IELTS Reading: Matching sentence endings
Complete each sentence beginning with the correct ending from a list. There are more endings than beginnings, and the sentences follow the order of the passage.
156 practice sets · 700 questions · each set is timed at about 90 seconds per question
How to answer
- Locate each sentence beginning in the passage.
- Rule out endings that don't fit grammatically before you check meaning.
- Make sure the full sentence matches what the passage actually says.
Common traps
- Endings that are true according to the passage but belong to a different beginning.
Matching sentence endings practice sets
| Passage | Questions | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does Speaking Two Languages Make You Smarter? Academic Reading Practice Test 2 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Music and the Mind Academic Reading Practice Test 6 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| The Crowd in the Laboratory Academic Reading Practice Test 9 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Rethinking the Open-Plan Office Academic Reading Practice Test 14 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Whose Heritage? Academic Reading Practice Test 16 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Too Many Visitors? Academic Reading Practice Test 19 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| The Myth of Learning Styles Academic Reading Practice Test 23 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| When Everyone Gets an A Academic Reading Practice Test 28 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| In Defence of the Test Academic Reading Practice Test 30 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| The True Cost of Cheap Clothes Academic Reading Practice Test 34 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Is It Time to Stop Tipping? Academic Reading Practice Test 37 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Faces on the Page Academic Reading Practice Test 49 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| When a Dialect Falls Silent Academic Reading Practice Test 51 · Part 3 | 35–40 (6) | Easier | Practise |
| Should English Spelling Be Reformed? Academic Reading Practice Test 52 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| When Choice Becomes a Burden Academic Reading Practice Test 56 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Witnesses and Reporters Academic Reading Practice Test 58 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Facial Recognition: The Case for Rules Academic Reading Practice Test 60 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Steel Caregivers: Robots for an Ageing World Academic Reading Practice Test 62 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| The Urban Magnet: Migration and the Future of Cities Academic Reading Practice Test 64 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Ears or Eyes: The Audiobook Question Academic Reading Practice Test 74 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Keep the Ship or Let It Go? Academic Reading Practice Test 215 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| A Percentage of Who You Are Academic Reading Practice Test 218 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| How a Roman Bath Worked Academic Reading Practice Test 219 · Part 2 | 22–24 (3) | Easier | Practise |
| The Dead in the Glass Case Academic Reading Practice Test 221 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Was the Renaissance Really a Turning Point? Academic Reading Practice Test 224 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Theory of the Four Humours Academic Reading Practice Test 225 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Harder | Practise |
| A Year to Remember? Academic Reading Practice Test 227 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| The Unfinished Life Academic Reading Practice Test 230 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Reading the Hillforts Academic Reading Practice Test 231 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| History in the Feed Academic Reading Practice Test 233 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| The Case for the Copy Academic Reading Practice Test 236 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Wine of the Ancient Mediterranean Academic Reading Practice Test 237 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Harder | Practise |
| Does Studying History Make Better Citizens? Academic Reading Practice Test 239 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Restoration or Distortion? Academic Reading Practice Test 242 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Counting the People of the Past Academic Reading Practice Test 243 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Endangered Languages Be Protected? Academic Reading Practice Test 245 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| The Historian's Oath Academic Reading Practice Test 248 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Scurvy, Lind and the Long Search for a Cure Academic Reading Practice Test 249 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Must Historical Films Be Accurate? Academic Reading Practice Test 251 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Secrets on the Shelf Academic Reading Practice Test 254 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Paper Money and the Song State Academic Reading Practice Test 255 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Commemorative Holidays Change Over Time? Academic Reading Practice Test 257 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| The Private Page Academic Reading Practice Test 260 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Can Big Data Produce Real History? Academic Reading Practice Test 263 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| History's Two Audiences Academic Reading Practice Test 266 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Knots That Kept the Accounts Academic Reading Practice Test 267 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Two Prices at the Temple Gate Academic Reading Practice Test 269 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Is Judging the Past by the Present Always a Mistake? Academic Reading Practice Test 272 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Archive in Clay Academic Reading Practice Test 273 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| The Historian's Dilemma Academic Reading Practice Test 275 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Old Graveyards Make Way for the