Grammar Can Drop Endings; Only the Passage Can Pick One

People search ielts reading matching sentence endings after a grammatical ending still scores zero. The task is not a grammar quiz. You finish a stem only when the passage supports that completion.

You finish a stem from a longer list

Matching sentence endings asks you to finish a half-sentence with one option from a longer list. IDP describes the job as connecting sentence halves from information in the passage. The list is longer than the question set, so leftover endings exist on purpose.

Read every stem first. Underline the subject and the unfinished idea. You do not need the endings yet. The stem tells you which part of the passage to open.

Then locate that idea. Answers often follow passage order, which narrows the search. Order is a map. It is not proof that the first grammatical ending you see is correct.

Grammar can only drop impossible endings

Grammar can drop endings that cannot attach to the stem. IDP says a grammatical mismatch is likely incorrect. That is a filter, not a ranking.

• Drop an ending that cannot agree with the stem's subject or tense.
• Drop an ending that turns the stem into a broken clause.
• Keep every ending that could sit after the stem in ordinary English.
• Do not treat the tidiest leftover as the answer.

IDP lists a common mistake: matching on meaning or grammar without reading the text. A stem about “theories” can take several plural verb endings. Grammar leaves two or three standing. Only the passage can finish the job.

Only the passage can pick one ending

Only the passage can pick one ending among the grammatically possible options. Return to the sentence that carries the stem idea. Ask whether the completed sentence is what that sentence actually says, including any paraphrase.

Worked check. Stem: “Insights into the development of fairy tales”. Two endings both fit grammatically: “may be provided through methods used in biological research” and “show considerable global variation”. Shared words will not decide it. The passage must say where the insights come from, or what they show. If the passage credits research methods, the first ending wins. If it only discusses variation, the second wins.

Cross out used endings so you do not recycle a letter. If the last stem has one leftover, still read the passage. Leftovers are often written to look plausible.

A format list does not decide the ending

A format list names the task; it does not decide the ending. The site's IELTS test format guide lists matching sentence endings among Reading types. Keep module choice, timing, and computer-versus-paper questions there.

This page stays on one decision: eliminate, then prove. Cambridge also publishes a Task Type 7 activity for Academic Reading. Use official practice for the format. Use the passage for the letter.

iWorld Learning has no named IELTS course. Official technique notes sit on the IDP matching sentence endings article.

FAQ

These questions appear after candidates already know there is a longer ending list.

Can a grammatically perfect ending still be wrong?

Yes. Grammar only drops impossible attachments. The passage must still support the completed sentence.

Are there more endings than questions?

Usually yes. Leftover endings are distractors. Do not force a leftover onto the last stem without a passage check.

Do matching sentence endings follow passage order?

IDP says answers follow the same order as the passage. Use order to locate the idea. Then prove the meaning before you write the letter.