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Fill gaps in notes, sentences, a table, or a diagram with words from the passage.
Notes/sentence/table/diagram completion all share the same rule: copy the exact words from the passage, within the word limit.
The Kakapo Recovery Plan, established in 1995, set out three priorities: removing introduced predators from breeding islands, improving the genetic diversity of the population through carefully managed pairings, and supplementary feeding during non-mast years.
Note: 'The Recovery Plan was set up in _____.' (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Completion tasks include Note Completion, Sentence Completion, Table Completion, Flow-chart Completion, Diagram Labelling, and Short-Answer Questions. They share the same core strategy: identify what type of word is needed, locate the relevant part of the passage, and copy the exact word(s) within the stated word limit. Always read the rubric first to confirm the limit (commonly 'NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS' or 'NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER'). Read the notes/sentence/table/diagram/short-answer prompt to understand the topic and structure; for tables and flow-charts, note headings and arrows to grasp the relationship between cells.
Predict the part of speech and likely content for each gap (a date, a material, a person's role, a process step) before scanning. Questions usually follow the order of the passage, except for diagram labelling which follows the diagram, often a process. Scan for keywords from the prompt and read carefully around them; the answer will be a word or phrase in the passage that fits the gap exactly, without paraphrasing on your part. For Short-Answer questions, write the briefest answer that fully responds, staying within the word limit.
For diagrams, follow physical features, labels, and process arrows; engineering or biology diagrams often require precise nouns. Spend roughly 50-75 seconds per gap, slightly less for short answers and slightly more for diagram labelling because of the visual layout. Common traps include exceeding the word limit, changing the form of the word, and writing answers in your own words. Always check spelling and singular/plural forms, copying directly from the passage.
Never leave a blank; if uncertain, write your best guess in the right grammatical form.
Each gap is worth 1 mark, contributing to the 40-mark Reading total, with no partial credit and no penalty for incorrect answers. Spelling must be accurate; both British and American spellings are accepted. Plurals must match the passage exactly. Hyphenated compounds count as a single word, but contractions count as two. Exceeding the word limit invalidates the answer even if the content is correct. Numbers can be written as figures or words unless the rubric specifies otherwise. Standard band conversions apply: 30/40 is Band 7, 27/40 is Band 6.5, 23/40 is Band 6, and 19/40 is around Band 5.5.
Tactical content is original synthesis based on these public IELTS prep resources.