They are very learnable once you know the method above. The most common cause of lost marks is rushing — read carefully and follow the steps.
IELTS Reading: Matching Headings
You match a heading to each paragraph based on its main idea.
How to answer, step by step
- Read the paragraph’s first and last sentences for its central idea.
- Choose the heading that captures the whole paragraph, not one detail.
- Eliminate headings that are too broad or too narrow.
Key tip
Remember: Do the paragraphs you are most sure about first, then use elimination for the rest.
No — there is no penalty for wrong answers, so always write something for every question.
Practise Matching Headings questions
Get free practice sets for this question type on WhatsApp, with answers and explanations.