IELTS Reading Sentence Completion Practice with Essential Tips. These questions require excellent paraphrasing skills and the ability to locate information quickly. Below are two practice reading lessons with techniques for tackling the questions. Having the right approach is essential. IELTS reading is a time sensitive test – get used to the questions now so you can save time in your test.
IELTS Reading Sentence Completion Tips
These are usually a short collection of sentences which are incomplete. They have gaps in them which you need to fill with a word, words and possibly numbers.
Instructions for Sentence Completion Reading Questions
You need to answer using No More than Three Words and/or a Number. This means you can have less that three words, three words but not more than three words (not four words). And your words can be with a number or it is possible to have a number only.
Not noticing the word limit is one reason people lose points this with type of question.
Essential Tips for Success
Many people think these types of questions are familiar and therefore not worth practicing. That is a big mistake. These questions can be very challenging. Read the tips below very carefully so that you get your mind into gear for this type of reading question.
Tip 1: Grammar
In the question, you can see there is a gap missing in the sentence. Grammar will definitely help you because the answer you add to the sentence must make the whole sentence grammatically correct. The grammar will tell you what type of answer fits in the gap. For example, if you see the word “a”. before the gap, you know you are looking for a noun.
- We use articles (a/the) before some compound nouns, such as a book shop. Compound nouns are individual nouns made of two or more words.
- We also use an article before an adjective with a noun, such as a white feather.
- The article “a” also means you are looking for a countable noun, not an uncountable noun. For example, we cannot have
a traffic congestionbecause traffic congestion is uncountable. Click here for a list of common uncountable nouns.
This with this knowledge, you can now look for a very specific word or words in the passage. Once you know what you need for your answer, return to the passage to locate the information in one of the paragraphs. Then analyse meaning of that area of the passage carefully to decide the answer.
Tip 2 – Keywords
The question will also have keywords which you need to identify. These keywords will help you locate the area of the passage where that information is located. These words can sometimes be words that have no paraphrase, in which case you can look directly for that word. For example, the word “penguin” has no equal so if it is in the question, you’ll also find it in the passage.
Other keywords might be paraphrased so prepare those paraphrases before you try to locate the answer in the passage. For example, in the image above of the example sentence completion question, one of the keywords is the word imminent and the other keyword would be water pollution. Those words will help you locate the answer.
Tip 3 – Paraphrasing
To locate the answer in the passage. This requires the use of your paraphrasing skills and this can involve synonyms. You might be looking in the passage for a single word with the same or similar meaning as in the question. Looking back at the image of the example sentence completion question, one of the keywords is imminent. What synonyms could be used to paraphrase that word in the passage? Well, possible synonyms are: impending, fast approaching, unavoidable, immediate. As you see, some of those words are perfect synonyms and others only similar in meaning depending on the context. Also, the paraphrase might not be one word matches one word, but instead it could be a phrase, for example, on the horizon or about to happen.
However, paraphrasing isn’t always about synonyms (matching words). Instead, it might be that the meaning is found scattered in various sentences. For example, water pollution might not be paraphrased with a synonym, but instead illustrated throughout three sentences:
There has been a lot contamination in various areas of the town. There have been reports of this in the central lakes around the city center which have affected trade for tourism. Furthermore, some of the rivers on the outskirts have also been hit.
Tip 4 – Read Around the Keywords
This leads directly on from Tip 3. When you locate the sentence or sentences with the keywords in the passage, you must read around that area. Keywords are mostly about helping you locate the area of the passage that the answer is in. But deciding the correct answer might mean reading a few sentences before and after the keywords. So, you will read backwards and forwards in the passage to understand all details and context before deciding your answer. One of the biggest mistakes people make is focusing only on one sentence in the passage. Certainly, you can do that for some questions, but definitely not for all.
Tip 5 – Writing answers correctly
The answer will always be a word, words or numbers taken directly from the passage. You do not paraphrase or alter the word for your answer. You must write the precise word as it is shown in the passage. And don’t forget that spelling counts. Luckily, on the computer test, you can copy and paste words.
