IELTS Summary Completion grammar narrows the gap before reading does
Summary completion gives you a condensed version of part of the passage with gaps in it. It comes in two forms: with a box of words to choose from, and without. The version without a box is a word-limit task and behaves like sentence completion. The version with a box is a vocabulary task, and the distractors in the box are the point.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Practise summary completion questionsWhat the task asks
You fill gaps in a summary of the passage or of one section of it. Either you select from a supplied list of words, or you take words from the passage within a stated limit. The summary usually covers a specific part of the passage rather than all of it.
The method
- 01
Find which part of the passage the summary covers
It is rarely the whole thing. Identifying the section first turns a long search into a short one.
- 02
Read the whole summary before filling anything
The sentences depend on each other, and a later gap often makes an earlier one obvious.
- 03
Use grammar to shortlist
Each gap has a required part of speech and often a required number. With a word box that alone removes most of the options before you have looked at the passage.
- 04
With a box, expect more words than gaps
The extras are chosen to be plausible. Being able to justify why the word you chose is right matters more than the word feeling natural.
Worked examples
Real questions from the practice bank with the reasoning written out. Cover the answer, decide, then read the explanation. Getting it right for the wrong reason is the thing that does not survive test day.
Dr Keller's team built a wooden _______ that could simulate the magnetic field of any chosen location.show
Answer: chamber
Paragraph B describes a 'six-metre cubic enclosure constructed entirely of wood' that could reproduce the magnetic conditions found at any chosen point on the planet's surface. The passage says enclosure and the answer list offers chamber, so this item tests whether you can match a synonym rather than copy a word.
Early _______ clocks were useless at sea because of ship motion and weather changes.show
Answer: pendulum
Paragraph 1 states that 'The pendulum clocks generally available in the seventeenth century were widely regarded as utterly unsuitable for shipboard use', because ship motion and changes in temperature, humidity and pressure threw them off.
Each arm can taste, handle objects and even (21) _______ on its own.show
Answer: unscrew a jar lid
Paragraph D states each arm can 'unscrew a jar lid without continuous guidance from the central nervous system.' (Three words allowed only if instructions permit; two-word reading allows 'unscrew' alone but here we list the action.)
Patrons typically read and discussed _______ that were laid out on long communal tables.show
Answer: E
Paragraph C states that 'Newspapers, pamphlets, and printed sermons were laid out on long communal tables, and patrons read, discussed, and disputed the news of the day.' The item from the list is newspapers.
Where the marks go
Treating the box as a list of synonyms
The distractors are usually synonyms of the right answer. Grammar and precision separate them, not general meaning.
Filling gaps in isolation
Read the summary end to end first. The gaps constrain each other.
Ignoring the word limit on the no-box version
It is the same rule as sentence completion, and the same marks go the same way.
Assuming the summary follows the whole passage
Check the range it covers. Searching outside it wastes the time this type needs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between summary completion with and without a word box?+
With a box you select from supplied options and the challenge is discriminating between close alternatives. Without a box you take words from the passage within a word limit, and it behaves like sentence completion.
Do the answers appear in passage order?+
Within the section the summary covers, usually yes. That makes locating the first gap the useful step, because the rest tend to follow.
Can I use a word from the box twice?+
Only if the instruction says so, and it usually does not. Read the instruction line.
You know the method now. Do it under a clock.
Practise summary completion questions in the real test layout, marked instantly, with the reasoning shown for every answer you get wrong.
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