IELTS Reading: Tricks To Do Summary Completion

Hello Readers!
Today we will discuss the ways of cracking another question type of reading module- the summary completion. Summary completion includes 5-6 blanks which the aspirant has to fill in. Each answer should be of one to three words and/or a number. It is of two kinds:

• Summary Completion (Without given options)

The summary is to be completed by directly picking the words from the passage.

• Summary Completion (With given options)

The blanks are to be filled in by choosing the options from the given list of words which are usually the synonyms of the potential answers in the text.

So let's discuss how to do it:
Step 1: Read the first sentence until full stop. 
Step 2: Figure out the requirement of the statement, in other words, try to predict the type of answer:  it can be a name, a term, a number or anything else. 
Step 3: Choose a keyword(s) from the sentence; usually the keywords are nouns or numbers.
Step 4: Look for the keyword(s) in the text.
Step 5: Once you have found the keyword, intensively read the sentence. 
Step 6: Choose the answer.
Step 7: If type 1 is there, then fill in the blank with the words you think constitute the answer.
Or 
If type 2 is there, select the word from the box, which is either the synonym to the word you have chosen or is the paraphrase.

The tips:
1. Mind the wrong grammar; it may make your answer incorrect. Sometimes, the sentence in the text is written in active sentence formation, irrespective of the statement in the question which may be in the passive sentence formation or sometimes the reverse is true. So your answer should be grammatically justified. Hence, read the answer once and check whether it fits in or not. 

2. 'Wh' family may come handy. It is mandatory to read the entire sentence to know what elements of the sentence are missing. Reading a sentence partially or not reading it at all may hamper your score. Some students make the mistake of choosing the words written next to the keyword, which is sheer ignorance and such carelessness may claim your scores. So avoid it.

3. Read the instructions carefully as they contain the word limit for an answer or answer type. Usually, the word limit for such questions is one to three words, but, sometimes, the requirement is only of one word, which is mentioned in the instructions, hence, be extra careful with the answer type. As your answer may be correct according to you but the wrong word limit won't reward you with the marks.
 
4. For the summary which is to be completed by choosing words in the given list, try to fit in the words based on logic and grammatical rules prior to reading the passage. As it may save time, however, don't forget to verify them from the text.

Before concluding, we would suggest you work on your comprehensive and reasoning skills, as this question type needs them. Many of the students get wrong answers because they don't reason the demand for the statement or they can't understand the statement. Hence, improving reading skills and practicing summary completion questions must go side by side. Practice as many Tests of IELTS Reading as you wish.

All the Best!