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Reading: Sentence Completion
Master the art of scanning for exact words while navigating heavy paraphrasing.
Mini-Masterclass: Decoding Paraphrasing
Let’s look at how examiners hide the answers using synonyms, and how predicting grammar can help you slice through the text.
Read the Text Extract:
“At first, von Frisch thought the bees were responding only to the scent of the food. On a hunch, he started gradually moving the feeding dish further and further away and noticed as he did so that the dances of the returning scout bees also started changing.”
Question Sentence:
“Von Frisch discovered the difference between dance types by changing the position of the _______.”
Step 1: Predict. The word “the” tells us we need a noun.
Step 2: Match Paraphrasing. The sentence uses the phrase “changing the position”. The text uses the word “moving”. These mean exactly the same thing!
Step 3: Extract the Answer. What was he moving? He was moving the feeding dish.
Step 2: Match Paraphrasing. The sentence uses the phrase “changing the position”. The text uses the word “moving”. These mean exactly the same thing!
Step 3: Extract the Answer. What was he moving? He was moving the feeding dish.
The 9-Step Scanning Strategy
Do not read the text blindly. Use this highly systematic method to locate and verify your answers.
1
Check the Rules
Read the instructions very carefully. Do you need ONE WORD ONLY or NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS? Also, check if you must use exact words from the text or if you are allowed to use your own synonyms (usually, it is from the text).
2
Read Sentences First
Never read the passage first! It is a waste of time because you do not know what information you are looking for until you have read and understood the incomplete sentences.
3
Predict Word Types
Try to work out what type of word is missing. If the gap follows an article (“a”, “an”, “the”), you need a Noun. If it follows “very”, you likely need an Adjective. This acts as a filter when scanning.
4
Underline Keywords
Select 2 or 3 keywords from the sentence to scan for. Prioritize unchangeable words: Names (von Frisch), Numbers, Dates, and Places. These cannot easily be paraphrased by the examiner.
5
Follow the Order
The answers will always appear in chronological order in the text. Once you find the answer to Question 1, you know that the answer to Question 2 will be located further down the page.
6
Scan, Then Read Deeply
Scan rapidly with your eyes just to locate your keywords. Once you find the correct area, stop scanning. Switch to detailed reading to fully interpret the meaning and find the exact word you need.
7
Think About Synonyms
If you are looking for the word “excellent”, be prepared to spot “superb” or “outstanding”. Look for matching meaning rather than exact word matches.
Sentence: “small and cosy” → Text: “intimate”
8
Check for Grammar
After selecting your word from the text, read the full sentence with your answer inserted. It must be grammatically correct. If it sounds broken, you have chosen the wrong word.
9
Guess and Move On
If you are really struggling with one sentence, take a logical guess and move on. Wasting 5 minutes on a single gap will cause you to run out of time and miss easier marks later on.
10 Quick Strategy Challenges
Click to reveal how you should analyze these common Sentence Completion scenarios.
1. The instructions say “ONE WORD ONLY”. The text says “a high mountain”. The sentence says: “They climbed the ____.” What do you write?
Answer: mountain. You must drop the adjective “high” to obey the word count limit while maintaining the grammatical integrity of the sentence.
2. True or False: The answers to questions 38, 39, and 40 will jump around randomly in the text.
False! Sentence Completion answers ALWAYS come in order in the reading passage. 39 will be located after 38.
3. You are looking for the keyword “restaurant” but cannot find it anywhere. What should you do?
Start scanning for synonyms! Look for words like “eatery”, “cafe”, “bistro”, or “dining establishment”.
4. You find the answer for Question 3, but putting it in the gap makes the sentence grammatically incorrect. What is the problem?
You have either selected the wrong word from the text, or you accidentally included/excluded an article (“a”, “the”) or an ‘s’ (plural) that messes up the grammar. Read it carefully.
5. The sentence says: “The study was conducted in ____.” What two types of information might fill this gap?
You should scan for a Place (e.g., London, a laboratory) or a Year/Date (e.g., 1999).
6. Should you read the whole reading passage before looking at the sentences?
No. This is a massive waste of time. Read the sentences first so your brain knows exactly what specific information to hunt for.
7. The text says: “The food provided was superb.” The sentence says: “The guests thought the ____ was excellent.” What do you write?
Answer: food. You successfully matched the synonym “superb” with “excellent” to locate the target noun.
8. The sentence says: “It required a great deal of ____.” The text says: “It demanded high motivation.” Answer?
Answer: motivation. Here, “demanded” matches “required”, and “high” matches “a great deal of”.
9. What are the best keywords to underline in the question sentence before you start scanning?
Names (like von Frisch), Capitalized words, Numbers, Dates, and highly specific scientific terminology. These are rarely paraphrased.
10. You spend 4 minutes looking for one answer and feel completely stuck. What is your next move?
Stop searching. Make an educated guess based on the sentence’s grammar, write it down, and move immediately to the next question. Do not sacrifice your time management.
10 Full Reading Practice Tests
Put your strategies to the ultimate test with these full IELTS Reading Sentence Completion tasks.