Living? Academic Reading Practice Test 278 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Fairs and Markets in Medieval Europe Academic Reading Practice Test 279 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cathedrals Charge Tourists for Entry? Academic Reading Practice Test 281 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Historic Gardens Be Restored to Their Original Design? Academic Reading Practice Test 284 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Church Bells Were Cast Academic Reading Practice Test 285 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| What Makes a Past Event Worth Remembering? Academic Reading Practice Test 287 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Schools Teach the History of Science? Academic Reading Practice Test 290 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| What Did Medieval People Eat? Academic Reading Practice Test 291 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Amateurs and the Past: Partners or Intruders? Academic Reading Practice Test 293 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Lighting Up the Past Academic Reading Practice Test 296 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The First Weather Records Academic Reading Practice Test 297 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Traditional Festivals Be Adapted for Modern Audiences? Academic Reading Practice Test 299 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Public Money Fund the Search for Historical Wrecks? Academic Reading Practice Test 302 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Trade in Winter Ice Academic Reading Practice Test 303 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Historians Advise on National Monuments? Academic Reading Practice Test 305 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| A Tax on Sweetness Academic Reading Practice Test 311 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should the State Pay for Complementary Medicine? Academic Reading Practice Test 314 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Choosing Our Children Academic Reading Practice Test 319 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Every School Teach Children to Cook? Academic Reading Practice Test 322 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Hormones of Hunger Academic Reading Practice Test 323 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Choosing the Doctors of the Future Academic Reading Practice Test 327 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Health Apps Be Regulated Like Medicines? Academic Reading Practice Test 330 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cycle Helmets Be Compulsory? Academic Reading Practice Test 335 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Patients Be Charged for Missed Appointments? Academic Reading Practice Test 338 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Stomach's Delicate Truce Academic Reading Practice Test 339 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Harder | Practise |
| Should We Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes? Academic Reading Practice Test 343 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Experts Check What We Read About Health? Academic Reading Practice Test 346 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| A Moving Age Limit Academic Reading Practice Test 351 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Antibiotics Be Sold Only on Prescription? Academic Reading Practice Test 354 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Mending the Code Academic Reading Practice Test 355 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Who Should Pay to Eradicate Disease? Academic Reading Practice Test 359 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Health Care Be Rationed by Age? Academic Reading Practice Test 362 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| How the Brain Controls Movement Academic Reading Practice Test 363 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Masks Be Required on Public Transport in Flu Season? Academic Reading Practice Test 367 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Medical Training Be Shortened? Academic Reading Practice Test 370 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Body in Free Fall Academic Reading Practice Test 371 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Boxing Be Banned? Academic Reading Practice Test 375 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Who Should Pay for HIV Prevention? Academic Reading Practice Test 378 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Painkillers Be Sold Only in Pharmacies? Academic Reading Practice Test 383 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| The Generosity Problem Academic Reading Practice Test 386 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Why the Dose Makes the Poison Academic Reading Practice Test 387 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Harder | Practise |
| Should Everyone over Forty Be Offered a Health Check? Academic Reading Practice Test 391 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| How Many Conditions Should We Test For? Academic Reading Practice Test 394 · Part 3 | 32–35 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Crossing the Species Barrier Academic Reading Practice Test 395 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Therapy Through a Screen Academic Reading Practice Test 399 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Bottled Water Be Discouraged? Academic Reading Practice Test 402 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Tetanus Poisons the Nerves Academic Reading Practice Test 403 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Screening the Very Young Academic Reading Practice Test 407 · Part 3 | 31–35 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| An Ark with No Shore Academic Reading Practice Test 408 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| A Licence to Own? Regulating Pet Ownership Academic Reading Practice Test 410 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cities Replace Lawns with Wildflower Meadows? Academic Reading Practice Test 413 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Building a Palace in the Mind Academic Reading Practice Test 415 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Do Economic Sanctions Achieve Their Aims? Academic Reading Practice Test 416 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Fireflies Produce Light Academic Reading Practice Test 417 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Universities