In your IELTS preparation, you’ll need to practice a total of 11 IELTS reading question types. In this article, we’ll look at the Match Feature IELTS reading question type in detail and provide you with IELTS reading exam tips on answering this question type successfully.
In this post, you will
- Identify what a match feature question is
- Identify common problems students have when answering match feature questions
- Learn IELTS reading exam tips & strategies for successfully answering a match feature question
- Do a match feature IELTS reading practice question.
Match Feature Question Type Introduction
In this test question type, you are required to match a list of options to a set of statements. Options are presented in a box and are often someone’s name, normally an expert, researcher or scientist. Statements could be theories, research findings, places, years, etc. The statements will not be ordered in the same way as the given text. In addition, statements will paraphrase information from the text. You can find a sample of match feature questions at the bottom of this post.
Common Problems Answering IELTS Reading Match Feature Questions
Match feature questions are not difficult, but there are some traps you should avoid falling into.
The most common mistake is trying to search for words in the text that match exactly with words in the statement.Statements in matching feature questions usually paraphrase and use synonyms, so you won’t find the exact same words.
Another mistake made by students is to read the whole text and try to find the name. A better and much more efficient way is to find the name by quickly scanning the text. Once you find it, you can read closely to locate the answer.
The final mistake is getting stuck on one statement/name for too long. Out of all the names, there will be one or two that are harder to match corresponding statements. Some names will come up only once in the text and some will occur several times. The names that appear several times will be more difficult to match because you will need to look at several places in the text. If you find yourself stuck on one statement for too long, you’re better off moving on to the next statement.
IELTS Reading Exam Tips & Strategies: How to Answer Match Feature Questions
Now that you’re aware of the common mistakes made answering a match feature question, it’s time to start your IELTS preparation for answering a match feature question type. We’ll begin by teaching you some IELTS reading tips & strategies for successfully answering a match feature question.
- Read the question slowly and carefully.
- Take a look at all the names, and then scan for the names in the reading text. If you can, underline them.
- Start with names that appear only once, because these are the easiest.
- Read the text around the name and then go back to the statements in the question and match. Be aware of synonyms.
- When you find a statement that matches a name, delete the statement. Each statement can only be used once.
- Repeat for the rest of the names.
Free IELTS Reading Samples
Let’s do some IELTS reading practice to hone the new skills, tips, and strategies you’ve learned. You are welcome to leave your answers in the comment section.
Look at the following findings (Questions 20-23) and the list of researchers below.
Match each finding with the correct researcher or researchers, A-E.
Write the correct letter A-E, in boxes 20-23 on your answer sheet.
20. A sense of identity can never be formed without relationships with other people.
21. A child’s awareness of self is related to a sense of mastery over things and people.
22. At a certain age, children’s sense of identity leads to aggressive behavior.
23. Observing their own reflection contributes to children‘s self-awareness.
List of Researchers
C Lewis and Brooks-Gunn