The Matching Headings guide
The 5-step method
2. Summarise it in 3 to 6 of your own words before looking at the headings.
3. Compare your summary with the headings. Cross out any that are clearly wrong.
4. Check the best one: does it cover the whole paragraph, not just one part?
5. Eliminate. Each heading is used once, and there are always extra headings. Do easy paragraphs first.
Where is the main idea?
Five distractor types
Too broad / off-topic: a bigger topic than the paragraph covers.
Opposite: says the reverse of the paragraph.
Keyword trap: repeats words from the paragraph but not its idea.
First-sentence trap: matches sentence 1, but a later sentence changes direction.
Worked example
Bees are in trouble. Over the past two decades honeybee colonies in many countries have declined sharply, and wild pollinators such as bumblebees are disappearing even faster. This matters because roughly a third of the food we eat depends on pollination. Scientists blame pesticides, loss of habitat and disease, and warn that farmers may soon face serious shortages.
Your route to 80% or more
Do the tabs in order. Aim for 5 out of 6 in every set before moving on. If you miss one, read the explanation and name the trap type. Timing target: about 2 minutes per paragraph.
Short paragraphs
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Paragraph 1. Many people believe that older adults cannot learn new skills. In fact, studies show that the brain stays flexible throughout life, and people in their seventies have mastered languages and instruments. What matters is practice and motivation, not age.
Paragraph 2. Plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down. Several countries have introduced a small charge for each bag, and shop use has fallen by more than half. Governments now see simple charges as an effective way to change shopping habits.
Paragraph 3. The first cinemas were noisy, crowded halls with live pianists. Gradually, sound films replaced silent ones, and buildings became quieter and more comfortable. Today audiences can watch films at home, so cinemas are adding luxury seats and restaurants.
Paragraph 4. Coffee originated in Ethiopia, but it is now grown on every tropical continent. Brazil produces the largest share, followed by Vietnam and Colombia. Growing demand has turned coffee into one of the most widely traded products in the world.
Paragraph 5. Some experts claim that working four days a week would make employees happier. However, a recent trial found that although staff reported less stress, productivity fell in several departments. The results suggest that shorter weeks are not a simple solution.
Paragraph 6. A museum in Oslo has replaced its guides with a smartphone app. Visitors scan an object and hear its story. Staff say this gives people more freedom, but some visitors miss talking to a real person.
Numbered paragraphs
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Paragraph 1. (1) Sleep is essential for learning. (2) During deep sleep the brain stores new information. (3) Students who sleep well remember more. (4) One study showed a twenty per cent gain in test scores.
Paragraph 2. (1) Many travellers say that guidebooks are out of date. (2) Online reviews appear to be more current. (3) However, reviews can be written by anyone and are often unreliable. (4) Some are even paid for by businesses.
Paragraph 3. (1) Early Egyptians kept cats to protect grain. (2) The Greeks later used them against rats on ships. (3) In medieval Europe cats were valued in towns. (4) In every age, then, cats have been prized as useful companions.
Paragraph 4. (1) Rivers have always attracted cities. (2) Yet today, many rivers are so polluted that cities are turning away from them. (3) Factory waste and sewage are the biggest causes. (4) Cleaning them will take decades.
Paragraph 5. (1) Why do flamingos stand on one leg? (2) Scientists believe it saves body heat in cold water. (3) Their legs lose heat quickly. (4) Resting one leg reduces this loss.
Rooftop farming
i Using unused space to grow food in cities
ii Engineering solutions to early weaknesses
iii The environmental case for local produce
iv Costs that hold back rooftop farming
v Government support and new strategies
vi The dangers of eating city-grown vegetables
vii A history of agriculture in Montreal
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A. As cities grow, farmland shrinks and food travels further to reach the table. Some architects now suggest planting crops on the one area every city has in abundance: the roof. Rooftop farms turn unused concrete into productive land without taking space from housing or roads.
B. The earliest rooftop gardens were small and often disappointing. Soil was heavy, and many buildings could not support it. Engineers responded with lightweight growing materials, which made large farms possible for the first time.
