Tips for IELTS Reading - Summary Completion

In the reading section of IELTS, the summary completion question type is very common. Candidates are provided with a passage and are supposed to answer questions from the passage. The aim is to test how well a candidate can comprehend the IELTS reading passage and answer the questions that follow. A summary is a short and clear description that provides the main fact and idea of something. Therefore, the questions related to it also seek relatable, short, and to-the-point answers.

The type of questions asked in this section of the IELTS examination is-

• Matching Information
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Identification of Author’s point of view
• Short answer type questions
• Finding suitable heading to a particular section
• Highlighting and matching sentences from the passage, etc.

Purpose of IELTS Reading Question Type - Summary Completion 

Before discussing the tips to solve the questions related to reading summary passages, first, one should figure out the aims behind this section of the IELTS. Each section of IELTS reading has its own specific purpose; so as this one. The key purpose of IELTS Reading - Summary completion Question type are-

• To check the attentiveness of the candidate
• It aims to check the analyzing skill of the candidate
• The reading section tests your examining skill; how well a candidate can scan and relate the questions to the given passage
• How well is the prediction of the candidate with respect to the context of the passage given
• Analyzing the main aim is very important so that particular skills may be worked upon and channelized specifically.

Skills Tested in IELTS Reading Question Type - Summary Completion 

The specific skills tested in IELTS Reading - Summary Completion question type are:

• Identification of the keywords
• Identifying the synonyms
• Skill to paraphrase the sentence
• The idea to scan the paragraph
• Noticing the word count
• Skill to analyze the protagonist in the given paragraph and also of a particular line.

Tips to Answer IELTS Reading Question Type - Summary Completion 

Candidates need to know a few of the IELTS reading preparation tips to properly answer the IELTS Reading question type - summary completion.

Reading the Passage Carefully 

Many times candidates start solving the question before reading the passage in order to save their time, but instead end up wasting more time in searching for the paragraph that relates to the question; therefore reading the passage carefully is of utmost importance and understanding the main statement of it is even more.

This not only gives the candidate a clear idea of the passage but also a significant enclosure to the idea of the context which helps you to quickly analyze the question and point out the answers.

Analyzing the Idea of the Writer 

When reading the passage a candidate must not only focus on the vocabulary of the passage, they should also try and figure out the idea of the writer. Remember relating with the core idea and identifying the emotion of the writer might help you to give to the point answers for the questions, this is also helpful when answering questions like - Give suitable heading to the question.

Do not try to learn and know the meaning of every new word from the passage 

A candidate must not try to figure out the meaning of every new word that they are not familiar with, nor should they be fear-driven by seeing those alien words. Remember this will only waste your time. One way to cope with this is to read the full sentence and words around it. This might give you a brief idea of what exactly the line is trying to depict and what is the gist of it. This will help you save time.

Try not to add known knowledge about the topic 

It is common to be familiar with the topic in advance, use this as a plus point as this might help you to quickly analyze the page and concern of the writer, try not to add that previous knowledge in your answers as you will end up with a messed up presentation; try to stick with the content available in the passage and as discussed earlier use the extra knowledge to preserve your answer and construct your answer with the help of passage only.

Transferring the reading answer from the passage 

Often in anxiety and stress, candidates make mistakes in carrying down the answers from the passage itself and create silly mistakes like spelling errors, words misplacement, etc. which may give a bad impression about you to the examiner, hence avoiding this thorough practice of sample papers might be helpful. While practicing the sample papers try to figure out the time taken to solve each section and make sure to save enough time for revision of your answers.

Focus on the vocabulary 

Vocabulary is the main aspect of the IELTS examination, the difficulty level of the examination keeps on increasing every year. It especially bothers the non-native English speakers; therefore, a good hold on vocabulary can act as a savior.

Select the correct word from the pile of words 

Often there are more words in the list than the gaps to be filled up in the summary or even vice-versa, in such cases candidates must not confuse themselves; remember your task is to select the appropriate and correct word. In this situation try and find out the appropriate word, analyze the meaning and vocabulary of the word (if possible) and then try to relate it with the paragraph; this will be helpful to figure out the appropriate one.

Do not try to add too much information in an answer, try and stick to word limits. Be short, crisp, and to the point. This is beneficial as it will save your time and energy. Do not juggle upon a particular question, if you can’t find an answer to it, mark it and proceed to the next question as this will only confuse you and waste your time.