IEILTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings Questions can seem challenging when you first see them. However, there are easy techniques to conquer them which are listed below with a great practice reading lesson. In this type of question you need to choose the correct ending for each sentence by selecting the ending from a list given.
IELTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings – Tips
Read this list of tips and the tackle the reading practice lesson below.
- You will be given a list of sentences that are incomplete.
- You will also be given a list of possible endings for those sentences.
- Your task is to match the beginning of the sentence with the right ending.
- There will often be more endings than you need.
- The endings will be listed as letters, for example A-F.
- This means your answer will be a letter.
- Start with the sentence (the incomplete sentence)
- Notice keywords that will help you find that information in the passage.
- Keywords are often paraphrased.
- Paraphrasing might be in the form of a synonyms (which means one word is similar to the other) or the paraphrasing might be a complete re-writing that appears in a different way.
- Paraphrased information might be found in more than one sentence. This is the common mistake people make with IELTS reading – they think one sentence in the question might be one sentence in the passage – this is not always the case in IELTS reading.
- When you have located the information for the incomplete sentence given in the question, it is time to look at the possible endings.
- The passage will tell you which ending is right.
- Luckily the answers come in order in the passage. This means that the incomplete sentence that is given as a question will come in order in the passage. This will help you save time and also guide you to the right answer.
- Also note that when you match the incomplete sentence to the right ending, the whole sentence must be grammatically correct. This is a useful tip to remember.
IELTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings Practice Lesson
Reading Passage: NASA’s Orion ‘Mars Ship’ set for test flight
A US space capsule that could help get humans to Mars is about to make its maiden flight. Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies. The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems. Given that this is a first outing, there will be no people aboard.
Nonetheless, the US space agency describes the demonstration as a major event. Nasa has a window in which to launch Orion of about two-and-a-half hours, which began at 07:05 local time (12:05 GMT). The launch preparations had to be stopped shortly before the opening of the window because a boat strayed into the eastern part of the launch range. After that, the countdown had to be held because of strong winds and a technical issue.
Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in the near future. Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send humans beyond the International Space Station to destinations such as the Red Planet. For Thursday’s flight, the Delta IV-Heavy rocket – currently the beefiest launcher in the world – is being used as a stand-in. It will send Orion twice around the globe, throwing the ship up to an altitude of almost 6,000km (3,600 miles). This will set up a fast fall back to Earth, with a re-entry speed into the atmosphere close to 30,000km/h (20,000mph) – near what would be expected of a capsule coming back from the Moon. It should give engineers the opportunity to check the performance of Orion’s critical heat shield, which is likely to experience temperatures in excess of 2,000C (4,000F). They will also watch how the parachutes deploy as they gently lower the capsule into Pacific waters off Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.
(Passage from BBC News)
Questions 1-5
Complete the sentences by selecting the correct ending, A-G (not all letters will be used).
- The first ever flight of Orion is aimed to ……
- Although the shape of Orion is similar to previous ships, it ………..
- A new rocket is also being developed whose …………
- The rocket which will be used as a replacement will ………….
- As temperatures reach extreme levels on re-entry, this maiden flight will ……….
- a. send Orion twice around the world.
- b. has state of the art technology.
- c. test the critical heat shield.
- d. check Orion’s performance.
- e. test the most important technology.
- f. first voyage is within sight.
- g. help humans get to Mars
Answers
Click below to reveal the answers.
Answers- e
- ……..its maiden flight.Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies.
- b
- The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems.
- f
- Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in the near future.
- a
- ……….the Delta IV-Heavy rocket – currently the beefiest launcher in the world – is being used as a stand-in. It will send Orion twice around the globe
- c
- It [the maiden voyage] should give engineers the opportunity to check the performance of Orion’s critical heat shield, [this is about the performance of the shield, not about Orion itself with all its features] which is likely to experience temperatures in excess of 2,000C (4,000F).
- reminiscent = similar to / reminding you of (something / someone)
- maiden flight / maiden voyage = first ever flight / first journey
- conical = shaped narrowing to a point
- similar to something in the past
- cutting-edge = front-line / pioneering / brand-new
- strayed = drifted
- debut = first appearance
- in excess of = more than
- (parachute) deploys = opens
.
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hi Liz, please I really want to know where the answers are taken from in the passage… maybe underline or highlight them please 🙏
thank you
I’ve just added details into the answer key for you. I hope you find it useful 🙂
Hello Liz,
I am curious to know why the answer for question 1 is ‘e’ instead of ‘g’. The question asks what the first-ever flight of Orion was aimed for. Although the first priority was to test the Orion, the ultimate goal was to send it to Mars. Testing was not the main objective of the mission.
Please can you clarify this?
And thank you so much for providing this amazing content.
Get well soon!
