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IELTS / Guides / Reading · Matching headings
IELTS Reading · Guide

Matching Headings in IELTS Reading: how it works and how to get it right

You choose, for each lettered paragraph or section, the heading from a list that best sums up its main idea. There are more headings than paragraphs, so some are never used. It tests whether you can tell the main point of a paragraph from its details, and that skill matters for the whole passage.

About Reading practice

Format

  • Normally 5 to 8 paragraphs or sections to match, in a passage with lettered paragraphs. Reported to appear a little less often in recent tests than it once did; this is a tendency, not an official change.
  • The list of headings is numbered with Roman numerals, i, ii, iii and so on, and sits before or after the passage. There are always more headings than paragraphs.
  • Each heading is used once at most. One paragraph is sometimes already matched as an example, and that heading is not used again.
  • Paragraphs are listed in passage order, but the headings are not in the order of the text, and the answers do not follow any pattern.
  • On computer you select or drag the heading you choose onto each paragraph, and can change it until the time ends.

Strategy

  1. Read the whole list of headings first and underline the central idea of each. Note which headings are close in meaning, because those are the ones you will need to separate.
  2. Cross out the heading used for the example, if there is one, so you cannot be tempted by it.
  3. For each paragraph, read the first two sentences and the last sentence, then skim the middle. Say in three or four words what the paragraph is doing: explaining a cause, giving a history, presenting a problem, offering a solution.
  4. Check for a turn. If a paragraph begins with a common belief and then continues 'However', 'In fact', the main idea is what comes after the turn, not the opening claim.
  5. Only then look at the list, and choose the heading that matches your own summary. Prefer a heading that paraphrases the idea over one that repeats the paragraph's words.
  6. Start with the paragraphs you find easy and cross out headings as you use them. Each removal narrows the choices for the harder paragraphs.
  7. Come back to the doubtful ones last. If two headings still compete, name the difference between them, then check which difference the paragraph actually shows.
  8. Finish by checking the unused headings. Each should be clearly wrong for every paragraph; if an unused heading seems to fit well, reconsider the paragraph it fits.

Common traps

  • The detail heading. It names something that is in the paragraph, but only as an example or one sentence, and the main idea is something broader.
  • The word-match heading. It repeats a distinctive word from the paragraph but describes a different idea. A heading that shares an unusual word with a paragraph deserves suspicion, not relief.
  • The too-wide heading. It describes the topic of the whole passage, not this paragraph, and so could fit any of them.
  • The neighbour heading. It matches the paragraph before or after yours, which happens when you have not checked where one paragraph ends.
  • Deciding from the first sentence alone. Paragraphs that open with a question, an example or a belief that is then rejected have their main idea later.

Practise it inside a real Reading section

Practice on PrepFreely is always a complete section, so you meet this question type in the same place and proportion as on test day. Random sections never repeat until you've done them all. Every answer is explained.

Practise Reading Take the Reading course

FAQ

Can a heading be used twice?

No. Each heading is used at most once, and several will not be used at all.

Why are there extra headings?

To make guessing less reliable. They are often built from details, the wrong paragraph or the topic of the whole passage.

Should I do matching headings first or last?

It depends on the person. Doing it first means your first skim doubles as a map of the passage, while some candidates prefer to do it after other questions have made them familiar with the text. Try both in practice.

Do I write the heading or the numeral?

On computer you select or drag the heading itself; on paper you write only its Roman numeral. Either way, you are matching a heading to a paragraph.

Is every paragraph in the passage tested?

Not always. Some paragraphs, often the introduction, have no question, and one may be given as an example.

More IELTS Reading guides

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