IELTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings: Practice Questions & Tips
In matching sentence endings you get the first half of a sentence and a list of possible second halves. Several endings will fit the grammar, and some will even be true in real life; only one says what the text says.
So you need two filters: grammar to cut the list down, then meaning to pick the winner. Below you will see how to use both, the traps that make wrong endings look right, 16 practice sentences with explanations and a full exam-style task.
How matching sentence endings works
You get a set of sentence beginnings, numbered, and a longer list of endings, lettered A, B, C…. You choose the ending that completes each sentence so it matches the text. There are always more endings than beginnings, and the beginnings follow the order of the text.
Use two filters: grammar, then meaning
| Filter | What to check |
|---|---|
| 1. Grammar | Does the ending fit? … because needs a reason; so that they needs a verb; a singular subject needs a singular verb. |
| 2. Meaning | Find the part of the text the beginning refers to. Which remaining ending says the same thing? |
Bamboo is used more and more for building because …
“it is cheaper than wood” fits the grammar and may be true, but the text does not say it. The right ending is the one the text gives: it grows back fast and is strong.
Matching sentence endings practice
Read the text and choose the ending that matches it. The endings are shuffled each time. Each round picks 8 of 16 sentences at random, with an explanation for every answer. Tip: press 1–4 on your keyboard.
Now try a full exam-style task
In the test you complete four to six sentences from a longer list of endings. Give yourself about 5 minutes, write down your answers, and then open How to answer to check them.
Questions 1–4
Read the text below and answer Questions 1–4.
The secret life of trees
For a long time, scientists thought of trees in a forest as competitors, each fighting the others for light and water. Research over the past thirty years has changed that picture.
Beneath the ground, the roots of many trees are connected by fungi, which form a network sometimes called the ‘wood wide web’. Through this network, trees can pass sugar and water to one another.
The Canadian ecologist Suzanne Simard found that large, old trees, which she calls ‘mother trees’, send more resources to young trees growing in their shade. When a mother tree is cut down, the young trees around it are more likely to die.
Some trees also appear to send warning signals. When insects attack one tree, chemical messages travel through the network, and neighbouring trees begin producing substances that make their leaves less tasty to insects.
Not all scientists accept these findings. Some argue that the evidence comes from a small number of studies and that the fungi may simply be serving their own needs rather than helping the trees.
Questions 1–4
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, below.
Write the correct letter, A–G, in boxes 1–4 on your answer sheet.
- Anearby trees prepare to defend themselves.
- Bcompete with trees for light.
- Callow trees to share food and water.
- Dthe studies were carried out badly.
- Ereceive extra resources from it.
- Fthe fungi might be acting in their own interest.
- Gare more likely to die.
How to answer: step by step
- C The fungi form a network through which trees pass sugar and water. Compete with trees for light (B) is what scientists used to think about the trees, not the fungi.
- E Mother trees send more resources to young trees in their shade. Are more likely to die (G) is true only when the mother tree is cut down, so it does not complete this sentence on its own.
- A Chemical messages travel through the network, and neighbouring trees protect themselves. Grammar check: after a comma you need a full clause.
- F The fungi may simply be serving their own needs. D sounds like a criticism, but the text never says the studies were badly done.
Did you notice? Endings B, D and G were all close to something in the text. B describes the old view of trees, D is a criticism the text does not make, and G is only true in one situation. That is how sentence-ending traps are built.
6 tips for matching sentence endings
- 1
Read the beginnings first
Underline the key words in each beginning. They tell you where to look in the text, and the beginnings follow its order.
- 2
Cut the list with grammar
Many endings cannot fit grammatically. Crossing them out leaves you with two or three real choices.
- 3
Find the matching part of the text
Locate the sentence the beginning paraphrases, then read it carefully, including the sentence after it.
- 4
Don't trust what sounds true
An ending can be true in real life and still be wrong. Only what the text says counts.
- 5
Check the whole sentence
Read beginning and ending together. Does it say exactly what the text says, no more and no less?
- 6
Expect extra endings
There are always more endings than you need, and the extras are designed to look right.
Matching sentence endings FAQ
Quick answers to the questions students ask most.
Are the sentence beginnings in order?
Yes. The beginnings follow the order of the information in the text, which helps you find the right part quickly.
Can I use an ending more than once?
No, each ending is used only once, and some endings are not used at all.
What if two endings both seem correct?
Go back to the text and check the exact meaning. One ending usually adds something the text does not say, or changes how strong the claim is.
Do I write the letter or the ending?
Write the letter only, for example C, in the box on your answer sheet.
How is this different from sentence completion?
In sentence completion you write words from the text. In matching sentence endings you choose a ready-made ending from a list.
IELTS Reading question types
All 11 types in order. Pick one to practise next.
- 1True / False / Not GivenPractice →
- 2Yes / No / Not GivenPractice →
- 3Matching headingsPractice →
- 4Matching informationPractice →
- 5Matching featuresPractice →
- 6Matching sentence endingsYou are here
- 7Sentence completionPractice →
- 8Summary completionPractice →
- 9Diagram labelsPractice →
- 10Multiple choicePractice →
- 11Short answersPractice →