IELTS Reading Summary Completion: With and Without Word Bank
Quick answer: IELTS Reading summary completion comes in two formats: with a word bank (choose from a list, no exact passage match) and without a word bank (write words from the passage). With a bank, focus on grammar fit and meaning fit. Without a bank, focus on word-limit compliance and exact transcription.
This guide is part of the WitPrep IELTS Hub. It is updated for 2026 with the current IELTS format, fees, and band descriptors. If you want a personalised band estimate before reading, run the free IELTS diagnostic.
How summary completion appears in IELTS Reading
Summary completion gives you a paraphrased summary of part of the passage with 5–10 numbered gaps. Your job is to fill each gap to make a grammatically correct sentence that matches the passage.
Two formats exist. Format A provides a word bank below the summary (e.g., 12 word options labelled A–L; you pick the right letters). Format B asks you to use words from the passage directly within a strict word-limit instruction (typically NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS).
Format A appears more often in Academic; Format B in both Academic and General Training.
Format A strategy: word bank
Step 1: read the summary first to understand the topic and overall narrative.
Step 2: read the word bank and group words by part of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives). This narrows the candidates per gap.
Step 3: for each gap, predict the part of speech from the surrounding grammar. Cross out word-bank options that don't fit grammatically.
Step 4: from the remaining options, pick the one whose meaning matches what the passage says about that point.
- Words in a bank are usually paraphrases of passage vocabulary, not exact matches
- Each word in the bank is used at most once
- Banks include 2–4 distractor words that look plausible but don't fit any gap
Format B strategy: direct from passage
Step 1: locate the relevant section of the passage that the summary covers — usually 2–4 paragraphs.
Step 2: for each gap, predict part of speech and meaning category.
Step 3: scan the relevant passage section for the word that fits both predictions. Copy it exactly, respecting the word limit.
Step 4: re-read the gap-filled summary to confirm it makes grammatical sense. If not, you've copied the wrong word.
Do not change the form of the word — if the passage says "adapted", do not write "adaptation". The exact passage form is required.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: filling gaps in summary order without reading the whole summary first. Sometimes the answer to gap 2 is mentioned later in the passage than gap 4.
Mistake 2: using a word from the passage when format A requires a word from the bank.
Mistake 3: word-form mismatch (passage says "economy", grammar of summary requires "economic"). Format B does not allow you to change form.
Worked example (Format A)
Summary: "The Antikythera mechanism is thought to have been used to (1) ___ astronomical events. Its (2) ___ design featured 30 bronze gears, demonstrating an unexpected level of (3) ___ in ancient Greek engineering."
Word bank: predict, sophistication, complex, evidence, salvage, calendar, missing, simple, foretell, depth.
Gap 1 needs a verb (transitive, taking "events"). Candidates: predict, foretell. The passage uses "predict" → answer A (predict).
Gap 2 needs an adjective. Candidates: complex, simple, missing. Passage describes the mechanism as "complex and elegant" → answer (complex).
Gap 3 needs a noun expressing quality. Candidates: sophistication, depth, evidence. Passage says "sophistication unmatched in its era" → answer (sophistication).
Practice plan for summary completion
Drill 4 Format A sets and 4 Format B sets from Cambridge IELTS.
Track which format you score higher on. Most band-7 candidates do better on Format A because the word bank constrains errors.
If Format B accuracy is below 70%, the issue is usually word-limit violations or word-form changes — both fixable in a single 30-minute review.
Practice this with WitPrep
Reading about IELTS only gets you so far — band gains come from rubric-graded practice. Open the IELTS Reading drills to drill this exact skill with band-by-band feedback. If you have not yet baselined your level, start with the free IELTS diagnostic (free, ~10 min).
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many marks is a summary completion block worth?
Usually 5–8 marks per block, contributing 12–20% of Reading total.
Can word-bank options be reused?
No. Each option is used at most once.
Is the summary always paraphrased?
Yes. The summary uses different vocabulary from the passage to test paraphrase recognition.
What if the answer doesn't appear in the passage?
On Format A, the answer is in the word bank, not the passage. On Format B, the answer must be in the passage; if you can't find it, re-locate the relevant passage section.
Are number answers possible?
Yes. "30 gears" appears in the bank or passage and can be the answer.
Should I write capital letters?
Capitalisation is not graded. Be consistent.
How we verify this content
Every fact on this page is sourced from primary IELTS publishers — IELTS.org, the British Council, IDP IELTS Australia, Cambridge Assessment English, or the relevant national immigration authority. Our IELTS team re-checks these sources at least once per quarter. Where we cite institution-specific scores, we link to that institution's own admissions or visa page. If you spot anything out of date, please contact our editors.