IELTS Reading multiple choice and summary completion: methods, worked example and traps

Multiple choice and summary completion look like opposites. One gives you the answers and asks you to choose; the other gives you gaps and asks you to find the words. But both test the same core skill: recognising an idea from the passage when it is expressed in different words. This guide covers the official rules for each, a method you can use under time pressure, and an original passage with three multiple-choice and four summary-completion questions, all explained.

For an overview of all eleven types, see IELTS Reading question types.

The official rules at a glance

Both types appear in the official question-type lists for Academic and General Training Reading. Academic Reading takes 60 minutes, with three passages and 40 questions, one mark each. The details below come from the official IELTS format pages.

How to approach IELTS Reading multiple choice

1. Read the question stem first, not the options. Underline what it actually asks: a reason, a purpose, the writer's view, a result. Many wrong answers are true statements that answer a different question.
2. Locate the section. Because questions follow passage order, the answer to question 2 is after question 1. Scan for a name, number or distinctive word from the stem to find the paragraph.
3. Read that part carefully, a few sentences either side of the keyword. Multiple choice usually tests detail, so skimming is not enough here.
4. Answer in your own words before reading the options. This stops the options from steering you.
5. Eliminate. For each wrong option, say why it is wrong: not mentioned, contradicted, true but not the answer to this question, or too extreme.
6. Check how many answers are needed. If the instructions say Choose TWO letters, choose exactly two.

The four distractor patterns

How to approach IELTS summary completion

1. Read the instructions and note the word limit. Circle it. NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS means one or two words; three is wrong even if the meaning is right.
2. Read the whole summary first. Get the gist: which part of the passage does it cover? The title, if there is one, often tells you.
3. Predict each gap. Decide the word class (noun, verb, adjective) and, for nouns, singular or plural. Look at the words around the gap: a, the, to, -s on the verb.
4. Find the matching section of the passage. The summary usually comes from one part of the text, so once you find the first answer, the others are nearby, though not necessarily in order.
5. Match ideas, not words. The summary paraphrases the passage. Look for synonyms and changed structures. Our paraphrasing guide explains the techniques test writers use.
6. Copy the words exactly. Take them from the passage and check spelling. Do not change the form unless you are choosing from a list.
7. Read the completed sentence. It must be grammatical and make sense.

When you choose from a list: the second variation gives you a box of words, usually more than you need. Here the words in the box are often paraphrases of the passage, so you cannot rely on matching. Predict the meaning, eliminate options that do not fit grammatically, then choose the one that fits the meaning.

Worked example: an original practice passage

The passage and questions below were written by Stride for study. They are not official IELTS material. Give yourself about nine minutes, then check the explanations.

Lending seeds, not just books

A In the past fifteen years, a modest idea has spread through public libraries in several countries: lending seeds as well as books. Members borrow a packet of tomato or bean seeds in spring, grow the plants at home, and at the end of the season return a portion of the seeds their own plants produce. The first schemes were mostly run by volunteers working from a single cabinet of envelopes; today some hold hundreds of varieties.

B Supporters usually explain the movement in terms of diversity rather than cost. Commercial seed catalogues tend to favour a small number of high-yielding varieties that travel well and ripen at the same time. Older local varieties, by contrast, are often well suited to a particular soil or climate but are rarely sold, because the market for them is small. A seed library allows such varieties to circulate among gardeners who might otherwise never come across them. Price matters less than people assume: commercial seed is inexpensive, and most borrowers say they would buy seeds anyway.

C The system is not without difficulties. Some plants cross-pollinate readily, so seed saved from a squash grown near a different variety may produce something quite unlike its parent. For this reason, many libraries begin with crops such as beans, peas, lettuce and tomatoes, which usually pollinate themselves. Record-keeping is a second problem. Unless returned seed is labelled with the variety, the year and the grower's location, librarians cannot tell whether a packet is still likely to germinate, and old stock must eventually be thrown away.

D Legal questions have also arisen. In a few places, rules written for commercial seed companies, requiring germination testing and detailed labelling, were at first applied to libraries as well. Most of these disputes were settled by treating free exchange between individuals differently from sale, but organisers say the episode taught them to check local regulations before opening.