The ultimate goal is to send humans to Mars. But the question statement was not about the ultimate goal. It was about the very first flight and that was about testing. The words in the question statement need to be checked very carefully because each word was chosen precisely for a reason. So, when you see that the question contains the word “the first ever flight”, then you focus on that only.
Hi Liz.
Is it going to be part of the instructions that answers will be in orderly manner in the passage?
Thanks
I’m not sure precisely what you mean. Do you mean whether the instructions will say “Answers come in order”? If this is what you mean, the answer is no. The instructions will not say this. You need to know which questions types have answers that come in order and which do not.
Thank you very much for the clarification, Liz.
I also read all comments and the original article, so the most important technology to be tested is the one for the transportation of people.
It makes sense now, Thanks a lot.
Brilliant! I know it can seem tricky and it’s easy to get confused, but try to clear your mind because the correct answer is inside you.
Is there an easy way to remember the questions whose “answers come in order”? Or is it sufficient to practice and gain mastery of how to attempt the different types of questions without necessarily cramming the question types whose answers come in order.
If you go to this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-reading-lessons-information-and-tips/, you’ll find a link to a page about question types. That page lists the question types and shows which ones have answers that come in order. Be careful solely focusing on common question types or ones that come in order. You’ll get a range of question types in the test and there’s no predicting which ones you’ll get. It is highly likely you’ll get Sentence Completion, Matching Headings and TFNG. But even so, there’s no predicting, so to ensure a high score be ready for all of them.
Hello Liz,
Thank you for your lessons.
I am really struggling with these practice tests, could you please explain why the correct answer is ‘test the most important technology’ and not ‘check Orion’s performance’?
If it is to test the most important technology, what is this technology- it is not mentioned anywhere in the text, it only says to ‘test key technologies’.
Is it not more suitable to choose ‘ check Orion’s performance’ as check and test are synonyms and they are going to check key technologies throughout its performance.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Thank you,
Mihaela
Too many people focus on matching words and spotting synonyms instead of looking at deeper meaning. To check performance, could involve speed, efficiency, weight bearing and aspects of construction relating to how it performs. But the passage shows that the focus was the key technology only.
Please note also that these are not practice tests, but lessons designed to help you focus on the right things in preparation for actual tests.
Hello Liz,
Why is it not correct to match the third one with the letter g? The last paragraph starts:
‘Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in 2017 or 2018. Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send humans beyond the International Space Station to destinations such as the Red Planet.’
Having known that the Red Planet is Mars, the text clearly states that both rockets is to form the core technology to take people to Mars.
Good question. This is because the answers come in order for these types of questions.
“the completed sentence must be grammatically correct”. I think the letter g is also wrong because the subject “it” is singular.
Am I understanding correctly?
By the way, I got 5/5. Thank you so much, Liz.
That is correct 🙂 For the completed sentence to be grammatically correct, the verb would be “helps”, not “help”, so this makes option g impossible.
I scored 4/5. I didn’t understand the synonym of dubut to be first apperance
I scored 3/5, it was so difficult for me and i spent an hour doing this, thanks Liz for your support but i need more help on this matching sentence ending please Liz
I’ll try to make more similar lessons 🙂
I got 3. Am still learning from a great English tutor. Thanks Liz.
I got 1/5
I got 4/5, i didn’t pay attention to the word “stand-in”
Thanks for this platform
Thank you so much for your effort with us really appreciated .
Got 4/5
Bingo!!!
I did it. 5/5
I got 4/5. I failed no. 1 bcuz I didnt pay attention to detail when i realized that the first flight is meant to have no one on board.
I got 1/5, it is so difficult
Try paraphrasing the words in your mind first.This would help you a lot.
Keep working hard mateeeeeeeeeee.
I made only 1 mistake. it is number 4 and I used “g” instead “a”
This one was tough for me..
Hi Liz,
I have a query about sentence completion in IELTS reading.
Could I use preposition to complete the sentence or not?
For example:
Passage: Products should be wrapped in recycled papers.
(NO MORE than 3 WORDS)
Q: Products should be wrapped…………………..
A: Products should be wrapped………..( IN RECYCLED PAPERS)
What should I do in these circumstances?
If you are completing a sentence, it must be grammatically correct when it is complete. You need to ask yourself, do you need the preposition to make it grammatically correctly? Will it be grammatically correct without the preposition. These rules are for any question that is about completing a sentence. Note completion, however, does not follow this rule.
Thank you so much Liz.
This tips are extremely helpful and useful.
Please add the missing word ‘reminiscent’ for the beginning of the third line in the ‘Vocab Builder’ section. Thanks.
Thanks, I’ve done it. Good choice of word 🙂
I got 3/5 in very loooong time, i need to improve time management, but im still load to trade the passage…😂😂😂
As Liz mentioned, the completed sentence must be grammatically correct. So I followed her advice which made this task much easier for me.