Tip 6 – Don’t waste time
Also note – answers will come in order in the passage. This is essential to know so that you don’t waste time reading all over the passage for an answer. If you struggle to find the answer to question 4, carry to to question 5 and then come back to question 4 after. Once you have the answer to question 5, you will know that you can find question 4 answer in the area of the passage between the answer for 3 and 5. Success in IELTS reading often relies on strategy. And strategy often relies on your knowledge of the test.
IELTS Reading Sentence Completion Practice Lessons
Below are two reading passages for you. The aim is to develop your understanding and technique to approach these types of reading questions. Enjoy!
Reading Practice Lesson 1
Neighbourhood Badgers
Badgers in gardens can be a delight. A nightly treat that householders all over the country look forward to. But for some, they are at the very least unwelcome visitors, threatening cherished pristine lawns and carefully cultivated vegetables because badgers find food where they can and have little respect for people’s efforts in gardening. Often unseen and unheard, they wander quietly into gardens at night, feeding on the earthworms, grubs, snails and slugs they find in lawns and borders before moving on. In their wake, they leave only the slightest clues, an odd small snuffle hole here and there, showing where they obviously sought out their nightly treat. If it is suspected there is a badger sett in a garden, expert advice should be sought. It’s easy to know if there is one by the many holes you’ll find which tunnel down to various living chambers in their underground sett. People should not try to interfere with them in this situation, as it is against the law. Badgers will not cause people any harm or pass on diseases so they should be left to live quietly in their residence but their presence should be reported to an expert who can rehome them if necessary.
There are some fascinating facts about badgers. Badgers are extremely clean animals and do not take food into their setts preferring to eat out in the open and retain a clean living area underground. They are remarkably suited to their purpose of digging, having powerful claws and limbs. American badgers even have a third eyelid that keeps out grains of sand and soil. Interestingly, the idiom we know as “to badger someone” comes from an old sport of Badger Baiting rather than their actual character. The idiom actually means to tell someone to do something or to question them again and again and again – incessantly without let up. No wonder badgers sometimes get such a bad rep.
Questions 1 -6: Use no more than two words and/or a number for your answer.
- While badgers are seen as a delight by some people, others see them as ………………
- A ………….. is a sure way to know a badger has visited a garden.
- It is best not to …………… with badgers if they have made a home in your garden.
- Badgers do not transmit ………….. to humans.
- Badgers are built for digging and some also have a protective ……………….. .
- The idiom “to badger someone” is unrelated to the ……………….. of badgers.
VOCABULARY & ANSWERS
Click below for vocabulary review and answers.
Vocab Builder- cherished = to hold something dear to you / close to your heart
- pristine = immaculate / unspoilt
- lawn – garden
- in their wake = what is left behind when someone leaves
- grubs = larvae of insects
- note, the word “grub” is also a very informal slang word sometimes used meaning “food”. For example, “My son loves his grub” means he loves his food.
- snuffle = sniff / a noise made with the nose
- badger sett = a badger home which has underground chambers connected by tunnels
- limbs = arms and legs
- UNWELCOME (VISITORS)
- SNUFFLE HOLE
- INTERFERE
- DISEASES
- (THIRD) EYELID
- In answer keys, the brackets are used to show when a word is optional in the answer.
- You cannot use brackets in your listening test.
- CHARACTER
.
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Reading Practice Lesson 2
Water Pollution
Clean and plentiful water provides the foundation for prosperous communities. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution. NRDC experts are helping to secure safe and sufficient water for people and the environment by:
- Promoting water efficiency strategies to help decrease the amount of water wasted;
- Protecting our water from pollution by defending the Clean Water Act and advocating for solutions like green infrastructure;
- Helping prepare cities, counties and states for water-related challenges they will face as a result of climate change; and
- Ensuring that waterways have enough water to support vibrant aquatic ecosystems.
