# IELTS Reading sentence completion: copy the words, keep to the limit

Reading sentence completion asks you to fill a gap with words from the text, inside a printed word limit. The questions follow the text. Three worked items and the rules that cost marks.

## Exercises

Exercises marked (free) are open to everyone; a free account opens the rest.

- [COLLECTING AS A HOBBY, questions 14-21](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/collecting-as-a-hobby) (free)
- [Crop-growing skyscrapers, questions 1-7](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/crop-growing-skyscrapers) (free)
- [The history of the tortoise, questions 27-30](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-history-of-the-tortoise) (free)
- [Language Barriers in Communication, questions 14-17](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/language-barriers-in-communication) (free)
- [In search of the holy grail, questions 27-32](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/in-search-of-the-holy-grail) (free)
- [The Flavor of Pleasure, questions 1-5](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-flavor-of-pleasure) (free)
- [The Phoenicians: an almost forgotten people, questions 1-8](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-phoenicians-an-almost-forgotten-people) (free)
- [Can the planet's coral reefs be saved?, questions 24-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/can-the-planets-coral-reefs-be-saved)
- [Adapting to the effects of climate change, questions 18-22](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/adapting-to-the-effects-of-climate-change)
- [Athletes and stress, questions 19-22](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/athletes-and-stress)
- [The global importance of wetlands, questions 18-22](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-global-importance-of-wetlands)
- [Forest management in Pennsylvania, USA, questions 22-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/forest-management-in-pennsylvania-usa)
- [A second attempt at domesticating the tomato, questions 24-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/a-second-attempt-at-domesticating-the-tomato)
- [Palm oil, questions 23-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/palm-oil)
- [Plant 'thermometer' triggers springtime growth by measuring night-time heat, questions 38-40](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/plant-thermometer-triggers-springtime-growth-by-measuring-night-time-heat)
- [Why companies should welcome disorder, questions 35-37](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/why-companies-should-welcome-disorder)
- [Cutty Sark: the fastest sailing ship of all time, questions 9-13](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/cutty-sark-the-fastest-sailing-ship-of-all-time)
- [The Lost City, questions 25-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-lost-city)
- [The Intersection of Health Sciences and Geography, questions 20-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-intersection-of-health-sciences-and-geography)
- [UK companies need more effective boards of directors, questions 38-40](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/uk-companies-need-more-effective-boards-of-directors)
- [Preface to 'How the other half thinks: Adventures in mathematical reasoning', questions 35-40](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/preface-to-how-the-other-half-thinks-adventures-in-mathematical-reasoning)
- [Stepwells, questions 6-8](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/stepwells)
- [Gifted children and learning, questions 23-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/gifted-children-and-learning)
- [The Context, Meaning and Scope of Tourism, questions 11-13](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-context-meaning-and-scope-of-tourism)
- [The meaning and power of smell, questions 37-40](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-meaning-and-power-of-smell)
- [Striking Back at Lightning With Lasers, questions 4-6](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/striking-back-at-lightning-with-lasers)
- [Let's Go Bats, questions 10-13](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/lets-go-bats)
- [The effects of light on plant and animal species, questions 34-40](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-effects-of-light-on-plant-and-animal-species)
- [How Much Higher? How Much Faster?, questions 7-10](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/how-much-higher-how-much-faster)
- [THE CONCEPT OF ROLE THEORY, questions 36-39](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-concept-of-role-theory)
- [Language Barriers in Communication, questions 21-24](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/language-barriers-in-communication)
- [Moles happy as homes go underground, questions 21-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/moles-happy-as-homes-go-underground)
- [Population viability analysis, questions 36-38](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/population-viability-analysis)
- [The changing role of airports, questions 19-22](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-changing-role-of-airports)
- [High Speed, High Rise, questions 23-26](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/high-speed-high-rise)
- [The rise of the agribots, questions 18-21](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-rise-of-the-agribots)
- [Trees in trouble, questions 8-13](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/trees-in-trouble)

## The short answer

Reading sentence completion gives you sentences with a gap and asks you to fill each gap with words from the text. A word limit is printed, such as NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER, and IELTS says you lose the mark for writing more. The questions follow the order of the text. IELTS names it as a type on the Academic Reading list, and each gap is one mark out of 40.

## Key facts

- **Paper:** Reading
- **Module:** Academic (General Training folds it into its completion type)
- **Marks:** 1 per gap, out of 40
- **Answer:** Words copied from the text
- **Word limit:** Printed; going over it loses the mark
- **Order:** Questions follow the text

Formats, timings and marking come from IELTS's own test-format pages, checked 27 September 2026.

