English Practice

Lesson 4 of 6 · Intermediate · Reading · 18 min · +40 XP

Keep marks in completion and matching tasks

Choose a completion that follows the instructions and distinguish matching a detail from matching a heading.

Every little practice counts

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Your exam technique

Identify the required information → locate evidence → fit the grammar → check the word limit.

Let the gap guide you

A gap after 'stored in' probably needs a place or container. Predict the grammatical role before locating the evidence. When instructions ask for words from the passage, use the relevant words from that passage and respect the maximum. An answer can express the right idea and still break the task's word limit.

Match the thing the question asks for

Matching headings asks for a paragraph's main idea; matching information may ask where a particular detail appears. In the latter task, a small example can be the decisive evidence. Read instructions about whether a paragraph letter or option can be reused, rather than assuming the rule is always the same.

Make a final accuracy pass

Read the completed sentence aloud in your head. Check that the selected words fit its grammar and meaning, and check spelling and number of words. Do not add an explanatory phrase simply to show you understood; extra words can make a valid answer invalid.

See it in practice

Starting point

Instruction: NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Passage: Samples were stored in sealed containers. Answer: in sealed containers

Using this skill

Answer: sealed containers

The question already supplies the preposition. Adding it both duplicates the grammar and exceeds the two-word limit.

Reading practice

A seed-storage project

A. Volunteers collected seeds from several gardens during September. Each packet was labelled with the plant name and collection date.

B. The team placed the packets inside sealed containers to protect them from moisture. The containers were kept in a cool room at the community centre.

C. In spring, pupils will plant a selection of the seeds and compare how many grow. The organisers will use those results to refine next year's collection process.

01 / Check your understanding

Try the skill

Choose an answer for each question. You can try again after reading the feedback.

1. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage: 'Packets were placed inside ___.'
2. Which paragraph describes a plan to evaluate the project's results?

02 / Put it into words

Make it your own

Explain why the longer completion loses the mark even though it contains the correct container. Then explain how you found the paragraph about evaluation.

Write at least 40 words. Use the checklist and example to review your work; this exercise does not give an automatic IELTS score.

0 / 40 words minimum Save your response with the button below.

Before you finish

  • I followed the word limit and checked the completed sentence.
  • I distinguished a detail-matching task from a heading task.
  • I identified the actual evidence for evaluation.
Read one possible response

Compare the choices this writer made with your own. Many different responses can work.

The longer answer adds inside, although the sentence already supplies it, and contains three words instead of the permitted two. Paragraph C describes comparing how many seeds grow and using the results to improve the next collection. I found the evaluation detail by matching its meaning rather than searching only for the word evaluation.

Earn 40 XP once by answering all questions correctly, reaching the response minimum, and reviewing your work.