Dirty water is the world’s biggest health risk, and continues to threaten both quality of life and public health in the United States. When water from rain and melting snow runs off roofs and roads into our rivers, it picks up toxic chemicals, dirt, trash and disease-carrying organisms along the way. Many of our water resources also lack basic protection, making them vulnerable to pollution from factory farms, industrial plants, and activities like fracking. This can lead to drinking water contamination, habitat degradation and beach closures. NRDC is working to protect our water from pollution by:
- Drawing on existing protections in the Clean Water Act, and working to ensure that the law’s pollution control programs apply to all important waterways, including headwater streams and wetlands, which provide drinking water for 117 million Americans;
- Improving protections to reduce pollutants like bacteria and viruses, which threaten Americans’ health and well being; and
- Establishing new pollution limits for top problem areas, such as sources of runoff and sewage overflows.
Questions 1-5
Complete the sentences below with the correct word(s) taken from the passage. Use no more than three words and/or a number.
- The keystone to any thriving society is to have …………..and ……….. water.
- With the increase in water pollution a ………………. is imminent.
- One way to help keep water clean is by the construction of …………………..
- Dirty water can be a ………………. as chemicals and other pollutants enter the water supply.
- Due to a lack of ……………….., some of our water resources are at risk of pollution.
Note: If you struggle with these questions, go back and read Tip 6 again.
Answers
Click to reveal the answers below:
Answers- clean plentiful
- you should not put the word “and” in your answer because it would make the sentence grammatically incorrect.
- you must have both words for a correct answer.
- (water) crisis
- green infrastructure
- health risk
- basic protection /protection
- In answer keys, optional answers are usually written like this – (basic) protection. The use of brackets shows the option or options for extra words in the answer. You cannot do this in your test. You must choose one answer only.
All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.
Liz
- foundation = keystone / bedrock
- prosperous = thriving / flourishing
- key = vital / critical / major
- tainted = contaminated / polluted / fouled / spoiled
- advocating = backing / supporting
- vibrant = alive / energetic
- toxic = lethal / deadly / poisonous
.
I hope you found the lessons useful. All the best, Liz
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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
- Sentence Completion Practice:
- Yes, No, Not Given Reading
- True False Not Given Reading Practice
- ALL READING LESSONS & TIPS
.
dear Liz
please introduce some authentic books containing readings practices for all part of reading questions, thanks 🙂
My website contains lessons designed to help you grasp question types and the techniques that go with them. But my lessons should be used in conjunction with the IELTS Cambridge Test books that contain real tests published by IELTS. Those books are the only authentic tests available, but don’t contain any technique development which is why you should use them along with my website.
Hey Liz, I may sound silly but this doubt is eating me up and I cannot find the correct answer for it. My question is “How are we supposed to write the answers – in capital letters/sentence case/small case/it doesn’t matter? ” If your answer is “it doesn’t matter” then why do I get wrong answers on some websites just for the type of letter being written even though my answer is correct? Is it a glitch from the website or is it me?
You are probably getting answers marked wrong because you are not using authentic tests. You should never go to any website and presume that they are authentic. And even if they are authentic, the website owners probably haven’t uploaded the answers properly with all possible options. I always give the advice that you should simply choose all capital or all lower case (unless the recording specifically tells you that a letter is actually lower or upper case). The advice of using all capital letters was particularly for the paper based test where handwriting could be difficult to read. So, for the computer test, choose either lower or upper case. You can find this same advice on the IDP IELTS website (and don’t forget that IDP is an owner of IELTS just the same as Cambridge and BC so all rules apply throughout all partners): https://www.idp.com/australia/blog/ielts-faq/
Thank you very much! I’m so relieved now 🙂
I am confused with the brackets; do we have to use them while answering? like should i write my answer as third eyelid or (third) eyelid?
At the bottom of this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening/, you’ll find a link to a page which explains about the use of brackets in both the listening and reading test.
no. brackets are not allowed. the word in the bracket is there just to give the idea that this word can also be used but is optional.
in test, putting brackets is not allowed at all.
Hi, Liz. Do we need to write a word directly from the text or can we write a synonym? For example for question number 6 about badgers, would it be wrong to write “nature” instead of “character”?