## How it's scored

IELTS says this type tests your ability to find detail or specific information in a text. The sentence around the gap is a paraphrase, so you look for the idea, then copy the words the text uses for it.

The limit changes between sets, so read it every time. Hyphenated words such as check-in count as one word, and contracted words such as they're are not tested.

> The gap has to make the sentence grammatical. If the words from the text do not fit without changing them, you have the wrong words.

## Reading sentence completion examples

Worked examples written for this page. Answer each one before you open the model response: memorizing a response is scored as an irrelevant answer in the real test.

**Example 1 -- a name for something**

> Honeybees tell each other where food is through a movement known as the waggle dance. A bee returning to the hive walks in a straight line while shaking its body, then circles back and repeats. The angle of the straight run shows the direction of the food relative to the sun. Its length shows the distance: a run of about one second means the food is roughly a kilometer away. Other bees follow the dancer closely, and some leave to search within minutes.
> 
> Bees show where food is with a movement called the {1}.

Prompt: Complete the sentence with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text.

- Blank 1: waggle dance

Model response: waggle dance.

Why it scores: "Called the" asks for a name, and the text gives it after "known as the". Both words fit inside the limit of two.

**Example 2 -- one word, and which one**

> Honeybees tell each other where food is through a movement known as the waggle dance. A bee returning to the hive walks in a straight line while shaking its body, then circles back and repeats. The angle of the straight run shows the direction of the food relative to the sun. Its length shows the distance: a run of about one second means the food is roughly a kilometer away. Other bees follow the dancer closely, and some leave to search within minutes.
> 
> The {1} of the straight run tells other bees which way to fly.

Prompt: Complete the sentence with ONE WORD ONLY from the text.

- Blank 1: angle

Model response: angle.

Why it scores: The run has two measures in the text: its angle and its length. "Which way to fly" is direction, and the text ties direction to the angle.

**Example 3 -- the limit decides the answer**

> Honeybees tell each other where food is through a movement known as the waggle dance. A bee returning to the hive walks in a straight line while shaking its body, then circles back and repeats. The angle of the straight run shows the direction of the food relative to the sun. Its length shows the distance: a run of about one second means the food is roughly a kilometer away. Other bees follow the dancer closely, and some leave to search within minutes.
> 
> After watching the dance, some bees set off to look for the food {1}.

Prompt: Complete the sentence with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text.

- Blank 1: within minutes

Model response: within minutes.

Why it scores: "Set off to look" paraphrases "leave to search", and the two words after it are the answer. "Follow the dancer closely" is nearby but describes watching, not leaving.

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## Common mistakes

| What costs marks | Do this instead |
| --- | --- |
| Changing the word to fit. | Copy the word as the text has it. If it does not fit, it is the wrong word. |
| Going over the word limit. | Read the limit for every set. An answer over the limit loses the mark even when it contains the right words. |
| Adding words already in the sentence. | Write only what is missing. If the sentence already says the, do not write it again. |
| Searching the whole text for each sentence. | The questions follow the text. Start where the previous answer was. |

**Know what the marks are worth** Reading and Listening are 40 marks each. The band calculator turns a mark out of 40 into a band, and four skill bands into your overall. [Open the IELTS band calculator](/ielts/band-score-calculator)

## How to practice

1. For each gap, write the word class it needs before you look at the text: a noun, a number, an adjective.
2. Practice copying answers exactly, including hyphens and plurals. Most lost marks on this type are copying errors.
3. Do a set, then count the words in each answer against the limit, with hyphens counted as one.

## Common questions

### Is sentence completion in General Training Reading?

Not as a type of its own. IELTS names sentence completion on the Academic list, while the General Training list has one summary, note, sentence, table and flow-chart completion type. So you can still meet gapped sentences there.

### Can I change the form of a word from the text?

No. The answer comes from the text, so copy the word as it appears. If it only fits after you change it, look for a different word.

### Does a hyphenated word count as one word?

Yes. IELTS says hyphenated words such as check-in count as single words, and contracted words such as they're are not tested.

**Sources**
- [IELTS: Academic Reading test format (checked 27 September 2026)](https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-academic-test/ielts-academic-format-reading)
- [IELTS: General Training Reading test format (checked 27 September 2026)](https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-general-training-test/ielts-general-training-format-reading)

[Practice Reading sentence completion free](https://testmigo.com/ielts)