IELTS Reading Matching Paragraph Information
In IELTS, matching paragraph information is a kind of IELTS reading which can be repeatedly seen in IELTS reading tests. In this article, I am to share a brief introduction about IELTS reading matching paragraph information as well as other aspects related to this question type.
An introduction about matching paragraph information
In the test of IELTS reading, the types of questions that can be asked are 14. It does not mean you have to face all of these question types. But, you face some of them in your IELTS reading test. Therefore, master all types of the questions in order to perform well in the test of IELTS reading.
Some of the statements are provided to match with the paragraphs. You have to answer the question type by putting letters such as A, B, C, D… etc. in IELTS reading answer sheet. Keywords are very helpful in this term.
In IELTS reading matching paragraph information, skimming is the main reading skill.
Read the question statement and find out the exact paragraph by using the technique of scanning (a reading skill in which you have to read the text in a quick way. It is not essential to read each word of the sentence; just scan to get the gist of the paragraph). The paragraphs are labelled by English letters A, B, C, D… and so on.
Summary
Matching paragraph information is one of the question types of IELTS reading in which you have to match the statement to the relevant paragraph. Answers are required to write in letters format like A, B, C… and so on. As there are 14 question types of IELTS reading, you can face mix of them. It is not necessary that you can face matching paragraph information in the test, but you have to practice. Tips and tricks as well as the solved test example are also mentioned in the article helping you to understand well about the question type of matching paragraph information.
Required skills for matching paragraph information
Reading is one of the modules of IELTS in which you are evaluated that how well you understand the text. Your reading strategies are analyzed in the test. Practice to read the passages and apply skimming skill. It will be productive for you to manage the time constraint. A good knowledge of vocabulary supports to understand quickly.
Steps to understand IELTS reading matching paragraph information
There will be a list of statements and you have to match them with respect to the paragraphs given in the test of IELTS reading. In order to know how to solve IELTS reading matching paragraph, you have to follow the steps given below to get higher bands.
- Initially, read the instructions.
- After that, move towards paragraphs one by one, and read by applying skimming and scanning.
- Note keywords from the paragraphs and relate them with the question statement to match.
- Recheck the statements to be sure about the facts you matched are same.
A solved example of IELTS matching paragraph information
An edited exercise for matching paragraph information is given below by the topic The Motor Car adapted from previous IELTS test. An example of IELTS matching paragraph information is included in the article to help more for answering the question type.
In order to write an answer for the question type of matching paragraph information, you have to write your answer in the form of letter A, B, C, D… on IELTS reading answer sheet. The answers are also provided after the question statements. Read, understand and build strategies to solve this kind of test perfectly.
| Paragraph A There are now over 700 million motor vehicles in the world – and the number is rising by more than 40 million each year. The average distance driven by car users is growing too – from 8 km a day per person in western Europe in 1965 to 25 km a day in 1995. This dependence on motor vehicles has given rise to major problems, including environmental pollution, depletion of oil resources, traffic congestion and safety. Paragraph B While emissions from new cars are far less harmful than they used to be, city streets and motorways are becoming more crowded than ever, often with older trucks, buses and taxis, which emit excessive levels of smoke and fumes. This concentration of vehicles makes air quality in urban areas unpleasant and sometimes dangerous to breathe. Even Moscow has joined the list of capitals afflicted by congestion and traffic fumes. In Mexico City, vehicle pollution is a major health hazard. Paragraph C Until a hundred years ago, most journeys were in the 20 km range, the distance conveniently accessible by horse. Heavy freight could only be carried by water or rail. The invention of the motor vehicle brought personal mobility to the masses and made rapid freight delivery possible over a much wider area. Today about 90 percent of inland freight in the United Kingdom is carried by road. Clearly, the world cannot revert to the horse-drawn wagon. Can it avoid being locked into congested and polluting ways of transporting people and goods? Paragraph D In Europe, most cities are still designed for the old modes of transport. Adaptation to the motor car has involved adding ring roads, one-way systems and parking lots. In the United States, more land is assigned to car use than to housing. Urban sprawl means that life without a car is next to impossible. Mass use of motor vehicles has also killed or injured millions of people. Other social effects have been blamed on the car such as alienation and aggressive human behaviour. Paragraph