All answers for the reading test must come from the passage in the appropriate place. All answers for the listening test must come from the recording in the appropriate place. The appropriate place meaning you’ve taken in from the part of the passage/recording where the answer is given rather than another word elsewhere in the passage or recording.
Hey Liz <3 First of all, thank you for your support.
I have a few questions. First why it would not be correct in the first text 2) small snuffle hole? and 6) why not an actual character?
Thanks a lot
The instructions say no more than two words, so writing three words isn’t an option. And for “actual character” the word actual isn’t required for the answer to be correct. It is an extra unnecessary word that doesn’t impact the meaning of the answer.
Hey Liz, in exam should we write those optional word in brackets
At the bottom of this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-listening/ you’ll see a link to learn about using brackets. The same rule applies for both IELTS listening and IELTS reading.
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for all your practice lessons. They helped me a lot.
Lots of Love from India.
I wrote the answer for question 2 as only “hole” and not “snuffle hole” as i thought snuffle is not a noun. So both of these words will not make a compound noun but my answer was incorrect.
Please explain why only “hole” can not be the answer. I am very much confused at this point.
When you make a decision about adding a word to a noun, your first thought is – is it a compound noun. In this case, “snuffle hole” is not compound noun. So, your next thought should be – is the word snuffle needed. Is it just a descriptive word that isn’t really needed or is it a type of hole which is important to know? In this case, it is a type of hole. A snuffle hole is made by an animal looking for food (usually using it’s nose and mouth area pushing into the earth to smell out the food) so it will be a particular kind of hole not normally found in a garden. You can see the word “snuffle” here: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/snuffle. So, there is a difference between a hole (which could be any hole or any size, shape and origin) and a snuffle hole (specifically made by a certain type of animal, not all animals). If the words were “small hole”, then you could use or not use the word “small” – because a hole is still a hole. But a snuffle hole is a special kind of hole.
These are all the things you think about when deciding whether or not to include a word in your answer. This is something you should train yourself to be aware of before the test so that you can do it very quickly during the test.
Thank you so much Liz for the clear explanation. I got your point.
I am improving day by day by your lessons and is hoping to achieve best in the exam. Please wish me Luck !
I wish you lots and lots of luck. But the best luck comes from being fully prepared and it sounds like you are on the right track 🙂
Thank You Liz. I will give my best in the exam.
Hi Liz
Many thanks for efforts, it has been really helpful to me.
I have a question for the type of Sentence completion questions.
– How can I determine using Capital or Small letters when writing the missing words? Should it as the sentence flows? Or are the special rules?
– Can you explain how (or a number) in the questions instructions is used?
For the reading and listening tests, capital letters do not play a part in marking. You can use them or not use them – it makes no difference to your score. If your answer is spelled correctly, it will be marked correct with or without capital letters.
Hi,Liz!
I wrote “HARMS” instead of “DISEASES” in question number 4 of the reading passage 1. Will it be marked wrong? And I also wrote “ACTUAL CHARACTER” in place of “CHARACTER” in question number 6 of the same passage. Will it be incorrect? If not, why?
I’ll eagerly look forward to your reply. And thanks a million for your amazing tips and practice lessons. Wishing you a speedy recovery! :”)
These two answers are all about skills needed for IELTS Sentence Completion Questions.
1) You wrote HARMS. The sentence was “Badgers do not transmit …….. to humans.”
When you see this sentence, you are looking for a noun that matches the verb “transmit”. And this means the question is testing your knowledge of collocations. The verb “transmit” is never used with the word harm but it is used with the word disease. When it comes to the word “harm”, we can use “cause harm” or we convert the noun into a verb – badgers do not harm people. And usually when we talk about an animal harming someone, it isn’t about disease, it’s about bodily harm in the form of an attack such as a bite or a scratch. Also, the noun is usually not plural – and in fact if you look at the passage, it is used in the singular. But with the word disease, we talk about “passing on a disease” which means to “transmit a disease” from one person to another or from animal to human. For this reason, when you see question that requires you to fill a gap, pay close attention to the grammar in the sentence and think about collocations as well so that the sentence is perfect when it is completed.