First, I quickly skimmed through the sentences endings:
1. … aimed to …
2. … to previous ships, it …
3. … developed which …
4. … replacement will …
5. … flight will …
I quickly wrote possible endings, which would grammatically make sense, next to the sentences:
1. a, c, d, e, g
2. b, f
3. b, f
4. a, c, d, e, g
5. a, c, d, e, g
Then, I quickly skimmed the passage and started completing the easiest sentences first. At the same time, I was eliminating words already answered. When I answered 2 with B, I didn’t have to look for 3, because there was only F left, the only possible answer to that.
The last remaining sentence was 4, the most difficult for me, which I failed. This was a very tricky one. It’s ok though because now I am aware of this type of task and it is all thanks to Liz! 🙂
Thank you and Liz so much for the way you solved this question! That was really clever. I have my IELTS exam on 1 December and I really hope everything turns out well.
will this not be time wasting? though i like the technique
i got 3 out of 5 :'(
I am so glad I found you Liz,but the truth is ‘m sad…..I have taken ielts 3ce with an overall band score of 7 at each attempt but my reading component 😢(6)
I have been practicing all day but m still not encouraged,my test is in 2weeks😢
You said you have been practising all day. How much time do you spend analysing your answers? Do you have a LONG list of all the reasons you got an answer right and why you got one wrong. By now, you should have a list many pages long. Practice is only one aspect of preparation. You need to analyse answers. You should also have a LONG list of keywords and paraphrases. It’s all about analysing your technique and improving it – spend more time doing that.
4/5. Failed the first question.
Means I need to pay more attention to the details of the passage.
Thanks Liz. You’re the best.
5/5
However, I did not have a time limit.
Hi Liz,
I think the answer for no.3 is g ” New rocket to send humans to a destination such as red planet ( Mars), why it’s f?
Regards
The answer can’t be “g” because the sentence would be grammatically incorrect. These types of questions also test your understanding of grammar.
You can have:
A new rocket is also being developed which will help humans get to Mars
or you can have:
A new rocket is also being developed which helps humans get to Mars
but you can’t have
A new rocket is also being developed which help humans get to Mars
u are awesome dear Liz
Hi Liz, thanks for your amazing and helpful efforts. I’m concerned about the amount of time I spend trying to answer the questions in the reading lessons. please what’s the maximum time you suggest I spend on each lesson questions as a way of practice for the real IELTS test. Thanks and God bless.
You have 1 hour and 40 questions – you need to practice and develop your own time manage skills. The more you know about your own strengths and weaknesses, the better you will do.
I got 5/5 🙂
Very helpful and very useful.
Keep it up.
Thanks
I got 5/5 but i didn’t understand all passage.
Thanks
hello Liz, thanks for your help. i dont know what would have become of me if i had been totally dwelling on books like, Barrons ielts and/or other British council ielts books/CDs. They help though, like 5%.
4/5
Hi liz, i guess there is something wrong with my posts, last time i left a post here but i cant see it any more ..!?
Not all posts are kept. I delete posts over time. Is there something you wanted to ask?
why you wrote the answer for the first question e not g?!!!!!!!!!!! the maiden flight to test the technology and the first ever to take men to mars
Because although it does take humans to Mars, it is not actually the aim of the flight. The aim is to test key technology. The first ever flight is the maiden voyage and in this case, the first flight will not actually go to Mars, it is going to go round the Earth just to test it. Try not to match words, aim for meaning.
Hi Ms. Liz,
I always get 1 wrong answer in all of your reading practices. Shall I be worried ? However, Thank you for creating this page.
Pumba
If you are aiming for band score 9, then one wrong might be a problem. If you are aiming for band 7 or 8, getting 1 wrong is normal.
Thanks again Liz, I am sure you will get to see more of my comments till take the exam :-). I got 4/5 in this, got the first answer as G instead of (e), I had overlooked the phrase ” Key technologies”. I hope the more practice will help me to oversome this..
Even so, 4 out of 5 is great 🙂
I got it:)
Hi Liz,
Thanks for this blog which is free.
Please why is question 5 not D and instead the correct answer is C.
For this type of question, the answers come in order. This means you need to find the answer to number 5 after the answer for number 4. It will come lower in the reading passage. You can’t find the answer to number 5 at the start of the passage.
I don’t want you to feel this is a back and forth. But answer C and D are part of the same sentence. So I don’t understand why you say one is lower and the other higher up. C and D both make up the same sentence. I’m puzzled. Please help
You can see the word “performance” but the performance relates to the heat shield, not to Orion as a whole.
Hello mam.tips are given by you is very beneficial. But I have a problem in writing. So plz give me some tips nd send some sample ..thanks alot
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/
For sentence completion type questions what should I write in d answer Sheet Alphabet or Anwer?