E A 1993 study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment found that car transport is seven times as costly as rail travel in terms of the external social costs it entails such as congestion, accidents, pollution, loss of cropland and natural habitats, depletion of oil resources, and so on. Yet cars easily surpass trains or buses as a flexible and convenient mode of personal transport. It is unrealistic to expect people to give up private cars in favor of mass transit. Paragraph F Technical solutions can reduce the pollution problem and increase the fuel efficiency of engines. But fuel consumption and exhaust emissions depend on which cars are preferred by customers and how they are driven. Many people buy larger cars than they need for daily purposes or waste fuel by driving aggressively. Besides, global car use is increasing at a faster rate than the improvement in emissions and fuel efficiency which technology is now making possible. Paragraph G One solution that has been put forward is the long-term solution of designing cities and neighborhoods so that car journeys are not necessary – all essential services being located within walking distance or easily accessible by public transport. Not only would this save energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions, it would also enhance the quality of community life, putting the emphasis on people instead of cars. Good local government is already bringing this about in some places. But few democratic communities are blessed with the vision – and the capital – to make such profound changes in modern lifestyles. Paragraph H A more likely scenario seems to be a combination of mass transit systems for travel into and around cities, with small ‘low emission’ cars for urban use and larger hybrid or lean burn cars for use elsewhere. Electronically tolled highways might be used to ensure that drivers pay charges geared to actual road use. Better integration of transport systems is also highly desirable – and made more feasible by modern computers. But these are solutions for countries which can afford them. In most developing countries, old cars and old technologies continue to predominate. |
The reading passage contains 8 paragraphs, A-H. Write the correct letter A-H on answer sheet.
- – a comparison of past and present transportation methods
- – how driving habits contribute to road problems
- – the relative merits of cars and public transport
- – the writer’s own prediction of future solutions
- – the increasing use of motor vehicles
- – the impact of the car on city development
Answers with explanation:
The answer for the statement 1 is C, because in this paragraph a comparison is clearly mentioned about the transportation. The answer for statement 2 is F, because issues related to road are provided in the paragraph. The answer for statement 3 is the paragraph E. Statement 4 belongs to paragraph H and statement 5 is related to paragraph A. The answer for the statement 6 is paragraph D, because the impacts are clearly discussed in the paragraph D.
Challenges faced in matching paragraph information reading module
Managing time:
Managing time is one of the main challenges faced by the candidates. There is a limited time for test. If you have good command on the reading skills, you can accomplish your time easily. Master skimming and scanning to manage time.
The answers do not follow the sequence, so it takes an amount of time to choose the correct passage for the relevant statement. Most of the irrelevant information can be seen in the paragraph, it will become problematic for you to find the exact paragraph for matching the statement.
In fact, this type of issue is faced when you get confused about the paragraphs. Good knowledge of vocabulary along with proper understanding is the solution, so build your vocabulary to achieve well in the reading test.
Confusing about keywords
It is also technical to find out the exact statement according to the passage. There are some of the keywords in the statement, you have to find these in the paragraph. Apply the strategy of skimming and scanning to match the information of the statement to paragraph.
Tips for matching paragraph information in IELTS reading
- I recommend to do this type of question in the end of paragraph, as it takes more time as compared to other IELTS reading question types. If you solve other question types first, you can easily get an idea about the passages and it can be easy for you to match the statements in the end. By doing this kind of activity, you can manage your time.
- The answers will not come in the order.
- Find names, places or numbers, if there are. It will be helpful to find answers quickly.
- It can be possible that some of the statements don’t match with any paragraph.
- Remember the synonyms and keywords to solve this type of IELTS reading.
- Read the question paragraph first, then move to the statements to solve IELTS reading matching paragraph information question type. This technique is so much fruitful, as I have applied it on thousands of my students who have got success in IELTS.
- It is not important to understand each word of the paragraph; just compare and relate the paragraph to the question statement.
In a nutshell
A well described procedure has been mentioned to guide you about IELTS reading matching paragraph information. An example familiarizes you about the question and its strategies. Learn them and earn higher band scores in IELTS reading.