2) You wrote “actual character”. Sentence Completion questions rarely need you to add extra unnecessary words into your answer. The words “actual character” do not form a compound noun, which means together they are not one noun, but are two separate words. The answer only required a noun without any quantifier or adjective. Also, this word is superfluous, which means it isn’t needed and any word that isn’t needed for the answer will not form part of the answer. I suppose you could say that IELTS answers are very matter of fact – precise, focused and without extra unnecessary words.
Hello Liz. For question 4. I wrote risk because I feel healthy risk does not make it a noun, as it is in passage 1 for actual Character instead of just character. Please do enlighten.
The problem you are having is related to compound nouns. A compound noun is a noun that is made of two words or three words. Those words might form one word together or two words separately or two words joined by a hyphen. But the words make one single noun. The words “health risk” is a compound noun. If we remove the word “health” and put only the word “risk” – there is no clear meaning relating to health at all. You need to both words to make one noun and for the meaning to make any sense. This is the same with many words such as “shop” and “bookshop”. Certainly, they are both one words, but “bookshop” is a compound noun with a different meaning to “shop”. Another common example is “ice cream”, if we write only “cream” it is very different even though they have a common origin and common stem meaning.
The word “actual” in “actual character” is like an intensifier. It doesn’t form part of the noun at all. If we write “their behaviour defines their character” OR “their behaviour defines their actual character” – it has the same meaning. The word “actual” isn’t needed for the meaning to be understood. It is just an extra word for emphasis.
IELTS answers are mainly looking for specific words as answers that don’t require extra unnecessary words as well. So, we wouldn’t normally include intensifiers in the answer. But if the noun is a compound noun made of two words, both words would be need to make the answer.
Thank you so much Liz for the detailed explanation!! It enlightens me about the difference between compound noun vs intensifier
Thanks Liz for your assistance.Your tricks and advice are really worth for me.
I’m glad they are helpful for you.
Thank you, Liz, for helping us with your great website. I made all the answers correct, except the water crisis. I would have expected the answer for the second answer after changing the climate patter, but it was stated after heading towards. How to correctly locates such questions?
On the page above, I’ve re-written my tips to be more specific to this particular question. If you go back to the page above, read Tips 1-4 again and I’m sure they will help you understand how this could have been tackled to get it right.
Hi Liz, thank you. Que 2 was difficult for me because the answer to it came almost at the end of the paragraph.
Don’t forget that once you feel more comfortable with question types, it’s time to try authentic tests published by IELTS in their IELTS Cambridge test books.
Hi Liz,
I really enjoy your lessons.
Thank you for all the resources. It is of great help.
I’m glad they are useful for you 🙂
Haha Liz,
I loved Q4. It almost got me. I liked how you twisted it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. My lessons aren’t about producing IELTS tests, but about preparing people for the kinds of challenges that might appear in the test as well as making them more enjoyable. My aim is to make people think more carefully and to be more aware of language. I think when teaching is done right, learning becomes enjoyable. So, thank you for your comment. It makes me feel happy 🙂
It is great madam. This helps the students who are weak at reading in ielts. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome 🙂
Hi Lizz,
Thanks for the exercise, I scored 5/5 however this is a very easy one. Regarding question one , I know you did not mention how many words to use , normally is not more than 2 words at the real exam .If it would be to choose not more than 2 words what answer could we choose : 1.clean,2. plentiful or 3. clean ,plentiful…does not have to much sense the last one.
The instructions given before the questions state:
“Complete the sentences below with the correct word(s) taken from the passage. Use no more than three words and/or a number.”
Thanks for the excercise and lesson, the word imminent confused me in question 2 and that is why I answered solution instead of wate crisis even when I thought crisis was the answer. 4/5. Nice passage and good questions
I thought ‘imminent’ as ‘immanent’ which means fundamental. So I answered this question as ‘Clean Water Act’.
