Why two words in the box both fit the gap
The General Training Reading page describes the same task family (adding sentences to the list) with answers taken from the text, and it does not mention a word-list version. The checks on this sheet work for any gap where two candidates survive the grammar test, in either module.
Grammar is the first filter, and it is a good one: it usually knocks out more than half the box. But a box is not a random list. In every one of BandLadder's own word-box summary sets the box has more words than gaps, and the spare words tend to be the same word class as the answers. So after the grammar check you are often left with two candidates that both make a correct sentence. Only one makes a true sentence about the passage.
Passage: A thick lining of straw roughly halved the amount of ice that melted over a summer, though no lining could stop melting altogetherrules out prevent. Summary: Straw linings were used to ______base verb the melting of the stored ice. Box: prevent · reduce · record
- → All three words are base verbs that can take "the melting" as an object, so grammar ties three ways.
- → record is never mentioned. prevent and reduce both sound right, but the passage gives a size: halved, not stopped. The answer is reduce.
That tie was broken by scope: how much, how often, how certain (the same idea as qualifiers in True/False/Not Given). The other two tie-breakers are role (who does what, and which is cause and which is effect) and collocation (which word naturally partners the words around the gap). Run them in that order and stop as soon as one candidate fails. For the basics of the task, see how IELTS summary completion works.
Premium sheet · 4 more sections
- How to choose when two answers fit: the three-check tie-breaker
- Summary completion with a box examples
- Summary completion tips: traps when two words fit
- Your turn: summary completion practice
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Questions
FAQ
What is summary completion with a box in IELTS Reading?+
It is the variation of summary completion where you choose from a list of words instead of copying words from the passage. ielts.org's Academic Reading page describes it as the second variation of question type 9.
How do I choose between two words that both fit the gap?+
After grammar, check scope (is the word the same size as the passage's claim?), then role (who acts, and which is cause or effect?), then collocation (is it the natural partner of the words around the gap?).
Is IELTS summary completion in order?+
Not necessarily. ielts.org says the answers may not come in the same order as in the text, but they usually come from one part of it, so find that zone and search it in any direction.
Are there more words in the box than gaps?+
The ielts.org format pages do not give a number. In every BandLadder word-box summary set the box has more words than gaps, so expect spare words that fit the grammar but not the passage.
Is the word that appears in the passage usually the answer?+
Not automatically. A box word copied from the passage still has to pass the scope and role checks, and the answer is often a paraphrase. Check what job the word does in the passage.
Does General Training Reading have summary completion with a word box?+
ielts.org's General Training Reading page describes summary completion with words taken from the text and does not mention a word-list version. The tie-breaker still helps whenever two candidate words fit a gap.
Sources
- ielts.org: IELTS Academic Reading test format, question type 9 (Summary/note/table/flow chart completion): https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-academic-test/ielts-academic-format-reading
- ielts.org: IELTS General Training Reading test format, question type 6: https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-general-training-test/ielts-general-training-format-reading
- BandLadder Summary Completion set: Airport Terminal Wayfinding: https://bandladder.com/ielts-reading-practice/summary-completion/airport-terminal-wayfinding
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