IELTS Reading question types that cost Band 6 students marks

Matching headings

Read the headings before the passage. Each heading is a paraphrase of the paragraph's main idea, not a detail. If two headings feel possible, the one that covers the whole paragraph wins.

Yes / No / Not Given

This is about the writer's views, not facts in the world. Yes = the writer states it. No = the writer states the opposite. Not Given = you would have to invent the answer.

A useful check: if you need outside knowledge to decide, it is Not Given.

Summary completion

The summary follows the order of the text. Predict the word type (noun, number, adjective) before you look. Then scan for a synonym, not the same word.

Next step

If you are stuck at 6.0–6.5, the issue is almost never 'more practice tests'. It is a repeatable method for each question type. That is what we fix in lessons.