IELTS Sentence Completion Fill-in The Blanks Question: The Ultimate Method (Exercises)

IELTS Sentence Completion: The Word-for-Word Extraction Guide

Sentence Completion questions require you to fill a gap in a sentence with words taken directly from the passage. This is a test of meticulous attention to detail. The challenge isn’t just finding the answer, but finding it in the correct grammatical form and the exact wording the examiner demands. This guide will provide the blueprint for flawless execution.

Part 1: The Non-Negotiable Rules

Before strategy, you must internalize the rules. Breaking them costs you a mark, regardless of meaning.

Use the Exact Words: You must copy the words from the text. Do not change the form, tense, or number.
Adhere to the Word Limit: The instruction will say, “Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.” or something similar. This includes articles (a, an, the). If you write four words, your answer is wrong.
Spelling Must be Perfect: A misspelling is an incorrect answer.
It’s a Direct Lift: You are not paraphrasing. You are a scribe, faithfully transcribing.

Part 2: The Strategic Blueprint – Grammar as Your Guide

Your most powerful weapon in this question type is grammar. The incomplete sentence provides a perfect grammatical framework that the correct words must fit into.

Step 1: Analyze the Incomplete Sentence

Read the sentence carefully and identify the grammatical nature of the gap.
Is it a noun (subject/object)? A verb? An adjective? Part of a prepositional phrase?
Example: “The study concluded that _____________ was the most significant factor.” Here, the gap is clearly the subject of the clause, so it must be a noun or noun phrase.

Step 2: Identify Key “Search” Words

Underline the key content words in the sentence (nouns, verbs, adjectives) that are not part of the grammatical structure of the gap itself. These are your scanning anchors.

Step 3: Locate and Confirm

Use your “search” words to scan the passage and find the relevant sentence.
When you find it, read the text around it intensively.
Check the Grammar: The words you select from the text must fit perfectly into the grammatical structure of the question sentence. If the question needs a plural noun, the text must provide a plural noun.

Step 4: Extract and Verify

Copy the words exactly.
Double-check: Word count? Spelling? Grammatical fit?

Part 3: The Examiner’s Toolkit – Common Traps and How to Avoid Them

The examiner sets traps using grammar and meaning. Your job is to sidestep them.

The Trap	What it looks like	How to Beat It
The “Word Form” Trap	The text has the correct word, but in the wrong grammatical form (e.g., `create` vs. `creation`).	Let the grammar of the question sentence dictate the form. If the gap follows “the,” it likely needs a noun.
The “Synonym” Trap	You find the meaning, but the words are synonyms, not the exact words. (e.g., question says “huge increase,” text says “massive rise”).	Ignore the meaning for a second. Scan for the exact words from the question sentence. The answer will be nearby.
The “Plurality” Trap	The text has the singular form (`experiment`) but the question sentence grammatically requires the plural (`experiments`), or vice-versa.	The verb in the question sentence is your clue. “The ________ were conducted” requires a plural subject.
The “Article” Trap	The word limit is tight, and the text includes an article (`a solution`) but the question sentence already has an article (`the ______`).	You must omit the article from the text to make it fit grammatically into the question. The answer would be `solution`.
The “Beyond the Gap” Trap	The correct words are not in the same sentence as your “search” words but in the preceding or following sentence.	Always read the sentence before and after the one containing your keywords.

Part 4: Progressive Activities & Exercises

Activity 1: Micro-Skill Builder – The Grammar Gap Filler

Objective: To train your brain to use grammar to predict the type of word needed, before even seeing the text.

Activity 2: Unique Reading Passage & Question Set 1

The Rise of Vertical Farming

[A] As the global population continues to urbanize, the challenge of securing a sustainable food supply for cities has become increasingly urgent. Traditional agriculture, with its massive demands for land, water, and transportation, is struggling to meet this demand efficiently. In response, a new agricultural model has emerged: vertical farming. This involves growing crops in vertically stacked layers, often within controlled-environment buildings such as repurposed warehouses or skyscrapers.

[B] The core advantage of vertical farming is its staggering efficiency. By controlling light, temperature, and nutrients with precision, these farms can achieve crop yields hundreds of times higher per square meter than traditional fields. Furthermore, they drastically reduce water consumption by up to 95% through recirculating systems. Perhaps most importantly, by being located within or on the outskirts of cities, they slash the financial and environmental costs associated with long-distance transportation, effectively eliminating “food miles.”

[C] Despite these benefits, significant obstacles remain. The initial setup cost for a vertical farm is exceptionally high, requiring major investment in lighting, sensors, and climate control technology. This currently makes the produce more expensive for consumers. Moreover, the energy required to power the artificial lighting is substantial. While some farms are transitioning to renewable energy, the carbon footprint of a vertical farm is still a point of contention among environmental researchers.

[D] The future of vertical farming likely lies in a hybrid approach. It is not envisioned as a wholesale replacement for traditional agriculture but rather as a crucial supplement for providing fresh, leafy greens and herbs to urban populations. As technology advances and costs decrease, its role in creating more resilient and decentralized food systems is expected to grow significantly.

Questions 1-4
Complete the sentences below.

Activity 3: Unique Reading Passage & Question Set 2 (Advanced)

The Psychology of Procrastination

[A] Procrastination, the act of delaying tasks despite negative consequences, is often mischaracterized as simple laziness. Psychological research reframes it as a failure of self-regulation, rooted in our emotional response to a task. When we perceive a task as anxiety-provoking, boring, or overwhelming, our brain seeks immediate relief. This relief is found in distraction, which provides a temporary mood repair by shifting our focus to something more pleasurable in the short term.

[B] The primary battlefield of procrastination is the interplay between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system, one of the brain’s oldest structures, is associated with immediate gratification and emotions. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive functions like planning and impulse control, is a more recent evolutionary development. When faced with an unpleasant task, the limbic system’s cry for immediate relief can overpower the prefrontal cortex’s long-term goals.

[C] Certain personality traits increase susceptibility to procrastination. Individuals high in impulsiveness are naturally more drawn to immediate rewards. Furthermore, those with perfectionistic tendencies often procrastinate not out of laziness, but out of a fear of failure or of producing substandard work. This creates a paralyzing anxiety that makes starting the task aversive. The task becomes so associated with the threat to one’s self-esteem that avoidance is the only solution.

[D] Combating procrastination requires strategies that address this emotional core. One effective technique is “implementation intention,” which involves creating a specific “if-then” plan (e.g., “If it is 9 AM, then I will work on my report for 25 minutes”). This reduces the mental effort required to start by automating the decision. Another key is to focus on “starting” rather than “finishing,” as the initial resistance is often the highest hurdle. Breaking a project into minuscule, non-threatening first steps can make it feel less daunting.