IELTS Reading: IELTS Reading: Summary Completion Practice Questions
Test yourself on IELTS Reading: Summary Completion with 13 original IELTS practice questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback and a full explanation.
Free original practice questions for study purposes. Open Exam Prep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the makers of IELTS.
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Answer the questions below — you get instant feedback and a full explanation for each.
1. In a summary completion task that says 'Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage', which answer would be marked INCORRECT even if it matches the passage meaning?
Explanation. The instruction 'ONE WORD ONLY' limits you to a single word. 'Global warming' is two words and would be marked wrong regardless of meaning. Always count words against the stated limit.
2. What is the most reliable first step when completing a summary that uses a word bank (list of options A–H)?
Explanation. Predicting the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) required by each gap narrows the choices quickly and reduces grammatical errors. Reading the entire passage first wastes time; you should scan for relevant sections.
3. A summary instruction states 'NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER'. Which of these answers is acceptable?
Explanation. '20 percent' counts as a number plus one word, fitting 'TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER'. Three-word answers and four-word answers exceed the limit, and articles like 'a' still count as words, making 'a rapid expansion' three words.
4. Why might a word from the passage NOT fit a gap even if it has the right meaning?
Explanation. In a 'words from the passage' summary, the answer must be both correct in meaning AND grammatically correct in the gap (e.g., singular vs plural, noun vs verb). A meaningfully right word in the wrong grammatical form is incorrect.
5. In a word-bank summary completion, why are there usually MORE options than gaps?
Explanation. Extra options act as distractors—often the same part of speech or topically related—to test precise comprehension. They are not reused unless stated. The surplus is deliberate to prevent guessing by elimination.
6. A summary paraphrases the passage. The passage says 'sales rose sharply', and the summary reads: 'There was a ___ increase in sales.' Which strategy best locates the answer?
Explanation. Summaries paraphrase, so 'rose sharply' may appear differently. You must recognise the synonym relationship and supply an adjective. The exact answer depends on the instruction (word bank vs from passage), but identifying the paraphrase is the key step.
7. When summary answers must come 'from the passage', what should you do about spelling?
Explanation. Answers taken from the text must be spelled correctly—copy them exactly. A misspelled word is marked incorrect even if you found the right place. Both British and American standard spellings are accepted, but they must be correct.
8. A gap reads: 'Researchers used a ___ of techniques.' Which word type best completes it grammatically?
Explanation. After 'a' you need a singular noun; 'a variety of techniques' is a natural collocation. Recognising the article 'a' before the gap signals that a singular noun is required, helping eliminate verbs and adverbs.
9. How are the gaps in a summary completion task usually ordered relative to the passage?
Explanation. Like most IELTS Reading tasks, summary completion answers typically follow the order of the passage (though a summary may cover only part of it). This lets you scan forward systematically rather than re-reading everything.
10. The summary states: 'The new policy reduced ___ among employees.' The passage says 'staff turnover fell after the policy'. What is the best answer if you may use words from the passage?
Explanation. 'Reduced ___ ' parallels 'turnover fell'. The noun that decreased is 'turnover', so 'reduced turnover' captures the meaning. 'Employees' and 'policy' are already in the summary, and 'reduced' is the verb, not the object.
11. What is a common mistake test-takers make with the heading or title of the summary box?
Explanation. The summary's title or first sentence usually signals which part of the passage to focus on. Ignoring it leads to searching the wrong sections and wasting time. Use it as a locating clue.
12. A gap reads: 'The substance becomes ___ when heated.' The passage states 'heating causes it to liquefy'. With a one-word limit from the passage, which answer fits best grammatically?
Explanation. After the linking verb 'becomes' you need an adjective or noun complement; 'liquid' fits as 'becomes liquid'. 'Liquefy' is a verb and won't fit after 'becomes'. If only 'liquefy' appeared, you'd accept its correct form—but here 'liquid' is the natural complement.
13. Which approach best prevents losing marks in summary completion under time pressure?
Explanation. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a blank—make a reasoned guess within the word limit. Exceeding the word limit guarantees zero for that item, so 'more to be safe' backfires.
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FAQ
How is summary completion different from sentence completion in IELTS Reading?
Summary completion gives a connected paragraph (a condensed paraphrase of part of the passage) with several gaps, so you must track the flow of ideas across sentences. Sentence completion uses separate standalone sentences. In both, you respect the word limit and may need to find synonyms in the passage.
Should I always use the exact words from the passage?
Only if the instruction says to. Some summaries say 'choose words from the passage'—then copy exactly with correct spelling. Others provide a word bank (options A–H) and you select the letter; those bank words may be paraphrases and might differ from the passage wording.
What's the best way to practise summary completion?
Practise predicting the part of speech each gap needs, recognising paraphrases/synonyms between the summary and the passage, and strictly counting words against the limit. Time yourself, and after checking answers, review WHY each distractor was wrong to sharpen grammatical and meaning awareness.