This is not a sentence completion task. This is a matching endings task. You must learn more about each type of question or you will make mistakes. For matching sentence endings, you will write the letter – as the instructions explain. For sentence completion, you must write one word or two words – the instructions will explain. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-reading-question-types/ and also see a typical sentence completion task: https://ieltsliz.com/sentence-completion-questions-in-ielts-reading/
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for a such a detailed blog. It is very helpful.
I wish to know if we can use American spellings e.g. using ‘categorize’ instead of ‘categorise’. (Spell checker on my computer is showing a mistake)
Thanks
You can choose either American or UK spelling in IELTS as well as various accents: UK, Aussie etc
They are very interesting and useful lessons I have ever had. I have been teaching IELTS Course in Mongolia for five years.
I am interested in cooperating with you in IELTS Courses in Mongolia.
Thanks.
Thanks for your comment but I’m not taking any extra work for at least one year.
some technical info which should hidden from general public /irrelevant to general public is visible in this page
Thanks for letting me know. Sorry for the late reply 🙂
Thanks alot for explaining every point but my question is :is it possible to have two answers or three in the same paragraph. I think the main key to deal with most
if not all the question types is PARAPHRASING .am I right?
The answers can be found in any paragraph. Each paragraph can be used more than once. Yes, the key is definitely paraphrasing and paying attention to grammar – the completed sentence must be grammatically correct.
Hello Liz
I got 4/5 using grammar only without reading the text can I do that on the test to with similar question? My test is tomorrow I would appreciate your feedback.
Thank you.
Grammar will not help you every time. Sometimes you will need to use meaning and paraphrasing to match the sentence endings.
hi liz if i click on the answer it does not show
hi liz if i click d answers it does not show
Can you try again because it works fine on my laptop. If you continue to have a problem, let me know and I’ll email the answers.
All the best
Liz
I readit many times but, could someone explain me why answer of the first question is ‘e’ instead of ‘g’.?
Please help me out..
sincerely,
Because it is about the first ever flight: “on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies” which is not actually going to Mars.
All the best
Liz
Thank you for your answer! I understand but it is still tricky for me. Getting people to the mars seems like more close rather than trying new technologies… I will keep practicing.
Thank you!
Even i also had the same doubt. Thanks mam☺
Hello Liz! Thank you for this kind of practice that you provide for us.
In this practice test I got 4/5, however, it took me 15 minues to finish this 5 items test. I always spent more than 8minutes in all your practices. Do you think it’s a bad impression for my actual exam??? Im worried that the 1 hour allowance would not be enough for me.
Thanks in advance!
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hello Liz
While giving ielts reading I usually get NASA related something like this very complex with various difficult paraphrase. Could you please share more difficult ones with us? Thankyou
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hi Liz. Some of your Reading practice I can not download in order to print out for reading easily, except for the pdf is available. So it is not allowed to copy, right?
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hlo mam! I m new to ur site bt i have seen ur videos so many times at my coaching centre in punjab. I really feel ur tips are useful for me and for all learners and easy to understand and to learn.
4/5
Hi Liz,
I am not able to identify the correct answer for 2nd question even after reading so many times. Rest all are correct. I would be really greatful to you if you could please take out some time to assist me?
Thanks
Akriti
Did you use grammar to help you? Did you remember that answers come in order? These basic rules will give the answer without any problems.
The first part of the sentence ends in “it” which means the verb following must be third person singular. Following this grammar rule, only “b” or “f” is possible. The answer to this must be found in the passage after the answer to question 1 and before the answer to question 3. This means that it is likely to be at the start of this passage because the passage isn’t long. The answer can be found in the second sentence “The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems.” and related to “cutting-edge systems”.
IELTS reading is about technique, grammar and vocabulary.
All the best
Liz
Thankyou Liz.
Though, I was sure that the answer is in these two lines, but where are they talking about art of technology here? Please let me know where am i lacking? Can you please refer any good website to clear my grammar doubts?
“state of the art” means very modern.
Liz
Got 4/5. Too bad.. Hi Liz, do you think all your example passage would be as difficult as the real exam?
Yes, this is a similar standard.
Liz
Got 5/5 thnks. ?
OMG, i got 5/5 although i didn’t understand this passage completely.
Well done!
got 4/5…
Foolishly made 1 mistake !
That’s still a good score. It was a difficult passage.
Liz
hi Liz’ I have watched all of ur vedoes and most of the tips’which is very helpful.but I am really anxious about my reading understanding and time management.I also mistake spelling in the answer sheet.what should I do to get red of.
My all variants r false. Can you explain how you chose true answers exactly in this topic? Why these variants true, why others false, like this.
Thanks in advance..
There are no true or false answers for matching endings questions.
All the best
Liz