E Perhaps the most lasting effect of seed libraries is educational. Saving seed requires gardeners to let some plants flower and dry out instead of harvesting everything, and to understand how pollination works. Librarians report that workshops on seed saving are often more popular than the seeds themselves. In this sense, the scheme restores a piece of practical knowledge that was once common but that most households no longer have.

Questions 1–3: multiple choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

• 1. According to supporters, the main value of seed libraries is that they A make gardening cheaper. B give gardeners access to varieties that are hard to buy. C produce higher-yielding crops. D replace commercial seed catalogues.
• 2. Many libraries start with beans, peas, lettuce and tomatoes because these crops A are the most popular with borrowers. B germinate more quickly than other crops. C are likely to produce plants similar to the parent. D are cheap to store.
• 3. What does the writer suggest is the most important result of seed libraries? A They have changed the law on seed sales. B They help people regain practical knowledge. C They raise money through workshops. D They allow households to grow all their own food.

Questions 4–7: summary completion

Complete the summary. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Running a seed library. Keeping a seed library working involves more than storing envelopes. Packets that come back need a label showing the variety, the year and where the (4) ________ is based; otherwise staff cannot tell whether the seed will still (5) ________. The choice of plants matters too. Seed from crops that cross-pollinate may grow into something that does not resemble its (6) ________, so new schemes often begin with crops that normally pollinate (7) ________.

Answers and explanations

Scoring 6 or 7 here suggests the method is working. If you dropped marks, check which trap caught you. Most errors fall into the same one or two patterns, and naming them is the quickest way to stop repeating them.

Common traps in both question types

• Breaking the word limit. Under NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, an answer such as grower's exact location loses the mark even if the idea is right. Use the shortest words from the passage that complete the sentence.
• Changing the word form. If the passage says germinate, write germinate, not germination, unless the grammar of the gap requires a different word from the passage.
• Singular and plural. Check articles and verbs around the gap, and copy the passage's form exactly. IELTS states that spelling mistakes on the Reading test are marked as wrong, so treat a missing or extra -s as a risk too.
• Choosing by word matching. In multiple choice, the option that repeats the passage's words is often the distractor. The correct answer usually paraphrases.
• Ignoring 'mentioned and rejected'. Watch for but, however, less than, rather than, by contrast.
• Using your own knowledge. The answer must come from the passage. If you know something about gardening that the passage does not say, it is not the answer.
• Spending too long on one question. With 40 questions in 60 minutes, a stubborn question is best guessed and flagged. Each correct answer earns one mark and a blank can never score, so always write something.

How these questions fit into your Reading score

Every question is worth one mark, so a multiple-choice question counts the same as a gap. On the published Academic conversion, 30 correct answers out of 40 corresponds to band 7, and 23 to band 6. In other words, the difference between band 6 and band 7 is about seven questions across the whole test. You can convert any practice score with our band score calculator, and our page on IELTS band scores explains how the overall band is worked out.

To build the underlying skills, practise the related types too. True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given train the same careful detail reading as multiple choice, while matching headings trains the main-idea reading that helps you find the right section for a summary. Our Reading tips cover timing across all three passages.

How many options are there in IELTS Reading multiple choice?

The official format describes a question with four possible answers, or the first half of a sentence with four possible endings, where you choose one. Sometimes there is a longer list and you must choose more than one answer, so always check the instructions.

Are IELTS Reading multiple-choice questions in order?

Yes. IELTS states that multiple-choice questions follow the order of the information in the text, so the answer to the first question comes before the answer to the second.

Are summary completion answers in order?

Not necessarily. The official format says the answers may not come in the same order as the text, but they will usually come from one part of the text rather than the whole passage.

What happens if I write more words than the limit?

You lose the mark, even if the meaning is correct. Hyphenated words such as check-in count as one word, and contracted words such as they're are not tested.

Can I change the form of a word from the passage in summary completion?

When the instructions say to use words from the passage, write the words as they appear. If the passage's word does not fit the grammar of the gap, check that you are reading the right part of the text before changing anything.

Should I guess in IELTS Reading?

Yes. Each correct answer receives one mark and your band comes from the number of correct answers, so a blank can never score. Make a sensible guess rather than leaving a gap empty at the end of the test.