The word “imminent” means “about to happen” or “will happen soon”.
thanks
Hello Liz,
You are doing a great job. I am preparing for IELTS from your lessons for a few days. They are awesome. I have a query regarding the reading section. Since there are many types of reading passages (matching headings, sentence completion, etc.) and each has a different way of solving them, will there be mentioned in the real IELTS test that “answers will come in order”? It’s hard to remember for each type of passages. Or if there is a trick to remember them, do let us know.
Thanks a million! – from India.
Good question. This is something you need to know. Go to the Reading Section of this site (RED MENU BAR) and see the questions type pages which will tell you about this.
Thank you!
hello Liz,
why the answer of question 1 is clean and plentiful and not safe and sufficient? clean and sufficient is not given in the passage and can we paraphrase our answers in reading test?
Please read the first three words of the passage again.
oh, yes. sorry my mistake. thanks for the clarification Liz.
i am having problems with reading test. my score is just not improving in test. what should do? any tips on improving the score in reading test?
thank you
This is the main page for reading which contains tips and exercises: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-reading-lessons-information-and-tips/. However, you need to be more analytical in your approach. Make a list of every single error you have ever made in every single test or exercise. Also make a list of paraphrases. Get to know which question types have answers that come in order. Try to be strategic rather than just doing practice and hoping for improvement. Think why you got the answer wrong. If it was due to language, then it is a question of your English level. If not, it is your technique and approach which you will need to work on.
thank you Liz for these tips.
thank you Liz for helping me out .
evryone, could u anyone explain me why the answer for Q 4 is not “biggest health risk” ?
sorry it is answered after scrolling all comments. thankk u.
I appreciate you checking the comments for the answer. You’ll find loads of comments on other pages as well – some are almost like a separate lesson to learn from.
Because it has to be grammatically correct.
Thank you Liz.. i am finding it very interesting as i practice daily.
Hi liz, you are the best teacher Thank you so much😍Iam going to take my first attempt in 28th July IAM getting so scared.Iam practicing your material 😍it helps me a lot Thank uuuu 🤗
Make sure you learn as much as you can about the format and rules of the test. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/
Got everything right but, I spent a long time
3/5
hi liz, could you recommend the amount of time to be spent on each section as an indicator… for instance, 7 mins for passage 1 in section1 or 15mins for the last passage. I am just looking at a tentative time frame…
You’ve got three passages and 1 hour. Your answers are written on the answer sheet during the one hour – there is not extra time. So, try to do the first passage in 15 mins, the second in 20 mins and the third in 25. This is a rough guide. You need to do lots of practice tests at home to develop your own timing to suit your ability. Do tests from the IELTS Cambridge test books because they are authentic. My lessons for reading are for developing skills – use them as you want.
Hi liz
Thanks for your help
Do the Cambridge test books contain reading
passages more difficult than your?
The IELTS Cambridge test books contain real tests published by IELTS. They are the precise level of the real test. My lessons are just to develop skills as well as awareness of language and technique.
1 Clean and plentiful
2. Health risk
3. waterways
4. Disease carrier
5. Basic protection
I wrote above answers..!! want to know your view on 2,3 & 4
Crisis is plural and the word after it is singular ( water crisis is imminent ) how comes this is the answer????? Can u plzzz clarify?????? Thanx alot
The word “crisis” is singular. A crisis.
Hi Liz,
I came up with the answer “crisis” for Question #2 will that be accepted or it is mandatory to mention water crisis as it already states in the question that ‘with increase in water pollution ‘.. Please help clarify
And thanks for your helpful Blog.. 🙂
A crisis and a water crisis are not the same thing. So, for this question, you need “water crisis” for the correct answer.
Where is the answers?
Look for the word “Answers” on the page above.
Hi Liz!
I got 5/5. Thank you for all your practice exercises. 🙂
Hello Liz,
Thanks for your useful lessons. I have little confusion about choosing words from the topic when many choices are available. I will give some example from the real test.
Passage: The male platypus has a sharply pointed, moveable spur on its hind foot which delivers a poison capable of killing smaller animals and causing severe pain to humans. …… In the same area of the hind foot where the male has poisonous spur, the female platypus only develops two buds which drop off in their first year of life never to appear again.
