Matching headings faster: a five-step routine
A practical routine for matching headings that saves time: what to read, what to skip, and how to use elimination.
By IELTSora teaching team · Updated · 2 min read
The five steps
Use the same steps every time so you don't waste time deciding what to do:
- Read the list of headings first and underline the key idea in each.
- Read the first and last sentence of a paragraph, then skim the middle.
- Summarise the paragraph in five words in your head.
- Pick the heading that matches the whole paragraph, not one sentence.
- Cross the heading off and move on. There are always extra headings you won't use.
Look for the main idea, not the example
A heading describes what the paragraph is about. Details and examples support it. If a heading matches only one example, it is probably a distractor.
Main idea versus detail
Paragraph: describes three cities that removed car lanes, then concludes that traffic did not get worse.
Distractor heading: "A city that removed car lanes" (one example)
Correct heading: "Unexpected results of reducing road space" (the whole paragraph)
Do the easy ones first
If a paragraph is difficult, skip it. Each heading you match reduces the options for the hard paragraphs, so they become easier at the end.
Watch for heading traps
Heading lists are written to tempt you. Three traps appear again and again, and recognising them saves time:
- A heading that repeats a word from the paragraph but describes something else.
- A heading that is too broad, covering the whole passage rather than one paragraph.
- A heading that matches a paragraph's first sentence when the paragraph then turns in a new direction with "However…".