to forms of communication—perhaps a "call" for the first gap and something related to written or manual communication for the second.

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3. Predict the Type of Words Needed

1. Technique: Before reading the passage in detail, try to predict the type of word (noun, verb, adjective) that would fit each gap based on the surrounding context.
2. Example:
   Summary gap: "The early designs of the airplane were (1) ________ to be much heavier than those built in the 20th century."
   By looking at the sentence, you predict that the word needed in the gap is an adjective describing the airplane designs. The gap requires an adjective like "heavier" or "bulky," which will describe the designs.

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4. Examine the Word List (If Provided)

1. Technique: If a word list is provided, begin by eliminating words that obviously don’t fit. Focus on the words that are most likely to fit based on meaning or grammatical structure.
2. Example:
   Word list: communication, replacements, innovation, increase, slow, frequent
   Summary gap: "The invention of the telephone allowed for much faster (1) ________ over long distances."
   You can eliminate "slow" and "frequent" because they don’t match the context. "Increase" could work, but "communication" fits perfectly with the idea of a faster way to communicate, so you choose "communication".

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5. Identify Relevant Sections of the Passage

1. Technique: Identify the part of the passage that corresponds to the summary. You can use keywords from the summary (names, dates, technical terms) to help pinpoint the relevant section.
2. Example:
   Summary: "The telephone was a (1) ________ invention that revolutionized communication."
   Passage: "The telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, was one of the most revolutionary inventions of the 19th century, as it allowed instantaneous communication."
   By scanning the passage for the word "revolutionary," you can find that this section discusses the invention of the telephone, so the word "revolutionary" fits the gap in the summary.

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6. Scan for Keywords and Paraphrases

1. Technique: After predicting the word type, scan the text for keywords and paraphrases that match or provide the same meaning as the words in the summary.
2. Example:
   Summary gap: "The invention of the airplane made it easier to travel (1) ________ distances."
   Passage: "With the advent of the airplane, traveling long distances became far more feasible and efficient."
   Here, "long distances" is paraphrased as "traveling long distances" in the passage, helping you find the correct word, "long" to fill the gap.

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7. Read the Relevant Section Carefully

1. Technique: Once you’ve identified the relevant section, read it carefully to find the correct word. Pay attention to both the meaning and grammar to ensure that the word fits.
2. Example:
   Summary gap: "The first automobiles were not reliable, but over time, improvements led to (1) ________ in their design."
   Passage: "Although the first automobiles had numerous faults, advancements in technology led to improvements in their overall design."
   After scanning, the word "advancements" fits the gap in the summary, as it refers to the improvement in technology and design.

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8. Check for Grammar

1. Technique: After filling in the gaps, ensure that the words you’ve chosen fit grammatically. If the sentence doesn’t make sense or isn’t grammatically correct, recheck your answer.
2. Example:
   Summary gap: "The discovery of penicillin led to a (1) ________ in medical treatments, saving millions of lives."
   Passage: "Penicillin revolutionized medicine and led to major advancements in medical treatments."
   If you choose "advance" (a noun) but the summary calls for a noun phrase like "revolutionary advance" or "breakthrough", check to make sure your word fits the grammatical structure.

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9. Move On if Stuck

1. Technique: If you’re stuck on a particular gap, make an educated guess and move on. Don’t waste time on a single gap; focus on completing the easier ones first and return later if time allows.
2. Example:
   Summary gap: "The development of the internet has led to the (1) ________ of communication."
   You are not immediately sure if the answer is "improvement" or "growth," so you write "improvement" and move on to the next gap. You can come back to this gap later if you have extra time.

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10. Look for Synonyms and Paraphrases

1. Technique: When searching for the answer, focus on synonyms or paraphrases, as IELTS often uses different words to convey the same idea.
2. Example:
   Summary gap: "The climate in this region is typically (1) ________ during the summer."
   Passage: "The temperatures in this area rise significantly in the summer, leading to a hot climate."
   The word "hot" from the passage is a synonym for "typically high temperatures" in the summary.