Question: no more than three words from the passage
For example, on the hind feet the male has a …… while the young female has …..
For the 2nd space, answer is easy to find: two buds. How about for the 1st space? What choices can be correct?
The first space would be “spur”.
Thanks for your response. Let me share my ideas.
In this case, we could answer with different ways too, like ” sharply pointed spur” , “moveable spur” or “pointed, moveable spur”. Am I right? I replied as the same as the third one. But the answer was the second choice. Why? Can the rest choice be correct too?
The word “spur” alone would get you the mark. Don’t complicate things.
Hi Liz
I need help regarding general test as I heard in reading answers are in order but in general test I could not find this .
Is it ?
The reading answers are in order for some question types and not for other question types. This is the case for both GT and academic reading. It depends on the type of question.
Dear Liz,
I don’t understand how you got the answer to # 2? How can it be “water crisis” ? I couldn’t find that word in the paragraph.
It is in the second sentence: “We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis.”
Dear Liz,
Thanks for your questionnaires
The answer to Q4 is health risk
Would that be
biggest health risk.
Thanks
Thanks alot Ms Liz
Thank you Liz,
You are really true hero in the sense that you donated your time to help those who are committed to learn.
we owe you a lot.
Big thanks.
Aidrous
P.s by the way, I got 5/5 .
I am going to have my second attempt IELTS exam 20th April.
I will keep you in the loop!
Good luck! Make a list of areas that you think are your weakness and spend time working on them before your test.
Hi, thank for your website:) It is was really great work study for me because I am working and I can study at office. My score is 3/5 but it is really unbalanced. How can I stabilize?
Thanks.
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-reading-tips-how-can-i-improve-my-score/
I was very surprised with my result. I got 5/5, I cant believe it. I need to practice more. I think I need to do mini passages first and can you tell me where I can find the sources?
You’re brilliant and vibrant language teacher.
I am trying to achieve standard skill in language with you.
A dictionary should be your best friend: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/state-of-the-art
I was surprised with my score, 4/5. The activity is quite difficult but I guess you really need to focus. Vocabulary and understanding of the passage are really important. Thanks Ms. Liz.
Well done!
Hi Liz,
4th answer should be “biggest health risk” as mentioned in paragraph.
Why correct answer is only “health risk” and what if i write “biggest health risk”? Will it consider as correct answer?
You can’t have “a biggest health risk” – that’s incorrect English. The grammar in the question explains the answer.
Hi Liz
For Q.1 I thought the answer was ‘clean’. But it’s actually supposed to be ‘clean and plentiful’. Would my answer still be correct?
You would need the three words for a correct answer because the key is both “clean and plentiful” water.
Liz
Hi there Liz,
I suppose “a green infrastructure” in number 3 sentence would be alright, wouldn’t it?
Cheers
No. There can’t be an article.
Liz
Thanks Liz for the prompt reply.
Would this error be due ONLY to the fact that words must be “taken from the reading passage” (where the article is missing)? ‘Cause, in general, “infrastructure” is both a countable and uncountable noun, is it not?
Sorry for bothering with such trivial matters, it’s just for the sake of better mastering the test’s nuts and bolts 😉
Stef
Yes, it can be used with an article but it’s best to take words as they are written in the passage.
All the best
Liz
Hi Liz. I got 4/5. not too bad. I’m thinking of getting only 2/5 or 3/5, quite a difficult round but I was surprised with my score. My only mistake was Q4. I answered biggest health risk. When it should be health risk only.
What I learned from my mistake is that I should not write everything indicated in the passage. I should check also if the answers were grammatically correct! I will apply that to my exam.. Thanks Liz. such a big help!
You are the best english teacher.
3 out of 5 .
Hi Liz
i think i have all 5 correct. just one question , for number 5 i have written ‘ protections’ instead ‘ basic protections’ . will that be still correct?
Be awaiting your reply
Many thanks
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be right.
Liz