Drop Entrance Exams? Academic Reading Practice Test 418 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Toys Be Sold Without Gender Labels? Academic Reading Practice Test 420 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Jaywalking Be Legal? Academic Reading Practice Test 423 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Colour of the Shelf Academic Reading Practice Test 425 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Schools Have Shorter Summer Holidays? Academic Reading Practice Test 426 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Why Lakes Freeze from the Top Down Academic Reading Practice Test 427 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Wild Animals Be Banned from Circuses? Academic Reading Practice Test 428 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Who Should Own a Sports Club? Academic Reading Practice Test 430 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| The Sounds Dolphins Make Academic Reading Practice Test 435 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Who Should Pay for the Damage? Academic Reading Practice Test 436 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Optical Illusions Fool the Brain Academic Reading Practice Test 437 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should the Pay of Company Bosses Be Capped? Academic Reading Practice Test 438 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Rivers Have Rights? Academic Reading Practice Test 440 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Parents Choose Their Children's Schools? Academic Reading Practice Test 443 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Habits Form Academic Reading Practice Test 445 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should There Be a Global Tax on Aviation Fuel? Academic Reading Practice Test 446 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Replaying the Game Academic Reading Practice Test 448 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Teaching the Whole Class Academic Reading Practice Test 450 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Wind Farms: Sea or Land? Academic Reading Practice Test 453 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Standard | Practise |
| Why Scarcity Sells Academic Reading Practice Test 455 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Delivery Drones Fly Over Cities? Academic Reading Practice Test 456 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Counting Before Arithmetic Academic Reading Practice Test 457 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Meat Grown in Laboratories Replace Livestock Farming? Academic Reading Practice Test 458 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Exams Be Open-Book? Academic Reading Practice Test 460 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cities Be Designed with Children in Mind? Academic Reading Practice Test 463 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Talk Sells Things Academic Reading Practice Test 465 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should the Olympic Games Have a Permanent Home? Academic Reading Practice Test 466 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Where Words Come From Academic Reading Practice Test 467 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should New Buildings Copy Historic Styles? Academic Reading Practice Test 468 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Tourists Pay to Enter Venice? Academic Reading Practice Test 470 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cities Ban Private Fireworks Displays? Academic Reading Practice Test 473 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Fungi Break Down Wood Academic Reading Practice Test 475 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Harder | Practise |
| Should Shops Be Closed on Sundays? Academic Reading Practice Test 476 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Reading Between the Lines Academic Reading Practice Test 477 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Tourists Be Allowed to Climb Sacred Mountains? Academic Reading Practice Test 478 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Governments Guarantee a Job to Everyone Who Wants One? Academic Reading Practice Test 480 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Advertising Be Banned in Schools? Academic Reading Practice Test 483 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Managing the Wait Academic Reading Practice Test 485 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cities Build Higher? Academic Reading Practice Test 486 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Children Learn to Lie Academic Reading Practice Test 487 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Universities Look Beyond the Grade Sheet? Academic Reading Practice Test 488 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Should Graduates Repay Student Loans Through the Tax System? Academic Reading Practice Test 490 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Social Media Be Banned for Children Under Sixteen? Academic Reading Practice Test 493 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How Ocean Waves Form Academic Reading Practice Test 495 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cities Bring Back Trams? Academic Reading Practice Test 496 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| How We Perceive Beauty Academic Reading Practice Test 497 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Standard | Practise |
| Can creative writing be taught? Academic Reading Practice Test 498 · Part 3 | 33–37 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Work Be Measured by Output Rather Than Hours? Academic Reading Practice Test 500 · Part 3 | 36–40 (5) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Children Walk to School Alone? Academic Reading Practice Test 503 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| The Ocean's Slow Circulation of Plastic Academic Reading Practice Test 505 · Part 2 | 20–23 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Should Cities Limit the Number of Cruise Ships? Academic Reading Practice Test 506 · Part 3 | 37–40 (4) | Easier | Practise |
| Why Teams Lose Their Drive Academic Reading Practice Test 507 · Part 2 | 14–18 (5) | Easier | Practise |
Other question types: True / False / Not Given · Yes / No / Not Given · Multiple choice · Matching headings · Matching information · Matching features · Sentence completion · Summary completion · Note, table and flow-chart completion · Diagram label completion · Short-answer questions