C. Food grown on the roof is eaten within hours of picking, so it needs little packaging or transport. A study in Montreal estimated that a single large farm saves tonnes of carbon each year, and restaurants below can serve vegetables fresher than any import.
D. Despite these advantages, rooftop farming is expensive to start. Waterproofing, safety rails and irrigation systems can cost more than the crops earn for years, and many owners are unwilling to invest.
E. Even so, supporters remain hopeful. Some cities now offer tax reductions to owners who use their roofs for food or energy, and growers are experimenting with high-value crops such as herbs. If these steps succeed, the cost barrier may gradually fall.
Libraries in the digital age
i A widening range of services
ii Why libraries did not disappear
iii The decline of reading among young people
iv Closing the technology gap
v Budget pressures threatening services
vi Imaginative ways to find support
vii A future centred on people
viii How the internet replaced books
ix Staff training in new technology
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A. Many people predicted that the internet would empty libraries. Fifteen years later, the opposite has happened in several countries: visits have risen and new buildings are opening. Libraries have survived not by competing with search engines but by offering something a screen cannot.
B. Today’s libraries lend far more than books. Visitors can borrow tools, musical instruments and even seeds, and join classes in coding or cooking. A librarian in Helsinki described the building as a living room for the city.
C. Digital access is another strength. People without computers at home use library terminals to apply for jobs and fill in government forms. For them, the library is the only connection to many essential services.
D. Funding, however, remains a serious worry. Local authorities facing budget cuts have reduced opening hours or closed branches altogether, and volunteers cannot always fill the gap. Critics warn that the benefits will be lost if cuts continue.
E. Some librarians have found creative answers. Partnerships with cafés and businesses bring in income, and community groups rent meeting rooms. Others ask local residents to help design services, which also builds support when money is tight.
F. Whatever happens, libraries are likely to change again. Many experts expect fewer shelves and more flexible space, with technology used to support, not replace, human contact. The central lesson is that a library’s value lies in people, not paper.
The sound of the city
i Noise as a health concern
ii Why loudness alone is a poor measure
iii Fixes that tackle one source at a time
iv Improving perception by adding pleasant sound
v Doubts about the new approach
vi Realistic goals instead of silence
vii The economic cost of noise to city budgets
viii How residents learn to ignore noise completely
ix The complete removal of noise from cities
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A. Noise has long been treated as a mere nuisance, but researchers increasingly regard it as a public health issue. Long exposure to traffic and construction sound is associated with raised blood pressure and disturbed sleep, effects that occur even when residents say they have grown used to it.
B. Measuring the problem is harder than it sounds. Decibel readings capture loudness, yet people react more strongly to sounds that are sudden, unpredictable or unwelcome. A quiet, repetitive dripping can be more irritating than a steady roar, which is why planners now consider character as well as volume.
C. Cities have responded in different ways. Some impose limits on night-time deliveries, while others have changed road surfaces or built barriers beside motorways. Such measures help, but they tend to treat one source at a time, leaving the combined soundscape largely untouched.
D. A newer approach does not only remove noise but adds sound. Designers install fountains, plant trees that attract birds and open quiet courtyards where pleasant sound masks traffic. Early surveys suggest residents rate these spaces as calmer, even where measured volume barely changes.
E. Not everyone is convinced. Critics point out that surveys capture feelings, not physical effects, and that masking a noise does not protect the body from it. They argue that money spent on fountains would be better spent on reducing traffic itself.
F. The debate is unlikely to be settled soon, but both camps agree on one thing: cities cannot be made silent. The realistic aim is to give people more control over the sounds they live with and more places to escape them.
Warm-up: name the trap
Read the worked example on the left. What is wrong or right with each possible heading?
Level 1: Three headings
Beginner. Choose the heading that covers the whole paragraph.
Level 2: Find the main idea
Pre-intermediate. Find the sentence that holds the main idea, then choose the heading.
Level 3: Guided passage
Intermediate. For each paragraph, summarise first (A), then choose the heading (B).
Level 4: Exam practice
Upper-intermediate. Target: 16 minutes. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings. There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all, and each heading is used once only.
Level 5: Advanced
Advanced, with close distractors. Target: 12 minutes. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings. There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all, and each heading is used once only.